Overview:

This Esper (WUB) deck helmed by Raffine, Scheming Seer leverages aggressive creature swarms to fuel connive triggers, enabling graveyard setup and selective card advantage. The strategy revolves around cloning/reanimating high-impact creatures (e.g., Serra's Emissary, Gray Merchant of Asphodel) and leveraging myriad/attack-trigger synergies. Raffine acts as a critical engine for filtering and +1/+1 counter distribution, while the deck uses a dense suite of clone effects (14+ copy creatures) and reanimation spells to cheat threats. Secondary themes include lifegain synergies (e.g., Children of Korlis + Gray Merchant) and token generation for wide attacks.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, signets) and low-cost creatures (Stitcher's Supplier, Viscera Seer) to enable early Raffine casts. Attack with 2-3 creatures to connive, discarding reanimation targets (e.g., Scholar of the Lost Trove) or clones.
2. Midgame Value (Turns 4-6): Use Buried Alive/Entomb to dump key creatures. Reanimate threats like Gray Merchant of Asphodel (life drain) or Serra's Emissary (protection). Clone opponents' best creatures or your own value engines (e.g., copying Phyrexian Delver for recursive reanimation).
3. Win Conditions (Turns 6-8):
   • Combat Overload: Amplify token armies (via Adeline, Resplendent Cathar, Wyrm's Crossing Patrol) with Raffine's counters and evasion.
   • Reanimation Loops: Recur Gray Merchant with Karmic Guide/Unburial Rites for repeated life drain.
   • Clone Synergy: Copy Scholar of the Lost Trove to cast Breach the Multiverse from the graveyard, stealing opponents' best permanents.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including color-fixing), at least 1 ramp artifact, and an early creature or reanimation spell.
• Prioritize Buried Alive, Stitcher's Supplier, or a clone if high-value targets are expected in opponents' boards.
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or with only high-CMC clones.

Key Tips:

• Use Sakashima of a Thousand Faces to clone Raffine, bypassing the legend rule and doubling connive triggers.
• Malakir Rebirth protects key creatures while enabling graveyard recursion.
• Void Rend and Summary Dismissal counter common threats to your strategy (e.g., Rest in Peace).

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void) shuts down reanimation and connive-fueled setup.
• Lacks fast mana (e.g., Mana Crypt) and has a slow mana base (10+ tapped lands), delaying critical turns.

Moderate

• Minimal instant-speed interaction (only 5 targeted removals) struggles against combo decks.
• Over-reliance on Raffine for card selection; repeated removal can stall the engine.

Minor

• Clone-heavy strategy risks inconsistency if opponents lack high-value targets.
• Limited board wipe recovery outside Guardian of Faith.

Most Important Cards:

• Raffine, Scheming Seer (Engine: card selection, counters, graveyard setup)
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel (Primary wincon via life drain)
• Buried Alive (Tutors reanimation targets)
• Serra's Emissary (Protection lock)
• Scholar of the Lost Trove (Recasts game-winning sorceries like Breach the Multiverse)
• Sakashima of a Thousand Faces (Clone enabler, bypasses legend rule)
• Phyrexian Metamorph (Flexible clone for artifacts/creatures)
• Unburial Rites (Recursive reanimation)
• Adeline, Resplendent Cathar (Token generation for wide attacks)
• Void Rend (Uncounterable removal)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Threatens wins via reanimation/clones around turns 7-9 but lacks explosive fast mana or 1-card combos.

Resilience: 6/10

• Multiple recursion options (Malakir Rebirth, Graceful Restoration) and clone redundancy mitigate single-target removal, but folds to graveyard hate.

Consistency: 7/10

• Connive provides steady filtering, and 8+ reanimation spells ensure access to key threats.

Interaction: 5/10

• Targeted removal (Swords to Plowshares, Void Rend) and Summary Dismissal handle key threats but lack breadth.

Rating Justification:

The deck operates at a "Focused Casual" level, leveraging consistent graveyard/clone synergies to threaten wins via attrition or combat around T7-9. While resilient to spot removal, its reliance on incremental value and vulnerability to grave hate caps its power below optimized tiers.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5