Overview:

This Animar, Soul of Elements deck leverages cost-reduction synergy to deploy massive creatures and value engines. The strategy revolves around accelerating +1/+1 counters on Animar to cast high-power creatures for minimal mana, supported by land ramp, token generation, and card draw. Animar is the linchpin, enabling explosive turns with creatures like Emrakul, the Promised End and Koma, World-Eater. Secondary win conditions include combat overkill (Preposterous Proportions, Twinflame Tyrant), token swarms, and a potential Cloudstone Curio bounce loop for infinite Animar counters. The deck’s resilience hinges on Animar’s survivability and its ability to chain creature-based value.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3):
   • Cast Animar ASAP using dorks (Birds of Paradise, Springheart Nantuko) and ramp (Sol Ring, Azusa, Lost but Seeking).
   • Deploy low-CMC creatures (e.g., Dryad of the Ilysian Grove, Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma) to grow Animar’s counters.
2. Midgame Value (Turns 4-6):
   • Cast high-impact creatures at reduced cost: The Great Henge, Avenger of Zendikar, or Etali, Primal Storm.
   • Use Cloudstone Curio to bounce/recast creatures for infinite Animar growth (e.g., loop Birds of Paradise and a 1-CMC creature with Animar at 3+ counters).
3. Win Conditions (Turns 5-8):
   • Combat: Overwhelm with Preposterous Proportions, Twinflame Tyrant (doubling damage), or Koma, World-Eater tokens.
   • Infinite Counters: With Animar at 100+ power, cast Emrakul, the Promised End for free to take control of opponents’ turns.
   • Value Lock: Propaganda and Koma, Cosmos Serpent stalls while assembling finishers.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with Animar, 1-2 ramp sources, and early creatures. Prioritize protection (Lightning Greaves, Heroic Intervention) against interaction-heavy metas.
• Avoid hands without green mana or excessive high-CMC cards.

Key Tips:

• Use Zimone, Paradox Sculptor to double counters on Animar or token generators.
• Mirage Mirror copies The Great Henge or Mana Reflection for exponential value.
• Shifting Woodland can recur key permanents like Emrakul post-board wipe.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Animar Dependency: Repeated removal resets cost reduction, crippling the deck’s tempo.
• Board Wipes: Minimal recovery outside Regrowth and Eternal Witness (if included).

Moderate

• Artifact/Enchantment Hate: The Great Henge, Cloudstone Curio, and Temur Ascendancy are high-priority targets.
• Stack Interaction: Limited counterspells (only Arcane Denial) leave combos vulnerable.

Minor

• Graveyard Reliance: Recursion tools are sparse, making key creatures hard to retrieve.
• Slow Start: Clunky hands without early Animar or ramp struggle against faster decks.

Most Important Cards:

• Animar, Soul of Elements (Core engine for cost reduction)
• Cloudstone Curio (Enables infinite Animar counters and value loops)
• The Great Henge (Card draw, counters, and mana acceleration)
• Koma, World-Eater (Token generation and board control)
• Emrakul, the Promised End (Game-ending threat with Animar synergy)
• Twinflame Tyrant (Doubles damage for lethal combat steps)
• Dryad of the Ilysian Grove (Land ramp and fixing)
• Temur Ascendancy (Haste enabler and card draw)
• Preposterous Proportions (Instant-speed combat finisher)
• Zimone, Paradox Sculptor (Counter doubling for explosive turns)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten wins by T6-8 via Animar-powered giants or Curio loops, but lacks fast mana beyond Sol Ring.

Resilience: 5/10

• Animar’s protection is limited to 1-2 cards; board wipes or targeted removal cripple momentum.

Consistency: 7/10

• High creature density and card draw (Garruk's Uprising, Temur Ascendancy) ensure steady value.

Interaction: 3/10

• Minimal removal (Chaos Warp, Bane of Progress) and counterspells; relies on threats outpacing opponents.

Rating Justification:

This deck has strong synergy and can execute explosive turns with Animar, but its reliance on the commander and vulnerability to interaction caps its ceiling. It operates optimally in the T6-8 range, aligning with the "Focused" tier (6.0) but lacks the speed and redundancy for higher optimization.

Power level: 5.5 - 6.0