Overview:

This 5-color Dragon tribal deck leverages Tiamat as a central tutor engine, fetching key Dragons to establish overwhelming board presence. The strategy focuses on ramping into Tiamat (using cost reducers like Dragonspeaker Shaman and multi-color mana sources like Bloom Tender), then deploying high-impact Dragons for combat wins. Secondary wincons include Hellkite Tyrant's artifact theft/alt-win, Call the Spirit Dragons' counter-based victory, and big mana spells like Exsanguinate. Tiamat is essential for consistency but vulnerable to removal due to its high recast cost (9+ mana).

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Ramp (Turns 1-4): Prioritize mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Fellwar Stone) and cost reducers (Dragonlord's Servant, Dragonspeaker Shaman). Fix colors with lands like Command Tower/Exotic Orchard. Amulet of Vigor mitigates tapped-land drawbacks.
2. Cast Tiamat (Turns 5-7): Deploy Tiamat to tutor 5 critical Dragons. Optimal targets: Atarka, World Render (double strike enabler), Thrakkus the Butcher (power doubler), Ancient Copper Dragon (Treasure generation), Ancient Silver Dragon (card draw), and a finisher like Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund or Inferno of the Star Mounts.
3. Deploy Threats & Win (Turns 6-9):
   • Combat: Use Dragon Tempest for haste/damage pings. Swing with boosted Dragons (Thrakkus, Atarka). Titanic Ultimatum can close games.
   • Alt-Wins: Activate Hellkite Tyrant after combat damage or achieve Call the Spirit Dragons' counter condition.
   • Big Mana: Leverage Chromatic Orrery/Treasures for Exsanguinate or Genesis Ultimatum.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3+ lands including color fixing (e.g., Path of Ancestry + green source).
• Prioritize early ramp (1-3 CMC rocks/reducers) or a Tiamat enabler like Herald's Horn.
• Avoid hands lacking green/red mana or with only high-CMC Dragons.

Key Tips:

• Protect Tiamat: Equip Swiftfoot Boots immediately after casting. Use Deflecting Swat/Silence to counter removal.
• Sequence Dragons: Fetch Ancient Copper Dragon early for ramp; save Karrthus until opponents have Dragons.
• Leverage Triggers: Roaming Throne (naming Dragon) doubles "enter" or combat damage triggers (e.g., Ancient Dragons, Dragon Tempest).
• Recursion: Use Rivaz of the Claw/Haven of the Spirit Dragon to replay key Dragons from the graveyard.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Severe vulnerability to board wipes (e.g., Damnation, Farewell), as recovery is slow and lacks mass reanimation. Crux of Fate is insufficient protection.
• Commander-dependent strategy: Tiamat removal (especially counterspells) cripples consistency; recasting for 9+ mana is often untenable.
• Fragile mana base: Heavy reliance on tapped duals (10+ lands ETB tapped) slows critical turns; color screw is likely without perfect draws.

Moderate

• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace) disrupts Rivaz, Fearsome Awakening, and Eerie Ultimatum.
• Artifact/Enchantment removal targets key pieces like Urza's Incubator, Herald's Horn, or Call the Spirit Dragons.
• Stax effects (Drannith Magistrate, Damping Sphere) hinder Tiamat casting and big spells.

Minor

• Limited stack interaction: Counterspells are sparse (only Counterspell/Negate), making combo disruption difficult.
• Inefficient removal: Many targeted spells (Murder, Dispatch) are overcosted or conditional.

Most Important Cards:

• Tiamat (Primary tutor engine and strategy enabler)
• Bloom Tender (Explosive 5-color ramp)
• Urza's Incubator (Critical cost reduction for Dragons)
• Atarka, World Render (Combat damage multiplier)
• Thrakkus the Butcher (Combat damage multiplier)
• Ancient Copper Dragon (Ramp via Treasures)
• Roaming Throne (Doubles Dragon triggers)
• Dragon Tempest (Haste enabler and damage source)
• Hellkite Tyrant (Alt-win condition)
• Chromatic Orrery (Mana acceleration and card draw)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Capable of T7-8 wins with ideal ramp into Tiamat + Dragon swarm, but inconsistent due to mana constraints and high average CMC (4.1).

Resilience: 4/10

• Minimal protection for Tiamat/key pieces; slow recovery from wipes. Some recursion exists (Rivaz, Eerie Ultimatum), but heavily meta-dependent.

Consistency: 7/10

• Tiamat ensures Dragon access, and 10+ ramp pieces support casting. However, lacks non-commander tutors for critical non-Dragon enablers.

Interaction: 5/10

• Spot removal is present but inefficient (e.g., Murder, Pacifism). Counterspells are limited, and board wipes are self-symmetrical (Crux of Fate).

Rating Justification:

The deck aims for T7-8 wins through combat or alt-conditions but suffers from slow mana, commander dependency, and vulnerability to disruption. While Tiamat provides strong consistency, resilience is low without protection suites or fast recovery, capping its power below optimized tiers.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5