Overview:

This Sultai deck leverages The Wise Mothman's synergy between milling opponents and distributing +1/+1 counters. It combines incremental mill via cards like Bruvac the Grandiloquent and Psychic Corrosion with counter synergies like Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider and The Ozolith. While it has a fragile infinite mill combo (Mindcrank + Bloodchief Ascension), the deck primarily wins through value accumulation and combat damage from buffed creatures.

Primer:

Core Strategy: The deck aims to flood opponents with rad counters and mill triggers while amplifying +1/+1 counter synergies. Key phases:

1. Early Setup: Ramp with lands like Breeding Pool and dorks like Gyre Sage, while deploying incremental mill via Manic Scribe or Altar of the Brood.
2. Midgame Value: Cast The Wise Mothman to accelerate rad counters, pairing mill engines like Sphinx's Tutelage with counter payoffs like Herald of Secret Streams for unblockable threats.
3. Win Conditions:
   • Mill opponents via Court of Cunning monarch triggers or the Mindcrank combo.
   • Overwhelm with massive creatures using Kalonian Hydra and Vorinclex doubling.
   • Backup plans include Syr Konrad, the Grim pings or Colossal Grave-Reaver reanimation.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands, 1-2 ramp pieces, and at least one mill/counter synergy card.
• Prioritize early plays like Fellwar Stone or Gyre Sage over slow value engines.

Key Tips:

• Time The Wise Mothman casts post-boardwipe to maximize rad counters.
• Use Sakashima of a Thousand Faces to clone Vorinclex or Bruvac for exponential effects.
• Protect combo pieces with Fierce Guardianship or Swiftfoot Boots.

Avoid Traps:

• Overcommitting to the board before establishing mill/counter synergies.
• Holding interaction for minor threats instead of reserving it for combo protection.

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• No graveyard hate to counter opponents' recursion.
• Relies on unprotected 2-card combo (Mindcrank + Bloodchief Ascension).

Moderate:

• Slow recovery from commander removal (The Wise Mothman is key for rad counter acceleration).
• Limited board wipes beyond Nuclear Fallout.

Minor:

• Vulnerable to flying blockers despite Herald of Secret Streams.

Most Important Cards:

• Bruvac the Grandiloquent
• Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider
• Mindcrank
• Bloodchief Ascension
• The Great Henge
• Syr Konrad, the Grim
• Psychic Corrosion
• Altar of the Brood
• Kalonian Hydra
• The Ozolith

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can deploy incremental threats by T3-4 but lacks fast mana for explosive starts. Infinite combo requires T6+ setup without tutors.

Resilience: 5/10

• Limited protection for key pieces but has recursion via Muldrotha and Oversold Cemetery. Folds to repeated commander removal.

Consistency: 6/10

• Strong draw engines (Rhystic Study, Bred for the Hunt) compensate for low tutor density. Multiple redundant mill/counter payoffs.

Interaction: 5/10

• 7 targeted counters/removal spells (e.g., Mana Drain, Wave Goodbye), but lacks sweepers and graveyard interaction.

Rating Justification:

This deck sits between "Optimized Casual" (T8-10 wins) and "Focused" (T7-8) on the rubric. It has synergistic combos and strong value engines but lacks the speed (no T5-6 guaranteed wins) and protection of higher-tier decks. The mill plan is inherently slower than combat/aristocrat wins in Sultai, and the fragile combo holds it back from 6.0. It outperforms precons decisively but struggles against faster combo metas.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5