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Average CMC
Cost
Salt Score
Overview:
A defensive-focused deck that transforms traditionally defensive creatures into an aggressive combat strategy, using Arcades, the Strategist to turn high-toughness walls into potent attackers while generating card advantage.
Primer:
The deck's primary strategy revolves around deploying creatures with defender and using Arcades, the Strategist to both draw cards and enable them to attack using their toughness instead of power. The deck includes numerous walls with high toughness values, supported by redundant effects like High Alert and Assault Formation to ensure the strategy functions even if Arcades is removed.
The deck generates value through enters-the-battlefield effects on walls like Wall of Omens and Wall of Blossoms, amplified by Panharmonicon. The mana base includes ramp through defender creatures like Overgrown Battlement and Axebane Guardian, allowing for explosive turns. Protection pieces like Lightning Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots help keep Arcades on the battlefield, while interaction pieces help control the board until a critical mass of defenders can be assembled.
Weaknesses:
The deck is heavily reliant on having either Arcades or a backup effect like High Alert to function, making it vulnerable to targeted removal. Board wipes can be particularly devastating, though the deck can rebuild through card draw. The deck struggles against strategies that can go wide with evasive creatures, as most defenders lack flying or other forms of evasion.
Most Important Cards:
- Arcades, the Strategist
- High Alert
- Assault Formation
- Panharmonicon
- Wall of Omens
- Axebane Guardian
- Overgrown Battlement
- Lightning Greaves
- Akroma's Will
- Wall of Denial
Attribute Ratings:
- Speed: 5/10
- Resilience: 6/10
- Consistency: 7/10
- Interaction: 5/10
Rating Justification:
This deck operates at a focused casual power level, consistently executing its strategy but typically winning through combat damage around turns 8-10. While it has good card draw and redundancy for its main strategy, it lacks the explosive power or game-ending combos of higher-powered decks. The interaction suite is modest but functional, and the deck can rebuild effectively but isn't particularly fast compared to more optimized strategies.
Final power level rating: 5.0 - 5.5
The deck sits firmly in the optimized casual range because it has a clear gameplan with good synergy and consistency, but its combat-focused strategy and reliance on its commander keeps it from reaching higher power levels. It's more refined than a typical precon but lacks the fast mana and efficient win conditions found in higher-powered decks.
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