Overview:

This Mardu (RWB) Assassin tribal deck leverages Altair Ibn-La'Ahad's ability to create attacking token copies of exiled Assassins from the graveyard. The primary strategy involves filling the graveyard with Assassins (via self-mill, discard, or combat losses), then attacking with Altair to generate a wide board of evasive threats enhanced by keyword-granting effects like Bleeding Effect. Secondary win conditions include equipment voltron (using Excalibur, Sword of Eden or The Spear of Leonidas), Dreadfeast Demon token recursion, and incremental damage from Mirkwood Bats/Orcish Bowmasters. Altair is essential as the engine enabling token generation; his low cost (3 mana) aids recasting, but the strategy is critically vulnerable to commander removal or graveyard disruption.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Rakdos Signet) and early Assassins (Desmond Miles, Assassin Initiate, Poison-Blade Mentor). Use surveil/self-mill (Hidden Grotto, Read the Bones, Cathartic Reunion) or discard outlets to fill the graveyard with Assassins. Protect Altair with Lightning Greaves.
2. Engine Activation (Turns 4-6): Cast Altair and attack to exile an Assassin from your graveyard, creating a tapped attacking token copy. Recur key Assassins using Ascend from Avernus or Tale of Tinúviel. Equip Altair or other threats for evasion/damage boosts. Leverage "freerunning" costs (Brotherhood Ambushers, Overpowering Attack) after dealing combat damage.
3. Win Condition Execution (Turns 6-8):
   • Token Swarm: Attack with Altair + token copies. Activate Bleeding Effect to grant keywords (flying, deathtouch, lifelink) based on graveyard. Use Outlaws' Fury for a combat boost or Overpowering Attack for extra combats.
   • Equipment Voltron: Equip Altair or Eivor, Battle-Ready with Excalibur, Sword of Eden (massive power boost) or The Spear of Leonidas (double strike). Brotherhood Regalia ensures unblockability.
   • Recursive Threats: Sacrifice tokens to Dreadfeast Demon to create exponential Demon tokens. Mirkwood Bats and Orcish Bowmasters drain opponents passively.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands (including color fixing like Command Tower, Brotherhood Headquarters) and 1-2 ramp sources (Sol Ring, signets).
• Prioritize an early Assassin creature (e.g., Desmond Miles, Hired Blade) or graveyard filler (Read the Bones, Cathartic Reunion).
• Hands containing Altair + protection (Lightning Greaves) or a key engine piece (Bleeding Effect, Theater of Horrors) are ideal.
• Avoid hands lacking ramp, creatures, or graveyard setup.

Key Tips:

• Graveyard is Key: Protect it aggressively. Time Altair attacks after filling the yard. Use Abstergo Entertainment for recursion and graveyard exile protection.
• Protect Altair: He is the linchpin. Equip Lightning Greaves immediately. Path to Exile and Fatal Push protect him from blockers. Recursion like Tale of Tinúviel helps if removed.
• Leverage Freerunning: Cast Brotherhood Ambushers/Overpowering Attack cheaply after Altair or another Assassin deals combat damage. Overpowering Attack enables devastating extra combat steps.
• Synergize Equipment: Bureau Headmaster reduces equip costs. Hemlock Vial grants deathtouch to equipped creatures. Hidden Blade provides flash and first strike.
• Manage Resources: Apple of Eden and Theater of Horrors offer card advantage but require life payment/timing. Coveted Jewel is high-risk/high-reward ramp/draw.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Commander Dependency: Altair removal cripples the primary token engine. Limited protection beyond Greaves.
• Graveyard Hate: Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void, or Bojuka Bog exile the fuel for Altair's ability and recursion spells.
• Board Wipes: Mass removal (Wrath of God effects) devastates the token/creature-based strategy. Recovery is slow.

Moderate

• Slow Setup: Mana base has many tapped lands. Ramp is limited, delaying Altair/engine deployment to T4-5 consistently.
• Inconsistent Card Draw: Draw engines (Theater of Horrors, Apple of Eden, Sign in Blood) are conditional or costly. Risk of running out of gas.
• Artifact/Enchantment Hate: Destroys key pieces like Bleeding Effect, equipment, or Coveted Jewel.

Minor

• Limited Stack Interaction: Minimal counterspells or instant-speed answers to non-creature threats.
• Combat Tricks Vulnerability: Tokens/Assassins are fragile to Fog effects or deathtouch blockers without evasion boosts.

Most Important Cards:

• Altair Ibn-La'Ahad (Token generation engine)
• Bleeding Effect (Keyword enabler for token army)
• Dreadfeast Demon (Alternative recursive win condition)
• Brotherhood Regalia (Evasion for Altair/tokens)
• Excalibur, Sword of Eden (Massive Voltron damage)
• Ascend from Avernus (Mass Assassin recursion)
• Mirkwood Bats (Passive life loss)
• Orcish Bowmasters (Disruption + token generation)
• Overpowering Attack (Extra combats, enables freerunning)
• Lightning Greaves (Critical Altair protection)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can threaten lethal via token swarm/voltron around T7-9 in ideal scenarios, but setup is often delayed by tapped lands and reliance on combat steps. Fast mana/combos are absent.

Resilience: 4/10

• Highly vulnerable to commander removal and graveyard hate. Some recursion (Ascend from Avernus, Tale of Tinúviel) and protection (Greaves) exist, but recovery from wipes/hate is slow. Draw engines are fragile.

Consistency: 5/10

• Moderate redundancy in Assassins and some graveyard filling, but lacks efficient tutors for key pieces like Bleeding Effect. Relies on draw engines that cost life or have conditions.

Interaction: 5/10

• Includes targeted removal (Fatal Push, Path to Exile, Hex, Blasphemous Act) and some board control (Deadly Tempest, Glistening Deluge). Lacks counterspells and has minimal instant-speed interaction for non-creatures.

Rating Justification:

The deck has a focused Assassin tribal/graveyard strategy with clear win conditions, but its speed is hampered by a slow mana base and reliance on combat steps, typically winning around T8-10. Critical vulnerabilities to commander removal and graveyard hate significantly reduce resilience, preventing higher optimization. It performs comparably to a strong Precon or focused casual deck.

Power level: 4.0 - 4.5