Overview:

This Henzie "Toolbox" Torre deck leverages the commander's blitz ability to rapidly deploy high-impact creatures, generating value through enter/exit triggers while pressuring opponents. The strategy revolves around sacrificing blitzed creatures for card advantage and synergizing with death/ETB effects. Key themes include reanimation, toolbox tutoring, and explosive midgame plays. Henzie is essential as the enabler, reducing blitz costs with each cast and enabling efficient value engines. The deck can pivot between aggressive combat, combo finishes (Protean Hulk chains, Mikaeus + Walking Ballista), and life-drain via Gray Merchant/Kokusho.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (T1-3): Ramp with dorks (Ignoble Hierarch, Birds of Paradise), land tutors (Farseek), or accelerators (Utopia Sprawl). Cast Henzie ASAP to enable blitz discounts.
2. Midgame Value (T3-6): Blitz high-impact creatures like Ravenous Chupacabra, Seedguide Ash, or Primeval Herald for tempo, removal, and ramp. Use death triggers to fuel Yawgmoth, Thran Physician, Skullclamp, or Greater Good.
3. Win Conditions (T5-8):
   • Combat: Overwhelm with hasty threats like Balefire Dragon, Archon of Cruelty, or Etali, Primal Conqueror.
   • Combo: Fetch Protean Hulk via Birthing Pod/tutors. Sacrifice Hulk to grab Walking Ballista + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed for infinite damage.
   • Life Drain: Reanimate Gray Merchant of Asphodel or Kokusho, the Evening Star repeatedly.
4. Recovery: Recur key pieces with Reanimate, Living Death, or Timeless Witness.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, at least one ramp source, and a 4+ MV creature.
• Prioritize early Henzie casts: hands with Ignoble Hierarch, Llanowar Elves, or Simian Spirit Guide are ideal.
• Avoid hands without blitz-able creatures or excessive high-CMC cards.

Key Tips:

• Blitz Protean Hulk as a 3-mana play (after 2 Henzie casts) to cheat death triggers.
• Use Viscera Seer/Yawgmoth, Thran Physician to sacrifice creatures before blitz auto-sacrifice for extra value.
• Birthing Pod chains can convert blitzed creatures into higher MV threats (e.g., Seedguide Ash → Massacre Wurm).
• Living Death doubles as a board wipe and reanimation spell with a stocked graveyard.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Commander-dependent strategy: Removing Henzie 2-3 times cripples blitz discounts and slows the deck significantly.
• Vulnerable to graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void) shutting off reanimation and Hulk combos.

Moderate

• Board wipes disrupt momentum, as blitz creatures self-sacrifice but leave minimal board presence.
• Anti-sacrifice effects (Torpor Orb, Hushbringer) negate ETB/death triggers.

Minor

• Limited stack interaction: Relies on Abrupt Decay/Assassin's Trophy over counterspells.
• Struggles against fast combo decks without stax elements.

Most Important Cards:

• Henzie "Toolbox" Torre (Blitz enabler/cost reducer)
• Protean Hulk (Combo tutor)
• Birthing Pod (Toolbox creature upgrades)
• Yawgmoth, Thran Physician (Sac outlet + card engine)
• Living Death (Board reset + reanimation)
• Demonic Tutor (Flexible combo/answer search)
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel (Life drain wincon)
• Mikaeus, the Unhallowed (Combo piece + recursion)
• Balefire Dragon (Board-clearing threat)
• Assassin's Trophy (Universal removal)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10
Can deploy game-winning combos (Hulk/Ballista) or overwhelming boards by T6-7 with optimal draws. Blitz enables early pressure but lacks T4-5 consistency.

Resilience: 6/10
Multiple recursion engines (Timeless Witness, Phyrexian Delver) and protection (Deadly Rollick), but over-reliance on Henzie and graveyard creates fragility.

Consistency: 7/10
Strong tutor density (9+ tutors) and card draw from blitz/sacrifice effects, but high-CMC creature base can lead to clunky hands.

Interaction: 5/10
Efficient targeted removal (Abrupt Decay, Assassin's Trophy) and board wipes (Massacre Wurm), but minimal stack interaction.

Rating Justification:

The deck operates at a T6-7 win pace with resilient combo lines and strong recursion, aligning with the "Optimized" tier (6.5). However, its commander dependency and vulnerability to common disruption prevent it from reaching higher competitive tiers.

Power level: 6.5 - 7.0