Overview:

This 5-color Dragon tribal deck leverages Tiamat as a powerful tutor to assemble a formidable Dragon army. The strategy focuses on ramping into high-impact Dragons quickly through cost reducers (Urza's Incubator, Sarkhan, Fireblood), cheat effects (Show and Tell, Dracogenesis), and explosive mana (Ancient Copper Dragon, Old Gnawbone). Win conditions revolve around overwhelming combat damage amplified by synergies like Scourge of Valkas, Terror of the Peaks, and Twinflame Tyrant, with an alt-win via Call the Spirit Dragons. Tiamat acts as the linchpin, enabling consistent access to key Dragons, but the deck can still function without her due to redundancy in Dragon threats and cheat effects.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Prioritize ramp (Birds of Paradise, Cultivate, Dragon's Hoard) and cost reducers. Use Cavern of Souls to ensure uncounterable Dragons.
2. Midgame Power Spike (Turns 4-6): Cast Tiamat to fetch critical Dragons (e.g., Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm, Ancient Copper Dragon, Scourge of Valkas). Alternatively, cheat threats via Show and Tell or Sarkhan, Fireblood.
3. Combat Domination (Turns 5-8): Deploy Dragons with multiplicative synergies:
   • Miirym copies Dragons for double ETB triggers.
   • Terror of the Peaks and Scourge of Valkas deal direct damage.
   • Lathliss, Dragon Queen and Dragonback Assault generate token swarms.
4. Alt-Win/Finishers: Activate Call the Spirit Dragons by distributing +1/+1 counters across five colored Dragons. Use Ruinous Ultimatum or Cyclonic Rift to clear the path for lethal.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3+ lands (including color fixing) and at least one ramp spell.
• Prioritize Urza's Incubator, Sarkhan, Fireblood, or Show and Tell in opening hands.
• Avoid hands lacking green/red mana for early ramp.

Key Tips:

• Use Maelstrom of the Spirit Dragon and Haven of the Spirit Dragon to recur key Dragons.
• Wrathful Red Dragon turns board wipes into lethal damage for opponents.
• Protect critical pieces with Heroic Intervention and March of Swirling Mist.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Board wipes (Farewell, Damnation) cripple the Dragon swarm; limited recovery outside Bladewing the Risen.
• Anti-tribal hate (Cursed Totem, Hushbringer) nullifies ETB triggers and mana dorks.

Moderate

• Countermagic targeting Tiamat or cheat spells delays the game plan.
• Artifact/Enchantment removal disrupts Urza's Incubator, Dracogenesis, and Smothering Tithe.

Minor

• Mana inconsistency due to 5-color demands, despite triome/fixer density.
• Slow starts if ramp is interrupted.

Most Important Cards:

• Tiamat (Tutor for game-winning Dragons)
• Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm (Doubles Dragon ETBs for exponential value)
• Urza's Incubator (Critical cost reduction)
• Show and Tell (Cheat out Dragons ahead of curve)
• Scourge of Valkas (Scales damage with Dragon count)
• Terror of the Peaks (Direct damage engine)
• Call the Spirit Dragons (Alt-win condition)
• Ancient Copper Dragon (Mana explosion via Treasures)
• Dracogenesis (Free Dragon casting)
• Cyclonic Rift (Board reset for lethal swings)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can deploy game-ending boards by turns 6-8 via cheat effects, but high-CMC Dragons limit earlier wins.

Resilience: 5/10

• Moderate protection (hexproof, counterspells) but struggles to rebuild after wipes.

Consistency: 7/10

• Tiamat’s tutoring and ample ramp/draw ensure Dragon access, but 5-color mana can falter.

Interaction: 6/10

• Efficient removal (Swords to Plowshares, Assassin's Trophy) and counterspulls, but lacks stax elements.

Rating Justification:

This deck’s explosive Dragon synergies and Tiamat’s tutoring push it into optimized casual tiers, capable of threatening wins via combat or alt-conditions by turns 7-8. However, vulnerability to wipes and slower setup compared to combo decks cap its ceiling.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5