Overview:

This Gruul deck leverages Ruby, Daring Tracker as a ramp engine and conditional attacker, focusing on deploying high-power creatures (primarily 4+ power) to enable Ruby's pump ability and cascade/discover triggers. The core strategy involves accelerating mana through dorks (Arbor Elf, Elvish Mystic) and land ramp (Ranger's Path, Explosive Vegetation) to cast impactful cascade creatures (Annoyed Altisaur, Boarding Party) and discover payoffs (Monstrous Vortex, Hit the Mother Lode). Win conditions center on overwhelming combat damage amplified by finishers like End-Raze Forerunners, Kamahl, Heart of Krosa, and Thunderfoot Baloth, supplemented by value engines like Sunbird's Invocation and Etali, Primal Storm. Ruby enables early ramp and mid-game pressure but isn't essential to the strategy, making the deck moderately resilient to commander removal.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Ramp (Turns 1-3): Prioritize mana dorks (Arbor Elf, Elvish Mystic, Llanowar Elves) or land enchantments (Utopia Sprawl, Wild Growth). Follow with land-based ramp (Search for Tomorrow, Explore the Underdark) to reach 4-5 mana by turn 3-4.
2. Deploy Enablers/Value (Turns 3-5): Cast Ruby or creatures that enable her attack trigger (e.g., Cactusfolk Sureshot). Drop engines like Garruk's Uprising for card draw or Monstrous Vortex for cascade synergy. Use cascade spells (Annoyed Altisaur, Into the Time Vortex) to cheat additional threats onto the board.
3. Execute Win Conditions (Turns 6-8):
   • Combat Overrun: Resolve finishers like End-Raze Forerunners, Kamahl, Heart of Krosa, or Thunderfoot Baloth alongside high-power creatures for lethal swings.
   • Cascade/Discover Value Chains: Leverage Sunbird's Invocation or Etali, Primal Storm to chain spells for free, overwhelming the board.
   • Recursive Threats: Recur key pieces with Woodfall Primus persist or Aurora Phoenix graveyard loops.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including at least one green source) and 1-2 ramp spells (dorks or land fetch).
• Prioritize hands containing Ruby, a power 4+ enabler (e.g., Cactusfolk Sureshot), or an early cascade spell.
• Avoid hands lacking ramp or filled with only high-CMC (6+) spells.

Key Tips:

• Sequence Cascades Intelligently: Cast lower-CMC cascade spells first (e.g., Boarding Party before Maelstrom Colossus) to maximize free spell potential.
• Protect Key Engines: Use Oblivion Stone proactively against hate pieces. Fiery Confluence handles early threats/artifacts.
• Leverage Ruby's Flexibility: Attack with Ruby only when a power 4+ creature is present to ensure she survives combat. Use her mana ability to fix colors if needed.
• Maximize Discover: Hit the Mother Lode often nets 5+ Treasures, enabling explosive follow-up turns.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Severe Board Wipe Vulnerability: Minimal recursion/protection (only Heroic Intervention absent) makes recovery from wipes like Blasphemous Act extremely difficult.
• Cascade/Discover Disruption: Torpor Orb/Hushbringer nullifies ETB value from cascade creatures and Woodfall Primus, while Drannith Magistrate blocks cascade/discover casting.
• Mana Base Fragility: Heavy reliance on basic Forests; lacks fetchlands/dual lands, making color fixing inconsistent under pressure.

Moderate

• Anti-Ramp Hate: Collector Ouphe/Null Rod shuts down mana dorks and artifact ramp (e.g., Sol Ring absent but dorks critical).
• Graveyard Reliance: Recursion like Woodfall Primus/Aurora Phoenix is vulnerable to Rest in Peace/Leyline of the Void.
• Combat Evasion Issues: Limited evasion (only Steel Hellkite flies) struggles against flying-heavy boards without trample enablers.

Minor

• Spot Removal Impact: Losing key enablers like Cactusfolk Sureshot or Garruk's Uprising slows the deck but doesn't cripple it.
• Slow Start: Tapped lands (e.g., Gruul Turf, Temple of Abandon) delay early plays against faster decks.

Most Important Cards:

• Etali, Primal Storm (Value engine: cascades into free spells)
• Sunbird's Invocation (Scales cascade/discover triggers exponentially)
• End-Raze Forerunners (Primary combat finisher)
• Kamahl, Heart of Krosa (Secondary finisher/overrun effect)
• Monstrous Vortex (Discover engine for high-power creatures)
• Cactusfolk Sureshot (Enables Ruby attack trigger and grants trample/haste)
• Garruk's Uprising (Critical card draw for creature-heavy deck)
• Oblivion Stone (Primary board wipe/answer to hate pieces)
• Woodfall Primus (Recursive removal for problematic permanents)
• Hit the Mother Lode (Massive mana acceleration/discover payoff)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Capable of threatening wins via combat or cascade chains around turns 8-10, but lacks fast mana (e.g., Mana Crypt) or efficient combos for earlier kills.

Resilience: 4/10

• Limited protection/recursion makes the deck highly susceptible to disruption; relies on rebuilding from hand after wipes with minimal graveyard synergy.

Consistency: 6/10

• Strong ramp package and cascade/discover effects provide reliable access to threats, but lacks tutors for specific finishers like End-Raze Forerunners.

Interaction: 5/10

• Runs targeted removal (Abrade, Decimate, Fiery Confluence) and board wipes (Oblivion Stone), but lacks stack interaction (counterspells) and has minimal protection for key pieces.

Rating Justification:

The deck's speed aligns with optimized casual play (T8-10 wins via combat/cascade value), but its critical vulnerability to board wipes and disruption reduces resilience significantly. This positions it below high-power decks that recover faster or protect key engines.

Power level: 4.0 - 4.5