Overview:

This mono-blue deck leverages Teferi, Temporal Archmage as a combo enabler and value engine, focusing on stax elements, planeswalker synergies, and infinite activations via The Chain Veil. The primary win condition involves generating infinite mana/untaps with Teferi + Chain Veil to draw the deck and win through repeated activations (e.g., Decimator Web poison/mill or Jace, the Mind Sculptor ultimates). Secondary plans include stax locks (Stasis + untap effects), overwhelming card advantage (Consecrated Sphinx, Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur), and extra turns. Teferi is essential for untapping mana rocks/Chain Veil and enabling combo lines, but the deck can pivot to control/stax if he's removed.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Thran Dynamo, Extraplanar Lens with Snow-Covered Islands) and card advantage engines (Rhystic Study, Mystic Remora). Use counterspells to disrupt opponents while ramping to Teferi.
2. Midgame Combo/Stax (Turns 5-7): Cast Teferi, using his -1 to untap rocks/Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx for explosive mana. Tutor The Chain Veil via Tezzeret the Seeker or dig with card selection (Ponder, Brainstorm). Deploy stax pieces like Frozen Aether or Stasis (using Teferi to untap permanents for upkeep costs).
3. Win Condition Execution:
   • Chain Veil Combo: With Teferi and Chain Veil on board, activate Chain Veil (4 mana), then use Teferi’s -1 to untap Chain Veil + mana sources. Repeat for infinite untaps/loyalty, drawing the deck with Teferi’s +1 or Consecrated Sphinx. Win via Decimator Web (infinite activations), Jace, the Mind Sculptor ultimate, or Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur draw triggers.
   • Stax Lock: Lock the board with Stasis + Teferi’s untap (paying upkeep via mana rocks) or Frozen Aether, then win gradually with planeswalker abilities.
   • Alternate Wins: Rite of Replication on key creatures (e.g., Consecrated Sphinx), extra turns (Time Warp), or Kozilek, Butcher of Truth beats.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including color sources), at least one mana rock, and either a card draw engine or counterspell.
• Prioritize hands with early ramp (Sol Ring, Sapphire Medallion) or a T4 Teferi line.
• Avoid hands lacking blue mana, early plays, or win conditions.

Key Tips:

• Untap Synergy: Use Teferi’s -1 on Gilded Lotus, Thran Dynamo, or Nykthos for massive mana. Pair with Voltaic Key for additional untaps.
• Stax Management: Deploy Frozen Aether early; save Stasis until you can reliably untap permanents.
• Protection: Counter key removal targeting Teferi or Chain Veil with free spells (Misdirection, Mental Misstep) or low-cost counters (Force Spike, Spell Pierce).
• Proliferate: Use Inexorable Tide/Contagion Engine to boost Teferi/Jace loyalty or add counters to Astral Cornucopia.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Artifact/Enchantment Hate: Cripples mana rocks (Sol Ring, Extraplanar Lens), removes Chain Veil/stax pieces, and disables win conditions (Decimator Web).
• Anti-Combo Stax: Cursed Totem/Null Rod shuts down Voltaic Key, Chain Veil, and mana rock activations; Drannith Magistrate blocks planeswalker casting.
• Commander Focus: Teferi removal (especially with tax) severely delays the primary combo, forcing reliance on slower stax/control.

Moderate

• Board Wipes: Hurts mana dorks/utility creatures (Trinket Mage, Glen Elendra Archmage), though less critical than artifact loss.
• Graveyard Hate: Disrupts Kozilek, Butcher of Truth recursion and Bala Ged Recovery (not in list, but similar recursion).
• Hand Disruption: Targeted discard can remove key combo pieces before countermagic is online.

Minor

• Land Destruction: Nonbasic hate (Blood Moon effects) minimally impacts this mana base (mostly basics).
• Fast Aggro: Early creature pressure can overwhelm before stax/combo stabilizes.

Most Important Cards:

• The Chain Veil (Primary combo enabler)
• Tezzeret the Seeker (Tutors Chain Veil/key artifacts)
• Extraplanar Lens (Explosive mana acceleration)
• Stasis (Stax lock piece with Teferi untap)
• Consecrated Sphinx (Card advantage engine/combo draw)
• Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx (Mana scaling with blue permanents)
• Decimator Web (Primary combo payoff for poison/mill)
• Cyclonic Rift (Board reset to protect combo/stax)
• Rhystic Study (Early card advantage)
• Teferi, Temporal Archmage (Combo/stax enabler)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can win T5-7 with perfect draws (ramp → Teferi → Chain Veil combo), but typically threatens T7-8 wins due to setup requirements and lack of fast mana beyond Sol Ring.

Resilience: 5/10

• Counterspells and stax provide disruption, but heavy reliance on artifacts and Teferi makes the combo fragile. Recursion is limited outside Kozilek shuffle.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong card selection (brainstorm/ponder), tutors (Tezzeret/Trinket Mage), and draw engines (Rhystic/Sphinx) reliably find combo pieces, but no instant-win payoff slows closing.

Interaction: 9/10

• Exceptional countermagic suite (18 counterspells) and bounce (Cyclonic Rift, Devastation Tide) disrupt opponents at all stages. Stax pieces add layered control.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a Focused level, leveraging efficient tutors and interaction to consistently threaten T7-8 wins via the Chain Veil combo or stax locks. However, its reliance on vulnerable permanents (artifacts/planeswalkers) and lack of a compact win condition (e.g., Thoracle) caps its speed and resilience below optimized tiers.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5