Overview:

This Boros deck helmed by Arabella, Abandoned Doll employs a token swarm strategy focused on generating numerous creatures with power 2 or less. Arabella amplifies combat damage by dealing X damage to each opponent and gaining X life whenever she attacks, where X is your army of small creatures. The deck wins through overwhelming combat damage enhanced by damage multipliers like Torbran, Thane of Red Fell and City on Fire, supplemented by passive burn from Purphoros, God of the Forge and Impact Tremors. Arabella serves as the primary payoff engine, requiring consistent board presence and evasion enablers like Goblin Smuggler to maximize her impact.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy token generators (Krenko's Command, Hop to It), evasion enablers (Pathmaker Initiate, Goblin Tunneler), and value engines (Mentor of the Meek, Assemble the Players). Prioritize ramping with Sol Ring/Arcane Signet.
2. Board Development (Turns 3-6): Resolve key token engines like Krenko, Mob Boss, Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon, or Assemble the Legion. Cast Arabella with protection (Swiftfoot Boots, Take Up the Shield). Activate card draw via Skullclamp or Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner.
3. Combat Execution (Turns 5+):
   • Make creatures unblockable using Ragged Playmate or Reconnaissance.
   • Swing with Arabella + tokens for massive life drain/damage.
   • Deploy finishers: Purphoros, God of the Forge for passive burn, City on Fire for triple damage, or Martial Coup for a lethal board wipe.
   • Use Boros Charm for indestructible/lethal double strike.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including color fixing).
• Prioritize early token generators, evasion enablers, or Arabella protection.
• Include at least one card draw engine (Skullclamp, Mentor of the Meek).
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or reliant solely on high-CMC cards.

Key Tips:

• Protect Arabella: Use Take Up the Shield, Boros Charm, or Sheltered by Ghosts to safeguard her from removal.
• Maximize Triggers: Sequence token generation before combat to boost Arabella's damage. Reconnaissance allows pseudo-vigilance by untapping attackers post-damage.
• Leverage Synergies: Skullclamp sacrifices 1-toughness tokens for massive card advantage. Purphoros + Krenko, Mob Boss creates devastating burn loops.
• Recover Smartly: Storm of Souls rebuilds after wipes. United Battlefront cheats key permanents.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Board Wipe Vulnerability: Relies on wide boards; lacks mass recursion outside Storm of Souls.
• Commander Dependency: Arabella removal cripples the primary win condition; limited protection redundancy.
• Anti-Token Hate: Cursed Totem/Torpor Orb disable key abilities; Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite annihilates the strategy.

Moderate

• Graveyard Reliance: Recursion (Storm of Souls, Living Phone) falters against exile-based graveyard hate.
• Mana Constraints: Limited ramp; struggles to cast high-CMC spells like City on Fire/Austere Command early.

Minor

• Flying Threats: Minimal reach/flying blockers; relies on tokens chump-blocking.
• Artifact/Enchantment Focus: Key pieces (Assemble the Legion, Skullclamp) are vulnerable to targeted removal.

Most Important Cards:

• Purphoros, God of the Forge (Primary passive damage engine)
• Krenko, Mob Boss (Exponential token generation)
• Skullclamp (Card draw engine with tokens)
• Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon (Scaling token producer)
• City on Fire (Combat damage tripler)
• Boros Charm (Protection/combat finisher)
• Assemble the Legion (Incremental token generation)
• Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner (Evasion enabler & card draw)
• Impact Tremors (Secondary burn effect)
• Mentor of the Meek (Card draw with low-power creatures)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can threaten lethal via combat/burn around turns 7-9 with ideal setups, but slow mana development delays key plays.

Resilience: 4/10

• Limited protection/interaction; struggles to rebuild after wipes or targeted Arabella removal despite some recursion.

Consistency: 6/10

• Multiple token engines and card draw provide reliable board development, but lacks tutors for critical pieces.

Interaction: 5/10

• Spot removal (Swords to Plowshares, Chaos Warp) handles threats, but minimal stack interaction and no stax.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates as a focused casual build, leveraging token swarms and combat synergies to threaten wins around turns 8-10. While consistent in executing its game plan, its vulnerability to disruption and slow setup prevents higher optimization. The speed/resilience balance aligns with the "Focused Casual" tier.

Power level: 4.5 - 5.0