Overview:

This Gruul deck leverages Tovolar, Dire Overlord as a card draw engine and synergy piece, but its primary strategy is high-speed combo execution using fast mana, tutors, and resilient win conditions. While it includes Werewolf tribal elements, Tovolar is more of an enabler/value piece than the core win condition. The deck aims to win via infinite combos (Kiki-Jiki lines, Selvala/Staff) or explosive combat (Craterhoof) as early as turn 1-3 with perfect draws, positioning it near cEDH viability.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Explosive Start (Turns 0-2):
   • Deploy fast mana (Mox Diamond, Lion's Eye Diamond, Chrome Mox, Sol Ring, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith) and mana dorks (Birds of Paradise, Llanowar Elves).
   • Cast rituals (Pyretic Ritual, Rite of Flame, Jeska's Will) or land-based acceleration (Crop Rotation for Gaea's Cradle/Nykthos).
   • Use tutors (Gamble, Worldly Tutor, Green Sun's Zenith) to find combo pieces or critical mana sources.

2. Combo Assembly (Turns 1-4):

   • Kiki-Jiki Lines: Fetch Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker (via Goblin Recruiter, Imperial Recruiter, Survival of the Fittest) and pair with Combat Celebrant (infinite combat) or Dualcaster Mage (infinite hasty tokens via Twinflame).
   • Selvala/Staff: Generate infinite mana with Selvala, Heart of the Wilds + Staff of Domination + a creature with power ≥3, then win via Finale of Devastation or Walking Ballista.
   • Underworld Breach: Fuel graveyard with rituals/discard, then loop Wheel of Fortune/Lion's Eye Diamond for storm or recur combo pieces.

3. Alternative Wins:

   • Craterhoof Behemoth + token swarm (e.g., Urza's Saga constructs).
   • Purphoros, God of the Forge + creature spam.
   • Tovolar-powered combat with overrun effects (Finale of Devastation, Craterhoof).

Mulligan Priorities:

• Critical: Fast mana (≥2 pieces) OR a tutor + mana source.
• Strong: T1 dork + protection (Veil of Summer, Allosaurus Shepherd) or a combo piece + setup card (e.g., Selvala + Staff of Domination).
• Avoid: Hands lacking acceleration or tutors, or those overly reliant on 3+ mana combos without ramp.

Key Tips:

• Prioritize Speed: Use Underworld Breach as a backup plan if combos are disrupted. Lion's Eye Diamond enables Breach loops.
• Protection is Key: Cast Deflecting Swat, Veil of Summer, or Allosaurus Shepherd proactively when going for wins. Goblin Welder can recur artifacts countered/destroyed.
• Tutor Flexibly: Survival of the Fittest and Gamble can find silver bullets (e.g., Endurance for graveyards, Force of Vigor for artifacts).
• Leverage Card Draw: Tovolar’s trigger and wheels (Wheel of Fortune, Wheel of Misfortune) refuel hands disrupted by interaction.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Artifact/Ability Stax: Null Rod, Collector Ouphe, or Cursed Totem shuts off 80% of mana sources, combo lines, and tutors.
• Stack Interaction: Heavy countermagic disrupts critical sorcery-speed combos (Kiki-Jiki, Natural Order).
• Graveyard Hate: Rest in Peace/Leyline of the Void neuters Underworld Breach, recursion, and Finale of Devastation.

Moderate

• Board Wipes: Delays combat/creature-based combos, but fast mana enables rapid rebuilds.
• Rule of Law Effects: Limits spell-based combos and storm potential.
• Taxing Effects: Thalia, Guardian of Thraben/Trinisphere slow down the critical early turns.

Minor

• Land Destruction: Nonbasic hate (Blood Moon) hurts, but basics and dorks provide mitigation.
• Single-Target Removal: Key creatures (Selvala, Kiki) can be protected via Welder/hexproof.

Most Important Cards:

• Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker (Primary combo engine)
• Underworld Breach (Recursion engine for combos/wheels)
• Selvala, Heart of the Wilds (Mana generator/combo piece)
• Gaea's Cradle (Explosive mana for combat/combo turns)
• Lion's Eye Diamond (Enables Breach loops, fast mana)
• Gamble (Tutors any card at instant speed)
• Finale of Devastation (Tutor, win condition, combat finisher)
• Survival of the Fittest (Graveyard tutor for creatures/combo pieces)
• Mox Diamond (Critical T0-T1 acceleration)
• Deflecting Swat (Free protection for combos)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 10/10

• Capable of T1 wins (e.g., LED + Breach + Wheel) and consistently threatens T2-4 wins via multiple redundant combos and fast mana.

Resilience: 7/10

• Robust protection (free counters, hexproof), recursion (Breach, Welder), and diverse win cons mitigate disruption, but relies heavily on artifacts/abilities vulnerable to stax.

Consistency: 9/10

• 14+ tutors, 10+ draw/filter effects, and functional redundancy (e.g., Kiki OR Selvala combos) ensure key pieces are found rapidly.

Interaction: 8/10

• Efficient targeted removal (Force of Vigor, Beast Within), free counters (Pyroblast, Deflecting Swat), and stack protection (Veil of Summer) handle most threats.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at cEDH velocity with T1-3 win potential, extensive tutoring, and free interaction, but its artifact/ability dependency and lack of blue’s stack control slightly reduce resilience against top-tier stax. It sits just below the most consistent tier 1 cEDH lists.

Power level: 8.5 - 9.0