Overview:

This Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge deck focuses on spell-slinging and theft, leveraging Jeleva's ability to exile and cast opponents' instants/sorceries for free. The strategy revolves around casting Jeleva early to stockpile exiled spells, then amplifying their impact through copy effects like Swarm Intelligence, Reiterate, and Primal Amulet. Secondary win conditions include token generation (Sedgemoor Witch, Young Pyromancer), incremental life loss via Vela the Night-Clad, and value engines like Archmage Emeritus. Jeleva acts as both a value engine and a political tool, though the deck can function without her by leveraging its own spell suite.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Prioritize ramping with Sol Ring, Izzet Signet, and land-fixing. Cast Jeleva as early as possible (ideally Turn 3-4) to start exiling opponents’ spells. Use cantrips (Opt, Brainstorm) and scry effects to set up future plays.
2. Midgame Value (Turns 5-7): Attack with Jeleva to cast free exiled spells. Deploy copy engines (Swarm Intelligence, Doublecast) and token generators. Protect Jeleva with Swiftfoot Boots, Teferi's Time Twist, or counterspells.
3. Win Conditions (Turns 8+):
   • Spell Amplification: Copy high-impact spells like Plague Wind or Time Warp using Reiterate or Mirrorpool.
   • Token Swarm: Overwhelm opponents with tokens from Sedgemoor Witch and Young Pyromancer, enhanced by Harmonic Prodigy.
   • Life Drain: Trigger Vela the Night-Clad’s life-loss effect by blinking creatures (Blur, Essence Flux) or sacrificing tokens.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3+ lands, at least one ramp artifact, and a protection piece (e.g., Swiftfoot Boots or a counterspell).
• Prioritize early Jeleva casts: hands with Sol Ring or Arcane Signet are ideal.
• Avoid hands overloaded with high-CMC spells without ramp or card selection.

Key Tips:

• Use Strionic Resonator to double Jeleva’s attack trigger for two free spells per swing.
• Riptide Laboratory protects key Wizards like Archaeomancer or Jeleva herself.
• Cormela, Glamour Thief provides mana for instant/sorcery recursion and combos with Tasha, the Witch Queen for Demon tokens.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Heavy Commander Reliance: Repeated removal of Jeleva increases her tax, crippling the exile-theft engine.
• Limited Fast Mana: Minimal acceleration beyond Sol Ring/Izzet Signet slows early setup.
• Graveyard Dependency: Recursion tools (Archaeomancer, Return the Past) are vulnerable to graveyard hate.

Moderate

• Board Wipes: Token generators and Jeleva lack robust recovery outside Plague Wind and counterspells.
• Anti-Copy Effects: Torpor Orb-like stax pieces nullify token generation and ETB synergies.

Minor

• Slow Mana Base: 10+ tapped lands delay early plays.
• Limited Interaction: Few instant-speed answers to resolved enchantments or artifacts.

Most Important Cards:

• Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge (Primary value engine)
• Swarm Intelligence (Doubles spell impact)
• Reiterate (Copy spells, combo potential with rituals)
• Sedgemoor Witch (Token generation + life drain)
• Primal Amulet (Cost reduction + late-game copy land)
• Archmage Emeritus (Card draw engine)
• Vela the Night-Clad (Alternate win condition)
• Mystical Tutor (Finds key spells)
• Time Warp (Extra turns for setup/combat)
• Plague Wind (One-sided board wipe)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 4/10

• Wins typically occur around Turns 8-10 via copied high-impact spells or token swarms. Lacks fast combos or explosive mana.

Resilience: 5/10

• Moderate protection (hexproof equipment, counterspells) but struggles against repeated removal or graveyard hate.

Consistency: 6/10

• Solid card selection (Brainstorm, Mystical Tutor) but limited tutors for key noncreature spells.

Interaction: 5/10

• 8 targeted removal/counterspells and board wipes, but lacks stack control against noncreature threats.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a Casual/Focused Casual level, leveraging Jeleva’s theft ability and spell-copy synergies to grind out wins through incremental value. Its slow setup and reliance on combat/tokens place it below optimized tiers, but its redundancy in copy effects and card selection elevate it above precons.

Power level: 4.0 - 4.5