# Deck Strat > Generate a Strategy Guide for a finished Commander, Brawl, or Historic Brawl deck — explains how to pilot it, with rules-cited stack/timing/interaction notes. Read-only on the deck; for tuning, run /deck-wizard first. - Skill: `dan-blanchard/deck-strat` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 5 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dan-blanchard/deck-strat` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dan-blanchard/deck-strat/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - License: 0BSD - Author: dan-blanchard (https://skillmd.com/u/dan-blanchard) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dan-blanchard/deck-strat --- # Deck Strat Produce a **Strategy Guide** for a finished MTG deck — a markdown document that explains how to pilot the deck, organized into a fixed core spine plus archetype-conditional sections, with every rules-adjacent claim verified against the Comprehensive Rules. Each recommendation MUST be grounded in actual oracle text and CR citations — never training data. deck-strat is **read-only** on the deck. It does not propose cuts, adds, or tuning changes. If the user wants to tune the deck first, point them at `/deck-wizard`, then run `/deck-strat` on the finished list. Both skills share the working dir and the SHA-keyed hydrated cache, so chaining is transparent. ## The Iron Rule **NEVER assume what a card or rule does.** Before writing any clause into the guide: - For a card's behavior: look up its oracle text via `scryfall-lookup` or read it from the hydrated cache. Training data is not oracle text. - For a rule's behavior: look it up via `rules-lookup` (`--rule`, `--term`, or `--grep`) and quote the verbatim text. Training data is not the CR. A confidently wrong claim about commander-zone behavior, stack timing, or a replacement-effect interaction makes the entire guide untrustworthy. The Rules Audit subagent (Step 10) is the discipline gate that catches slipped claims — but every authored sentence should be cite-defensible before it gets there. ## Scope deck-strat supports **Commander, Brawl, and Historic Brawl** (singleton multiplayer formats with commanders). 60-card constructed formats are out of scope in v1 — their strategy artifact is a sideboard plan + matchup matrix, which is a different shape and is already produced by `/deck-wizard` Step 12. | Format | Deck Size | Pool | Multiplayer | Notes | |---|---|---|---|---| | commander | 100 | Full eternal | Yes (4P typical) | 40 life, commander damage rule | | brawl | 60 | Standard | 1v1 on Arena, multiplayer in paper | 25/30 life, no commander damage | | historic_brawl | 100 | Arena (broader than Standard) | 1v1 on Arena, multiplayer in paper | 25/30 life, no commander damage | | competitive_brawl | 100 | Arena, minus 10 banned cards | Always 1v1 | 25 life, no commander damage, **no free mulligan** | **Competitive Brawl** (`competitive_brawl`) is supported and is its own format — not a variant to audit as `historic_brawl`. It is always 1v1, 25 life, and has **no free mulligan**, so do not cite CR 903.12g's free-first-mulligan rule for it; that rule governs ordinary Brawl. It shares the `brawl` legality key but legalizes everything that key marks `banned`, enforcing its own ten-card list by name (`format_config.COMPETITIVE_BRAWL_BANNED`). Guides for this format should skip multiplayer/politics sections entirely. If the user invokes deck-strat on a 60-card constructed deck, decline and redirect: "This skill produces multiplayer strategy guides for singleton commander formats. For Standard/Modern/Pioneer/etc., run `/deck-wizard` — its Step 12 finalize includes a sideboard guide." ## Progress Tracking **Before starting, create a `TodoWrite` list** with these 10 items. Mark each `in_progress` when you begin and `completed` the moment it finishes — never batch. 1. Parse deck + set commander(s) 2. Hydrate via scryfall-lookup --batch 3. Baseline diagnostics 4. Commander Interaction Audit 5. Archetype detection 6. Combo + near-miss detection 7. EDHREC research 8. Rules verification pass 9. Draft Strategy Guide 10. Rules Audit subagent + revise Step 4 is long enough that you should expand it inline when you start it (sub-todos: keyword combos, trigger multiplication, feedback loops, recurring cards, commander multiplication, combo detection). Step 10 is also long enough to expand (dispatch audit, process report, revise draft). Iteration after step 10 (user-requested edits) is not a fresh pipeline run — handle each user request as an `Edit` to the existing guide. ## Setup (First Run) ```bash uv sync --directory download-mtgjson download-rules --output-dir ``` Subsequent runs skip if `.venv` exists, bulk data is fresh (24h), and CR is fresh (24h). The CR file MUST live in the working dir, not the skill install dir — `rules-lookup` and the Rules Audit subagent both look there. ## Tooling Notes ### Working dir & paths - **Absolute paths only.** `uv` rebases the working directory to the skill install; relative paths resolve against the wrong root. - **Cache directory:** `/.cache` for hydrated card data. - **CR file:** `/comprehensive-rules-YYYYMMDD.txt`. - **Bulk data:** `/default-cards.json`. - **Output:** `/STRATEGY-GUIDE.md`. ### Reused CLIs deck-strat ships no CLIs of its own. Every tool below is re-declared from `mtg_utils` in `deck-strat/pyproject.toml`. Invoke via `uv run ` from the skill install directory. | Phase | Tool | Purpose | |---|---|---| | Acquisition | `parse-deck` | Parse list (Moxfield, MTGO, Arena, plain text) → deck.json | | Acquisition | `set-commander` | Move commanders into the commanders list (idempotent) | | Acquisition | `scryfall-lookup --batch` | Hydrate all cards into one SHA-keyed cache | | Acquisition | `scryfall-lookup ""` | Single-card lookup when verifying a specific card | | Acquisition | `download-mtgjson` | Refresh Scryfall bulk data (24h freshness check) | | Acquisition | `download-rules` | Refresh CR text (24h freshness check) | | Diagnostics | `legality-audit` | Format legality, copy limits, color identity | | Diagnostics | `deck-stats` | Land/ramp/creature counts, curve, color sources, GC count | | Diagnostics | `mana-audit` | Burgess/Karsten land target + color balance | | Diagnostics | `card-summary` | Compact oracle-text table (lands/nonlands/types) | | Analysis | `archetype-audit` | Theme-density regex over the deck (token, sac, reanimate, etc.) | | Analysis | `combo-search` | Existing + near-miss combos via Commander Spellbook | | Analysis | `combo-discover` | Optional: explore combos by outcome/card/colors | | Analysis | `edhrec-lookup` | Community top-cards + high-synergy for the commander(s) | | Analysis | `card-search` | Fallback card discovery when EDHREC is empty | | Analysis | `web-fetch` | Strategy articles when WebFetch is blocked | | Verification | `rules-lookup` | CR lookups by `--rule`, `--term`, `--grep` | | Verification | `rulings-lookup` | Scryfall per-card rulings | ### JSON file writing Use the `Write` tool, not Bash heredocs, for any JSON file containing card names. Apostrophes break shell quoting; Write-tool permissions cache cleanly across the session. ### Scratch file paths Reuse these stable paths within a session: `/tmp/audit-claims.json` (used by the Rules Audit subagent), `/tmp/combo-search.json` (combo detection output if `--output` not specified). **Warning:** `/tmp` files persist across sessions. At session start, `Read` each scratch path you plan to reuse before the first `Write`, or run `Write` sequentially and verify success before the dependent Bash call. ### Hybrid rules-lawyer integration See [ADR-0008](../docs/adr/0008-hybrid-rules-lawyer-integration.md). deck-strat uses two paths for rules verification: 1. **CLI (`rules-lookup`, `rulings-lookup`) — routine claims.** Default to this when a claim can be verified from one rule number, one glossary term, or one narrow regex. Examples: "does shroud block self-targeting?" → `rules-lookup --term shroud`; "is the free first mulligan a Commander rule?" → `rules-lookup --grep "first mulligan"`. 2. **Skill tool (`Skill(rules-lawyer, ...)`) — nuanced claims.** Escalate when (a) the claim spans two or more rules and their interaction is the load-bearing part, (b) the relevant rule's prose is thin and a section slice is needed, or (c) verification requires reasoning about layers, replacement-effect ordering, or stack timing across triggered and activated abilities. The rules-lawyer skill carries its own Phase 1/2/3 escalation discipline (including subagent dispatch) that you do not duplicate here. Both the Phase 3 rules verification pass (Step 8) and the Rules Audit subagent (Step 10) follow the same escalation rule. ### Re-hydration If for any reason the deck JSON is edited mid-session (e.g., the user notices a wrong card name during iteration and you re-parse), re-run `scryfall-lookup --batch` — the hydrated cache is SHA-keyed against the deck JSON's content, so a stale `cache_path` gives stale data. --- ## Phase 1: Acquisition ### Step 1: Parse + set commander(s) Accept either a raw deck list (`.txt`, Moxfield export, MTGO format, pasted) or an already-parsed deck JSON. If raw: ```bash parse-deck --format \ --output /deck.json ``` If the input is already a parsed deck JSON, accept it as-is and verify its `format` field matches one of the three supported formats. **Always pass `--format` explicitly** when parsing. Without it, `parse-deck` defaults to `commander` and downstream tools see the wrong format. If the parsed deck's `commanders` list is empty (common with Moxfield exports that lack `//Commander` headers), ask the user who the commander is. Don't guess — the first card isn't always the commander. Supports: - **Single commander**: `set-commander "Name"` - **Partner / Friends Forever**: `set-commander "Name1" "Name2"` - **Commander + Background**: `set-commander "Commander" "Background"` `set-commander` is idempotent — safe to chain after `parse-deck` even when the deck file already had a commander header. #### Pilot bracket question After parsing, ask the user: > "What power bracket are you piloting this at? (1-5 / casual / upgraded / > optimized / cEDH, or `auto`.) This determines how the guide weights > politics, combo prominence, and threat assessment." Default to `auto`: count Game Changers (from `deck-stats`), count game-winning combos (from `combo-search`, run later), assess curve. The mapping: - 0 GC, 0 infinite combos, curve ≥ 3.5 → Bracket 2 (casual) - 1-2 GC, 0-1 combos, curve 3.0-3.5 → Bracket 3 (upgraded) - 3+ GC, 2+ combos, curve ≤ 3.0 → Bracket 4 (optimized) - All fast tutors + free interaction → cEDH (Bracket 5) If the user gives an explicit bracket, prefer it. Auto-detect only when they say `auto` or don't answer. Record the resolved bracket — every downstream step uses it. ### Step 2: Hydrate ```bash scryfall-lookup --batch /deck.json \ --bulk-data /default-cards.json \ --cache-dir /.cache ``` Stdout is a JSON envelope with `cache_path`, `card_count`, `missing`, and a `digest` containing counts + curve. **Do NOT `Read` the cache file directly** — it's large and floods context. Use `card-summary`, `Grep`, or targeted `scryfall-lookup ""` calls for inspection. If `missing` is non-empty, the user's deck contains unrecognized card names — ask them to verify. Common causes: typos, set-code suffixes that didn't get stripped, Arena/paper crossover renames (Paradise Chocobo = Birds of Paradise, Skittering Kitten = Masked Meower, etc.). --- ## Phase 2: Analysis These five steps read the hydrated cache independently — you can run their CLI calls in parallel where useful. Each populates context that later steps depend on. ### Step 3: Baseline diagnostics Run in this order (cheapest-to-fail first): ```bash legality-audit deck-stats mana-audit card-summary --nonlands-only card-summary --lands-only ``` - `legality-audit` must PASS. If FAIL, surface the violation and ask the user how to resolve (the guide can't be authored against an illegal list). Don't propose fixes — that's deck-wizard's job. - `deck-stats` gives the Game Changer count, curve, color sources, ramp count, and alternative-cost cards. Record alternative-cost cards (suspend, foretell, evoke, escape, flashback, adventure) — these evaluate at their alt cost in the strategy guide, not their printed CMC. - `mana-audit` may return WARN or FAIL — note it but don't propose fixes. The guide can call out the mana base as a tuning consideration. - `card-summary` is for your reading; do not paste it verbatim into the guide. ### Step 4: Commander Interaction Audit This step is the highest-leverage analysis in the pipeline — it surfaces the synergies that are invisible when reading cards in isolation. **Inherited verbatim from deck-wizard Step 5; the dimensions are the same.** For each commander (and for partner/background pairs, both), and for the deck as a whole, work through these six dimensions and write down what you find. The Strategy Guide's "core loop", "synergies", and "common lines" sections derive from these notes. **Sub-todos (expand into TodoWrite when starting Step 4):** #### 4a. Keyword combinations List the commander's keywords and any keywords granted by cards in the deck. Check every pair for emergent effects: - **Evasion stacking:** menace + "can't be blocked by more than one creature" = unblockable. Any blocking restriction combined with a conflicting blocking requirement may create unblockable. - **Damage multiplication:** double strike + combat damage triggers = double triggers. Double strike + lifelink = double life. Trample + deathtouch = 1 damage kills, rest tramples over. - **Protection stacking:** ward + hexproof, indestructible + regenerate. Identify which are redundant vs. complementary. #### 4b. Trigger multiplication Identify the commander's core multiplier (extra upkeeps, extra combats, extra turns, extra phases, trigger copying, token doubling, etc.). For every triggered ability in the deck that fires during the multiplied window, calculate output at 1×, 3×, and 5× the base rate. The Strategy Guide presents the **multiplied** value as the realistic case, not the 1× base. For commanders whose trigger scales with combat damage, identify pump as a strategic pillar — each +1 power isn't just +1 damage, it's +1 trigger of every effect in the multiplied window. #### 4c. Feedback loops For each card, ask: "Does this card's output feed back into its own input or the commander's trigger condition?" Examples: - A +1/+1 counter source on a commander whose trigger scales with power. - A token creator that increases a count used by another card's scaling. - A theft effect where stolen permanents change type to match a tribal count. Cards with feedback loops are almost always stronger than they appear in isolation. The guide should flag them in the "synergies" section. #### 4d. Recurring cards Identify all cards that return themselves to a usable zone: re-suspend, buyback, retrace, escape, flashback, "return to hand" clauses, "exile with time counters" effects. The guide evaluates these on per-game value (total free casts over a typical game), not per-cast value. #### 4e. Commander multiplication Identify cards that multiply the commander's impact: - **Commander copies**: Helm of the Host, Spark Double, Clone effects, Mirror March, Followed Footsteps. Non-legendary copies bypass the legend rule and retain all triggered + activated abilities. - **Ability copiers / trigger multipliers**: Strionic Resonator, Rings of Brighthearth, Panharmonicon (for ETB commanders), Teysa Karlov (death triggers), Isshin (attack triggers), Seedborn Muse (extra activations). Scan oracle text directly — these are force-multipliers and earn prominent placement in the guide's "synergies" section. #### 4f. Combo detection This sub-step bridges into Step 6. Run: ```bash combo-search --hydrated \ --output /combo-search.json ``` Distinguish: - **Game-winning combos** (result contains "infinite" or "win the game"): flag prominently. These are central to the guide's "win conditions" and "combo execution" sections. - **Value interactions** (non-infinite synergies): note as context. Before recommending a near-miss combo as something the guide should mention as a "1-card-away" finishing line, `Read` the full `description` field for that near-miss from the JSON. The compact text report omits required pieces that aren't in the card list. ### Step 5: Archetype detection Run `archetype-audit` with a curated preset list to identify which **conditional sections** the Strategy Guide will render. The result is a set of theme densities — themes above the warn threshold trigger their corresponding conditional section. ```bash archetype-audit \ --include-commanders \ --preset tokens \ --preset sacrifice-outlet \ --preset reanimate \ --theme 'goad=goad|attacks each combat if able' \ --theme 'aristocrats-drain=whenever .* creature .* dies|sacrifice .* creature' \ --theme 'token-doubler=create twice that many|tokens .* plus that many' \ --theme 'opponents-create-tokens=that.*player.*creates|each.*opponent.*creates' \ --theme 'extra-combats=additional combat phase|extra combat' \ --theme 'extra-turns=take an extra turn|additional turn' \ --theme 'big-mana=add (any|four|five|six|seven|eight)' \ --min-density 4 --warn-density 6 --show-matches ``` **Always pass `--include-commanders`** — for commander formats the commander is usually the biggest theme piece. Map theme density (in card copies) to conditional sections: | Theme detected (≥ warn threshold) | Conditional section to render | |---|---| | tokens + token-doubler | Token-doubling math section | | aristocrats-drain + sacrifice-outlet | Aristocrats sequencing section | | goad + opponents-create-tokens | Politics scripts section | | extra-combats | Combat multiplier math section | | extra-turns | Extra-turn sequencing section | | reanimate | Reanimation lines section | | big-mana | Mana-pump payoff section | | **Game-winning combo present** | Combo execution section | | **Commander is voltron-shaped** | Voltron commander damage math section | | **Commander has ETB trigger + Panharmonicon-likes in deck** | ETB multiplication section | Voltron-shaped commanders are identified manually: oracle text gives the commander evasion + power-scaling, the deck has 6+ equipment / aura slots, and the deck lacks wide-board engines. ### Step 6: Combo + near-miss detection The combo-search call from Step 4f already populated this. Now do the bracket check: - **Bracket 1-2**: intentional two-card infinite combos are prohibited by the bracket policy. If the deck has an infinite combo, the guide flags it as a bracket compliance issue and asks the user whether to treat it as an unintended line or a real wincon. - **Bracket 3**: infinite combos allowed but should not reliably fire before turn 6. Guide notes timing. - **Bracket 4 / cEDH**: no restrictions. Combo lines are central in the guide. Near-misses (1-card-away from a combo): the guide includes a "Known near-miss completions worth knowing" callout listing the missing piece + what the closed combo would do. This is informational, not a recommendation to change the deck. ### Step 7: EDHREC research ```bash edhrec-lookup "" ``` For partner pairs: ```bash edhrec-lookup "" "" ``` EDHREC gives community top-cards, high-synergy cards, and deck count. Use it to: - Confirm the deck's archetype identification is reasonable. - Spot cards in the deck that EDHREC flags as high-synergy (these get prominent placement in the guide). - Spot cards EDHREC marks as commonly included that are NOT in this deck — note as "deliberate omissions" in deck notes. **Brawl/Arena caveat:** EDHREC data is sourced from Commander/EDH decks. For Brawl/Historic Brawl, EDHREC suggestions must be legality- checked against the deck's format before referencing in the guide. **Fallback if EDHREC has no data** (new or obscure commanders): 1. Use `card-search` with the commander's mechanics keywords to find synergistic cards in the color identity. 2. Look up the archetype rather than the specific commander. 3. The guide proceeds without the "community comparison" callouts. Use WebSearch + WebFetch sparingly — only if you need strategic context for an obscure commander. Use `web-fetch` script as a fallback if WebFetch is blocked. --- ## Phase 3: Authoring ### Step 8: Rules verification pass Before writing the guide, list every rules-adjacent claim you intend to make. These come from Step 4 (commander interaction audit) and Step 6 (combo execution lines). For each, verify via the CLI or escalate to the rules-lawyer skill per the hybrid integration rules above. Common claim types and their verification: | Claim type | Default verification | |---|---| | What a keyword does (shroud, deathtouch, menace, trample, etc.) | `rules-lookup --term ` | | What a specific rule says (903.9, 603.8, 702.18, etc.) | `rules-lookup --rule ` | | Whether a card's oracle text matches your description | `scryfall-lookup ""` | | Per-card rulings on edge cases | `rulings-lookup --card "" --bulk-data ` | | Stack ordering across triggered + activated abilities | `Skill(rules-lawyer, ...)` | | Replacement effect interaction with another replacement | `Skill(rules-lawyer, ...)` | | Layer reasoning (continuous effects) | `Skill(rules-lawyer, ...)` | | Commander zone behavior (903.9a / 903.9b) | `rules-lookup --rule 903.9a` then `--rule 903.9b` | Record each claim + its CR citation in your working notes — the draft step quotes the verbatim CR text. ### Step 9: Draft Strategy Guide Write the guide to `/STRATEGY-GUIDE.md`. The structure is a fixed core spine + the conditional sections triggered in Step 5. #### Core spine (always render, in this order) 1. **Title + identity block.** - Deck name (commander[s], color identity, format). - One-sentence archetype label (e.g., "Politics-driven aristocrats", "Voltron with reanimator subtheme", "Stax-control with combo finish"). 2. **Core loop.** 3-5 sentences describing how the deck wins. Derives from Step 4 (commander interaction audit) — name the multiplier, the engine pieces, and the terminal effect. 3. **Win conditions.** Ordered by likelihood: - Primary plan (the core loop's terminal event). - Secondary plan (engine grind / commander damage / pump alpha-strike). - Tertiary plan (combo, if present and bracket-allowed). Each plan gets 2-4 sentences naming the cards involved. 4. **Mulligan guide.** What a keepable hand looks like. Reference the free first mulligan rule (CR 800.6) once. Common shapes to mulligan into. Common shapes to mulligan away from. 5. **Turn-by-turn pacing.** T1-T8+ sketch. What to deploy each turn range. Where the deck shifts from setup to harvest. Bracket-aware: faster brackets need a shorter setup window. 6. **Threat assessment.** Cards / decks to fear (sorted), cards / decks to eat for breakfast. Bracket-aware: Bracket 4 fears specific cards (Drannith, Null Rod, Cursed Totem) where Bracket 2 fears mass removal. 7. **Common lines + stack tricks.** Stack ordering on key sequences. The pre-wipe sequencing question (sac iteration vs. one wipe). Commander damage math. Equipment timing. **Every claim in this section gets a CR citation.** 8. **Deck quirks.** Borderline mana base, single Game Changer, weird reprint names (e.g., Paradise Chocobo = Birds of Paradise), suspended self-sac clauses (Endrek Sahr). Things that surprise a first-time pilot. 9. **Cheat sheet.** A bulleted per-turn checklist: "Did a token die → Joel triggered. Did opponents fight → Karazikar drew. Did a token enter → Mirkwood Bats / Impact Tremors fired." Strip names to the triggers a pilot needs to remember. 10. **Appendix: Verified card interaction notes.** A list of the rules- adjacent claims with their CR citations. This is the audit trail — the Rules Audit subagent (Step 10) verifies against this list. #### Conditional sections (render when triggered in Step 5) Each conditional section names its trigger at the top so a future re-run reproduces the same shape if signals fire again. - **Politics scripts** (triggered by goad + opponents-create-tokens): scripted lines for steering opponent attention, who to curse first, when to deploy goad effects. - **Aristocrats sequencing** (aristocrats-drain + sacrifice-outlet): the pre-wipe-iterate-sacs question with sac-trigger vs. death-trigger asymmetry called out. Per-payoff trigger count. - **Combo execution** (game-winning combo present): step-by-step stack ordering of the combo, required board state, protection options, near-miss completions. - **Voltron commander damage math** (voltron-shaped commander): base power → equipment stack → growth-per-turn → turns to lethal. Hexproof / shroud / protection tooling. - **Token doubling math** (tokens + token-doubler): with N doublers out, M token producers fire X tokens. Includes Chatterfang/Parallel Lives stacking semantics. - **Extra-combats / extra-turns** sections: mana flow + threat density needed to make these worthwhile. - **Reanimation lines** (reanimate density): which graveyard fillers feed which reanimators, exile-vs-graveyard differentiation. - **Mana-pump payoffs** (big-mana): the X-spell finisher line, the Kessig Wolf Run line, the Helix Pinnacle line. - **ETB multiplication** (Panharmonicon-likes): which ETB triggers in the deck benefit most, ordering on the stack. #### Writing style - **Cite CR rules verbatim**, not paraphrased. Quote the rule number + the trimmed sentence: "Per CR 903.9a: 'If a commander is in a graveyard or in exile and that object was put into that zone since the last time state-based actions were checked, its owner may put it into the command zone.'" - **Reference cards by full oracle text** when the behavior is load-bearing. Paraphrase only for obvious cases (Sol Ring). - **Adapt tone to experience level** (see table below). If not stated, ask the user during Step 1 acquisition or default to intermediate. - **No emojis.** No marketing fluff. The guide is a reference document. ### Step 10: Rules Audit subagent + revise **HARD GATE.** Before presenting the guide, dispatch one general- purpose Agent with this exact charter: > You are a Rules Audit agent for an MTG Strategy Guide. The guide is at > ``. The deck's hydrated card data > is at ``. The CR is at `/comprehensive-rules- > YYYYMMDD.txt`. > > Your task: for every rules-adjacent claim in the guide (stack timing, > replacement effects, commander-zone behavior, keyword interactions, > intervening-if clauses, layers, trigger ordering, oracle text > quotations), verify the claim against: > > 1. The card's actual oracle text via `scryfall-lookup ""` or by > reading the hydrated cache. > 2. The relevant CR rule via `rules-lookup --rule ` / `--term > ` / `--grep ""`. > 3. For multi-rule reasoning, escalate to the rules-lawyer skill via > the Skill tool — the rules-lawyer skill's own escalation rules > apply. > > Return a JSON report at `/tmp/audit-claims.json` with this shape: > > ``` > { > "errors": [ > {"section": "...", "claim": "...", "cr_says": "...", "fix": "..."} > ], > "unsupported": [ > {"section": "...", "claim": "...", "needed_citation": "..."} > ], > "verified": [ > {"section": "...", "claim": "...", "cr_rule": "...", "match": "exact|paraphrased"} > ] > } > ``` > > Be specific. If the guide says "the trigger goes on top of the spell," > cite CR 603.3. If the guide says "shroud means can't be targeted," > cite CR 702.18a. Errors are claims that are factually wrong. Unsupported > claims are factually fine but need a citation added. Verified claims > are correct and cite-defensible. > > **Arithmetic is in scope and must be re-derived, not read.** Any combo > loop cost, threshold ("profits at five Elves"), damage total, turn > count, or card count in the guide: compute it yourself from the oracle > text and report the number you got. Do not confirm a number because the > guide's reasoning around it sounds right. Where a loop has a per-cycle > cost and a per-cycle yield, simulate several iterations — a loop that > looks break-even on iteration one often diverges by iteration three > (self-pumping effects compound), and a loop that looks infinite may be > bounded by a resource the guide didn't track. > > **Count anything the guide counts.** "N cards with X", "N lands enter > tapped", "N sources of colour C" — recount from the decklist and report > your number even when it matches. > > **Check internal consistency, not just external truth.** Guides repeat > claims in a cheat sheet, a summary, and a body section. Flag any place > two sections disagree, and any place a "Requires:" header contradicts > the prose beneath it. These are the most common survivors of a fix > round, because a correction gets applied in one location only. > > Do NOT propose strategic / deck-tuning changes. Your scope is rules > verification, arithmetic, and internal consistency. While the subagent runs, do nothing else — wait for the report. Process the report: - **Errors**: edit the guide in place to correct each one. Quote the CR text in the edit. - **Unsupported**: edit the guide to add the missing CR citation. - **Verified**: no action. **Two rules when applying fixes — both exist because fix rounds routinely introduce fresh errors:** 1. **Propagate every correction to all its surfaces.** Before moving to the next item, `Grep` the guide for the card, rule, or number you just changed. A claim corrected in the combo section usually also lives in the cheat sheet, the win-conditions summary, and a "Requires:" header. A fix applied in one place and not the others produces a guide that contradicts itself, which is worse than the original error. 2. **Re-read any rule you cite while fixing.** Do not add a citation from memory of what the audit said. A correction that cites the wrong rule — or over-applies a right one, e.g. invoking CR 302.6 summoning sickness against a noncreature artifact — is a new error introduced by the repair. If the subagent reports zero errors and zero unsupported claims, present the guide. Otherwise fix and **dispatch another round with the same charter**, repeating until a round comes back clean. Rounds should converge fast. **If round 2 still reports errors, that is a signal about this SKILL.md, not just about the draft** — note what class of claim keeps slipping through (arithmetic? cross-section consistency? a card type the charter doesn't mention?) and surface it to the user with the finished guide so the charter can be sharpened. Do not silently grind extra rounds. ### Step 11: Present + iterate Show the user the path to the guide and a brief summary of what's in it (which conditional sections rendered, which combos detected, which bracket-flag warnings if any). Iteration is user-driven and in-place: - User asks to add / remove / rewrite a section → `Edit` the existing `STRATEGY-GUIDE.md` file. Don't regenerate from scratch. - User reports a rules error you missed → `rules-lookup` the relevant rule, fix in place, note that the Rules Audit missed it (this is a signal that the audit charter may need sharpening over time). - User reports the deck changed (different cards) → restart the pipeline. The SHA-keyed hydrated cache will rebuild automatically; the guide gets rewritten. --- ## Failure Modes | Symptom | Cause | Recovery | |---|---|---| | `scryfall-lookup --batch` reports `missing` cards | Typo, set-code suffix, crossover rename | Ask the user; for crossovers, suggest the canonical name (Paradise Chocobo → Birds of Paradise) | | `legality-audit` returns FAIL | Banned card or color identity violation | Surface to user; deck-strat is read-only, can't fix it. Recommend `/deck-wizard` | | `mana-audit` returns FAIL but user wants to proceed | Borderline land count or color balance | Proceed with the guide; flag the mana base as a tuning consideration in deck quirks | | `combo-search` 404s or times out | Commander Spellbook API issue | Continue without combo section; log a warning in deck quirks; near-miss section omitted | | `edhrec-lookup` 404s | Obscure commander not on EDHREC | Fall back to `card-search` by mechanic keywords; omit community-comparison callouts | | `rules-lookup --term ` returns no match | Bad query | Try a synonym; widen to `--grep`; if still nothing, escalate to `Skill(rules-lawyer, ...)` | | Rules Audit subagent reports >10 errors | First-draft was sloppy on rules | Revise; keep dispatching rounds until one is clean. If round 2 still reports errors, treat as a SKILL.md bug, name the class of claim that slipped, and surface it to the user | | A fix round introduces new errors | Correction applied in one section only, or a citation added from memory | Grep for every surface of a changed claim before moving on; re-read any rule you cite while fixing | | Audit confirms a combo's arithmetic that is actually wrong | Charter let the agent verify citations without re-deriving numbers | The charter requires independent re-derivation and multi-iteration simulation of any loop — check it wasn't trimmed | | User asks for a 60-card constructed deck | Out of scope | Decline + redirect to `/deck-wizard` | --- ## Experience-level Adaptation Inherit deck-wizard's table for prose tone. Default to intermediate if the user doesn't say. | Aspect | Beginner | Intermediate | Advanced | |---|---|---|---| | Terminology | Define terms (tempo, card advantage, etc.) | Use freely | Use shorthand | | Card references | Full oracle text quoted in-line | Quote only when load-bearing | Cite by name; assume the reader knows the card | | CR citations | Brief explanation alongside | Rule number + trimmed sentence | Just rule number + sentence | | Politics scripts | Narrative scenarios | Bullet scripts | Bullet scripts, terse | | Combo execution | Step-by-step with explanation | Step list | Just the stack-order list | | Mulligan | Sentence-form rules | Bulleted | Compact rubric | --- ## Red Flags These thoughts mean STOP — you're rationalizing: | Thought | Reality | |---|---| | "I know what this card does" | You don't. Look it up. Training data is not oracle text. | | "I know what this rule says" | You don't. Look it up. Training data is not the CR. | | "This rule is obvious, skip the citation" | Obvious-looking rules are where you'll get caught. The Rules Audit will flag it as unsupported. Cite it now. | | "The user knows this format, skip mulligan/cheat sheet" | The core spine is mandatory. If a section truly doesn't apply, write a one-line note saying so — but it stays. | | "Skip the Rules Audit subagent, the draft is clean" | The audit is the discipline gate that catches the claim you didn't realize was wrong. It runs every time. | | "The audit verified my combo math, so the numbers are right" | Verified means it re-derived them. If the report just restates your reasoning without its own number, the claim is unchecked — ask again. | | "I fixed the error in the combo section, done" | Grep for every other place that claim appears. Cheat sheets and "Requires:" headers are where corrections go to die. | | "This loop breaks even, so it goes nowhere" | Simulate three or more iterations before concluding. Self-pumping effects compound — a break-even first cycle can diverge by the third. | | "This 60-card deck just needs a quick guide" | Out of scope. Redirect to `/deck-wizard`. | | "I'll fold combo execution into win conditions" | Combo execution is its own conditional section with stack ordering. Don't compress it. | | "EDHREC says include X, so the guide should recommend swapping" | Read-only. No swaps. The guide can note a deliberate omission, not propose a change. | | "I'll re-run parse-deck without --format" | Always pass `--format`. Defaulting to commander silently breaks Brawl decks. | | "I'll use the rarity field from hydrated cache to score budget" | deck-strat doesn't do budget. That's `price-check` in deck-wizard. | | "The bracket question is annoying, default to auto" | Default IS auto. Ask anyway — the answer changes the guide's center of gravity. | --- ## Decision Table | Task | Tool | |---|---| | Parse list → deck.json | `parse-deck --format --output ` | | Set commander(s) | `set-commander "Name" ["Name2"]` | | Hydrate all cards | `scryfall-lookup --batch --bulk-data --cache-dir /.cache` | | Single card lookup | `scryfall-lookup "" --bulk-data ` | | Card table (nonlands) | `card-summary --nonlands-only` | | Card table (lands) | `card-summary --lands-only` | | Format legality + color identity | `legality-audit ` | | Curve, ramp, Game Changers | `deck-stats ` | | Mana base audit | `mana-audit ` | | Theme density / archetype detection | `archetype-audit --include-commanders --preset ...` | | In-deck combos + near-misses | `combo-search --hydrated --output /combo-search.json` | | Explore combos by outcome | `combo-discover --result "" --color-identity ` | | EDHREC top cards | `edhrec-lookup "" [""]` | | CR rule by number | `rules-lookup --rule --rules-file /comprehensive-rules-*.txt` | | CR keyword / glossary term | `rules-lookup --term --rules-file /comprehensive-rules-*.txt` | | CR regex search | `rules-lookup --grep "" --rules-file /comprehensive-rules-*.txt --limit 5` | | Per-card Scryfall rulings | `rulings-lookup --card "" --bulk-data ` | | Multi-rule timing / layer / stack | `Skill(rules-lawyer, ...)` | | Strategy article fallback | `web-fetch "" --max-length 10000` | | Write/edit the guide | `Write` (first draft), `Edit` (iteration) | | Run the Rules Audit | `Agent(subagent_type=general-purpose, ...)` with the charter in Step 10 |