Overview:

This Kykar, Wind's Fury deck is a spellslinger storm/combo build leveraging noncreature spells to generate Spirit tokens and explosive mana. Kykar serves as the engine, enabling token generation for mana acceleration via its sacrifice ability and fueling storm payoffs. The primary win conditions involve storming off with cards like Grapeshot, Empty the Warrens, or Mind's Desire, amplified by token payoffs like Purphoros, God of the Forge and Impact Tremors. Secondary lines include the Isochron Scepter + Dramatic Reversal infinite mana combo (with mana rocks) enabling Aetherflux Reservoir kills or massive storm turns. Kykar is indispensable as the core enabler, providing both resources and inevitability; its low recast cost mitigates removal vulnerability, though the deck heavily relies on its presence.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Fellwar Stone) and cost reducers (Goblin Electromancer, Baral, Chief of Compliance). Cast cantrips (Opt, Consider, Preordain) to dig for key pieces and trigger Kykar for initial Spirits. Prioritize establishing Smothering Tithe or Birgi, God of Storytelling for sustained mana advantage.
2. Engine Activation (Turns 3-5): Cast Kykar. Use low-cost instants/sorceries (Brainstorm, Faithless Looting, Cathartic Reunion) to generate Spirits and filter draws. Sacrifice Spirits to Kykar for red mana to fuel rituals (Desperate Ritual, Seething Song) or storm spells. Deploy token payoffs (Purphoros, Impact Tremors) or value engines (Jeskai Ascendancy, Storm-Kiln Artist).
3. Combo/Storm Execution (Turns 4-7):
   • Storm: Chain cantrips and rituals to build storm count. Win with Grapeshot, Empty the Warrens (followed by Purphoros/Impact Tremors triggers), or Mind's Desire for massive value. Bonus Round dramatically amplifies this turn.
   • Infinite Mana: Assemble Isochron Scepter imprinted with Dramatic Reversal alongside 2+ mana rocks (e.g., Sol Ring + Arcane Signet). Generate infinite mana and untaps. Use this to cast your entire deck via Kykar spirits or win via Aetherflux Reservoir, Grapeshot, or Talrand, Sky Summoner tokens.
   • Token Overwhelm: Leverage Monastery Mentor, Young Pyromancer, and Third Path Iconoclast to create a wide board, boosted by Jeskai Ascendancy or Purphoros triggers for lethal damage.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including color fixing) and at least one early play: mana rock, cantrip, or cost reducer.
• Prioritize hands containing Kykar, a ritual, or a key engine piece (Birgi, Smothering Tithe, Goblin Electromancer).
• Look for hands with protection (Boros Charm, Dispel) or interaction if facing known disruption.
• Avoid hands lacking early plays, excessive high-CMC cards, or insufficient colored sources.

Key Tips:

• Mana Management: Sacrifice Spirits during the main phase before casting spells to maximize red mana. Use Birgi's back side (Harnfel, Horn of Bounty) for graveyard-fueled explosive turns. Frantic Search and Snap provide untaps for reusing rocks.
• Graveyard Utilization: Past in Flames enables massive recursion turns. Finale of Promise recasts key instants/sorceries from the graveyard. Faithless Looting and Cathartic Reunion enable strategic graveyard filling.
• Protection & Interaction: Deploy Kykar behind protection like Boros Charm (indestructible mode). Use counterspells (Counterspell, Swan Song, An Offer You Can't Refuse) defensively to protect combo turns or offensively to disrupt opponents. Path to Exile and Swords to Plowshares handle critical creatures.
• Tutoring: Fabricate fetches Isochron Scepter or Aetherflux Reservoir. Muddle the Mixture transmutes for key 2-drops (Dramatic Reversal, Baral, Electromancer, Cantrips).
• Storm Sequencing: Cast rituals after generating Spirits with cantrips to maximize mana. Use Guttersnipe and Storm-Kiln Artist for incremental damage/treasures during setup.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Rule of Law Effects: Eidolon of Rhetoric, Deafening Silence, or Archon of Emeria cripple the deck's ability to chain spells and execute storm/combo turns. The deck lacks efficient enchantment removal in blue/red.
• Board Wipes: Mass removal (Blasphemous Act, Wrath of God) resets token boards and removes critical creature engines (Guttersnipe, Mentor), forcing slow rebuilds.
• Graveyard Hate: Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void shuts off Past in Flames, Finale of Promise, and Faithless Looting recursion, eliminating key recovery/win lines.

Moderate

• Targeted Removal on Engines: Killing Kykar repeatedly or removing Birgi/Storm-Kiln Artist significantly slows mana generation and storm potential.
• Anti-Token Strategies: Cursed Totem disables Kykar's sacrifice ability. Torpor Orb nullifies token generators like Young Pyromancer and Monastery Mentor.
• Hand Disruption: Targeted discard (Thoughtseize, Duress) stripping key combo pieces or rituals can disrupt critical turns before protection is online.

Minor

• Mana Base Fragility: Reliance on tapped duals (Temples, Mystic Monastery) can slow early development. Color requirements are demanding (U/R/W).
• Life Total Pressure: Aggressive decks can pressure life totals faster than the deck sets up, making Aetherflux Reservoir risky or forcing premature plays.

Most Important Cards:

• Kykar, Wind's Fury (Core engine: token generation & mana acceleration)
• Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty (Mana generation & graveyard card advantage)
• Isochron Scepter (Infinite mana combo piece with Dramatic Reversal)
• Dramatic Reversal (Infinite mana combo piece with Scepter & rocks)
• Purphoros, God of the Forge (Primary token payoff for direct damage)
• Grapeshot (Primary storm win condition)
• Smothering Tithe (Massive mana generation against multiple opponents)
• Past in Flames (Enables explosive graveyard recursion turns)
• Storm-Kiln Artist (Generates treasures during storm, fueling further spells)
• Jeskai Ascendancy (Untaps mana dorks/rocks, pumps tokens, provides card filtering)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10

• Capable of winning via storm or infinite mana as early as turn 4-5 with perfect hands (e.g., T1 rock, T2 reducer, T3 Kykar + rituals into storm payoff). Consistent T6-7 goldfish wins.

Resilience: 5/10

• Includes counterspells and protection (Boros Charm) for key turns, plus card draw/filtering for recovery. However, heavily reliant on Kykar and vulnerable to specific, common stax pieces that it struggles to remove.

Consistency: 7/10

• High density of cantrips (12+), rituals, and tutors (Fabricate, Muddle the Mixture, Finale of Promise) ensure reliable access to combo pieces or storm fuel. Kykar provides inherent card advantage.

Interaction: 6/10

• Runs efficient targeted removal (Path, Swords), counterspells (Counterspell, Swan Song, Dispel), and stack interaction. Focuses primarily on protecting its own game plan rather than disrupting multiple opponents proactively.

Rating Justification:

This deck achieves Focused Competitive speed (T5-6 wins) through efficient storm lines and a compact infinite mana combo, supported by strong consistency via cantrips and tutors. However, its resilience is hampered by critical vulnerabilities to common stax effects and board wipes, preventing it from reaching optimized cEDH levels despite its potent win potential.

Power level: 7.0 - 7.5