Overview:

This mono-blue deck helmed by Eluge, the Shoreless Sea focuses on converting lands into Islands via flood counters to enable massive spell discounts and fuel a hybrid control/combo strategy. The commander acts as both a cost-reduction engine (enabling free/cheap instants/sorceries) and a potential threat, scaling with Island count. The deck aims to win via Thassa's Oracle/Laboratory Maniac combos supported by extreme card draw, Psychosis Crawler pings, or overwhelming value from free spells via Omniscience. A dense suite of counterspells and fast mana enables reactive control while assembling win conditions.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Game (T1-3): Deploy fast mana (Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Sol Ring) and flood enablers. Use Harbinger of the Seas or Spreading Seas to create additional Islands. Cast Eluge early to start generating flood counters through attacks/recursion.
2. Mid Game (T4-6): Leverage cost reduction from Eluge and Sapphire Medallion to cast high-impact spells like River's Rebuke or Curse of the Swine at discounted rates. Deploy value engines like Rhystic Study, Mystic Remora, and The One Ring to draw into combo pieces.
3. Win Conditions:
   • Oracle/Lab Man: Tutor Thassa's Oracle with Mystical Tutor or Transmute Artifact, then empty library via Finale of Revelation or forced draw.
   • Psychosis Crawler: Pair with mass draw spells like Sea Gate Restoration for lethal life loss.
   • Omniscience: Cheat into play via flood discount or Transmute Artifact, then cast entire hand for free.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands including blue sources.
• Prioritize early mana rocks, Eluge, and at least one card draw engine.
• Hands with protection (Swiftfoot Boots, counterspells) or combo tutors are ideal.

Key Tips:

• Use Mystic Sanctuary to recur key counterspells or tutors.
• Transmute Artifact can sacrifice Lotus Bloom for early Omniscience.
• Slip Out the Back protects Eluge while phasing through board wipes.
• Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx generates explosive mana with high Island count.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Heavily reliant on Eluge staying alive for cost reduction - repeated removal cripples the strategy.
• Minimal permanent-based interaction struggles against resolved threats like Collector Ouphe or Drannith Magistrate.

Moderate

• Vulnerable to graveyard hate disrupting Mystic Sanctuary/Lab Man lines.
• Low creature count makes Psychosis Crawler and Eluge critical vulnerable targets.

Minor

• Limited board presence struggles against wide aggressive strategies.
• Blood Moon effects disrupt nonbasic land synergies.

Most Important Cards:

• Eluge, the Shoreless Sea (Cost reduction engine/scaling threat)
• Thassa's Oracle (Primary win condition)
• Omniscience (Game-ending value engine)
• Transmute Artifact (Tutor for wincons/Omniscience)
• Mystic Remora (Early game card advantage)
• Force of Will (Free interaction)
• The One Ring (Card draw/protection)
• Psychosis Crawler (Alternative win condition)
• Mox Diamond (Critical early acceleration)
• Harbinger of the Seas (Island conversion enabler)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10

• Can win via T4 Omniscience into Oracle or T5-6 combo lines with optimal draws, but requires setup for flood counters.

Resilience: 5/10

• Counterspells protect key plays, but fragile creature-based wincons and commander dependency create single points of failure.

Consistency: 8/10

• Extensive tutors (7+), card draw, and redundant cost reduction ensure regular access to win conditions.

Interaction: 9/10

• 20+ counterspells and bounce spells provide exceptional stack control, though lacks permanent removal.

Rating Justification:

This deck demonstrates cEDH-adjacent speed with T4-5 win potential through optimized tutors and free spells, but its reliance on vulnerable creatures and commander-centric strategy prevents true tiered cEDH consistency. The exceptional interaction suite and fast mana justify a high-power rating, though fragility keeps it below top tiers.

Power level: 7.5 - 8.0