Nine lines, each with what it needs, what it produces, how it fails, and when it is actually correct.
Best proactive line
End-step surveil into Goryo
01Let their end step beginThe delayed trigger Goryo creates looks for the next end step. Once this one has started, that is your own, a full turn away.
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02Crack the fetchlandHold it until here. Cracking it on your own turn spends the flexibility for nothing.
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03Find a surveil dualMeticulous Archive, Shadowy Backstreet or Undercity Sewers, whichever colours the next turn needs.
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04Resolve the surveilPut Atraxa or Griselbrand into the graveyard if it is there.
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05Cast Goryo before leaving the end stepThe shorter the gap between the target arriving and the spell being cast, the less room graveyard interaction has.
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06Untap with the creatureA full attack, and a turn to find Ephemerate or Consign.
Rules noteA fetchland held for their end step is a conditional instant-speed way to bin the target and untap with the result.
Strategic purposeTurns the mana base into a discard outlet and buys a whole turn cycle with the creature.
Failure conditionsThey can respond with graveyard interaction once the surveil trigger has resolved, before Goryo is cast.
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From the guide . §12 Core Tactical Lines
Nine lines carry most of the deck’s games. Each is listed with the pieces it needs, the sequence in order, the way it fails, and the conditions that make it the right line rather than an available one.
The first two are about compressing the window between the target reaching the graveyard and Goryo reaching the stack. The next three are conversions: what to do once the creature is on the battlefield. The last four are the post-board lines, where and change what is possible.
Pilot noteRead the failure mode before the sequence. A line you cannot lose to is a line you are not thinking about properly.