Overview:

This Esper Zombie tribal deck leverages Temmet's card draw and Zombie buffing to swarm with tokens. The strategy focuses on generating Zombie armies through cards like Army of the Damned and Dreadhorde Invasion, then amplifying them with draw-engine payoffs like Alhammarret's Archive. While lacking infinite combos, it aims for midrange board dominance with moderate interaction and recursion.

Primer:

Core Strategy: The deck seeks to flood the board with Zombie tokens via tribal synergies and token generators, then scale them using Temmet’s draw-triggered anthem effect. Key phases:

• Early Setup: Ramp with signets/Sol Ring and establish token engines (Cryptbreaker, Jadar, Ghoulcaller).
• Midgame Value: Cast high-impact Zombie payoffs like God-Eternal Oketra or Kindred Discovery while cycling/discarding for token generation (Dying to Serve).
• Closing Power: Overwhelm opponents with exponential Zombie growth (Endless Ranks of the Dead) and finishers like Akroma's Will or Kindred Dominance.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands + 1-2 ramp pieces (Arcane Signet, Dimir Signet).
• Prioritize early token generators or card draw (Windfall, Forgotten Creation).
• Avoid slow starts without ramp or board presence.

Key Tips:

• Time mass draws (Windfall, Distant Melody) to maximize Temmet’s +1/+1 triggers.
• Use Rooftop Storm to cheat in high-cost Zombies like Liliana, Death's Majesty.
• Protect critical engines (Teferi's Ageless Insight, Kindred Discovery) with counterspells.

Avoid Traps:

• Overcommitting to the board before establishing draw engines.
• Holding interaction for non-critical threats when racing to assemble key pieces.

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• Board Wipe Vulnerability: Relies on wide boards; lacks mass recursion outside Army of the Damned flashback.
• Draw Engine Reliance: Removing Alhammarret's Archive/Teferi's Ageless Insight cripples scaling.

Moderate:

• Slow Graveyard Recovery: Limited recursion for key non-Zombie pieces.
• Mana-Intensive Payoffs: Rooftop Storm and Kindred Dominance require significant setup.

Minor:

• Color Fixing: Mana base handles 3 colors well but has minimal basics for fetchlands.

Most Important Cards:

• Alhammarret's Archive
• Rooftop Storm
• Teferi's Ageless Insight
• Kindred Discovery
• Army of the Damned
• Endless Ranks of the Dead
• God-Eternal Oketra
• Kindred Dominance
• Cryptbreaker
• Dreadhorde Invasion

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Establishes threats by T4-5 but needs 2-3 turns to build lethal boards. No fast combos; relies on incremental value.

Resilience: 4/10

• Moderate recursion (Unholy Grotto, flashbacks) but struggles against repeated wipes. Key engines have minimal protection beyond 3-4 counterspells.

Consistency: 6/10

• Redundant token generators and 10+ draw effects provide reliable access to pieces. Lacks tutors for critical non-Zombie cards.

Interaction: 5/10

• 7 targeted removal/counters (Swords to Plowshares, Dovin's Veto) and 3 board wipes. Reactive but not overwhelming.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a 4.5-5.0 power level, aligning with "Focused Casual" in the rubric. It outpaces precons with synergistic draw engines and tribal payoffs but lacks the speed (T8-10 wins) and resilience of optimized lists. While capable of overwhelming tables through token swarms, it folds to early stax or repeated interaction, preventing higher rankings.

Power level: 4.5 - 5.0