Overview:

This 5-color deck leverages Esika, God of the Tree // The Prismatic Bridge as a value engine to cheat out game-ending planeswalkers and creatures. The strategy revolves around ramping into The Prismatic Bridge, then using its upkeep trigger to deploy high-impact threats like Ugin, the Spirit Dragon, Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God, and Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider. Secondary win conditions include planeswalker ultimates accelerated by Doubling Season/Deepglow Skate, stax locks (Stasis + Teferi, Temporal Archmage), and overwhelming value from recursive engines like Eerie Ultimatum. Esika’s front side provides early mana fixing, but the deck heavily relies on The Prismatic Bridge to bypass high mana costs.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Deploy fast mana (Mana Vault, Chrome Mox, Sol Ring) and tutors (Demonic Tutor, Enlightened Tutor) to accelerate into The Prismatic Bridge. Use dorks like Birds of Paradise and Delighted Halfling for color fixing.
2. Bridge Activation (Turns 3-4): Cast The Prismatic Bridge, ideally protected by free counterspells (Force of Will, Fierce Guardianship). Prioritize untapping with Bridge to trigger its ability.
3. Value Engine (Turns 4+): Cheat out planeswalkers or creatures like Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God, or Vorinclex to dominate the board. Use Oath of Teferi and The Chain Veil to double planeswalker activations.
4. Win Conditions:
   • Planeswalker Ultimates: Teferi, Hero of Dominaria’s emblem, Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God’s board exile, or Elspeth, Sun’s Champion’s flying army.
   • Stax Lock: Stasis + Teferi, Temporal Archmage to skip untap phases indefinitely.
   • Combat Overload: Craterhoof Behemoth-like effects via Eerie Ultimatum recursion or Deepglow Skate-enhanced threats.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, fast mana, and a path to cast Bridge by turn 3-4.
• Prioritize protection (free counterspells, Teferi’s Protection) if opponents are interaction-heavy.
• Avoid hands lacking ramp or Bridge enablers.

Key Tips:

• Use Sterling Grove and Academy Rector to fetch critical enchantments like Doubling Season or Humility.
• Teferi, Time Raveler ensures Bridge triggers resolve safely by limiting opponents to sorcery-speed interaction.
• The One Ring and Sylvan Library provide card advantage to dig for combo pieces.
• Toxic Deluge and Farewell reset the board while Bridge rebuilds your threats.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Enchantment Removal: The Prismatic Bridge is the linchpin; losing it repeatedly cripples the deck.
• Graveyard Hate: Eerie Ultimatum and recursion lines fold to Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void.

Moderate

• Stax Vulnerabilities: Cursed Totem/Linvala nullify mana dorks; Torpor Orb disrupts ETB triggers.
• Fast Aggro: Slow starts may struggle against decks deploying early pressure.

Minor

• Color Requirements: Despite fixing, mana base can occasionally stumble under heavy nonbasic hate.

Most Important Cards:

• The Prismatic Bridge (Core value engine)
• Doubling Season (Accelerates planeswalker ultimates)
• Teferi, Temporal Archmage (Stasis lock enabler)
• Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider (Doubles counters, disrupts opponents)
• Stasis (Lock piece with Teferi)
• Demonic Tutor (Finds key pieces)
• Force of Will (Protects Bridge/combo)
• Eerie Ultimatum (Recursive powerhouse)
• Deepglow Skate (Instant-speed planeswalker ultimates)
• The Chain Veil (Planeswalker synergy multiplier)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 8/10

• Can deploy Bridge by turn 3-4 and threaten game-ending locks/ults by turns 5-6. Fast mana enables explosive starts.

Resilience: 7/10

• Free counterspells, recursion, and redundancy mitigate disruption, but Bridge’s dependency remains a liability.

Consistency: 8/10

• Tutors, card draw, and Bridge’s guaranteed triggers ensure reliable access to win conditions.

Interaction: 9/10

• Stax, board wipes, and free counterspells (Force of Negation, Deflecting Swat) disrupt opponents at all stages.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at cEDH-adjacent speed with T4-5 locks/ults via Bridge and tutors, but its reliance on a vulnerable enchantment and slower inevitability compared to top-tier combos place it just below cEDH. The robust interaction suite and stax elements elevate it above most high-power builds.

Power level: 7.5 - 8.0