Overview:

This Sultai graveyard deck leverages Teval, the Balanced Scale's milling and token generation to fuel recursive land plays and zombie swarms. The strategy focuses on self-mill synergies, landfall triggers, and graveyard recursion to overwhelm opponents through value engines and midrange threats. Key strengths include strong graveyard recursion packages, multiple land-based value engines, and flexible interaction.

Primer:

Core Strategy: The deck aims to fill its graveyard through mill effects (Hedron Crab, Stitcher's Supplier) while using land recursion (Ancient Greenwarden, Life from the Loam) to fuel zombie generation via Teval's triggers. Wincons include:

1. Zombie swarm amplified by Syr Konrad, the Grim ping damage
2. Landfall value engines (Avenger of Zendikar, Scute Swarm)
3. Graveyard reanimation bombs (Living Death, Afterlife from the Loam)

Key Lines:

• T1-3: Ramp with Sakura-Tribe Elder/Cultivate while enabling early mill
• T4-5: Cast Teval to start milling 3 per attack, recovering lands for immediate value
• Late Game: Activate Altar of Dementia with token armies or resolve Colossal Grave-Reaver to cheat big creatures

Mulligan Priorities:

1. Early ramp (2-3 mana sources)
2. Graveyard enablers (Entomb, Millikin)
3. Land recursion (Life from the Loam, Conduit of Worlds)

Protection & Interaction:

• Heroic Intervention safeguards boardstates
• Force of Vigor handles problematic artifacts/enchantments
• Assassin's Trophy answers any permanent

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• Graveyard exile effects (Rest in Peace/Leyline of the Void cripple 70% of strategy)

Moderate:

• Slow vs fast combo (limited early interaction)
• Token overextension vulnerable to board wipes

Minor:

• Some tapped lands reduce early consistency

Most Important Cards:

• Ancient Greenwarden
• Life from the Loam
• Colossal Grave-Reaver
• Underrealm Lich
• Syr Konrad, the Grim
• Living Death
• Altar of Dementia
• Avenger of Zendikar
• Golgari Grave-Troll
• Scute Swarm

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Goldfish win ~T8 through incremental value
• No fast mana/tutors for early combo execution

Resilience: 5/10

• Recursive threats via Conduit of Worlds/Phyrexian Reclamation
• Folds to resolved graveyard hate

Consistency: 7/10

• 8+ mill engines + 6 land recursion effects
• Limited tutors (only Entomb/Green Sun's Zenith)

Interaction: 6/10

• 7 targeted removal spells (S-tier Force of Vigor)
• No free counterspells for protection

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at Optimized Casual (5.0-5.5) level:

• Outclasses precons with redundant engines
• Lacks cEDH-level speed/tutor density
• Matches T8-10 win benchmarks through resilient midrange value
• Struggles against T5-6 combo decks but dominates battlecruiser metas

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5