Overview:

This Gruul deck helmed by Bello, Bard of the Brambles leverages high-mana-value artifacts and enchantments, transforming them into 4/4 indestructible Elementals with haste and card draw. The strategy combines explosive artifact-based ramp, stax-like Leylines, and combo finishes. Bello acts as both an enabler (animating key pieces like Leyline of Abundance or Mycosynth Lattice) and a value engine. The deck can pivot between overwhelming combat via animated permanents, infinite combat steps with Aggravated Assault/Sword of Feast and Famine, and Kiki-Jiki combos.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Game (Turns 1-3): Deploy fast mana (Mishra's Workshop, Mana Vault, Sol Ring) to accelerate into high-impact artifacts/enchantments. Cast Leylines like Leyline of Abundance or Leyline of Combustion pre-game if possible.
2. Mid-Game (Turns 3-5): Drop Bello to animate key permanents (e.g., The One Ring, Mycosynth Lattice). Use tutors (Survival of the Fittest, Gamble) to find combo pieces like Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker or Aggravated Assault.
3. Win Conditions:
   • Infinite Combats: Aggravated Assault + Sword of Feast and Famine (untap lands on damage) generates infinite combat phases.
   • Kiki-Jiki Lines: Pair with Hyrax Tower Scout (requires haste source) or Zealous Conscripts (not in list but fetchable via Imperial Recruiter).
   • Combat Overkill: Animated Leylines and artifacts swing as 4/4 indestructible draw engines, scaling with Craterhoof Behemoth-like effects (e.g., Finale of Devastation X=10+).

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2+ fast mana sources (e.g., Workshop + Mox Diamond).
• Prioritize Leylines that start in play (Leyline of Abundance, Leyline of Vitality).
• Ensure access to red or green mana for early interaction (Pyroblast, Force of Vigor).

Key Tips:

• Use Mycosynth Lattice to turn all permanents into artifacts, enabling Bello to animate noncreature lands/planeswalkers (if MV ≥4).
• Goblin Welder and Goblin Engineer recur critical artifacts like Mox Opal or The One Ring.
• Deflecting Swat and Allosaurus Shepherd protect key plays against interaction.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Commander Dependency: Removing Bello neuters the deck’s ability to animate artifacts/enchantments, rendering many pieces inert.
• Artifact/Enchantment Hate: Vandalblast or Farewell cripples the board. Stony Silence shuts off mana rocks and activated abilities.

Moderate

• Graveyard Reliance: Recursion via Goblin Welder/Shifting Woodland is vulnerable to Rest in Peace.
• Stack Interaction: Limited counterspells beyond Red Elemental Blast; struggles against nonblue combo decks.

Minor

• Life Payload Costs: Ancient Tomb, City of Brass, and Treasonous Ogre can pressure life totals.

Most Important Cards:

• Mishra's Workshop (Explosive artifact ramp)
• Survival of the Fittest (Tutoring for combos/answers)
• Aggravated Assault (Infinite combat enabler)
• Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker (Combo cornerstone)
• Mycosynth Lattice (Universal animation synergy)
• Leyline of Abundance (Mana acceleration + 4/4 body)
• The One Ring (Card draw + indestructible threat under Bello)
• Force of Vigor (Critical artifact/enchantment removal)
• Deflecting Swat (Protection for combos)
• Sword of Feast and Famine (Mana untap for infinite combats)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 8/10

• Capable of T3-4 wins with Workshop into Bello + combat enablers or T4-5 infinite combats.

Resilience: 5/10

• Heavy reliance on Bello and artifacts/enchantments makes it vulnerable to targeted removal, though recursion and protection spells provide some recovery.

Consistency: 7/10

• Extensive tutors (Survival, Gamble, Worldly Tutor) and fast mana ensure key pieces are accessible, but some combos require multiple specific components.

Interaction: 6/10

• Efficient artifact/enchantment removal (Force of Vigor, Vandalblast) and stack protection (Deflecting Swat), but lacks broad answers to creature swarms.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at cEDH-adjacent speeds with T3-4 explosive starts but lacks the redundancy and compact wincons of top-tier lists. Its reliance on Bello and vulnerability to artifact hate place it in the high-power optimized tier, just below cEDH viability.

Power level: 7.5 - 8.0