Overview:

This Bant (GWU) deck leverages Tidus, Yuna's Guardian to build a synergistic +1/+1 counters strategy focused on combat damage triggers, proliferate effects, and counter manipulation. Tidus acts as both an enabler (moving counters pre-combat) and a value engine (drawing cards and proliferating via "Cheer" when countered creatures connect). The primary win condition is overwhelming combat damage amplified by counter synergies and finishers like Chocobo Knights (double strike) or Walking Ballista. Secondary paths include incremental value from proliferate and resilient threats backed by recursion like Resourceful Defense. The deck relies heavily on its board presence, making Tidus valuable but not irreplaceable; however, his ability to enable card draw and proliferate makes him a key accelerator.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Prioritize ramp (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Farseek, Three Visits) and early counter sources. Deploy creatures that generate counters on entry (Duskshell Crawler, Scholar of New Horizons, Tromell, Seymour's Butler) or engines like Hardened Scales/Kami of Whispered Hopes. Establish card draw engines like Bred for the Hunt or Lord Jyscal Guado.
2. Board Development & Value (Turns 3-6): Cast Tidus. Use his combat trigger to strategically move counters onto evasive creatures or key attackers before damage. Deploy high-impact creatures like Forgotten Ancient, Fathom Mage, Sunscorch Regent, or Chasm Skulker. Activate proliferate sources (Grateful Apparition, Lulu, Stern Guardian) to grow threats and spread other counters. Utilize tutors like Yuna's Whistle to find key pieces.
3. Combat Execution & Finishing (Turns 5-8+): Attack with multiple creatures holding counters to trigger Tidus's "Cheer" (draw + proliferate) and other damage triggers (Bred for the Hunt, Sphere Grid). Use Chocobo Knights to grant double strike for massive damage bursts. Leverage Walking Ballista as a mana sink/finisher. Recover from setbacks using Resourceful Defense, Together Forever, or Yuna's Decision.
4. Alternative Lines: Leverage Sin, Unending Cataclysm as a massive threat/resilient counter holder. Use Fight Rigging to cheat out high-impact spells. Exploit Luminous Broodmoth for recursion. Win via proliferating poison/other counters if applicable.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Essential: 3-4 lands (including colored sources), at least 1-2 pieces of ramp/draw (e.g., Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Bred for the Hunt, Tireless Tracker).
• Strong: Early counter generators (Duskshell Crawler, Scholar of New Horizons, Hardened Scales), a proactive 3-4 CMC creature, or Tidus himself.
• Avoid: Hands lacking ramp, draw, or early plays; hands overloaded with high-cost spells without setup.

Key Tips:

• Counter Movement is Key: Prioritize Tidus's pre-combat trigger. Move counters onto evasive creatures, creatures with trample (Duskshell Crawler, Sphere Grid), or creatures that benefit from attacking (Grateful Apparition). Use Nesting Grounds for additional counter movement.
• Protect Your Engines: Prioritize protecting Hardened Scales/Kami of Whispered Hopes, Tromell, Seymour's Butler, and key draw engines. Use Protection Magic, Inspiring Call, or Endless Detour defensively.
• Maximize Proliferate: Sequence spells/attacks to maximize proliferate triggers from Tidus's Cheer, Grateful Apparition, Inexorable Tide, etc. Proliferate +1/+1 counters, but also Clues, Stun counters, or poison if present.
• Leverage Recursion: Resourceful Defense is critical for recovering counters from dying permanents. Together Forever protects key creatures. Yuna's Decision offers flexible recursion.
• Combat Timing: Attack carefully to ensure multiple creatures with counters connect simultaneously, maximizing "Cheer" and other damage triggers. Rikku, Resourceful Guardian can grant unblockable.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Extreme Vulnerability to Board Wipes: Relies heavily on a developed board. Wipes like Farewell or Damning Verdict cripple the strategy, and recovery is slow without specific engines in play.
• Severely Hampered by Anti-Counter Effects: The One Ring (ubiquitous), Solemnity, or Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider shut down the core +1/+1 counter strategy and proliferate.
• Susceptible to Stax Pieces: Cursed Totem/Linvala, Keeper of Silence disable activated abilities (Gyre Sage, Incubation Druid, O'aka, Walking Ballista). Torpor Orb blanks crucial ETBs (Duskshell Crawler, Fathom Mage, Bane of Progress, Saga creatures).

Moderate

• Targeted Removal on Engines: Losing Hardened Scales, Kami of Whispered Hopes, Tromell, or key draw engines significantly slows down the deck's growth and consistency.
• Graveyard Hate Disrupts Recursion: Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void nullifies Resourceful Defense, Together Forever, Yuna's Decision, and Eternal Witness effects.
• Flying Threats: Limited reach/flying blockers outside specific cards (Grateful Apparition, Luminous Broodmoth, Sphere Grid unlock) can be problematic against evasive armies.

Minor

• Artifact/Enchantment Focused Removal: Can hit key pieces like Fight Rigging, Sphere Grid, or Resourceful Defense, but the deck has some answers (Bane of Progress, Destroy Evil).
• Mana Base Fragility: Several lands enter tapped, and color fixing relies on non-basics vulnerable to Blood Moon/Back to Basics (though not heavily played in casual).

Most Important Cards:

• Hardened Scales (Doubles +1/+1 counter placement, core engine)
• Kami of Whispered Hopes (Doubles counters AND provides significant ramp based on power)
• Tromell, Seymour's Butler (Massive counter generation on creature ETB, enables proliferate)
• Resourceful Defense (Critical resilience, preserves counters when permanents leave)
• Chocobo Knights (Primary combat finisher, grants double strike)
• Walking Ballista (Scalable threat, mana sink, primary non-combat wincon)
• Bred for the Hunt (Key card draw engine tied to combat damage with countered creatures)
• Tidus, Yuna's Guardian (Commander: Enables counter movement, provides card draw & proliferate)
• Grateful Apparition (Efficient, evasive proliferate engine)
• Inspiring Call (Protects the board and draws significant cards)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Capable of threatening wins via combat or Walking Ballista around turns 7-9 in ideal scenarios, accelerated by ramp and counter doubling. Lacks the fastest combos or turbo ramp for earlier wins.

Resilience: 5/10

• Features recursion (Resourceful Defense, Together Forever, Yuna's Decision) and protection (Inspiring Call, Protection Magic), but extreme vulnerability to board wipes and specific hate pieces significantly hinders recovery. Relies on drawing into answers/engines.

Consistency: 7/10

• Good density of counter sources, proliferate effects, and card draw engines (Bred for the Hunt, Tireless Tracker, Tidus's Cheer). Tutors are limited (Yuna's Whistle, Fight Rigging hideaway), but the core strategy is redundant enough to function reliably.

Interaction: 5/10

• Offers solid targeted removal (Path to Exile, Destroy Evil, Bane of Progress, Endless Detour), board wipes (Farewell, Damning Verdict), and protection. Lacks stack interaction beyond An Offer You Can't Refuse and struggles against resolved, problematic enchantments/artifacts.

Rating Justification:

This deck demonstrates focused synergy and consistent board development, enabling wins around T7-9 through combat or Walking Ballista. However, its critical vulnerability to board wipes and specific stax effects significantly limits resilience, preventing higher optimization. Its speed and consistency align with Focused/Optimized Casual, while resilience constraints cap the upper end.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5