Overview:

This Selesnya (G/W) deck centers around Sergeant John Benton as a combat-focused card draw engine, leveraging his trample/haste and "Share Intelligence" trigger to fuel hand-size synergies and combat tricks. The primary strategy involves ramping into Benton, protecting/pumping him with numerous instant-speed buffs and protection spells, and converting card advantage into damage via Psychosis Crawler and high-hand-size payoffs like Hand of Vecna. Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar acts as a secondary commander, suppressing interaction during critical turns while enabling additional draw triggers from power-boosted creatures.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Deploy mana dorks (Arbor Elf, Elvish Mystic), land accelerators (Azusa, Lost but Seeking, Summer Bloom), or hand-size enablers (Spellbook, Thought Vessel). Prioritize casting Benton by turn 3.
2. Midgame Value (Turns 4-6): Attack with Benton using protection (Snakeskin Veil, Loran's Escape) and power boosts (Giant Growth, Might of Old Krosa). Trigger card draw to fuel Empyrial Armor, Inner Calm, Outer Strength, and Psychosis Crawler. Deploy Flaming Fist or Duelist's Heritage to amplify combat damage.
3. Win Conditions (Turns 6-8):
   • Combat Burst: Stack multiple pump spells (e.g., Exponential Growth + Titanic Growth) for lethal commander damage or use Rogue's Passage for unblockable attacks.
   • Psychosis Drain: Maintain a large hand size with no-max-hand effects to maximize Psychosis Crawler triggers.
   • Hand of Vecna Overkill: Equip Benton with Hand of Vecna when hand size is high for massive power spikes.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, preferably including green sources.
• Prioritize early ramp (dorks/land drops) or protection spells if Benton is in hand.
• Avoid hands lacking mana acceleration or with only high-CMC cards like Wrath of God.

Key Tips:

• Sequencing Protection: Hold up mana for hexproof/indestructible spells (Beaming Defiance, Overprotect) before attacking with Benton.
• Maximize Hand Size: Use Reliquary Tower and no-max-hand artifacts to preserve card advantage from Benton triggers.
• Leverage Kutzil: Time Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar to protect your combat phase from instant-speed interaction.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Extreme reliance on Benton for card draw; repeated removal can stall the deck.
• Lacks board wipe recovery outside Promise of Loyalty; struggles to rebuild after Wrath of God-like effects.

Moderate

• Vulnerable to hand disruption (e.g., Thoughtseize, Mind Twist) due to reliance on hand-size synergies.
• Limited stack interaction; relies on preemptive protection rather than counterspells.

Minor

• Susceptible to artifact hate targeting Hand of Vecna/Celestial Armor.
• Struggles against flyers without consistent access to Spider Umbra.

Most Important Cards:

• Sergeant John Benton (Primary draw engine & wincon)
• Psychosis Crawler (Key damage payoff)
• Hand of Vecna (Scaling power amplifier)
• Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar (Protection & secondary draw)
• Exponential Growth (Combat finisher)
• Wild Defiance (Protection synergy & power boost)
• Rogue's Passage (Ensures combat damage)
• Duelist's Heritage (Double strike enabler)
• Azusa, Lost but Seeking (Land acceleration)
• Overprotect (All-in-one protection)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can threaten wins via combat around T6-8 with optimal pump spells, but lacks fast combo finishers.

Resilience: 4/10

• Numerous protection spells guard key creatures, but over-reliance on Benton and weak recursion leave it fragile to repeated disruption.

Consistency: 6/10

• Strong ramp and card draw tied to Benton, but limited tutors for critical pieces like Psychosis Crawler.

Interaction: 3/10

• Minimal removal beyond Beast Within and Wrath of God; focuses on protecting its own strategy rather than disrupting others.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates as a focused casual build with a clear combat/card-draw strategy, capable of threatening wins by T8-10 through combat or hand-size synergy. While it has some optimization in protection and ramp, its reliance on the commander and lack of fast combos or robust recovery place it below optimized tiers.

Power level: 4.0 - 4.5