Basically about half of a grouphug deck (all of the ramp, none of the table-wide card draw) that tries to crowd up everyone’s board as much as possible and then either outpaces opponents with draw and value or else outright steals the big plays they make with their extra mana. It’s not unheard of for everyone to have most of their lands on the table by turn 7——and the deck is designed to thrive in this environment. In addition to the core value engine built around unblockable combat damage, this includes a handful of cards that prioritize on-field combat dominance (an arena in which Kaseto + mana is very hard to beat) by derailing most decks’ larger plans, like Zur's Weirding, Knowledge Pool and, yes, a very close variant on the infamous Great Snake Mistake combo—-I’ve subbed out the green Epic for the equally on-theme blue one, but either card does the job.
Politically speaking, the deck is quite robust—-the sizable control package is tempered in the eyes of your opponents by a significant overlap with the thievery and exchange package, so much of the deck’s interaction pulls double duty as a way to either shut down threats or shore up a fragile board-state, without painting too much of a target on your back. On the other hand, Kaseto's ability to one-shot players out of nowhere is the deck's not-so-secret weapon, and works as a powerful deterrent against other players that might attempt to take advantage of your mana generosity. Most traditional voltron pieces are out in favor of snakes and grouphug/exchange effects, but Kaseto’s ability means that a Heartbeat of Spring isn’t so different from a Fireshrieker when it really counts. Besides, this deck hardly ever wants to beeline toward the commander damage kill; Kaseto’s ability can target any creature, and is politically useful in small doses while the deck keeps generating value and turning your opponents’ creatures sideways. However, at more oppressive tables, your control package should allow you to hang in there long enough to send Kaseto or another snake in for major damage.
This deck runs like a dream, it really does—encouraging flashy but fair games and getting the most out of every card in your hand and on your board. Kaseto is very important but not necessary for victory, and often falls just short of being a removal magnet when put up against what everyone else does with their overflowing mana reserves. Sometimes the mana surplus will bite you in the ass, it's true-so if you’re looking to dominate games and always win, maybe find another deck. But otherwise, I guarantee the whole table will have a great time.
Some additional tips:
In line with what I just said, most of the serious global ramp will benefit other players before it benefits you. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles, and is a big part of why this deck is better suited for politically minded people. Inexperienced players will drop their entire hands immediately and have trouble regaining card advantage. Experienced players will try to kill you, and it WILL be you, on turn 6. Keep your wits about you, make deals, and stay on people’s good sides. If you see a mono-blue combo player just itching to get some early gas? Maybe slow down. Your deck does fine, not great but fine, at a normal pace. That said, the control/thievery package is designed to punish greed, so if you think you can goad someone into a trap, things might just work out.
In a similar vein, the deck excels whenever someone else is the bigger target, but if Kaseto is out it can be a tough line to walk. You might get blamed for not using Kaseto to take out a threat as soon as possible. Sandbagging and building up your defensive position without him is frequently the best call.
Moving on to individual cards: Magus of the Candelabra might initially seem like a dead draw, but it has a handful of niche uses. It comes in handy most often as either 1) a means of untapping your opponents lands for political reasons, 2) the best way of evening out the mana you're planning on pumping into Kaseto, and of course, 3) functioning as another mana multiplier if you already have one on board.
Eternal Dominion might seem like suicide more often than not if you don't have the other half of the combo--Hive Mind--on board. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Eternal Dominion is the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card if you've made yourself archenemy; sure it's a nuclear option but it keeps you in the game and takes the pressure off while still allowing you to build up your board. Remember, in spite of its many options, this deck wins by turning sideways. If you can steal a way to duplicate it on cast, be aware that it will be duplicated for the rest of the game.
Unnatural Selection allows you to buff other players' creatures with Kaseto at instant speed. This comes in very handy.
Confounding Conundrum, cast prior to a big ramp spell, will put you so ahead so early that nothing short of mass land destruction will be able to take you down. It is easily the meanest card in the deck. Use wisely.
The deck’s exchange effects ultimately end up being rather one-sided, as you can just exchange a global effect for whatever you want.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many budget substitutes for this deck, as most of the primary value pieces ie Consecrated Sphinx are vital toward keeping pace with your supercharged opponents. I would recommend any green deck try out a global ramp package, though!
I just edited this for the first time in a while! Unfortunately I moved to a place without an active MTG scene, but lately I've been pitting this against my Kogla and Ravos/Krark decks and having a blast. I hope whoever sees this tries the deck out!
