Overview:

This Gruul Werewolf tribal deck leverages Tovolar, Dire Overlord as a card draw engine and night enabler to swarm the board with transformed Werewolves and Wolf tokens. The primary strategy involves deploying efficient Werewolves, maintaining night for permanent transformations, and overwhelming opponents through combat damage amplified by lords like Immerwolf and finishers like Craterhoof Behemoth. Secondary win conditions include infinite combat steps via Aggravated Assault + Bear Umbra and Protean Hulk lines fetching combo pieces. Tovolar is essential for card advantage and enabling night, though the deck can function temporarily without him.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Play mana dorks (Birds of Paradise, Scorned Villager), ramp (Sol Ring, Nature's Lore), or low-cost Werewolves (Kessig Naturalist, Werewolf Pack Leader). Prioritize enabling night via Tovolar's upkeep trigger or casting few spells.
2. Board Development (Turns 3-5): Deploy key lords (Immerwolf, Nightpack Ambusher) to buff the team. Use Cryptolith Rite or Selvala, Heart of the Wilds for explosive mana. Cast Tovolar to draw cards off combat damage and lock in night.
3. Threat Amplification (Turns 4-6): Resolve value engines like The Great Henge or Tribute to the World Tree. Tutor for finishers (Craterhoof Behemoth via Natural Order) or assemble Aggravated Assault + Bear Umbra for infinite combats. Protean Hulk can fetch Selvala, Heart of the Wilds + Craterhoof for immediate lethal.
4. Closing the Game: Overrun with alpha strikes boosted by Beastmaster Ascension or Craterhoof. Leverage Tovolar's trample-granting ability for lethal commander damage.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, including a green source.
• Prioritize early ramp (dorks, Sol Ring) or a Turn 2-3 Werewolf.
• Value hands with Tovolar + protection (Lightning Greaves, Heroic Intervention) against removal-heavy pods.
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or clogged with high-CMC spells.

Key Tips:

• Night Management: Cast spells sparingly during opponents' turns to maintain night. Use Roaming Throne (naming Werewolf) to double Tovolar's draw triggers.
• Protection First: Equip Lightning Greaves to Tovolar immediately. Save Deflecting Swat/Heroic Intervention for critical wipes or removal.
• Combat Tricks: Moonlight Hunt removes blockers while preserving board presence. Savage Summoning ensures uncounterable Craterhoof.
• Alternative Lines: Defense of the Heart can fetch Craterhoof + Avabruck Caretaker. Seedborn Muse enables instant-speed transformations and activations.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Board wipes cripple recovery – Limited mass recursion forces heavy reliance on Heroic Intervention/Deflecting Swat.
• Anti-ETB effects (Torpor Orb) nullify Craterhoof, Hollowhenge Overlord, and draw engines like Tribute to the World Tree.
• Cursed Totem/Linvala, Keeper of Silence shut down mana dorks, Selvala, and Ulvenwald Captive.

Moderate

• Graveyard hate disrupts Protean Hulk, Eternal Witness, and flashback on Dire-Strain Rampage.
• Land destruction (e.g., Armageddon) exploits the deck's mana-hungry nature.
• Rule of Law effects hinder spell-slinging and combo assembly.

Minor

• Flyers can chump-block non-evasive Werewolves (mitigated by trample enablers like Tovolar).
• Artifact/enchantment removal hits key pieces (Cryptolith Rite, Doubling Season).

Most Important Cards:

• Tovolar, Dire Overlord (Card draw engine, night enabler)
• Immerwolf (Lord effect, prevents de-transformation)
• Craterhoof Behemoth (Primary combat finisher)
• Aggravated Assault (Infinite combat combo piece)
• Selvala, Heart of the Wilds (Mana acceleration, combo potential)
• The Great Henge (Card draw, cost reduction)
• Bear Umbra (Infinite combat combo piece, ramp)
• Protean Hulk (Tutor-on-death for win conditions)
• Natural Order (Tutors Craterhoof/wincons)
• Roaming Throne (Doubles Tovolar/creature triggers)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10

• Goldfish wins consistently on T5-6 via Craterhoof, infinite combats, or Hulk lines, accelerated by mana dorks and Selvala.

Resilience: 5/10

• Protection spells and hexproof (Avabruck Caretaker) mitigate targeted removal, but board wipes demand precise answers. Limited graveyard recursion.

Consistency: 8/10

• 10+ tutors (Worldly Tutor, Green Sun's Zenith), Tovolar's draw, and Realmwalker ensure reliable access to threats/combo pieces.

Interaction: 4/10

• Efficient spot removal (Beast Within, Dire-Strain Rampage) and combat tricks, but minimal stack interaction beyond Vexing Shusher.

Rating Justification:

This deck achieves T5-6 wins through explosive combat or combos with high consistency, placing it firmly in the Focused tier. While resilient to spot removal, its vulnerability to wipes and stax prevents higher optimization. Speed and consistency align with T6-7 wins per the rubric.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5