Overview:

This +1/+1 counter-focused deck leverages Bristly Bill, Spine Sower's landfall-triggered counter generation and doubling ability to create massive creatures. The strategy revolves around explosive mana dorks (e.g., Marwyn, the Nurturer, Heronblade Elite), counter doublers (Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider, Hardened Scales), and land ramp to fuel combat victories or infinite mana combos (Selvala, Heart of the Wilds + Staff of Domination/Umbral Mantle). Bristly Bill acts as a key enabler but isn’t strictly essential, as the deck includes redundant counter sources like Court of Garenbrig and Forgotten Ancient.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Ramp (Turns 1-3): Prioritize 1-2 mana ramp (e.g., Rampant Growth, Exploration, mana dorks) to accelerate land drops and enable early Bristly Bill casts.
2. Counter Synergy (Turns 3-5): Deploy counter doublers (Branching Evolution, Ozolith, the Shattered Spire) and mana dorks that scale with power (Gyre Sage, Kami of Whispered Hopes). Use landfall triggers from cards like Retreat to Kazandu to grow threats.
3. Combo/Overrun (Turns 5+):
   • Infinite Mana: Pair Selvala, Heart of the Wilds or Marwyn, the Nurturer with Staff of Domination/Umbral Mantle to generate infinite mana. Use this to activate Bristly Bill’s doubling ability repeatedly or pump Crystalline Crawler for infinite mana.
   • Combat: Deploy Avenger of Zendikar or Surrak and Goreclaw to create wide boards, then use Duskshell Crawler or Garruk's Uprising to grant trample.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, a ramp spell, and at least one counter generator (e.g., Hardened Scales, Retreat to Kazandu).
• Prioritize early mana dorks (Llanowar Elves analogs like Fanatic of Rhonas) or land accelerators (Exploration, Three Visits).
• Avoid hands with only high-CMC cards without ramp.

Key Tips:

• Use The Ozolith to preserve counters after board wipes.
• Shifting Woodland can copy key permanents like Vorinclex from the graveyard.
• Legolas's Quick Reflexes protects key creatures while enabling surprise removal.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Board wipes cripple the creature-dependent strategy; limited mass recursion outside The Ozolith.
• Anti-counter hate (The Immortal Sun, Solemnity) shuts down the deck’s engine.
• Artifact/Enchantment removal disrupts combo pieces (Staff of Domination, counter doublers).

Moderate

• Spot removal on key mana dorks (Selvala, Marwyn) slows the deck significantly.
• Rule of Law effects hinder the ability to chain land drops and spells.

Minor

• Limited stack interaction beyond Archdruid's Charm and Force of Vigor.
• Struggles against flying-heavy decks without Duskshell Crawler.

Most Important Cards:

• Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider (Doubles counters, disrupts opponents)
• Selvala, Heart of the Wilds (Infinite mana enabler)
• Staff of Domination (Combo piece, utility)
• The Ozolith (Counter resilience)
• Hardened Scales (Counter multiplier)
• Court of Garenbrig (Scaling counter generation)
• Marwyn, the Nurturer (Mana scaling)
• Avenger of Zendikar (Wide board threat)
• Umbral Mantle (Infinite untap combo)
• Garruk's Uprising (Card draw, trample enabler)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10

• Can threaten infinite mana or lethal combat by turns 5-6 with optimal draws.

Resilience: 5/10

• Vulnerable to wipes and targeted hate but has some protection (Inspiring Call, The Ozolith).

Consistency: 6/10

• Strong ramp and card draw but lacks tutors for combo pieces beyond Archdruid's Charm.

Interaction: 4/10

• Focused on artifact/enchantment removal; minimal creature interaction outside combat tricks.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a 6.5 - 7.0 power level, capable of T5-6 wins via combat or combo but held back by vulnerability to common disruption and reliance on board presence. Its speed aligns with "Focused" tiers, while resilience limitations prevent higher optimization.

Power level: 6.5 - 7.0