Overview:

This Izzet deck pairs Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator and Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar to leverage treasure generation and damage-spreading synergies. The primary strategy focuses on deploying evasive Pirates (enhanced by Maskwood Nexus) to trigger Malcolm's treasure production, while using Curiosity effects (Curiosity, Ophidian Eye) on Malcolm or Niv-Mizzet, Parun for explosive card draw and combo potential. Secondary win conditions include Glint-Horn Buccaneer loops with infinite treasures and Sunshot Militia burn. Malcolm serves as the linchpin, enabling both resource acceleration and combo lines, while Kediss amplifies damage output across all opponents.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Deploy low-cost Pirates (Spyglass Siren, Fanatical Firebrand) to generate initial treasures. Use fast mana (Simian Spirit Guide, Rite of Flame) and artifact ramp (Sol Ring) to accelerate.
2. Mid-Game Value (Turns 4-6): Cast commanders to amplify treasure generation. Attach Curiosity effects to Malcolm for card draw or Niv-Mizzet for combo potential. Use tutors (Muddle the Mixture, Goblin Matron) to find key pieces like Maskwood Nexus or Glint-Horn Buccaneer.
3. Win Conditions (Turns 5-8):
   • Malcolm Combo: With Curiosity/Ophidian Eye on Malcolm, attack to draw 3 cards and create 3 treasures per turn. Pair with Reckless Fireweaver for incremental damage or Glint-Horn Buccaneer + infinite treasures for lethal.
   • Niv-Mizzet Combo: Resolve Niv-Mizzet, Parun with a Curiosity effect to draw the deck and burn opponents.
   • Sunshot Militia: Use accumulated treasures to ping the table repeatedly.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Prioritize hands with Malcolm, 1-2 mana Pirates, and ramp (Sol Ring, Simian Spirit Guide).
• Keep hands with Curiosity, transmute tutors (Muddle the Mixture), or protection (Siren Stormtamer).
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or color fixing.

Key Tips:

• Use Maskwood Nexus to turn all creatures into Pirates, maximizing Malcolm triggers.
• Wings of Velis Vel can grant evasion or Pirate status to key creatures.
• Protect Malcolm with Spellskite or Siren Stormtamer—losing him cripples the engine.
• Dress Down can temporarily disable opponents’ threats while preserving your artifact synergies.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Commander Dependency: Removing Malcolm repeatedly stalls treasure generation and combo lines.
• Artifact Hate: Vandalblast or Collector Ouphe cripples treasure-based strategies and Sunshot Militia.

Moderate

• Board Wipes: Blasphemous Act resets Pirate boards, delaying treasure production.
• Stack Interaction: Limited counterspells (only 6) struggle against focused combo decks.

Minor

• Graveyard Reliance: Minimal recursion makes exiled key pieces unrecoverable.
• Mana Consistency: Sparse land count (19) risks stumbling despite treasure acceleration.

Most Important Cards:

• Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator (Treasure engine/combo enabler)
• Curiosity (Primary combo piece with Malcolm/Niv-Mizzet)
• Glint-Horn Buccaneer (Infinite damage outlet with treasures)
• Maskwood Nexus (Universal Pirate synergy)
• Niv-Mizzet, Parun (Alternate combo finisher)
• Muddle the Mixture (Tutor for Curiosity/Glint-Horn)
• Reckless Fireweaver (Treasure-to-damage converter)
• Sunshot Militia (Treasure sink for direct damage)
• Siren Stormtamer (Key protection for Malcolm)
• Simian Spirit Guide (Critical early mana acceleration)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Threatens wins via combos or treasure burn around turns 6-8, accelerated by Malcolm’s treasure generation.

Resilience: 5/10

• Moderate protection for commanders and key pieces, but heavily reliant on Malcolm staying on board.

Consistency: 7/10

• Transmute tutors, card draw from Curiosity effects, and redundant damage outlets enhance plan execution.

Interaction: 5/10

• Limited but efficient counterspells (Daze, Pyroblast) and removal (Abrade), but lacks board wipes.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates as a focused combo/treasure engine with T6-8 win potential, supported by tutors and synergistic interactions. While faster than casual decks, its reliance on vulnerable commanders and moderate interaction keeps it below optimized tiers.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5