Overview:

This Sultai (BUG) deck helmed by Teval, the Balanced Scale focuses on graveyard synergies, land recursion, and token generation. Teval enables consistent land drops from the graveyard while generating Zombie Druid tokens whenever cards leave the graveyard. The deck leverages mill, reanimation, and token multipliers like Doubling Season to build overwhelming board states. Key win conditions include combat overruns with Craterhoof Behemoth, Triumph of the Hordes, and Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus, alongside incremental value from The Scarab God and zombie swarms. Teval acts as an engine for resource acceleration and token generation but isn’t strictly essential to the strategy, as the deck has multiple recursion tools and alternate threats.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy ramp (e.g., Sakura-Tribe Elder, Cultivate) and self-mill enablers like Hedron Crab or River Kelpie. Use Life from the Loam or Conduit of Worlds to recur lands and fuel Teval’s attack trigger.
2. Mid-Game Value (Turns 5-7): Cast Teval to generate tokens and accelerate land drops. Reanimate key threats (e.g., Avenger of Zendikar, Colossal Grave-Reaver) via Living Death or Victimize. Use Necropotence or The One Ring to refuel.
3. Win Conditions (Turns 7-9+):
   • Combat: Deploy Craterhoof Behemoth, Triumph of the Hordes, or Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus to swing for lethal.
   • Token Swarm: Amplify Zombie/Druid tokens with Primal Vigor and The Scarab God’s life drain.
   • Combo Potential: Helm of the Host on Teval or Blade of Selves on key creatures to generate exponential tokens.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Prioritize hands with 2-3 lands, early ramp, and a self-mill/reanimation piece.
• Keep hands with Teval, Life from the Loam, or Conduit of Worlds for consistency.
• Avoid hands lacking ramp or graveyard enablers.

Key Tips:

• Use Ashnod’s Altar to sacrifice tokens for mana, fueling reanimation or combo lines.
• Glacial Chasm can stall opponents while building a board.
• Kotis, Sibsig Champion enables casting creatures from the graveyard, bypassing commander dependency.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard Hate: Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void cripples recursion, token generation, and land recursion.
• Board Wipes: Struggles to rebuild after mass removal without Living Death or The Scarab God.

Moderate

• Commander Reliance: Repeated removal of Teval slows token generation and land recursion.
• Artifact/Enchantment Reliance: Key pieces like Doubling Season or Necropotence are vulnerable to removal.

Minor

• Slow Start: Enters-tapped lands and setup-heavy strategy can lag against faster decks.
• Limited Interaction: Few counterspells or instant-speed answers to combo/stax.

Most Important Cards:

• Craterhoof Behemoth (Primary combat finisher)
• Living Death (Mass reanimation/reset)
• Doubling Season (Token/counter multiplier)
• Necropotence (Card advantage engine)
• Conduit of Worlds (Graveyard recursion enabler)
• The Scarab God (Value engine and alternate wincon)
• Helm of the Host (Token duplication for Teval or key creatures)
• Life from the Loam (Land recursion and dredge)
• Triumph of the Hordes (Infect-based finisher)
• Teval, the Balanced Scale (Commander for tokens and land recursion)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten wins via combat or token swarms by turns 7-9, with faster potential if Craterhoof/Triumph are tutored early.

Resilience: 5/10

• Recursion tools like Conduit of Worlds and Living Death aid recovery, but graveyard reliance makes it fragile to hate.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong card draw (Necropotence, The One Ring) and tutors (Finale of Devastation, Victimize) ensure access to key pieces.

Interaction: 4/10

• Limited removal suite (Putrefy, Tear Asunder, Negate) and minimal stack interaction.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a 5.5 - 6.0 power level, capable of threatening wins via combat or token synergies by turns 7-8. While it has strong recursion and card advantage, its reliance on the graveyard and vulnerability to stax/hate keep it below optimized tiers.

Power level: 5.5 - 6.0