Overview:

This Sultai deck leverages Indominus Rex, Alpha as a keyword-soup engine and card draw bomb. The strategy focuses on discarding high-value creatures with diverse abilities (hexproof, indestructible, flying, etc.) to maximize counters on Indominus Rex, enabling explosive card draw upon entry. The deck wins primarily through combat with resilient, keyword-heavy threats like Carnage Tyrant and Stonehoof Chieftain, amplified by finishers like End-Raze Forerunners. Secondary value comes from graveyard recursion (Phyrexian Reclamation, Living Death) and +1/+1 counter synergies (The Ozolith, Repulsive Mutation). Indominus Rex is essential for refueling and enabling the deck's core value engine, though its high mana cost and reliance on discarding creatures make it vulnerable to removal or graveyard disruption.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Setup (Turns 1-4): Ramp aggressively using dorks (Birds of Paradise, Sylvan Caryatid), land searches (Farseek, Cultivate), and rocks (Sol Ring). Prioritize fixing for Sultai colors. Discard high-keyword creatures (e.g., Sphinx of the Final Word, Darksteel Sentinel) to hand size or effects like Finale of Eternity early if possible.
2. Deploy Commander (Turns 4-6): Cast Indominus Rex, discarding 2-3 creatures with distinct keywords (aim for hexproof/indestructible first). It enters with 4-6+ counters, drawing equal cards. Protect it with Luxior, Giada's Gift (equip pre-discard) or Rogue's Passage for evasion.
3. Midgame Pressure (Turns 5-8): Recur discarded threats via Animate Dead, Oversold Cemetery, or Living Death. Deploy finishers like End-Raze Forerunners, Stonehoof Chieftain, or Quilled Greatwurm. Use The Ozolith to preserve counters from dying creatures.
4. Win Condition Execution:
   • Combat: Overrun with keyword-laden creatures. End-Raze Forerunners provides a massive pump. Stonehoof Chieftain grants indestructible/trample to attackers. Blackblade Reforged on Indominus Rex enables commander damage kills.
   • Value Engine: Leverage The Great Henge and Indominus Rex draws for overwhelming card advantage. Recur ETB value creatures like Baleful Strix or Elder Gargaroth repeatedly.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands (incl. color fixing), 1-2 ramp pieces (dork or sorcery), and 1 high-keyword creature or Indominus Rex.
• Prioritize hands enabling T3-4 Indominus Rex (e.g., Sol Ring + 2-mana ramp + discard fodder).
• Avoid hands lacking ramp, discard fodder, or color sources.

Key Tips:

• Discard Sequencing: Prioritize discarding creatures with multiple keywords first (e.g., Nightveil Predator: Flying/Deathtouch/Hexproof). Avoid discarding recursive creatures (Vorapede, Wurmcoil Engine) if possible.
• Protection: Equip Luxior, Giada's Gift to Indominus Rex before discarding to grant indestructible via counters. Use Rogue's Passage for unblockable Rex swings.
• Recursion Loops: Phyrexian Reclamation + Baleful Strix/Elder Gargaroth generates consistent value. Living Death is a potential game-winner if graveyards are stocked.
• Counter Synergy: Repulsive Mutation acts as countermagic and pump. The Ozolith preserves counters from sacrificed (Bontu the Glorified) or dying creatures.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Commander Reliance: Removal on Indominus Rex after discarding cripples card advantage and tempo. Limited protection outside Luxior.
• Graveyard Vulnerability: Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void cripples recursion, discard payoffs, and Living Death.
• Board Wipe Weakness: Lacks mass recursion/rebound. Wipes reset progress, especially problematic with high average CMC.

Moderate

• Slow Setup: High curve and reliance on resolving a 5+ CMC commander create vulnerability to fast aggro/combo.
• Anti-Synergy Hate: Torpor Orb blanks ETB value (Baleful Strix, End-Raze Forerunners, Elder Gargaroth). Humility devastates keyword-dependent strategy.
• Limited Stack Interaction: Minimal counterspells/instant-speed answers to disrupt opponents' wins.

Minor

• Mana Base Clunk: Enters-tapped lands and limited fetch effects can slow early development.
• Artifact/Enchantment Reliance: Key pieces (The Great Henge, Phyrexian Scriptures, The Ozolith) are vulnerable to targeted removal.

Most Important Cards:

• Indominus Rex, Alpha (Core engine: card draw & keyword enabler)
• The Great Henge (Ramp, card draw, +1/+1 counters)
• End-Raze Forerunners (Primary combat finisher)
• Living Death (Mass recursion & board reset)
• Phyrexian Reclamation (Graveyard recursion engine)
• Stonehoof Chieftain (Combat protection & trample enabler)
• The Ozolith (Counter preservation & redistribution)
• Carnage Tyrant (Resilient beater & discard fodder)
• Luxior, Giada's Gift (Commander protection & indestructible source)
• Finale of Eternity (Flexible removal/recursion & discard enabler)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can deploy threats by T4-5 and threaten wins via combat or value around T8-10, but high average CMC and setup requirements limit explosiveness.

Resilience: 4/10

• Recursion engines (Reclamation, Oversold Cemetery) and hexproof/indestructible threats provide some recovery, but heavy reliance on graveyard and commander creates critical vulnerabilities.

Consistency: 6/10

• Abundant ramp and card draw (Indominus Rex, Great Henge) improve reliability, but limited tutors and dependency on specific discard fodder reduce predictability.

Interaction: 5/10

• Targeted removal (Crux of Fate, Quandrix Command), counters (Get Out), and flexible spells (Repulsive Mutation) exist but lack density and speed for high-power metas.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a Casual/Focused level, leveraging resilient creatures and value engines for T8-10 combat wins but suffering from slow setup, commander dependency, and critical graveyard vulnerabilities. Its speed and consistency align with upgraded precons, while resilience issues prevent higher optimization.

Power level: 4.5 - 5.0