Overview:

This Temur deck leverages Eshki, Temur's Roar as a value engine and win condition accelerator, built around casting high-power creatures. The strategy focuses on explosive ramp (dorks, land enchantments, premium lands) to deploy massive threats early, triggering Eshki's card draw and direct damage abilities. Key themes include cost reduction (Defiler of Vigor, Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma), cascade/value off high-CMC spells (Apex Devastator, Etali, Primal Conqueror), and combat overruns enhanced by doublers like Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus. Eshki is essential as the primary card advantage engine and win-con enabler; its low base cost allows early deployment, but the deck suffers significantly if removed repeatedly. Selvala, Heart of the Wilds and Food Chain act as potent "hidden commanders" for alternative lines.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Explosive Ramp (Turns 1-3): Deploy mana dorks (Birds of Paradise, Elvish Mystic), land enchantments (Utopia Sprawl, Wild Growth), or land drops via Exploration/Burgeoning. Prioritize fixing for Temur colors. Gaea's Cradle and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx (with Defiler of Vigor) enable massive turns.
2. Deploy Eshki & Value Engines (Turns 3-4): Cast Eshki early to start accumulating counters. Follow with card draw engines (Beast Whisperer, Garruk's Uprising, The Great Henge) or cost reducers (Goreclaw, Defiler). Use Roaming Throne naming "Warrior" to double Eshki triggers.
3. Cast High-Power Threats (Turns 4-6): Drop creatures with power 4+ (e.g., Ghalta, Primal Hunger, Phyrexian Dreadnought, Apex Devastator) to draw cards and deal damage via Eshki. Leverage cascade/ETB value (Etali, Apex Devastator). Food Chain + exiling creatures like Eternal Scourge (assumed inclusion) generates infinite mana.
4. Win Condition Execution:
   • Eshki Burn: Cast multiple power 6+ creatures (e.g., Ancient Bronze Dragon, Cavern-Hoard Dragon) in one turn to trigger Eshki's damage ability repeatedly, potentially eliminating opponents.
   • Combat Overrun: Use Xenagos, God of Revels, Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus, or Craterhoof Behemoth (tutorable) for lethal combat damage.
   • Infinite Mana: Convert Food Chain/Selvala, Heart of the Wilds mana into Walking Ballista (assumed) or Apex Devastator cascades.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including color fixing), 1-2 ramp pieces (dork/enchantment/fetch), and either Eshki or a high-power threat.
• Prioritize hands with Food Chain, Selvala, Heart of the Wilds, or a tutor (Worldly Tutor, Survival of the Fittest) if available.
• Avoid hands lacking ramp or filled with only high-CMC cards without setup.

Key Tips:

• Sequence Threats Wisely: Cast lower-power creatures before Eshki to avoid wasting triggers. Save power 6+ creatures for a burst turn with Eshki on board.
• Protect Eshki: Use Deflecting Swat, Fierce Guardianship, Tamiyo's Safekeeping, or Lightning Greaves to shield Eshki from removal.
• Leverage Tutors: Survival of the Fittest and Worldly Tutor fetch combo pieces (Selvala, Ballista), finishers (Craterhoof), or protection.
• Exploit ETBs: Etali, Primal Conqueror and Apex Devastator provide immense value; recur them with Eternal Witness (assumed) if possible.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Heavy Commander Reliance: Eshki removal cripples card draw/damage output. The deck lacks redundancy for its core engine.
• Board Wipe Vulnerability: Limited mass protection (only Heroic Intervention) makes recovery difficult after wipes.
• Anti-Synergy Stax: Cursed Totem/Linvala, Keeper of Silence shut down mana dorks, Selvala, and Food Chain. Torpor Orb nullifies ETB value from Etali/Apex Devastator.

Moderate

• Graveyard Hate: Disrupts recursion (Uro escape, Eternal Witness) and Food Chain lines if using exiled creatures.
• Artifact/Enchantment Focused Removal: Targets key pieces like Food Chain, The Great Henge, and Curiosity.
• Stack Interaction: Counterspells on Eshki or combo pieces delay the game plan significantly.

Minor

• Life Payment Costs: Defiler of Vigor, Mana Confluence, and fetchlands can pressure life totals against aggressive decks.
• Limited Non-Creature Interaction: Struggles against resolved non-creature permanents without Boseiju/Otawara.

Most Important Cards:

• Food Chain (Infinite mana/combo enabler)
• Selvala, Heart of the Wilds (Explosive ramp, combo piece)
• Eshki, Temur's Roar (Core engine: card draw, damage, win condition)
• Defiler of Vigor (Cost reduction, board-wide counters)
• Gaea's Cradle (Unparalleled mana acceleration)
• Apex Devastator (Cascade value, immediate board impact)
• The Great Henge (Card draw, counters, ramp)
• Survival of the Fittest (Tutor any creature)
• Xenagos, God of Revels (Combat finisher)
• Roaming Throne (Doubles Eshki triggers)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 8/10

• Capable of T3-4 wins with perfect hands (e.g., T1 dork → T2 Defiler → T3 multiple high-power creatures + Eshki triggers). Routinely threatens T5-6 kills via combat or Eshki burn.

Resilience: 6/10

• Protection spells (Deflecting Swat, Fierce Guardianship) and recursion (Uro, Eternal Witness) offer recovery, but commander dependency and vulnerability to wipes/stax limit robustness.

Consistency: 7/10

• Abundant ramp and tutors (Survival, Worldly Tutor) ensure early acceleration and access to key pieces, but win-con assembly can be disrupted by interaction.

Interaction: 6/10

• Efficient counterspells (Force of Will, Swan Song) and targeted removal (Boseiju, Otawara) handle key threats, but lacks board wipes and has limited stack control outside blue.

Rating Justification:

This deck achieves high-power turns 3-4 consistently through premium ramp and cost reduction, aligning with Tier 2 cEDH speed benchmarks. However, its reliance on Eshki and vulnerability to stax/removal reduce resilience below top-tier decks, placing it in the High Power range. The presence of Food Chain/Selvala combos further supports this rating.

Power level: 8.0 - 8.5