Overview:

This Ertai Resurrected deck combines Dimir control elements with a proliferate/infect win condition. It leverages Ertai's disruptive ETB ability to manage threats while gradually accumulating poison counters through toxic/infect creatures and proliferate synergies. The deck lacks infinite combos or fast mana but has moderate interaction and redundancy in its core poison strategy.

Primer:

Core Strategy:
The deck aims to establish early poison counters via toxic/infect creatures (Blighted Agent, Ichor Rats) and proliferate payoffs (Throne of Geth, Contagion Clasp), while using Ertai's flash/ETB to disrupt opponents. Key phases:

1. Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy mana rocks, early toxic creatures, and value engines like Chrome Host Seedshark.
2. Proliferation (Turns 5-8): Activate proliferate effects using artifacts/sorceries while controlling threats with Ertai and spot removal.
3. Closing (Turns 9+): Finish opponents with proliferated poison counters or chip damage from unblockable infect creatures.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands, a toxic creature, and either proliferate engine or interaction
• Prioritize Ichor Rats or Prologue to Phyresis for multi-player poison seeding
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or color fixing

Key Tips:

• Time Ertai's ETB to counter key noncreature spells rather than trading 1:1 on creatures
• Use Voidwing Hybrid as a recurring proliferate trigger from graveyard
• Save Reject Imperfection for protecting critical proliferate turns

Avoid Traps:

• Overextending infect creatures into board wipes
• Wasting proliferate triggers before establishing 2+ poison counters per opponent
• Holding up Ertai mana without backup interaction

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• No infinite combos or fast poison kills (relies on incremental damage)
• Limited protection for key engines (only 3 counterspells)

Moderate:

• Slow recovery from board wipes
• 50% of nonland cards require combat damage to advance poison

Minor:

• Weak to hexproof/shroud on opponents
• Limited card advantage engines

Most Important Cards:

• Ichor Rats (Multiplayer poison enabler)
• Contagion Clasp (Recurring proliferate)
• Throne of Geth (Sacrifice synergy + proliferate)
• Chrome Host Seedshark (Token generator)
• Voidwing Hybrid (Graveyard recursion)
• Narset, Parter of Veils (Draw restriction)
• Bring the Ending (Poison-synergistic counter)
• Distorted Curiosity (Poison-discounted draw)
• Phyresis Outbreak (Scaling poison payoff)
• Venser, Corpse Puppet (Proliferate payoff)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 4/10

• No turn 1-3 plays that meaningfully advance poison
• Earliest possible win ~T8 with perfect proliferate draws

Resilience: 5/10

• 7 counterspells/removal spells protect key turns
• Weak to artifact/enchantment removal targeting proliferate engines

Consistency: 5/10

• 14 proliferate sources but only 3 tutors (Demonic Tutor missing)
• Multiple redundant toxic creatures (5 infect sources)

Interaction: 6/10

• 10 targeted removal/counter spells including Drown in the Loch
• Lacks board wipes and free interaction for cEDH-level threats

Rating Justification:

This deck sits between "Optimized Casual" (5.0) and "Focused Casual" (4.5) on the rubric. It has clear poison/proliferate focus with some synergistic interaction but lacks:

• The turn 8-10 win speed of 5.0 decks
• The tutor density/recursion of optimized lists
• The stax pieces/multi-card combos of high-power builds
  Its incremental poison plan and moderate interaction suite align best with casual tables.

Power level: 4.0 - 4.5