Overview:

This Assassin tribal deck helmed by Ezio Auditore da Firenze focuses on deploying evasive Assassins to enable freerunning cost reductions and chip damage, while leveraging tribal synergies for incremental value and explosive finishes. Ezio acts as both an enabler (via freerunning discounts) and a late-game closer with his "pay WUBRG to eliminate low-life opponents" ability. The deck wins through combat damage amplified by tribal buffs like Shared Animosity, alternate win conditions like Vorpal Sword and Ramses, Assassin Lord, and attrition via deathtouch/lifelink synergies.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Deploy mana rocks (Arcane Signet, Chromatic Lantern), fetch lands (Bloodstained Mire), and low-cost Assassins like Desmond Miles or Ochran Assassin. Use Nature's Lore/Three Visits to fix mana.
2. Freerunning Activation (Turns 3-5): Connect with Assassins to unlock freerunning costs. Cast discounted threats like Massacre Girl, Known Killer or Aya of Alexandria while deploying tribal engines like Kindred Discovery or Bident of Thassa.
3. Midgame Pressure (Turns 5-7): Use Cover of Darkness or Access Tunnel to ensure combat damage. Activate Vorpal Sword’s lethal ability or Unstoppable Slasher’s life-halving effect. Recur threats with Back in Town.
4. Finishing Moves: Deploy Ramses, Assassin Lord for alt-win potential or Overpowering Attack for extra combats. Use Teferi's Protection/Heroic Intervention to protect lethal swings.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including color-fixing), at least 1 early Assassin, and a ramp/draw piece.
• Prioritize Cavern of Souls, Lightning Greaves, or Cover of Darkness for consistency.
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or color diversity.

Key Tips:

• Use Smoke Bomb to protect key turns while enabling unblockable triggers.
• Black Market Connections provides flexible resources—prioritize Treasures early, card draw midgame.
• Brotherhood Regalia makes any creature an unblockable Assassin, enabling freerunning and synergies.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Board Wipes: Minimal mass recursion outside Back in Town makes recovery difficult.
• Anti-Tribal Hate: Crippling Fear or Plague Engineer naming Assassins cripples the strategy.

Moderate

• Stax Effects: Cursed Totem nullifies activated abilities critical to Unstoppable Slasher/Virtus the Veiled.
• Life Gain: Struggles against decks that stabilize above 10 life, negating Ezio’s finisher.

Minor

• Artifact/Enchantment Reliance: Key pieces like Vorpal Sword or Kindred Discovery are vulnerable to removal.

Most Important Cards:

• Vorpal Sword (Alt-win condition)
• Ramses, Assassin Lord (Alt-win enabler)
• Kindred Discovery (Tribal card draw)
• Shared Animosity (Combat damage multiplier)
• Teferi's Protection (Game-saving protection)
• Cover of Darkness (Evasion enabler)
• Black Market Connections (Flexible value engine)
• Lightning Greaves (Protection/evasion)
• Assassin's Trophy (Premium removal)
• Rhystic Study (Card advantage)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10
Can threaten wins via combat or Vorpal Sword by turns 6-8, but lacks fast mana for explosive starts.

Resilience: 5/10
Has protection spells and recursion, but overrelies on maintaining a board presence vulnerable to wipes.

Consistency: 7/10
Strong tribal synergy, multiple tutors (Worldly Tutor, Eladamri's Call), and card draw engines ensure key pieces are accessible.

Interaction: 6/10
Runs efficient removal (Path to Exile, Assassin's Trophy) and counterspells (Fierce Guardianship), but light on stack interaction beyond protection.

Rating Justification:

The deck’s tribal synergy and alt-win conditions give it focused power (T7-8 wins), but its vulnerability to board wipes and reliance on combat damage place it below optimized tiers. Strong consistency and interaction elevate it above casual builds.

Power level: 5.5 - 6.0