Overview:

This Will, Scion of Peace deck focuses on incremental life gain to fuel cost reduction for explosive turns with big spells. It uses creature-based life-gain engines to enable commander synergies, with angel token generation and alt-win conditions as backup plans. The deck lacks infinite combos but can generate substantial value through synergistic lifegain payoffs.

Primer:

Core Strategy:
The deck aims to establish 3-5 life-gain triggers per turn (e.g., Soul Warden, Lunarch Veteran) to fuel Will, Scion of Peace's cost reduction. This enables casting high-impact spells like Sphinx's Revelation or Finale of Revelation at massive discounts. Backup win conditions include angel token armies (Resplendent Angel, Book of Exalted Deeds), life total manipulation (Felidar Sovereign), and value engines like The One Ring.

Key Phases:

1. Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy 1-2 life-gain creatures, Smothering Tithe, or Esper Sentinel
2. Engine Activation (Turns 5-6): Cast Will with protection, gain 4-8 life in a turn
3. Payoff Turns: Cast X=10+ Finale of Revelation, Mass Manipulation, or Time Warp chains

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands + 1-2 lifegain creatures
• Prioritize Esper Sentinel/Smothering Tithe over high-cost angels
• Avoid hands without white mana sources

Critical Interactions:

• Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines doubles ETB lifegain triggers
• Cleric Class Level 2 turns every lifegain into +1/+1 counters
• The One Ring protection enables safe Will activations

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• Lacks answers to Rest in Peace/Yasharn shutting off lifegain synergies
• No infinite combos to close games quickly

Moderate:

• Slow recovery from board wipes (only Farewell/Supreme Verdict as answers)
• Commander-dependent strategy (3+ removals cripple cost reduction)

Minor:

• Limited graveyard recursion outside Cleric Class Level 3

Most Important Cards:

• The One Ring
• Smothering Tithe
• Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
• Sphinx's Revelation
• Felidar Sovereign
• Teferi, Temporal Pilgrim
• Resplendent Angel
• Esper Sentinel
• Finale of Revelation
• Farewell

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Requires 3+ turns to setup lifegain engines
• Earliest impactful plays (Will activation + big spell) around T6

Resilience: 5/10

• Moderate protection (Dovin's Veto, Swiftfoot Boots)
• Struggles against repeated commander removal

Consistency: 6/10

• 15+ redundant lifegain triggers
• Search for Glory/Inventors' Fair provide limited tutoring

Interaction: 5/10

• Mix of A-tier (Swords to Plowshares) and C-tier (River's Rebuke) interaction
• Only 5 counterspells with varying efficiency

Rating Justification:

This deck sits between "Focused Casual" (5.0) and "Optimized Casual" (5.5) on the rubric. While it has strong synergies and high-value cards, it lacks:

• Fast mana to accelerate Will activations
• Compact win conditions
• Robust protection packages

Its T8-10 win potential through incremental value and alt-win conditions aligns with 5.0, while the inclusion of powerhouses like The One Ring and Smothering Tithe pushes it toward 5.5 in slower metas.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5