Overview:

This mono-white Equipment Voltron deck leverages Cloud, Midgar Mercenary as its central engine and win condition. The strategy focuses on tutoring key Equipment with Cloud's ETB ability, then attaching them to enable doubled triggers for powerful combat effects. Secondary themes include token generation through cards like Angelic Sell-Sword and Sigiled Sword of Valeron, and light stax elements via Silent Arbiter/Voice of Victory. Cloud acts as both the primary threat and synergy amplifier, but the deck heavily relies on resolving and protecting its commander while lacking sufficient ramp/draw to consistently execute its plan.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Prioritize ramping with Sol Ring/Arcane Signet, deploying Equipment tutors (Relic Seeker, Sram, Senior Edificer), or casting low-cost Equipment (Bonesplitter, Sword of the Meek). Use Sigarda's Aid for flash-equip tricks.
2. Commander Deployment (Turns 3-5): Cast Cloud to fetch a pivotal Equipment (e.g., Blackblade Reforged, Fireshrieker). Immediately equip using Brass Squire or Sigarda's Aid. Protect Cloud with Swiftfoot Boots/Timely Ward.
3. Voltron Pressure (Turns 5-7): Attack with Cloud, leveraging doubled triggers from Equipment like Buster Sword (card draw/cast), Quietus Spike (life halving), or Loxodon Warhammer (lifelink). Use evasion enablers (Rogue's Passage, Spirit Mantle) to connect.
4. Win Condition Execution:
   • Commander Damage: Buff Cloud to 21+ power with stacked Equipment (e.g., Excalibur, Sword of Eden + Fireshrieker for double-strike).
   • Combat Triggers: Amplify effects like Buster Sword's free casts or Sword of Wealth and Power's spell copying.
   • Token Overrun: Generate tokens with Sigiled Sword of Valeron/Angelic Sell-Sword, then alpha-strike with Unbreakable Formation.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, including a white source.
• Prioritize early ramp (Sol Ring/Arcane Signet), a tutor (Relic Seeker/Sram), or protection (Swiftfoot Boots).
• Avoid hands lacking Equipment, ramp, or with only high-cost cards.

Key Tips:

• Double Triggers: Cloud's ability stacks with "when equipped" effects (e.g., Ring of Thune's counters trigger twice per turn).
• Protection First: Equip Lightning Greaves/Mask of Avacyn immediately to shield Cloud from removal.
• Recover Tools: Use Ironclad Slayer/Smile at Death to recur key Equipment/Auras.
• Leverage Evasion: Unquestioned Authority/Brotherhood Regalia ensure Cloud connects. Odric, Lunarch Marshal shares keywords if Cloud has them.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Severely deficient ramp (only 2 mana rocks) and card draw (relies on Buster Sword/limited engines), crippling consistency.
• Commander-dependent strategy collapses if Cloud is repeatedly removed; minimal protection recursion.
• Vulnerable to artifact/enchantment mass removal (e.g., Vandalblast, Farewell), wiping Equipment and win conditions.

Moderate

• Struggles against flyers without key Equipment (e.g., Haunted Cloak for trample).
• Null Rod/Stony Silence shuts down Equipment activations and mana rocks.

Minor

• High-cost Equip costs (e.g., Excalibur, Sword of Eden) strain mana without sufficient ramp.

Most Important Cards:

• Cloud, Midgar Mercenary (Commander/win condition enabler)
• Sigarda's Aid (Flash-equip, free attachment)
• Blackblade Reforged (Scales power with lands for lethal commander damage)
• Buster Sword (Card draw/free spell engine with doubled triggers)
• Sram, Senior Edificer (Critical card draw)
• Fireshrieker (Enables double-strike for faster kills)
• Swiftfoot Boots (Essential protection)
• Relic Seeker (Tutors key Equipment)
• Odric, Lunarch Marshal (Keyword sharing for evasion)
• Unbreakable Formation (Protection/overrun finisher)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 4/10

• Can threaten T6-7 kills with ideal Equipment draws, but slow setup due to mana constraints and dependency on combat damage.

Resilience: 3/10

• Minimal protection recursion and card draw; folds to repeated removal or board wipes. Recovery options are costly/limited.

Consistency: 4/10

• Tutors (Cloud/Relic Seeker) help find Equipment, but insufficient ramp/draw severely hampers access to core pieces.

Interaction: 6/10

• Efficient targeted removal (Swords to Plowshares, Generous Gift) and combat tricks (Dawn Charm, Valorous Stance), but lacks stack interaction beyond narrow counters.

Rating Justification:

The deck's slow speed (T6-7 wins) and low resilience/consistency place it below precon level, despite functional Equipment synergies. It struggles to deploy threats before T10-12 against disruption, aligning with "Refined Jank" due to its reliance on combat and fragile commander-centric plan.

Power level: 3.0 - 3.5