Overview:

This Gruul deck revolves around Wolverine, Best There Is as a damage amplifier and +1/+1 counter engine, paired with Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar to spread lethal damage. The strategy focuses on accelerating into massive creatures, doubling damage output via Wolverine's Unrivaled Lethality, and leveraging counter synergies with cards like Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider and Doubling Season. Key win conditions include commander damage multiplied by Kediss, explosive combat phases with Craterhoof Behemoth, and board-clearing burn via Chandra's Ignition. Wolverine serves as both a scaling threat and a value engine, enabled by regeneration and protection tools.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Ramp (Turns 1-3): Deploy mana dorks (Elvish Mystic, Birds of Paradise), land accelerants (Exploration, Utopia Sprawl), and cost reducers (Goblin Anarchomancer).
2. Commander Setup (Turns 3-4): Cast Wolverine with protection (Lightning Greaves, Snakeskin Veil). Use fight spells (Tail Swipe, Ram Through) to trigger his damage-to-creature ability, accelerating +1/+1 counter growth.
3. Synergy Explosion (Turns 4-6): Deploy counter doublers (Hardened Scales, Branching Evolution) and high-impact creatures like Kalonian Hydra or Terror of the Peaks. Activate Kessig Wolf Run or Temur Battle Rage for lethal Wolverine swings.
4. Win Conditions:
   • Commander Damage + Kediss: Attack with a 10+ power Wolverine to deal 20+ damage to each opponent via Kediss.
   • Craterhoof Behemoth: Overrun with trampling creatures boosted by +X/+X.
   • Chandra's Ignition: Use Wolverine or a massive creature to burn the table.
   • Infinite Combats: Aggravated Assault + Selvala, Heart of the Wilds/Kami of Whispered Hopes for infinite attack phases.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, early ramp, and at least one protection spell.
• Prioritize Wolverine enablers (fight spells, Rancor) or critical doublers (Hardened Scales).
• Avoid hands without green mana sources or proactive plays.

Key Tips:

• Use The Ozolith to preserve counters if Wolverine is removed.
• Chandra's Ignition paired with deathtouch (Basilisk Collar) wipes opposing boards while preserving your creatures.
• Finale of Devastation can fetch Craterhoof Behemoth or Vorinclex for immediate impact.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Commander Reliance: Losing Wolverine repeatedly cripples the primary damage engine.
• Board Wipes: Blasphemous Act and similar effects reset counter progress; limited recursion outside Noxious Revival.
• Anti-Counter Tech: The One Ring, Solemnity, or Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger nullify key synergies.

Moderate

• Artifact/Enchantment Hate: Bane of Progress disrupts Doubling Season, The Great Henge, and equipment.
• Stack Interaction: Limited counterspells make combos vulnerable to disruption.

Minor

• Flyers: Relies on Rancor or Gaea's Gift for reach to handle evasive threats.

Most Important Cards:

• Wolverine, Best There Is (Damage amplifier & counter engine)
• Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar (Table-wide damage multiplier)
• Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider (Counter doubling & opponent disruption)
• Doubling Season (Explosive counter scaling)
• Craterhoof Behemoth (Combat finisher)
• Selvala, Heart of the Wilds (Mana generation & combo piece)
• Chandra's Ignition (Board wipe + burn wincon)
• Aggravated Assault (Infinite combats enabler)
• The Great Henge (Card draw & counter synergy)
• Heroic Intervention (Critical protection)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10
Capable of threatening lethal via Wolverine + Kediss by turn 6-7, with explosive starts using Selvala, Heart of the Wilds or Finale of Devastation.

Resilience: 5/10
Protection spells and regeneration mitigate removal, but heavy reliance on Wolverine and fragile counter synergies limit recovery.

Consistency: 7/10
Abundant ramp, creature tutors (Worldly Tutor, Green Sun's Zenith), and card draw (Sylvan Library, Beast Whisperer) ensure key pieces are accessible.

Interaction: 5/10
Fight spells and targeted removal (Beast Within, Chaos Warp) handle threats, but lacks stack interaction beyond Deflecting Swat.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a 6.0 - 6.5 power level, combining focused combat synergy with combo potential. Its speed aligns with T7-8 wins via combat or Chandra's Ignition, while resilience issues and meta vulnerabilities prevent higher optimization.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5