Overview:

This Sultai deck leverages Felix Five-Boots to amplify triggered abilities from unblockable creatures dealing combat damage. The primary strategy involves deploying evasive threats (e.g., Changeling Outcast, Mist-Cloaked Herald) to trigger card draw (Curiosity, Toski, Bearer of Secrets), discard (Larceny, Specter's Shroud), and value engines. Felix acts as a critical force multiplier, doubling these triggers for overwhelming advantage. Secondary win conditions include reanimating stolen threats (Wrexial, the Risen Deep, Ancient Brass Dragon) and discard synergy with Waste Not/Liliana's Caress. The deck balances tempo, disruption, and incremental damage but relies heavily on maintaining combat pressure.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Play evasive 1-drops (e.g., Slither Blade, Changeling Outcast), ramp (Sol Ring, signets), or disruption (Opposition Agent, Narset, Parter of Veils). Prioritize fixing mana for Felix.
2. Deploy Engines (Turns 3-5): Cast Felix or draw/discard enablers like Curiosity, Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar, or Ohran Frostfang. Protect key pieces with Lightning Greaves or counterspells.
3. Amplify Triggers (Turns 4-7): Connect with unblockables to double-draw or force discards. Use cipher spells (Mental Vapors, Undercity Plague) for recurring value. Tutor for Waste Not or finishers like Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.
4. Close the Game:
   • Combat/Discard Grind: Drain opponents via repeated discards (Liliana's Caress, Sheoldred) while drawing into interaction.
   • Reanimation: Steal high-impact cards from graveyards with Reanimate, Wrexial, or Tinybones, the Pickpocket.
   • Combo Potential: Opposition Agent + forced discard (e.g., Windfall) can lock opponents out.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 1-2 evasive creatures, 2-3 lands (including color fixing), and ramp/interaction.
• Prioritize hands containing Felix, an engine (Curiosity/Larceny), or a tutor (Demonic Tutor).
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or color diversity.

Key Tips:

• Protect Felix: Ward {2} helps, but use Heroic Intervention or counters (Fierce Guardianship) against removal. Felix doubles all damage-triggers—prioritize connecting.
• Sequence Wisely: Play engines before attackers to maximize triggers. Save counters for board wipes or graveyard hate.
• Leverage Discard: Waste Not provides mana, tokens, and cards—pair with Windfall or Syphon Mind for explosive turns.
• Utility Lands: Rogue's Passage ensures damage; Otawara, Soaring City bounces threats; Bojuka Bog disrupts graveyards.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Board Wipes: Loses momentum to mass removal (e.g., Damnation), as evasive creatures are low-toughness and lack innate protection.
• Graveyard Hate: Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void cripples reanimation and cipher recursion.

Moderate

• Anti-Discard Effects: Leyline of Sanctity or Tajuru Preserver nullifies discard triggers.
• Stax Pieces: Cursed Totem stops activated abilities (e.g., Tinybones, Grim Hireling); Propaganda taxes attacks.

Minor

• Spot Removal: Key engines (e.g., Waste Not, Ohran Frostfang) are vulnerable but replaceable.
• Fast Aggro: Struggles against decks that outpace its setup with early pressure.

Most Important Cards:

• Waste Not (Discard payoff: generates mana, tokens, and cards)
• Curiosity (Primary draw engine, doubled by Felix)
• Opposition Agent (Disrupts tutors, enables graveyard theft)
• Sheoldred, the Apocalypse (Life drain/card draw punisher)
• Demonic Tutor (Finds key pieces like Waste Not or protection)
• Toski, Bearer of Secrets (Guaranteed card draw on combat damage)
• Fierce Guardianship (Free counter to protect the game plan)
• Reanimate (Steals high-value threats early)
• Cyclonic Rift (Board reset enabling lethal swings)
• Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar (Draw engine and evasion protection)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can deploy threats early but typically wins via incremental damage/discard around turns 6-8; faster with ideal reanimation or Waste Not triggers.

Resilience: 5/10

• Has counters, protection, and recursion but heavily reliant on maintaining board presence; struggles to recover from wipes or targeted hate.

Consistency: 7/10

• High density of evasive creatures, multiple draw engines, and tutors (Demonic Tutor, Dimir Infiltrator) ensure reliable access to core strategy components.

Interaction: 7/10

• Efficient removal (Assassin's Trophy, Infernal Grasp), counterspells (Counterspell, An Offer You Can't Refuse), and disruptive creatures (Opposition Agent, Narset) handle diverse threats.

Rating Justification:

The deck executes a focused plan with strong synergy and interaction, capable of T6-8 wins through combat/discard pressure or reanimation. However, its reliance on maintaining a board and vulnerability to wipes caps resilience, preventing higher optimization. Speed and consistency align with the "Focused" tier, but resilience limitations place it at the lower end.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5