Overview:

This Sultai (BGU) deck leverages The Wise Mothman as a synergistic engine for proliferate, +1/+1 counters, and mill strategies. The commander accelerates rad counter distribution and converts milled cards into creature buffs, enabling explosive board states. Secondary commanders like Zellix, Sanity Flayer and The Master, Transcendent act as "hidden commanders," enhancing mill payoffs and reanimation. The primary win paths involve overwhelming combat with mutated creatures, proliferate-based damage via rad counters (e.g., Bloodchief Ascension, Nuclear Fallout), and value reanimation (Rise of the Dark Realms). The Mothman is crucial for rad counter initiation and mill synergy but is vulnerable to removal, raising recast risks.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Prioritize ramp (e.g., Sol Ring, Cultivate) and enablers like Hardened Scales or Evolution Sage. Deploy Zellix, Sanity Flayer or Mesmeric Orb to start milling.
2. Commander Deployment (Turns 4-6): Cast The Wise Mothman to spread rad counters. Pair with proliferate effects (Radstorm, Inexorable Tide) to amplify counters. Use Corpsejack Menace/Branching Evolution to double +1/+1 counters on creatures like Kalonian Hydra or Agent Frank Horrigan.
3. Win Condition Activation (Turns 7-10):
   • Combat: Swing with massive mutants (Strong, the Brutish Thespian, Alpha Deathclaw) enhanced by trample sources (Power Fist).
   • Proliferate Kills: Leverage Bloodchief Ascension with 3+ quest counters or Nuclear Fallout to exploit rad counters.
   • Reanimation: Resurrect milled threats via The Master, Transcendent or Rise of the Dark Realms.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3+ lands, including color-fixers (Command Tower, triomes**).
• Prioritize early ramp (Sol Ring, Farseek) or mill engines (Mesmeric Orb, Zellix).
• Include at least one proliferate source (Evolution Sage, Karn's Bastion) or counter doubler (Hardened Scales).
• Avoid hands lacking ramp or reliant solely on high-CMC bombs.

Key Tips:

• Protect Engines: Use Mutational Advantage to shield key permanents. Atomize handles threats while proliferating.
• Maximize Mill: Pair Syr Konrad, the Grim with mass mill (Breach the Multiverse) for repeated damage.
• Counter Synergy: Move counters via Nesting Grounds to dodge removal or amplify threats.
• Radiation Leverage: Cards like Glowing One punish opponents with rad counters, while Strong, the Brutish Thespian turns radiation into growth.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard Hate (e.g., Rest in Peace): Cripples reanimation, mill payoffs, and recursion like Muldrotha.
• Enchantment/Artifact Removal: Destroys essential engines (Bloodchief Ascension, Mesmeric Orb, counter doublers).
• Board Wipes: Resets +1/+1 counter investments; limited recovery outside Rise of the Dark Realms.

Moderate

• Commander Reliance: Strategy stalls if The Wise Mothman is repeatedly removed (high recast cost).
• Anti-Counter Effects (e.g., The One Ring): Slows proliferate and +1/+1 synergies.
• Stack Interaction: Limited counterspells make combos vulnerable to disruption.

Minor

• Evasive Threats: Struggles against flying-heavy boards without consistent reach/trample.
• Slow Setup: Early stumbles against aggro decks due to tapped lands and setup turns.

Most Important Cards:

• Mesmeric Orb (Primary mill engine, fuels +1/+1 counters and reanimation)
• Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider (Doubles counters, accelerates win conditions)
• Syr Konrad, the Grim (Mill payoff, consistent damage)
• Branching Evolution (Amplifies +1/+1 counter strategy)
• The Master, Transcendent (Reanimates milled creatures, hidden commander)
• Zellix, Sanity Flayer (Token generation from mill, secondary engine)
• Reflections of Littjara (Copies Mutant spells for value)
• Bloodchief Ascension (Primary rad counter win condition)
• Corpsejack Menace (Doubles +1/+1 counters)
• Yarok, the Desecrated (Doubles ETB effects like mill triggers)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Wins typically occur around T9-11 via combat or proliferate damage. Fastest wins require uncontested setup but lack T7-8 consistency.

Resilience: 5/10

• Recursion (Muldrotha, Mortuary Mire) and protection (Mutational Advantage) exist but rely heavily on graveyard access. Vulnerable to targeted hate.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong card draw (Marcus, Mutant Mayor, Liliana, Dreadhorde General) and ramp suite ensure land drops and engine assembly. Tutors are limited but mill provides indirect redundancy.

Interaction: 6/10

• Targeted removal (Putrefy, Casualties of War) and proliferate-integrated answers (Atomize) are solid but lacks stack interaction beyond niche protection.

Rating Justification:

The deck executes a focused proliferate/mill strategy with synergistic payoffs but operates at a casual speed (T9-11 wins) and suffers critical vulnerabilities to graveyard hate. Its consistency and moderate resilience place it above precons but below optimized lists.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5