Overview:

This Orzhov deck is a Knight tribal build led by Firja, Judge of Valor, leveraging lifegain, reanimation, and combat synergies. Firja provides card advantage by enabling graveyard filling and selection when casting multiple spells per turn. The strategy focuses on establishing a resilient Knight board presence amplified by anthem effects (Honor of the Pure, Knight Exemplar), utilizing lifegain triggers for incremental value/control (Lunar Convocation, Archangel of Thune), and recurring threats via reanimation (Marshal's Anthem, Animate Dead). Firja acts as an enabler for card flow but isn't strictly essential to the core tribal plan, making the strategy moderately vulnerable to commander removal but not crippled by it.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy low-cost Knights (Student of Warfare, White Knight, Apothecary Initiate) and mana rocks (Sol Ring). Prioritize casting two spells per turn to trigger Firja early if possible. Use removal (Deadly Rollick, Pest Control) or hate pieces (Apostle of Purifying Light, Arashin Sunshield) to disrupt opponents.
2. Mid-Game Development (Turns 4-6): Establish key anthem effects (Honor of the Pure, Knight Exemplar) and value engines (Lunar Convocation, Locthwain Lancer). Cast high-impact Knights (Hero of Bladehold, Mirran Crusader) or Angels (Lyra Dawnbringer, Shalai, Voice of Plenty). Leverage Firja's triggers to dig for threats or reanimation. Use board wipes (Wrath of God, Damnation) judiciously when behind.
3. Win Condition Execution (Turns 7+):
   • Combat: Overwhelm opponents with anthems (Honor of the Pure, Knight Exemplar), equipment (Angelic Destiny, Armored Ascension), and token generation (Hero of Bladehold). Utilize evasion (Flying, Menace, Protection) and lifegain synergies (Archangel of Thune).
   • Lifegain/Drain: Grind opponents down with Lunar Convocation triggers and Locthwain Lancer pings. Utilize Magus of the Mirror for life total swings if opportunity arises.
   • Recursion: Recur key threats (Lyra Dawnbringer, Hero of Bladehold) or value pieces using Marshal's Anthem (kicked) or Animate Dead.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-4 lands (including B/W sources) and early plays (1-3 CMC Knight, ramp, or interaction).
• Prioritize hands containing an anthem effect (Honor of the Pure, Knight Exemplar) or a reliable way to trigger Firja (multiple low-cost spells).
• Look for interaction (removal, graveyard hate) against expected threats.
• Avoid hands lacking early plays, excessive high-cost cards without ramp, or only one color source.

Key Tips:

• Maximize Firja: Sequence spells carefully to consistently trigger Firja's second-spell ability. Low-cost Knights and instants enable this best. Prioritize protecting Firja if she becomes the primary card engine.
• Protect Key Pieces: Knight Exemplar granting indestructible is crucial for board wipe resilience. Shalai, Voice of Plenty provides hexproof. Use counters judiciously with Archangel of Thune.
• Leverage Lifegain: Daxos, Blessed by the Sun and Anointer Priest provide consistent triggers for Archangel of Thune and Lunar Convocation. Lunar Convocation's draw ability is vital late-game.
• Recursion Targets: Prioritize recurring Knight Exemplar, Hero of Bladehold, Lyra Dawnbringer, or Archangel of Thune with Marshal's Anthem/Animate Dead.
• Combat Tricks: Use Forsworn Paladin's deathtouch ability with Treasures for surprise blocks/removal. Minister of Pain can exploit tokens for board control.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Extreme vulnerability to board wipes: Heavy reliance on creature-based anthems and threats. Lacks mass recursion or significant wipe recovery outside limited reanimation. Knight Exemplar is the only consistent defense.
• Severely hampered by graveyard hate: Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void, etc., cripple reanimation (Marshal's Anthem, Animate Dead), Locthwain Lancer, Moodmark Painter, and Firja's filtering.

Moderate

• Struggles against fast combo/aggro: Slow mana base (many tapped lands) and mid-game focus make it vulnerable to decks winning before its board is established.
• Limited stack interaction: Minimal counterspells or instant-speed interaction to disrupt opponents' non-creature win conditions.
• Susceptible to artifact/enchantment removal: Key pieces like Honor of the Pure, Armored Ascension, Lunar Convocation, and Marshal's Anthem are vulnerable.

Minor

• Mana base inconsistency: High number of tapped lands (Temple of Silence, Concealed Courtyard) and basic-heavy composition can lead to color screw or tempo loss.
• Card advantage dependency: Relies heavily on Firja or Lunar Convocation for sustained card flow; can run out of gas if disrupted.

Most Important Cards:

• Knight Exemplar (Core Anthem, Grants Indestructible to Knights)
• Honor of the Pure (Primary Anthem Effect)
• Firja, Judge of Valor (Card Selection/Advantage Engine)
• Archangel of Thune (Lifegain Payoff, Win Condition)
• Lunar Convocation (Lifegain Payoff, Card Draw, Token Generation)
• Marshal's Anthem (Mass Reanimation, Anthem)
• Lyra Dawnbringer (Powerful Lifelink/Flying Threat, Angel Buff)
• Hero of Bladehold (Token Generation, Combat Buff)
• Mirran Crusader (Evasive, Resilient Beater)
• Sol Ring (Critical Early Ramp)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 4/10

• Wins primarily through combat around turns 10-12. Mana base is slow, key pieces are high CMC, and lacks fast mana or efficient combos.

Resilience: 5/10

• Moderate resilience via Knight Exemplar and targeted reanimation, but critically weak to wipes and graveyard hate. Some protection in Shalai/hexproof.

Consistency: 6/10

• Tribal synergy provides inherent consistency. Multiple anthem effects and key creatures offer redundancy. Card draw relies heavily on Firja/Lunar Convocation.

Interaction: 3/10

• Contains targeted creature removal (Deadly Rollick, Damnation) and graveyard hate, but lacks countermagic, versatile answers, or stack interaction. Relies on sorcery speed.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a casual/precon level, aiming for T10-12 wins through combat enhanced by tribal synergies and lifegain. Its slow speed (4/10) and critical vulnerability to board wipes/graveyard hate limit its resilience (5/10), placing it below optimized casual tiers despite moderate consistency (6/10) from tribal redundancy.

Power level: 3.5 - 4.0