Overview:

This Derevi, Empyrial Tactician deck combines stax control with infinite mana combos and creature-based synergies. The strategy leverages Derevi's ability to bypass commander tax and manipulate permanents to lock opponents with Winter Orb effects while assembling game-ending combos. Key elements include artifact-based infinite mana generation (Peregrine Drake/Eldrazi Displacer, Auriok Salvagers/Lion's Eye Diamond) and creature recursion engines (Emiel the Blessed, Felidar Guardian). Derevi serves as both a stax enabler (untapping Winter Orb/Blind Obedience) and combo facilitator through untap triggers.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Stax Setup (Turns 1-3): Deploy mana accelerants (Mana Vault, Bloom Tender) and stax pieces (Drannith Magistrate, Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, Winter Orb). Use tutors (Enlightened Tutor, Spellseeker) to find key pieces.
2. Midgame Control (Turns 3-5): Activate Derevi's recursion to maintain stax pressure. Untap mana sources with Derevi triggers to break parity on Winter Orb. Deploy combo enablers (Birthing Pod, Eldritch Evolution) to assemble win conditions.
3. Win Condition Execution:
   • Infinite Mana Combos: Pair Peregrine Drake with Eldrazi Displacer/Emiel the Blessed for infinite untaps, then use Walking Ballista or Derevi's infinite tap ability to lock opponents.
   • Heliod/Ballista: Use tutors to assemble Heliod, Sun-Crowned + Walking Ballista for instant-speed lifegain kills.
   • Stax Lock: Combine Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines with Linvala, Keeper of Silence to disable opponents' boards while Derevi taps down remaining threats.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands including color-fixing (fetchlands, City of Brass).
• Prioritize early stax (Drannith Magistrate, Esper Sentinel) or fast mana (Mana Vault, Sol Ring).
• Look for combo enablers (Birthing Pod, Chord of Calling) or protection (Grand Abolisher, Fierce Guardianship) in slower metas.

Key Tips:

• Use Derevi's combat trigger to untap Mana Vault/Ancient Tomb for explosive turns.
• Chain Ephemerate on Eternal Witness for recursive tutoring.
• Activate Alchemist's Refuge to flash in stax pieces during opponents' turns.
• Preserve Force of Negation/Pact of Negation for critical combo disruption.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Vulnerable to artifact/enchantment wipe effects (Bane of Progress) dismantling stax and mana base.
• Dies to early aggressive decks that bypass stax through haste/swarm tactics.

Moderate

• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace) disrupts Eternal Witness/Auriok Salvagers lines.
• Lacks board wipes beyond Cyclonic Rift, struggles against wide token strategies.

Minor

• High reliance on nonbasic lands makes Blood Moon/Back to Basics problematic.
• Limited card advantage beyond Rhystic Study/The One Ring in prolonged games.

Most Important Cards:

• Winter Orb (Stax lock enabler with Derevi untap)
• Auriok Salvagers (Infinite mana with Lion's Eye Diamond)
• Eldrazi Displacer (Combo engine with Peregrine Drake)
• Heliod, Sun-Crowned (Combo kill with Walking Ballista)
• Grand Arbiter Augustin IV (Cost manipulation/stax)
• Enlightened Tutor (Finds stax pieces/combo enablers)
• Mana Vault (Early acceleration for stax deployment)
• Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines (Anti-token tech/ETB amplification)
• Force of Negation (Free protection for combos)
• Birthing Pod (Tutor chain into combo pieces)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 8/10

• Capable of T3-4 wins with perfect hands (Mana Vault → Salvagers/LED → Ballista) but typically threatens T5-6 through stax-delayed combos.

Resilience: 7/10

• Multiple recursion engines (Eternal Witness, Shifting Woodland) and free counterspells mitigate disruption, but stax pieces remain vulnerable.

Consistency: 8/10

• 14 tutors and robust card selection (Rhystic Study, Mystic Remora) ensure reliable access to combo pieces/stax.

Interaction: 9/10

• Premium counterspells (Mana Drain, Fierce Guardianship), targeted removal (Swords to Plowshares), and layered stax create formidable disruption.

Rating Justification:

This deck demonstrates cEDH-adjacent speed with T3-4 win potential and robust interaction, but its stax-focused gameplan creates inherent variance in multiplayer pods. While capable of explosive combo turns, it lacks the deterministic T2 wins and compact protection of top-tier cEDH lists. The balance between stax and combo efficiency places it in high-power optimized tiers.

Power level: 8.0 - 8.5