Overview:

This Atraxa deck utilizes poison counters as its primary win condition, leveraging Atraxa's end-step proliferate to accelerate poison while deploying toxic/infect creatures. Secondary strategies include planeswalker ultimates (enabled by proliferate) and +1/+1 counter synergy. Atraxa is essential as the engine, providing consistent proliferate to advance poison, planeswalker loyalty, and other counters. Her 4-color cost and reliance on being present make the strategy vulnerable to removal, though recursion/protection exists.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Chromatic Lantern), ramp (Cultivate, Farseek), and early poison sources like Venerated Rotpriest, Skrelv's Hive, or Ichor Rats. Cast Atraxa ASAP.
2. Poison Application & Proliferation (Turns 3-7): Connect with toxic/infect creatures (Blighted Agent, Bloated Contaminator, Vishgraz, the Doomhive) and deploy proliferate engines (Flux Channeler, Inexorable Tide, Evolution Sage). Use targeted proliferate (Cankerbloom, Karn's Bastion) strategically. Ichor Rats gives all opponents poison immediately.
3. Win Condition Execution (Turns 6-9):
   • Poison: Leverage Atraxa's end-step proliferate and triggered proliferate effects to rapidly escalate poison counters. Protect key attackers with Skrelv, Defector Mite or Lightning Greaves. Phyresis Outbreak can be a finisher.
   • Planeswalkers: Use proliferate to quickly ult planeswalkers like Ajani, Sleeper Agent (poison emblem), Teferi, Master of Time (extra turns), or Vraska, Betrayal's Sting (poison set to 9). Ichormoon Gauntlet enables extra turns and doubles loyalty gains.
   • Counters: Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider doubles proliferate effects. Brokers Ascendancy/Innkeeper's Talent grow creatures.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Prioritize hands with 3 lands, including multiple colors or a land-fixer (Command Tower, Exotic Orchard).
• Essential: Early ramp (Sol Ring, Signet, Cultivate) OR an early poison source (Venerated Rotpriest, Skrelv's Hive, Ichor Rats).
• Strong Includes: Atraxa herself, a proliferate engine (Flux Channeler, Evolution Sage), or protection (Swords to Plowshares, Counterspell).
• Avoid hands lacking poison sources, ramp, or consistent colored mana.

Key Tips:

• Protect Atraxa: Her proliferate is critical. Use Lightning Greaves, Path to Exile, or Counterspell to keep her safe. Prioritize recasting her.
• Sequence Proliferate: Time proliferate triggers to maximize poison counters, planeswalker activations, or Vorinclex/Tekuthal triggers. Post-combat proliferate is often optimal.
• Leverage Card Advantage: Phyrexian Arena, Ezuri, Stalker of Spheres, and Tezzeret's Gambit maintain hand size. Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa provides value if opponents are poisoned.
• Combat Tricks: Use Infectious Bite for removal + poison. Blighted Agent's unblockable is crucial for consistent poison pressure.
• Planeswalker Synergy: Oath of Teferi enables double activations. The Chain Veil combos with Teferi, Temporal Archmage for massive activations.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Board Wipes: Mass removal (Wrath of God effects) devastates the creature-based poison strategy and planeswalker protection. Limited recovery outside Unnatural Restoration.
• Poison Counter Removal: Effects like Leeches or Suncleanser reset poison progress, bypassing proliferate. No answers in the deck.
• Anti-Counter Stax: Solemnity prevents poison counters entirely and shuts down proliferate. The One Ring/Witchbane Orb block poison from non-combat sources.

Moderate

• Graveyard Hate: Rest in Peace/Leyline of the Void disrupt Unnatural Restoration and Voidwing Hybrid recursion.
• Artifact/Enchantment Removal: Targeting key engines like Ichormoon Gauntlet, Skrelv's Hive, or Oath of Teferi slows the deck significantly.
• Speed vs. Aggro: Slow setup and tapped lands make the deck vulnerable to fast aggro decks before poison stabilizes.

Minor

• Stack Interaction: Limited counterspells (only Counterspell) struggle against combo or critical non-creature spells.
• Mana Consistency: Heavy ETB-tapped lands (9) and lack of fast mana beyond Sol Ring can delay critical turns.

Most Important Cards:

• Atraxa, Praetors' Voice (Core proliferate engine)
• Ichormoon Gauntlet (Enables planeswalker ults and extra turns)
• Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider (Doubles poison/counter output)
• Venerated Rotpriest (Passive poison generation)
• Ichor Rats (Global poison application)
• Flux Channeler (Frequent noncreature-spell proliferate)
• Blighted Agent (Unblockable poison source)
• Teferi, Master of Time (Card selection, extra turns)
• Skrelv's Hive (Constant poison token generation)
• Innkeeper's Talent (Doubles counter output at Level 3)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can apply lethal poison or achieve planeswalker ults by turns 7-8 with ideal draws (e.g., T3 Ichor Rats + T4 Atraxa), but tapped lands and reliance on combat slow consistency.

Resilience: 5/10

• Some protection (Greaves, counterspells) and recursion (Unnatural Restoration), but heavily reliant on board presence. Weak to wipes and targeted hate against poison/planeswalkers.

Consistency: 7/10

• High density of proliferate sources (15+) and tutors for key pieces (Tezzeret's Gambit, Experimental Augury), but poison threats are vulnerable to removal.

Interaction: 6/10

• Efficient targeted removal (Swords to Plowshares, Beast Within) and proliferate-based control (Drown in Ichor), but lacks stack interaction beyond Counterspell and struggles against resolved enchantments.

Rating Justification:

The deck operates at a Focused level, leveraging Atraxa's proliferate to threaten T7-8 poison wins or planeswalker locks with strong consistency, but its vulnerability to board wipes and lack of stack control prevent higher optimization. Resilience issues cap its power despite solid speed and synergy.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5