Overview:

This Sultai graveyard deck leverages Teval, the Balanced Scale as a resilient engine for self-mill, land recursion, and zombie token generation. The primary strategy focuses on filling the graveyard through milling and sacrifice outlets, then exploiting it for value via reanimation, landfall triggers, and zombie synergies. Teval enables land drops from the yard while generating tokens whenever cards leave the graveyard (via escape, recursion, or exile), making it central to the deck's value engine but not the sole win condition. Hidden commanders like Sidisi, Brood Tyrant, Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver, and The Scarab God provide redundancy and alternative angles.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Mill with Stitcher's Supplier, Hedron Crab, or Deathrite Shaman while ramping via Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, or Sakura-Tribe Elder. Prioritize lands that enter untapped.
2. Engine Activation (Turns 4-6): Cast Teval or a hidden commander (e.g., Sidisi, Brood Tyrant). Attack with Teval to mill and recur lands. Deploy sacrifice outlets like Ashnod's Altar or Priest of Forgotten Gods alongside token generators. Use Life from the Loam/Conduit of Worlds for sustained land recursion.
3. Midgame Value (Turns 5-8): Reanimate key threats (Sheoldred, Whispering One, Colossal Grave-Reaver) or combo pieces. Exploit landfall with Scute Swarm, Avenger of Zendikar, and Field of the Dead. Draw cards via Skullclamp/Wilhelt sacrifices or Syr Konrad triggers.
4. Win Condition Execution:
   • Combat: Overrun with zombie tokens amplified by The Scarab God or Craterhoof-like effects (e.g., Avenger of Zendikar + counters).
   • Combo: Gravecrawler + Ashnod's Altar + payoff (e.g., Syr Konrad for damage, Priest of Forgotten Gods for drain).
   • Synergy Damage: Syr Konrad triggers from mill/recursion loops or The Meathook Massacre draining opponents.
   • Reanimation Swarm: Living Death/Afterlife from the Loam for explosive board states.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including untapped sources), early mill/ramp (e.g., Stitcher's Supplier, Sol Ring), and a payoff engine (Teval, Sidisi, Conduit of Worlds).
• Prioritize hands with graveyard fillers (Hedron Crab) or land recursion (Life from the Loam).
• Avoid hands lacking graveyard setup or with only high-CMC spells.

Key Tips:

• Protect Engines: Use Lazotep Plating/Lightning Greaves to shield Teval or key combo pieces.
• Sequence Mill: Mill before land drops to maximize Field of the Dead/Scute Swarm.
• Exploit Sacrifice Loops: Gravecrawler + Ashnod's Altar generates infinite mana with Phyrexian Altar (not present) or fuels Syr Konrad/Priest of Forgotten Gods.
• Leverage Land Recursion: Blossoming Tortoise and Spelunking enable multiple land drops. Scapeshift + Field of the Dead/Lumra creates massive boards.
• Win on Opponents' Turns: Dictate of Erebos flash enables surprise disruption.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void) cripples recursion, milling, and token generation.
• Board wipes devastate token-based strategies and slow recovery despite recursion.

Moderate

• Anti-sacrifice effects (Tajuru Preserver) disrupt key combos and Priest of Forgotten Gods.
• Torpor Orb/Hushbringer nullifies ETB triggers from Sidisi, Avenger, and reanimation targets.

Minor

• Limited stack interaction struggles against noncreature combos.
• Mana base has tapped lands, slowing early turns.

Most Important Cards:

• Ashnod's Altar (Combo enabler, mana acceleration)
• Syr Konrad, the Grim (Primary damage engine)
• Teval, the Balanced Scale (Core engine: land recursion, token generation)
• Gravecrawler (Combo piece, recursive sacrifice fodder)
• Field of the Dead (Token generation, land synergy)
• Life from the Loam (Land recursion, enables delirium)
• Living Death (Mass reanimation, board reset)
• Conduit of Worlds (Graveyard recursion engine)
• Sidisi, Brood Tyrant (Hidden commander, mill + token generation)
• The Scarab God (Zombie synergy, reanimation)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten wins via combo/reanimation on turns 6-7 with ideal mills, but relies on setup and lacks fast mana.

Resilience: 7/10

• High redundancy in engines/recursion mitigates single-target removal, but graveyard dependency creates a critical vulnerability.

Consistency: 7/10

• Abundant self-mill and tutors (e.g., Victimize, Unearth) ensure access to key pieces, though land sequencing can be clunky.

Interaction: 5/10

• Efficient targeted removal (Assassin's Trophy, Feed the Swarm) and board wipes (Toxic Deluge), but minimal counterspells and no stax.

Rating Justification:

The deck operates at a focused power level, leveraging efficient graveyard engines to threaten wins by turns 6-7 through combat, combo, or synergy damage. Its resilience against targeted removal is offset by critical weaknesses to graveyard hate and board wipes, preventing optimization into higher tiers.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5