Overview:

This Xenagos, God of Revels deck is a Gruul "power matters" build focused on deploying high-power creatures, amplifying their damage with Xenagos' combat trigger, and leveraging Dragon tribal synergies. The commander enables explosive one-shot kills by doubling a creature's power and granting haste. The deck combines ramp, cost reduction for Dragons, and damage multipliers like Fiery Emancipation and Solphim, Mayhem Dominus to create overwhelming threats. Secondary strategies include Dragon ETB/combat triggers (e.g., Terror of the Peaks, Utvara Hellkite), non-combat damage amplification, and an infect finisher via Triumph of the Hordes. Xenagos acts as the linchpin for the deck's aggression but isn't strictly essential due to redundant damage modifiers.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Prioritize ramp (Birds of Paradise, Sol Ring, Cultivate) and cost reducers (Dragonspeaker Shaman, Urza's Incubator). Deploy value engines like Elemental Bond or The Great Henge.
2. Midgame Threats (Turns 4-6): Cast Xenagos and high-impact creatures (Old Gnawbone, Klauth, Unrivaled Ancient). Use Xenagos' trigger to double a creature's power for lethal combat damage or enable Chandra's Ignition board wipes.
3. Win Conditions (Turns 5-8):
   • Combat: Swing with Xenagos-buffed creatures (e.g., Malignus deals 2x half an opponent's life total).
   • Damage Amplification: Stack multipliers like Fiery Emancipation + Solphim, Mayhem Dominus for 6x damage on noncombat triggers.
   • Infect: Triumph of the Hordes turns any wide board into a poison win.
   • Dragon Synergies: Utvara Hellkite and Scourge of Valkas create exponential damage through token generation.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (prioritize green sources).
• Ensure at least one ramp spell (e.g., Cultivate, Sol Ring) and one early threat/value engine (Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma, Elemental Bond).
• Favor hands with protection (Heroic Intervention, Tyvar's Stand) against removal-heavy metas.

Key Tips:

• Use Defense of the Heart to cheat out Malignus + Terror of the Peaks for instant lethal.
• Klauth, Unrivaled Ancient generates massive mana for post-combat Earthquake or Last March of the Ents.
• Rogue's Passage ensures unblocked Xenagos triggers.
• Sacrifice Malignus to Momentous Fall for a full hand refill.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Board wipes (e.g., Blasphemous Act) reset the deck's tall board presence with minimal recursion.
• Enchantment removal targeting Xenagos, Fiery Emancipation, or Rhythm of the Wild disrupts core damage amplification.
• Instant-speed interaction during combat negates Xenagos' buff (e.g., Swords to Plowshares on the targeted creature).

Moderate

• Artifact hate cripples mana acceleration (Sol Ring, Urza's Incubator) and Dragon's Hoard.
• Flying blockers can stall ground-based threats without trample.
• Tax effects (Thalia, Guardian of Thraben) slow the deck's high-CMC curve.

Minor

• Limited graveyard reliance minimizes impact from Rest in Peace.
• Cursed Totem only affects a few mana dorks (Birds of Paradise).

Most Important Cards:

• Xenagos, God of Revels (Primary damage enabler)
• Fiery Emancipation (Triples damage for OTKs)
• Malignus (One-shot kill with Xenagos)
• Terror of the Peaks (Noncombat damage engine)
• Defense of the Heart (Tutors game-ending creatures)
• The Great Henge (Card draw + counters)
• Klauth, Unrivaled Ancient (Mana generation for explosive turns)
• Triumph of the Hordes (Alternate win condition)
• Chandra's Ignition (Board wipe + burn)
• Solphim, Mayhem Dominus (Damage doubler with protection)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10
Capable of T4 Xenagos into T5 lethal combat damage (e.g., Malignus + Xenagos = 40+ damage) or T6 Fiery Emancipation-amplified Chandra's Ignition.

Resilience: 5/10
Limited protection for key creatures beyond Tyvar's Stand and Heroic Intervention. Relies on rebuilding via card draw (Rishkar's Expertise) after wipes.

Consistency: 7/10
Strong ramp (14+ sources), creature tutors (Sarkhan's Triumph, Defense of the Heart), and card draw engines (The Great Henge, Elemental Bond) ensure reliable threat deployment.

Interaction: 5/10
Focused on combat tricks and targeted removal (Destructive Revelry, Dragon's Fire). Lacks countermagic but includes redirection (Bolt Bend, Deflecting Swat).

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a 6.5 - 7.0 power level, threatening wins as early as T5 with optimal draws through combat or damage amplification. While its speed matches optimized casual tiers, reliance on combat and vulnerability to interaction prevent it from reaching cEDH viability.

Power level: 6.5 - 7.0