Choo-choo! Here come the kitties! Keep reading if you want a quick run down of playing with this cat-tastic deck!
The Game Plan
So what are we trying to do here? In broad strokes, suit up some buff kitties and turn them sideways. In more practical terms our deck is going to generally win through combat damage but we have packages to try and enable going tall or going wide depending on what we're up against. In essence this deck will play out differently depending on how powerful your match-ups are. In a less powerful meta this deck will pack a punch and should be pretty simple to pilot (get in with some agro damage, go wide, and cast Craterhoof Behemoth and you should have a decent time of it) where as in more powerful metas you will have to take advantage of some of the more toolbox aspects of the deck to react to threats/changes in the board state as needed.
The Build Up
As with all decks ramp and card draw are going to be key for us but card draw is especially important to focus on early in this deck. There are a couple reasons for this but the first (and most important) is that most of your card advantage in this deck is incremental. Cards like Sword of Fire and Ice, Keeper of Fables, and Sylvan Library are excellent because they provide significant card advantage over the course of a game but they are not good at pushing you back into the game quickly if you have fallen behind. Because of this when tutoring in the early game make sure that you are considering what card draw if any you already have in your hand and weight your decisions accordingly. Ramp is absolutely hugely important too but it does very little if you have no cards to cast. That being said, of course a balance is important and you should also consider that we are trying to ramp out 9 mana spells like an entwined Tooth and Nail and that if all else fails our commander is a mana sink for making our cats more powerful so big mana is part of how we are going to be closing out games. Because of this need for large amounts of mana later in the game some cards like Mirari's Wake can be better when played in the mid to late game so they don't get removed early on and let you get your closer out (though they can also be great when played early, just be aware of how you are hoping to close out that game and how you want to get there when you decide).
Getting What You Need
Tutors! Tutoring can be one of the toughest decisions ever and this deck has a number of them which means a number of decision points. However, being that one of our weaknesses in this deck is raw card advantage, hopefully the extra card selection of tutors can mitigate it to some extent. In an attempt to help make the decision process a little simpler I'm going to list each tutor, some scenarios you might use it in, and what you might want to target in those scenarios.
1+2) Stoneforge Mystic or Steelshaper's Gift
These three aren't going to be used for any one thing more than another, thing of these as equipment wild cards
-Need more cards: Sword of Fire and Ice
-Need more mana: Sword of the Animist or Sword of Feast and Famine
-Need removal: Sword of Sinew and Steel or Sword of Fire and Ice
-Need to get things back from the graveyard: Sword of Light and Shadow
-Need to protect my things: Conqueror's Flail, Lightning Greaves, or any of the swords with appropriate color protection
3) Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith
Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith is here to get you the Hammer of Nazahn for obvious reasons. However always consider your options and remember both the tutors above can also grab the hammer even if they can't put it into play and Nazahn can grab all the other things listed for your first three tutors if needed. Also unrelated to tutoring but don't forget her second ability.
4) Enlightened Tutor
Now Enlightened Tutor is probably our most versatile tutor however, in general you won't be using it to grab equipment just because there are other tutors that can do that. That being said, remember that all the targets I have mentioned so far are also valid targets for Enlightened Tutor and sometimes they are going to be what you want to get. In general though Enlightened Tutor is the only tutor you have to get non-equipment artifacts and one of only two enchantment tutors so it is likely to be your only chance to tutor for an enchantment while you are more likely to run across another equipment tutor later.
-Need cards: Sylvan Library, The Great Henge*, or Sword of Fire and Ice
-Need mana: Sol Ring, Mirari's Wake, Smothering Tithe, Sword of the Animist, Sword of Feast and Famine, (if you already have card draw/Land Tax in play or have a few lands in hand) Burgeoning, (if you have a lot of equipment in hand) Sigarda's Aid, or (if you already have Burgeoning in play) Land Tax
-Need removal: Aura Shards, Song of the Dryads, Sword of Sinew and Steel, or Sword of Fire and Ice
-Need to go wide/go on the offensive: Cathars' Crusade, Dolmen Gate, Reconnaissance**, or Sword of Truth and Justice (especially if you already have Cathars' Crusade in play)
-Need to get things back from the graveyard: Sword of Light and Shadow
-Need to protect my things: Conqueror's Flail, Lightning Greaves, any of the swords with appropriate color protection, or (in some situations) Dolmen Gate
5+6) Worldly Tutor or Eladamri's Call
These two creature tutors are your flexible creature tutors, use them to get finishers/protection/utility/etc. as needed.
-Need cards: Keeper of Fables
-Need equipment instead of a creature: Stoneforge Mystic or Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith
-Need removal: Qasali Slingers
-Need to go wide/go on the offensive with many kitties: Brimaz, King of Oreskos, Kemba, Kha Regent, King of the Pride, Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist, Jazal Goldmane, Leonin Warleader, Kaheera, the Orphanguard, or Regal Caracal
-Need to go tall/have a bunch of equipment already and need one kitty to stack it all on top of: Balan, Wandering Knight, Skyhunter Skirmisher, or Mirri, Cat Warrior
-Need to get things back from the graveyard: Sun Titan
-Need to protect my things: Sigarda, Host of Herons, Prowling Serpopard, Leonin Abunas, Vigor or Avacyn, Angel of Hope
-Need to try and win/finish someone off: Craterhoof Behemoth, Raksha Golden Cub, Mirror Entity, or Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
7) Idyllic Tutor
A less flexible slot, Idyllic Tutor is one of only two tutors giving you access to a number of the more powerful cards in the deck. Just be aware that it is likely that you will only get to tutor for one of your enchantments over the course of a game.
-Need cards: Sylvan Library
-Need mana: Mirari's Wake, Smothering Tithe, (if you already have card draw/Land Tax in play or have a few lands in hand) Burgeoning, (if you have a lot of equipment in hand) Sigarda's Aid, or (if you already have Burgeoning in play) Land Tax
-Need removal: Aura Shards or Song of the Dryads
-Need to go wide/go on the offensive: Cathars' Crusade or Reconnaissance**
8) Tooth and Nail
Whenever you see Tooth and Nail just remember, this is not a 7 mana spell this is a 9 mana spell. Seriously though unless you happen to be holding Craterhoof Behemoth and Avacyn, Angel of Hope in hand already and draw into Tooth and Nail there are very few circumstances where you will not want to cast it for it's entwine cost. In general you want to cast this card to either win the game or at least knock out one or two opponents, this means that usually you will be getting some combination of Craterhoof Behemoth and another creature. I will go over a possible exception to this below but here I am going to list a few circumstances and what you want to get as your second creature assuming Craterhoof Behemoth is the first.
If getting Craterhoof Behemoth...
-If you have a number of cats and a piece of equipment in play and will have mana/some way to attach said equipment after casting Tooth and Nail for 9 I recommend grabbing Raksha Golden Cub.
-If you have a number of creatures but they are not cats/they are cats but you do not have equipment to attach I would recommend grabbing Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, Vigor, Avacyn, Angel of Hope, or Jazal Goldmane
-If you have a lot of creatures and extra mana to sink into it consider grabbing Mirror Entity
-If you have a number of cats but are getting low on life and are worried about getting killed if you leave yourself open I would grab Regal Caracal or Kaheera, the Orphanguard.
-If your opponents have some big blockers and you have to make sure your creatures don't die or if you aren't going to close out the game and don't want to be open to board wipes I would go for Avacyn, Angel of Hope or Vigor
But does that mean that You should always get Craterhoof Behemoth? No, sometimes you won't have a board state so it isn't worth it. However, if this is the case you should be hesitant to use Tooth and Nail and consider holding on to it for a moment when you are better prepared. However, there might be some times when it is worth it to cast Tooth and Nail without getting Craterhoof Behemoth and I'll list some below.
If not getting Craterhoof Behemoth...
-If you just need to hunker down and weather the storm for a bit so that you can survive until there is an opening your best bet is probably grabbing Avacyn, Angel of Hope and Sigarda, Host of Herons as then you will have some very effective (and protected) blockers. However, if you are in a game where being forced to sacrifice isn't a big concern then you might want to change Sigarda, Host of Herons for Regal Caracal if you are low on life or need more blockers, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite if you need to protect yourself from an opponent with a wide board, or Vigor if you only need to block one or two big things and want a way to crack back (or at least threaten a crack back) after they swing.
-If Craterhoof Behemoth has already died/been exiled/etc. but you have a good amount of cats on board and an equipment in play/in hand and will have mana/some way to play and attach said equipment after casting Tooth and Nail for 9 I recommend grabbing Raksha Golden Cub and either Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, Vigor, or Jazal Goldmane depending on what you need/how much mana you have left over.
-If you don't have creatures on your board but you have a number of equipment and a way to give haste (ie. Lightning Greaves) I recommend going for Balan, Wandering Knight and Avacyn, Angel of Hope.
-If you have a lot of creatures on board but can't get Craterhoof Behemoth for whatever reason and have extra mana to sink after casting Tooth and Nail for 9 then getting Mirror Entity in conjunction with either Raksha Golden Cub if you have equipment, Avacyn, Angel of Hope or Vigor if you are worried about crack-back/aren't going to win after swinging in, and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite or Jazal Goldmane if you don't have equipment but have a lot of creatures and need some extra punch.
A Note on Finishers
While the examples above are just a few scenarios intended to help you decide how to use Tooth and Nail to end the game, there are of course infinite permutations of scenarios that could change things. If, for example, you already have an equipped Raksha Golden Cub and a Rogue's Passage in play and there's only one opponent left than it might just be better for you to buff up Arahbo, Roar of the World and just kill them with commander damage. In other scenarios all you might need is cats on the board and enough mana to activate Arahbo, Roar of the World's second ability on them all. You might want to use Mirror Entity if you have Raksha Golden Cub out and equipped along side some non-cats on the board. There are too many possible scenarios and possibilities to list but just stay aware of who is left in the game, what they have, what you have in hand/in play, and what is left in your deck when you decide how you are going to close things out.
Best of luck and here's to hoping that these cute kittens can help carry you to victory! Alright cats, scratch out the eyes of my enemies! CHAAAAAAARGE!!
NOTES
*Only cast The Great Henge if you have at least your commander or some other 5 power creature out, we really don't want to pay for than 4 mana for it ever if possible.
**Remember that after the damage step you still have a moment to activate Reconnaissance after you have dealt damage but before the end of the combat step so you get to un-tap all your creatures giving them pseudo-vigilance.
Quick Tips
1) Remember, Arahbo's first ability targets so be aware if you have given something protection from white or green or shroud. However his second ability (which in general is more important for closing out games) does not target so you can still buff up your shrouded/protected kittens.
2) Remember, Conqueror's Flail's second ability is only in effect if it is equipped.
3) Rishkar's Expertise and Hunter's Insight are really your only big "draw a bunch of cards at one time" spells so be careful when you use them. In general casting one of them is going to be the best way to catch up from behind in this deck so don't spend them too early . That being said, as with all cards, hanging on to it just in case forever is pointless so just use your best judgment. Sometimes using one of these spells early on lets you dump out a hand filled with ramp quickly and then fill back up on gas after.
4) Don't forget that Heroic Intervention and Avacyn, Angel of Hope protect all your permanents (not just creatures) and use them to protect yourself as needed accordingly.
5) Don't forget about your utility lands! Hall of Heliod's Generosity, Homeward Path, Maze of Ith, Rogue's Passage, Strip Mine, Wasteland, Winding Canyons, and Yavimaya Hollow can all be incredibly useful in the right situations.
6) Do not forget that Hunter's Insight targets a creature! You can not target a creature with shroud or protection from green so make sure you are aware of this when planning to cast the spell. Also it is almost always best to wait until your opponent assigns blockers before casting Hunter's Insight before damage is dealt.
