Overview:

This Esper (WUB) deck helmed by Hashaton, Scarab's Fist leverages a discard/reanimation strategy to generate value and control the board. The commander enables token copies of discarded creatures, synergizing with high-impact ETB effects like Archon of Cruelty, Toxrill, the Corrosive, and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite. Secondary themes include stax elements (Blind Obedience, Grand Abolisher), combo potential via Hullbreaker Horror + Frantic Search for infinite mana (though lacking a direct payoff), and overwhelming card advantage engines like Consecrated Sphinx and The One Ring. Hashaton acts as a value engine but isn’t strictly essential, as the deck can pivot to reanimation or control strategies.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (T1-4): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet), discard outlets (Putrid Imp, Tortured Existence), and card advantage (Rhystic Study, Phyrexian Arena). Use Dark Ritual/Mox Amber for explosive starts.
2. Midgame Value (T4-7): Discard high-value creatures (e.g., Archon of Cruelty) to Hashaton’s trigger, creating 4/4 Zombie copies. Reanimate key threats with Reanimate/Undertaker. Deploy stax pieces (Blind Obedience, Toxrill) to slow opponents.
3. Win Conditions (T7+):
   • Combat: Overwhelm with token armies amplified by Elesh Norn or Avacyn, Angel of Hope.
   • Control/Stax: Lock opponents with Hullbreaker Horror bouncing permanents or Cyclonic Rift overloaded.
   • Combo: Generate infinite mana via Hullbreaker Horror + Frantic Search, though the deck lacks a clear infinite sink beyond bouncing all opposing permanents.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Prioritize hands with 2-3 lands, early ramp, and a discard outlet or card engine.
• Keep hands with interaction (Force of Will, Swords to Plowshares) in metas with aggressive starts.
• Avoid hands lacking discard outlets or late-game payoffs.

Key Tips:

• Use The Underworld Cookbook to convert discarded creatures into Food tokens for later recursion.
• Clone Consecrated Sphinx or Toxrill with Spark Double for exponential value.
• Protect Hashaton with Swiftfoot Boots or Teferi's Protection to maintain token generation.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void) cripples discard/reanimation lines.
• Commander-dependent strategy: Frequent removal of Hashaton stalls token generation.

Moderate

• Limited answers to resolved enchantments/artifacts (relies on Force of Vigor in sideboard?).
• High mana costs for key threats (e.g., Avacyn, Toxrill) leave vulnerabilities to counterspells.

Minor

• Slow setup against hyper-aggressive decks.
• Overloaded Cyclonic Rift is the only mass bounce; lacks traditional board wipes.

Most Important Cards:

• Toxrill, the Corrosive (Board control, token generation)
• Consecrated Sphinx (Card advantage engine)
• Archon of Cruelty (Recursive value and life drain)
• Hullbreaker Horror (Combo piece, control)
• Rhystic Study (Early-game card draw)
• Cyclonic Rift (Game-ending reset)
• The One Ring (Protection and card draw)
• Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite (Anthem/stax effect)
• Force of Will (Free interaction)
• Reanimate (Key recursion)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10
Threatens board dominance or combo potential by T7-8, but high-CMC payoffs and setup requirements slow early aggression.

Resilience: 5/10
Recursion and protection exist but over-reliance on graveyard and commander makes it vulnerable to targeted hate.

Consistency: 7/10
Strong card draw and tutors (Mystical Tutor, Demonic Tutor-like effects missing?) ensure access to key pieces, though combo lines lack redundancy.

Interaction: 8/10
Robust suite of counterspells, removal, and stax effects (Grand Abolisher, Blind Obedience) disrupt opponents effectively.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a 6.0 - 6.5 power level, capable of controlling the game and executing wins via combat/stax by T7-8. While its interaction and card quality are high, reliance on graveyard synergies and slower win conditions prevent it from reaching optimized tiers.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5