Overview:

This Boros deck helmed by Brion Stoutarm focuses on flinging massive creatures at opponents' faces while leveraging theft effects and token replication. The strategy revolves around cheating out high-power creatures (e.g., Serra Avatar, Malignus, Bearer of the Heavens) and sacrificing them to Brion's ability for direct damage, amplified by damage doublers like Gratuitous Violence and Fiery Emancipation. Secondary win conditions include mass creature theft via Insurrection/Mob Rule and equipment-based value engines like Scythe of the Wretched. Brion serves as the linchpin for the primary game plan, though the deck can pivot to beatdown with its oversized creatures.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4):
   • Deploy ramp (Sol Ring, Boros Signet, Thran Dynamo) and value engines (Esper Sentinel, Smothering Tithe).
   • Protect Brion with Lightning Greaves or Gift of Immortality.
   • Use Preacher or Captivating Crew to steal opponents' creatures for temporary value.

2. Midgame Threats (Turns 5-7):

   • Cast high-power creatures like Malignus (scales with opponents' life) or Scuttling Doom Engine (post-death damage).
   • Activate Brion's ability with stolen creatures or token copies from Mimic Vat/Feldon of the Third Path.
   • Equip Thornbite Staff on Brion to enable repeatable activations.

3. Win Conditions (Turns 7+):

   • Fling Combos: Sacrifice Serra Avatar (power = your life total) with Brion while Fiery Emancipation triples the damage.
   • Mass Theft: Resolve Insurrection or Mob Rule to steal opponents' boards, then fling their creatures.
   • Recurring Value: Use Hofri Ghostforge or Luminous Broodmoth to resurrect sacrificed creatures.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3+ lands and at least one ramp artifact.
• Prioritize Brion protection (Greaves, Gift) or early theft effects (Preacher).
• Avoid hands lacking ramp or with only high-CMC creatures.

Key Tips:

• Use Cloudshift on Archon of Justice to exile two permanents.
• Helm of the Host on Brion creates fling-ready token copies every combat.
• Phyrexian Processor generates massive tokens to sacrifice repeatedly.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Commander Reliance: Repeated removal of Brion Stoutarm cripples the primary game plan.
• Board Wipe Vulnerability: Lacks mass recursion beyond Faith's Reward; struggles to rebuild after Farewell.

Moderate

• Graveyard Disruption: Feldon of the Third Path/Hofri Ghostforge lines fold to Rest in Peace.
• Artifact Hate: Key equipment (Thornbite Staff, Basilisk Collar) and mana rocks are soft to Vandalblast.

Minor

• Limited Card Draw: Relies heavily on The One Ring and Esper Sentinel for card advantage.
• Slow Combos: Damage multipliers require setup turns, allowing opponents time to interact.

Most Important Cards:

• Brion Stoutarm (Primary damage engine)
• Serra Avatar (Massive fling target)
• Malignus (Scaling threat for lethal damage)
• Insurrection (Alternate win condition)
• Fiery Emancipation (Damage tripler)
• Gift of Immortality (Brion/creature protection)
• Thornbite Staff (Enables repeatable flings)
• Feldon of the Third Path (Token recursion)
• The One Ring (Card draw engine)
• Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker (Token generation)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can threaten lethal via Brion + damage multipliers by T7-9, but requires significant setup.

Resilience: 6/10

• Multiple protection pieces (Boros Charm, Deflecting Swat) and recursion (Hofri Ghostforge), but commander dependence remains a liability.

Consistency: 5/10

• Limited tutors (Enlightened Tutor only) and situational card draw reduce reliability.

Interaction: 6/10

• Strong spot removal (Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile) and board wipes, but lacks stack interaction beyond Deflecting Swat.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates as a focused casual build with explosive but telegraphed win conditions, typically threatening wins via combat or fling combos around T8-10. While it includes high-impact cards like The One Ring and Insurrection, its reliance on Brion and vulnerability to common interaction anchor it in the optimized casual tier.

Power level: 4.5 - 5.0