Overview:

This Sultai graveyard deck helmed by Teval, the Balanced Scale employs a synergistic self-mill strategy focused on land recursion, token generation, and graveyard value. The commander enables incremental advantage through land recursion and zombie tokens whenever cards leave the graveyard. Key hidden commanders like Muldrotha, the Gravetide and The Gitrog Monster provide powerful recursion engines, while the deck wins through token swarms amplified by Mirkwood Bats, Blood Artist, and Zulaport Cutthroat, or via Laboratory Maniac/mill combos. The strategy leverages efficient self-mill tools, land synergies, and recursive threats to outvalue opponents.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4):
   • Deploy self-mill engines: Hedron Crab, Stitcher's Supplier, Mesmeric Orb, or Hermit Druid.
   • Ramp with Crop Rotation (fetching Cabal Coffers/Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth), Skull Prophet, or Sol Ring.
   • Cast Teval to begin land recursion and token generation.

2. Midgame Value (Turns 4-7):

   • Reanimate key pieces with Victimize, Dread Return, or Living Death.
   • Generate zombie tokens via Teval’s triggers and Insidious Roots.
   • Activate land-based value engines: Cabal Coffers, The Gitrog Monster, or Conduit of Worlds.

3. Win Conditions (Turns 6-9+):

   • Token Drain: Amplify zombie/treasure/food token generation with Pitiless Plunderer, Mirkwood Bats, and Blood Artist.
   • Lab Maniac: Mill yourself out using Altar of Dementia/Hermit Druid and win with Laboratory Maniac.
   • Combat Overload: Reanimate Colossal Grave-Reaver or swarm with tokens enhanced by Insidious Roots counters.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including green/black sources).
• Prioritize early self-mill (Stitcher's Supplier, Hedron Crab) or ramp (Crop Rotation, Sol Ring).
• Look for recursion enablers like Phyrexian Reclamation or Muldrotha.

Key Tips:

• Use Sylvan Safekeeper to protect Teval or key creatures by sacrificing lands you can later recur.
• Phyrexian Altar + zombie tokens generates infinite mana with Pitiless Plunderer (sac tokens to Altar for mana, Plunderer creates treasures, repeat).
• Living Death doubles as a board wipe and a game-ending reanimation spell.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void) annihilates the deck’s engine.
• Limited instant-speed interaction for stack-based combos.

Moderate

• Struggles against fast aggro due to slow setup.
• Relies on resolving key sorcery-speed enablers (Buried Alive, Living Death).

Minor

• Mana base has several tapped lands, slowing early turns.
• Token strategies can be disrupted by Toxic Deluge-style wipes.

Most Important Cards:

• Muldrotha, the Gravetide (Recur any permanent from graveyard)
• The Gitrog Monster (Card draw + land synergy)
• Phyrexian Altar (Mana generation + combo enabler)
• Altar of Dementia (Self-mill wincon + removal)
• Buried Alive (Tutor key creatures to graveyard)
• Laboratory Maniac (Alternative wincon)
• Living Death (Board reset + reanimation)
• Cabal Coffers (Mana amplification)
• Hermit Druid (Mass self-mill engine)
• Pitiless Plunderer (Treasure generation + combo piece)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten wins via Lab Maniac or token swarms by turns 7-9, but lacks turbo-mill consistency.

Resilience: 5/10

• Recursive threats and Sylvan Safekeeper provide recovery, but graveyard reliance creates fragility.

Consistency: 7/10

• Abundant self-mill, tutors (Worldly Tutor, Buried Alive), and card draw (The Gitrog Monster) ensure key pieces are accessible.

Interaction: 5/10

• Limited counterspells but includes targeted removal (Assassin's Trophy, Beast Within). Struggles against noncreature combos.

Rating Justification:

This deck has focused synergies and multiple win paths but operates at a slower, grindy pace (T7-9 wins) with moderate resilience. Its reliance on graveyards and vulnerability to common hate keep it below optimized tiers, aligning with upgraded casual play.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5