Overview:

This Orzhov Knights tribal deck leverages Aryel's token generation and removal capabilities to build a wide board of synergistic creatures. The primary strategy involves deploying Knight lords like Knight Exemplar and Benalish Marshal to amplify tokens created by Aryel, History of Benalia, and others. Win conditions focus on overwhelming combat damage enhanced by finishers like Moonshaker Cavalry, True Conviction, or Silverwing Squadron, supplemented by incremental life drain from Corpse Knight and Exsanguinator Cavalry. Aryel acts as both an engine (token generation) and interaction (targeted removal), with Haakon, Stromgald Scourge enabling graveyard recursion as a "hidden commander."

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Prioritize ramp (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Sword of the Animist) and card advantage engines (Smothering Tithe, Black Market Connections, Welcoming Vampire). Cast low-cost Knights like Foulmire Knight or Knight of the Ebon Legion to establish presence.
2. Engine Deployment (Turns 3-6): Cast Aryel to generate tokens. Drop key lords (Knight Exemplar, Valiant Knight, Kwende, Pride of Femeref) to boost the board. Utilize Herald's Horn/Urza's Incubator for cost reduction and card filtering.
3. Board Domination (Turns 5-8): Deploy finishers like Moonshaker Cavalry, True Conviction, or Silverwing Squadron for lethal combat swings. Leverage Aryel's removal ability to clear blockers using tapped tokens. Activate Knights' Charge or Living Death for recovery/recursion if needed.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including color-fixing like Caves of Koilos).
• Prioritize early ramp, a card advantage piece (e.g., Smothering Tithe, Black Market Connections), or a low-CMC Knight.
• Include interaction (Damn, Mortify) or protection (Teferi's Protection) against removal-heavy pods.
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or with only high-CMC cards.

Key Tips:

• Maximize Token Utility: Sacrifice Aryel's tokens to Village Rites, Skullclamp, or Victimize for card advantage before using them for removal.
• Graveyard Synergy: Cast Haakon, Stromgald Scourge from the graveyard to enable recursive Knight casting. Pair with Recruiter of the Guard to tutor key pieces repeatedly.
• Protect Critical Mass: Use Teferi's Protection or Flare of Fortitude to counter board wipes. Reconnaissance allows safe attacks by removing Knights from combat after damage.
• Exploit Lifegain: Vault of the Archangel grants lifelink/deathtouch for stabilizing swings. Exsanguinator Cavalry scales with +1/+1 counters from combat triggers.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Board Wipe Vulnerability: Relies heavily on creature-based strategies; lacks mass recursion beyond Living Death/Knights' Charge. Recovery is slow if key lords are removed.
• Graveyard Hate: Haakon recursion and Living Death plans are neutered by Bojuka Bog-effects.

Moderate

• Combo Resilience: Limited stack interaction; struggles against non-creature combo wins (e.g., Thoracle).
• Stax Weakness: Cursed Totem/Linvala shut down Aryel's tap ability and Exsanguinator Cavalry.

Minor

• Mana Constraints: Moderate ramp density; high-CMC finishers can stall if ramp is disrupted.
• Flying Threats: Limited reach; relies on Moonshaker Cavalry or deathtouch from Vault for defense.

Most Important Cards:

• Knight Exemplar (Indestructible lord enabling resilient boards)
• Moonshaker Cavalry (Primary combat finisher)
• Haakon, Stromgald Scourge (Recursion engine enabling graveyard value)
• Smothering Tithe (Critical ramp/card advantage)
• Recruiter of the Guard (Tutors key low-toughness Knights)
• Teferi's Protection (Board wipe protection)
• Living Death (Mass recursion/reset)
• Valiant Knight (Double strike enabler)
• Black Market Connections (Sustained card advantage)
• Knight of the Ebon Legion (Early threat/scaling damage)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Goldfish wins typically occur turns 7-9 via combat overruns or Moonshaker Cavalry swings. No fast combos; relies on incremental board growth.

Resilience: 6/10

• Recursion (Haakon, Living Death, Knights' Charge) and protection (Teferi's Protection, Flare of Fortitude) provide recovery, but board wipes remain a major threat.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong tribal synergy, multiple tutors (Recruiter, Thalia's Lancers), and card advantage engines (Smothering Tithe, Vanquisher's Banner) ensure reliable access to key pieces.

Interaction: 5/10

• Targeted removal (Damn, Mortify, Fracture) handles threats, but lacks counterspells and struggles against non-creature strategies.

Rating Justification:

The deck executes a focused tribal strategy with high consistency and moderate resilience, but its win speed (T7-9) and vulnerability to board wipes cap its power. It exceeds precon levels through strong synergy and tutoring, aligning with optimized casual play.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5