Overview:

This Sultai (BGU) deck helmed by Gonti, Canny Acquisitor focuses on evasive combat damage triggers to steal opponents' spells and resources. The strategy revolves around deploying unblockable creatures and rogue synergies to fuel a value engine of exiled card theft, amplified by cost reducers like Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius and Thieving Varmint. Secondary themes include Treasure generation and land ramp to accelerate into high-impact theft spells like Villainous Wealth and Heartless Conscription. Gonti serves as both a value engine and win condition, enabling stolen spellcasting while presenting a 5/5 evasive threat.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (T1-3): Deploy evasive 1-drops (Slither Blade, Changeling Outcast), mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet), and land ramp (Nature's Lore, Farseek). Prioritize casting Gonti by T4 using cost reducers.
2. Mid-Game Theft (T4-6): Connect with evasive creatures to trigger Gonti's exile effect. Use Toski, Bearer of Secrets and Edric, Spymaster of Trest for card draw. Deploy key enablers like Doc Aurlock to reduce stolen spell costs.
3. Late-Game Domination (T7+): Cast high-impact stolen spells or deploy finishers like Brainstealer Dragon. Use Cyclonic Rift to clear blockers before lethal swings. Activate Villainous Wealth for X=10+ to steal multiple spells.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands and at least one evasive creature
• Prioritize early ramp (Sol Ring, Nature's Lore) and cost reducers (Thieving Varmint)
• Ensure access to blue/black for interaction (Baleful Mastery, Putrefy)
• Avoid hands with only high-CMC spells without ramp

Key Tips:

• Sequence Doc Aurlock before casting stolen spells for maximum discount
• Use Felix Five-Boots to double trigger combat damage effects
• Dauthi Voidwalker provides both graveyard hate and emergency spellcasting
• Access Tunnel ensures unblockable status for key attackers

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Heavy reliance on combat damage triggers makes the deck vulnerable to board wipes and pillow fort effects
• Limited protection for Gonti despite being central to the strategy
• Struggles against creature-light or low-synergy opponent decks (few good cards to steal)

Moderate

• Susceptible to artifact hate disrupting mana rocks and Thieving Skydiver
• Cursed Totem/Linvala effects nullify key activated abilities
• Limited instant-speed interaction for stack battles

Minor

• Some high-CMC spells (Brainstealer Dragon, Oblivion Sower) can clog early hands
• Minimal recursion for stolen exiled cards

Most Important Cards:

• Gonti, Canny Acquisitor (Commander/Value Engine)
• Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius (Cost Reduction Enabler)
• Thieving Varmint (Mana Fixing/Theft Enabler)
• Villainous Wealth (Game-Ending Spell Theft)
• Cyclonic Rift (Board Reset)
• Brainstealer Dragon (Persistent Theft Engine)
• Dauthi Voidwalker (Graveyard Hate/Secondary Theft)
• Felix Five-Boots (Trigger Doubler)
• Edric, Spymaster of Trest (Card Draw Engine)
• Agent of Treachery (Permanent Theft)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can establish early pressure but typically wins through incremental value rather than explosive turns. Optimal goldfish win around T9-10 via stolen threats.

Resilience: 4/10

• Limited protection spells and heavy reliance on maintaining creature board presence. Struggles to recover from multiple wipes.

Consistency: 6/10

• Numerous evasive creatures and card draw engines provide steady access to theft triggers, but stolen card quality varies.

Interaction: 5/10

• Contains targeted removal (Putrefy, Baleful Mastery) and a Cyclonic Rift, but lacks counterspells and struggles with enchantment removal.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates as a focused casual build with optimized theft synergies but lacks the speed and protection of higher-tier decks. Its T9-11 win potential through stolen spells and combat aligns with the 4.5 tier, while vulnerability to common disruption prevents it from reaching optimized levels.

Power level: 4.0 - 4.5