Overview:

This Abzan (W/B/G) deck helmed by Felothar the Steadfast leverages high-toughness creatures and defender synergies to dominate combat. Felothar transforms walls into lethal threats by enabling them to attack using toughness for damage, supported by redundancy pieces like Assault Formation and Behind the Scenes. The deck aims to win through overwhelming combat damage, life total manipulation (e.g., Tree of Perdition), and alternate win-cons like Mortal Combat or Epic Struggle. Felothar also provides card advantage via its sacrifice ability, synergizing with the deck’s disposable defenders.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy defenders with utility like Wall of Omens (draw), Axebane Guardian (ramp), and Sylvan Caryatid (ramp/hexproof). Use Arboreal Grazer or Overgrown Battlement to accelerate.
2. Midgame Value (Turns 4-6): Cast Felothar or Assault Formation to enable attackers. Generate tokens with Wingmantle Chaplain or Arasta of the Endless Web. Activate Felothar’s sacrifice ability with expendable walls (e.g., Wall of Roots) for card draw.
3. Win Conditions (Turns 6+):
   • Combat: Buff toughness with Tower Defense or Spidersilk Armor, then swing with unblockable skulk (Behind the Scenes) or trample (Towering Titan).
   • Life Swap: Use Tree of Perdition to set opponents to 13 life, then finish with incidental damage.
   • Alternate Wins: Mortal Combat (20 creatures in grave) or Epic Struggle (20 creatures on board).

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, at least one ramp piece (e.g., Arcane Signet, Axebane Guardian), and a defender with card draw/utility.
• Prioritize early plays like Wall of Omens or Arboreal Grazer. Avoid hands lacking defenders or ramp.

Key Tips:

• Use Teferi’s Protection or Crystal Barricade to protect against board wipes.
• Sacrifice low-power defenders to Felothar for card advantage while preserving high-toughness threats.
• Seedborn Muse enables explosive turns with Axebane Guardian’s mana generation.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Commander Dependency: Removing Felothar or Assault Formation neuters the deck’s ability to attack.
• Board Wipes: Lacks mass recursion; rebuilding after a wipe is slow.
• Anti-Toughness Tech: Shadowspear, Toxic Deluge, or The Meathook Massacre bypass high toughness.

Moderate

• Fliers: Limited reach outside Spidersilk Armor and Arasta of the Endless Web.
• Graveyard Hate: Disrupts Mortal Combat and Reunion of the House.

Minor

• Slow Setup: Early turns are passive, allowing faster decks to establish threats.

Most Important Cards:

• Felothar the Steadfast (Enables combat strategy & card draw)
• Assault Formation (Redundancy for Felothar’s damage effect)
• Axebane Guardian (Mana engine with defenders)
• Tree of Perdition (Life total manipulation)
• Seedborn Muse (Untap synergy with mana dorks)
• Last March of the Ents (Mass creature recursion/draw)
• Wingmantle Chaplain (Token generation)
• Psychosis Crawler (Passive life drain)
• Teferi’s Protection (Board wipe protection)
• Towering Titan (Scaling combat threat)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can threaten wins via combat or Tree of Perdition by turns 8-10, but setup is gradual.

Resilience: 5/10

• Limited protection outside Teferi’s Protection and hexproof enablers. Relies heavily on Felothar staying on board.

Consistency: 6/10

• Moderate card draw and ramp, but lacks tutors for key enchantments like Assault Formation.

Interaction: 4/10

• Spot removal (e.g., Swords to Plowshares, Anguished Unmaking) and board wipes, but minimal stack interaction.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates as a midrange combat/control build with a clear plan but relies on incremental value and lacks fast combo finishes. Its speed aligns with casual/precon tiers (T8-10), but resilience issues and commander dependency cap its power.

Power level: 4.0 - 4.5