Overview:

This Boros deck leverages Aurelia, the Warleader to enable an aggressive, combat-focused strategy centered around generating multiple combat phases. The core plan involves deploying efficient creatures, generating tokens, and stacking attack triggers to overwhelm opponents through sheer combat damage. Aurelia serves as the critical engine, enabling extra combats that amplify token producers like Adeline, Resplendent Cathar, damage amplifiers like Blade Historian, and value engines like Professional Face-Breaker. Secondary win conditions include an infinite combat combo using Helm of the Host on Aurelia or Combat Celebrant, and explosive mana generation via Ancient Copper Dragon or Treasure Vault to fuel large spells. The strategy is highly commander-dependent and vulnerable to disruption but can generate overwhelming board states quickly.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Prioritize ramp (Sol Ring, Mana Vault, Arcane Signet, Talisman of Conviction) and early threats/value engines (Esper Sentinel, Legion Loyalist, Professional Face-Breaker, Skullclamp). Cast Aurelia on curve if possible, protecting her with Lightning Greaves or Gods Willing.
2. Establish Board & Value (Turns 3-5): Deploy key creatures that scale with attacks or multiple combats: Adeline, Resplendent Cathar, Goldnight Commander, Combat Celebrant, Blade Historian, Éowyn, Fearless Knight. Use card advantage tools like The One Ring, Professional Face-Breaker, or Mystic Peak to refill. Generate tokens with Dalkovan Encampment, Cori-Steel Cutter, or Adeline.
3. Enable Extra Combats & Amplify Damage (Turns 4-7): Cast or protect Aurelia. Attack to trigger her ability, untapping your board and granting an extra combat phase. Leverage multiple combats to:
   • Flood the board with tokens (Adeline, Dalkovan).
   • Generate massive Treasures (Professional Face-Breaker, Ancient Copper Dragon).
   • Pump your team significantly (Goldnight Commander, Intangible Virtue).
   • Apply double strike universally (Blade Historian).
4. Win Condition Execution:
   • Combat Overkill: Use multiple combats and damage amplifiers (Blade Historian, Bulk Up, Iroas's Champion) to eliminate opponents. Craterhoof Behemoth-like effects are absent, relying on sheer volume and multiple attacks.
   • Infinite Combats: Equip Helm of the Host to Aurelia or Combat Celebrant. The non-legendary token created at the beginning of combat will trigger its own extra combat ability when it attacks, creating a loop. Requires Helm + one of these creatures and surviving to combat.
   • Treasure Storm: Use massive Treasure generation (Ancient Copper Dragon hit, Smothering Tithe) to fuel large Finale of Devastation (not in list but implied by strategy), Blasphemous Act + Selfless Squire, or repeated activations.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Essential: 2-3 lands (including colored sources), 1-2 pieces of ramp (Sol Ring, Signet, Mana Vault, Talisman).
• High Priority: Early creature/value engine (Esper Sentinel, Professional Face-Breaker, Adeline), protection for Aurelia (Gods Willing, Greaves), or a key piece like Helm of the Host/Combat Celebrant.
• Good: Card draw (The One Ring, Professional Face-Breaker), token generator (Intangible Virtue, Cori-Steel Cutter), or interaction (Swords to Plowshares).
• Avoid: Hands lacking ramp, lands, or early plays; hands clogged with only high-cost spells.

Key Tips:

• Protect Aurelia At All Costs: She is the linchpin. Lightning Greaves, Mithril Coat, Gods Willing, Boros Charm (indestructible mode), and Teferi's Protection are vital. Cast her only when you can protect her or immediately benefit.
• Sequence Combats Wisely: Trigger attack abilities before Aurelia's first combat damage if possible (e.g., Professional Face-Breaker Treasures, Adeline tokens). Use the untap from her trigger to activate mana abilities (Treasure Vault, Basalt Monolith) or equip before the second combat.
• Leverage Treasures & Mana: Use Treasures from Professional Face-Breaker, Ancient Copper Dragon, and Smothering Tithe to cast Aurelia multiple times, equip Helm early, or power out game-ending spells. Jeska's Will is a potential ritual.
• Find the Combo: Tutor for Helm of the Host (via Gamble, Flare of Duplication copying Gamble, or Monumental Henge) and protect it. Combat Celebrant provides redundancy.
• Mitigate Board Wipes: Hold up protection (Boros Charm, Teferi's Protection). Rebuild quickly with token generators and card draw. Selfless Squire is a potential blowout.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Extreme Commander Dependence: Aurelia is essential for the core strategy. Repeated removal or tax effects cripple the deck's ability to generate extra combats and significantly slow it down.
• Vulnerability to Board Wipes: Relies heavily on a developed board for combat wins and value. Lacks robust, recurring card draw to rebuild quickly after a wipe.
• Fragile Combo: The Helm of the Host infinite combat combo is slow (equip cost), telegraphed, and easily disrupted by artifact removal or creature interaction.

Moderate

• Limited Card Draw & Selection: Relies heavily on a few engines (The One Ring, Professional Face-Breaker, Esper Sentinel). Can run out of gas quickly if these are answered or not drawn.
• Mana Base Constraints: Includes several tap lands (Monumental Henge, Arena of Glory, Dalkovan Encampment, Temple of Triumph) which can slow down critical early turns in a deck needing speed. Low basic count (28 total lands) risks vulnerability to non-basic hate.
• Susceptibility to Stax: Effects like Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Archon of Emeria, or Blind Obedience severely hinder the ability to deploy multiple threats and cast Aurelia + equip Helm in the same turn.

Minor

• Interaction Limitations: While having solid spot removal (Swords, Devout Decree, Bolt, Embereth Shieldbreaker), lacks stack interaction (counterspells) and has limited answers to resolved enchantments or artifacts outside of white.
• Graveyard Reliance (Minor): Utilizes flashback (Bulk Up) and recursion (Mystic Peak, Pegasus Guardian adventure) sparingly; graveyard hate is inconvenient but not crippling.

Most Important Cards:

1. Aurelia, the Warleader (Core engine enabling extra combats)
2. Helm of the Host (Primary combo piece enabling infinite combats)
3. Adeline, Resplendent Cathar (Key token generator scaling with combats)
4. Blade Historian (Massive damage amplifier granting double strike)
5. Combat Celebrant (Redundant combo piece & combat enabler)
6. Professional Face-Breaker (Card advantage & crucial Treasure generation)
7. Lightning Greaves (Essential protection for Aurelia/combo pieces)
8. The One Ring (Primary source of card advantage & protection)
9. Smothering Tithe (Significant Treasure generation to fuel spells/recursion)
10. Ancient Copper Dragon (Explosive Treasure generation on hit, enabled by combats)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten wins via combat or combo as early as turn 5-6 with optimal ramp and Aurelia/Helm, but often takes turns 7-8 due to setup requirements and commander reliance.

Resilience: 4/10

• Has some protection (Greaves, Boros Charm, Teferi's Protection) and recursion (Mystic Peak), but core strategy is highly vulnerable to commander removal and board wipes. Recovery from setbacks is slow due to limited card draw.

Consistency: 5/10

• Good ramp density helps cast Aurelia, but lacks tutors for key combo pieces (Helm) beyond Gamble and Flare of Duplication. Card draw is inconsistent, relying on specific engines being active.

Interaction: 5/10

• Runs efficient targeted removal (Swords, Bolt, Bolt Bend, Devout Decree) and protective spells (Gods Willing, Boros Charm), but lacks countermagic and has limited answers to non-creature permanents. Quality is decent, quantity is moderate.

Rating Justification:

This deck possesses solid speed, capable of threatening wins via combat loops or Helm combo around turns 6-7 with optimal draws. However, its critical vulnerability to commander removal and board wipes, coupled with inconsistent card draw and tutoring, significantly hinders its resilience and reliability. This places it firmly in the optimized casual tier, above strong precons but below high-power decks.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5