Overview:

This Rivaz of the Claw Dragon tribal deck leverages graveyard recursion and cost reduction to deploy high-impact Dragons efficiently. Rivaz serves as the linchpin, enabling casting Dragons from the graveyard once per turn and providing color-fixing mana. The primary strategy involves ramping into Dragons, reanimating them via spells like Victimize and Buried Alive, and overwhelming opponents with evasive threats. A secondary Worldgorger Dragon combo offers a potential infinite mana loop, though the deck lacks a clear instant-win payoff for the combo. The deck also utilizes Treasure generation and tribal synergies to accelerate its game plan.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Prioritize ramp via Sol Ring, Dark Ritual, Ruby Medallion, and Urza's Incubator (naming Dragons). Use Entomb or Buried Alive to stock the graveyard with key Dragons like Worldgorger Dragon or Ancient Brass Dragon.
2. Midgame Threats (Turns 4-6): Cast Rivaz to enable discounted Dragon casting. Deploy midrange Dragons like Bonehoard Dracosaur or Ganax, Astral Hunter for value. Reanimate high-impact targets with Victimize or Will of the Abzan.
3. Win Conditions:
   • Combat: Overwhelm with flying Dragons enhanced by Twinflame Tyrant (damage doubling) and Vanquisher's Banner.
   • Combo: Loop Worldgorger Dragon with Rivaz’s recursion or reanimation spells to exile/replay permanents, generating infinite mana with lands like Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx (not present) or Mines of Moria. Use this mana to cast game-ending Dragons or Last Chance for lethal swings.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, including at least one black source.
• Prioritize early ramp (e.g., Sol Ring, Urza's Incubator) or graveyard setup (Entomb, Buried Alive).
• Avoid hands with only high-cost Dragons and no acceleration.

Key Tips:

• Use Mithril Coat or Alesha's Legacy to protect Rivaz, as the deck relies heavily on its recursion.
• Worldgorger Dragon loops can backfire if interrupted—ensure you have a payoff like Bonehoard Dracosaur to exile/replay for value.
• Malevolent Witchkite synergizes with Treasure tokens from Rapacious Dragon for explosive card draw.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard Hate: Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void cripples Rivaz’s recursion and reanimation spells.
• Commander Reliance: Repeated removal of Rivaz slows the deck’s ability to cast Dragons from the graveyard.
• Board Wipes: Lacks mass recursion; rebuilding after a wipe is slow.

Moderate

• Artifact Destruction: Urza's Incubator, Ruby Medallion, and Treasure generators are vulnerable.
• Combo Fragility: Worldgorger Dragon loops lack redundancy and a guaranteed wincon.

Minor

• Limited Interaction: Minimal counterspells or ways to handle enchantments/artifacts.
• High CMC Density: Clunky draws without sufficient ramp.

Most Important Cards:

• Rivaz of the Claw (Enables recursion and mana fixing)
• Worldgorger Dragon (Combo potential with reanimation)
• Buried Alive (Graveyard setup for key Dragons)
• Urza's Incubator (Massive cost reduction)
• Victimize (Reanimate two Dragons for one sacrifice)
• Vanquisher's Banner (Card draw and tribal buff)
• Bonehoard Dracosaur (Value engine with exile/play)
• Entomb (Tutor key Dragons to graveyard)
• Ruby Medallion (Reduces Dragon and reanimation spell costs)
• Last Chance (Extra turn for surprise lethal)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can deploy threats by turns 4-6, but lacks fast mana or consistent combo execution.

Resilience: 4/10

• Vulnerable to graveyard/artifact hate and commander removal; limited protection outside Mithril Coat.

Consistency: 6/10

• Tutors and card draw like Vanquisher's Banner help find key pieces, but high CMC can lead to inconsistency.

Interaction: 3/10

• Spot removal exists (Terror, Molten Exhale), but minimal answers to noncreature permanents or stack interaction.

Rating Justification:

This deck has a focused Dragon tribal strategy with a potential T6-8 win via combat or a fragile combo, supported by moderate ramp and recursion. However, its reliance on the commander, susceptibility to common hate pieces, and lack of interaction place it in the Casual/Optimized Casual range.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5