Overview:

This Selesnya (G/W) deck leverages Yoshimaru's rapid growth and Kodama of the East Tree's cascading value to flood the board with legendary permanents and +1/+1 counters. The strategy revolves around explosive synergies between legendary creatures, counter-doubling effects, and Kodama's ability to chain permanents into play. Yoshimaru serves as an early threat that scales with the deck's legendary density, while Kodama amplifies board presence by cheating in high-impact permanents. The deck wins through overwhelming combat damage (enhanced by anthem effects like Akroma's Memorial and Flowering of the White Tree), infinite counter loops with The Ozolith/Resourceful Defense + proliferate, and value engines like Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines doubling ETB triggers.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3):
   • Ramp with Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, or Nature's Lore while deploying Yoshimaru.
   • Play counter-enablers like Hardened Scales or Branching Evolution.
   • Cast low-CMC legendaries (e.g., Boromir, Warden of the Tower, Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion) to grow Yoshimaru.

2. Midgame Value (Turns 4-6):

   • Resolve Kodama of the East Tree to chain legendaries like Captain Sisay or Selvala, Heart of the Wilds into play.
   • Deploy counter bombs: Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider doubles counters, while Bristly Bill, Spine Sower scales the board.
   • Use The Great Henge or Reki, the History of Kamigawa for card advantage.

3. Win Conditions (Turns 5-8+):

   • Combat Overkill: Activate Gavony Township or Akroma's Will for lethal swings with massive, evasive creatures.
   • Infinite Counters: Loop counters via The Ozolith + Resourceful Defense + proliferate (Karn's Bastion).
   • Legendary Tutor Chains: Use Captain Sisay to fetch Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines for ETB dominance or Vorinclex for counter supremacy.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 1–2 ramp pieces (e.g., Sol Ring, Three Visits).
• Prioritize early legendaries to trigger Yoshimaru and enable Kodama.
• Ensure access to at least one counter synergy card (e.g., Hardened Scales, Ozolith, the Shattered Spire).

Key Tips:

• Use Kodama of the East Tree with low-CMC permanents to cheat in high-value targets like The Great Henge or Akroma's Memorial.
• Resourceful Defense + The Ozolith creates a counter reservoir to rebuild after board wipes.
• Flawless Maneuver and Heroic Intervention protect against mass removal during critical turns.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Board Wipes: Relies on creature-based value; lacks mass recursion outside Urza's Ruinous Blast.
• Anti-Counter Tech: The Ozolith and Vorinclex are linchpins vulnerable to artifact/creature removal.

Moderate

• Stax Effects: Cursed Totem shuts off activated abilities (Yoshimaru, Mikaeus, Selvala).
• Stack Interaction: Limited counterspells; relies on Boromir, Warden of the Tower for free-spell negation.

Minor

• Graveyard Reliance: Minimal recursion beyond Hall of Heliod's Generosity for enchantments.
• Mana Constraints: High legendary density risks color screw despite dual lands.

Most Important Cards:

• Kodama of the East Tree (Cheats permanents, enables explosive turns)
• Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider (Doubles counters, cripples opponents)
• The Ozolith (Counter resilience/combo piece)
• Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines (ETB amplification, anti-opponent triggers)
• Akroma's Will (Game-ending combat trick)
• Captain Sisay (Tutors key legendaries)
• The Great Henge (Mana, counters, and card draw)
• Resourceful Defense (Counter recursion/combo enabler)
• Selvala, Heart of the Wilds (Mana generation)
• Hardened Scales (Counter acceleration)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10
Threatens explosive T4-5 plays via Kodama chains or T6-7 combat wins with Akroma's Will. Slower than pure combo decks but accelerates via legendaries.

Resilience: 6/10
Protection spells and counter recursion mitigate setbacks, but board wipes require rebuilding from hand.

Consistency: 8/10
High legendary density, 8 tutors (e.g., Captain Sisay, Worldly Tutor effects), and robust card draw ensure key pieces are accessible.

Interaction: 5/10
Targeted removal (Swords to Plowshares, Krosan Grip) and Boromir counterplay, but limited stack control.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a 6.5 - 7.0 power level, combining fast mana, tutor density, and combo potential with Kodama/The Ozolith lines. While it lacks the speed and interaction of cEDH, its ability to consistently deploy overwhelming boards by T6-7 and pivot between combat/combo wins aligns with optimized casual tiers. Resilience to single-target removal is offset by vulnerability to board wipes, preventing higher rankings.

Power level: 6.5 - 7.0