Overview:

This mono-blue deck revolves around Octavia, Living Thesis, leveraging instant/sorcery density to enable her cost reduction and Magecraft ability. The primary strategy involves casting cheap cantrips and evasion spells to transform small evasive creatures (faeries, unblockables) into 8/8 beaters. Secondary win conditions include token swarms from cards like Faerie Slumber Party and Mischievous Mystic, with Brain Freeze storm/mill as a tertiary angle. Octavia is the linchpin, requiring graveyard setup for efficient casting but offering a powerful payoff when protected.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Graveyard Setup (Turns 1-4): Cast cantrips (Consider, Opt, Mental Note) to stock the graveyard with 8+ instants/sorceries while developing evasive creatures like Ghostly Pilferer or Brazen Borrower. Use self-mill (Thought Scour, Lórien Revealed) to accelerate this process.
2. Commander Deployment (Turns 3-5): Cast Octavia for {U}{U} once graveyard threshold is met. Prioritize protection via March of Swirling Mist or Slip Through Space to keep her safe.
3. Combat Domination (Turns 5+): Trigger Octavia’s Magecraft repeatedly using flashback spells (Defy Gravity), replicated Gigadrowse, and cheap cantrips. Swing with evasive creatures turned 8/8s, leveraging Cloak of Feathers and Shadow Rift for unblockability.
4. Alternative Lines: Activate Cephalid Coliseum threshold for card advantage, use Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel to cheat discarded spells, or storm off with Brain Freeze + cantrip chains.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands and at least 1 cantrip/self-mill spell.
• Prioritize early evasive creatures (Faerie Mastermind, Shoreline Looter) or graveyard enablers (Otherworldly Gaze).
• Avoid hands without blue mana sources or excessive high-CMC spells.

Key Tips:

• Time Octavia’s cast post-board wipe or when you can protect her with Cryptic Command.
• Use Mystic Sanctuary to recur key interaction or cantrips.
• The Reality Chip enables casting from the top deck once attached to an evasive creature.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace, Relic of Progenitus) cripples Octavia’s cost reduction and flashback synergies.
• Heavy reliance on Octavia with limited protection; her Ward {8} is easily bypassed by sacrifice effects or Cyclonic Rift.

Moderate

• Board wipes reset the 8/8 creature strategy and token armies.
• Anti-flying tech (Spidersilk Armor, Gravity Well) neutralizes key evasive threats.

Minor

• Limited artifact/enchantment removal for threats like Cursed Totem.
• Minimal ramp beyond Retraced Image slows recovery from setbacks.

Most Important Cards:

• Octavia, Living Thesis (Core engine/win condition)
• Brain Freeze (Mill wincon with storm potential)
• Mystic Remora (Early game card advantage engine)
• Cryptic Command (Versatile protection/disruption)
• The Reality Chip (Topdeck manipulation & card advantage)
• Faerie Slumber Party (Mass bounce + token generation)
• Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel (Free spell enabler)
• Wavebreak Hippocamp (Draw engine in multiplayer)
• Mystic Sanctuary (Recur key instants/sorceries)
• March of Swirling Mist (Phasing protection for Octavia/creatures)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10
Can threaten lethal via Octavia-powered swings by T6-7 but requires significant setup. Storm lines with Brain Freeze are slower and inconsistent.

Resilience: 4/10
Heavily commander-dependent with limited recursion/protection. Graveyard reliance creates critical vulnerabilities.

Consistency: 6/10
Abundant cantrips and card selection (12+ cantrips, 5 tutors) enable graveyard filling, but lacks redundancy for Octavia’s role.

Interaction: 7/10
Strong stack interaction (Cryptic Command, Mystic Confluence) and bounce (Filter Out, Otawara), but minimal permanent removal.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a Focused Casual level, capable of threatening wins via combat or mill around T7-9 but falters against early disruption. While interaction and cantrips provide consistency, critical weaknesses to graveyard hate and commander reliance cap its ceiling.

Power level: 4.5 - 5.0