Overview:

This Dimir Faerie tribal deck helmed by Talion, the Kindly Lord combines disruptive flash creatures, incremental value engines, and political control elements. The strategy focuses on punishing opponents through Talion's number-based life loss/draw trigger (optimized around MV/power/toughness of 2-3 given Faerie tribal stats), while building an evasive board presence. Key themes include instant-speed interaction, Faerie token generation, and selective stax effects like Propaganda. Talion acts as both a value engine and win condition amplifier, while "hidden commanders" like Oona, Queen of the Fae and Nymris, Oona's Trickster provide alternative value paths.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3):
   • Cast Talion choosing 2 or 3 (aligning with most Faerie stats and common removal spells)
   • Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Talisman of Dominance) and value engines like Bitterblossom
   • Hold up interaction with flash creatures (Brazen Borrower, Hypnotic Sprite)

2. Midgame Control (Turns 4-6):

   • Activate Talion triggers by disrupting opponents' plays with counterspells (Spell Stutter, An Offer You Can't Refuse)
   • Deploy key value pieces: Kindred Discovery for draw, Glen Elendra Liege for buffs, Reconnaissance Mission for card advantage
   • Use political tools like Nettling Nuisance to redirect aggression

3. Endgame Closure:

   • Overwhelm with Faerie swarm enhanced by Obelisk of Urd
   • Leverage Oona, Queen of the Fae for exponential token generation/mill
   • Finish with Kindred Dominance wipe followed by rebuilt board

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands including UB sources
• Prioritize early plays: Bitterblossom, mana rocks, or flash creatures
• Ensure at least one interaction piece (counter/bounce)
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or color fixing

Key Tips:

• Time Talion's ETB trigger after assessing opponents' commanders
• Use Theoretical Duplication on opponents' value creatures during their turns
• Archmage of Echoes doubles critical Faerie/Wizard permanents like Scion of Oona
• Halo Forager can rebuy key instants like Tegwyll's Scouring from graveyards

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Heavy reliance on Talion staying active for value engine (no built-in protection)
• Struggles against wide token strategies that bypass flying defense
• Limited board wipe recovery outside Tegwyll's Scouring

Moderate

• Vulnerable to artifact/enchantment hate targeting key pieces (Bitterblossom, Kindred Discovery)
• Life loss from Bitterblossom/Feed the Swarm accelerates clock against aggro
• Mediocre at closing games without setup turns

Minor

• Some clunky high-CMC cards (Shadow Puppeteers, 6cmc Oona)
• Limited land untappers for Faerie Conclave/Dimir Aqueduct

Most Important Cards:

• Bitterblossom (Token generation engine)
• Kindred Discovery (Tribal card draw)
• Oona, Queen of the Fae (Alternate wincon)
• Propaganda (Combat deterrent)
• Archmage of Echoes (Value multiplier)
• Nymris, Oona's Trickster (Card selection)
• Spell Stutter (Tribal countermagic)
• Tegwyll's Scouring (Board reset + token generation)
• Glen Elendra Archmage (Recursive counter)
• Theoretical Duplication (Political cloning)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can establish soft locks by T5-6 but lacks explosive win conditions, relying on incremental damage from Talion triggers and evasive beats.

Resilience: 6/10

• Numerous flash threats and counterspells provide interaction, but over-reliance on Talion and vulnerable token generators creates fragility.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong tribal synergy and multiple draw engines (Kindred Discovery, Fact or Fiction) ensure steady access to key pieces.

Interaction: 7/10

• Excellent instant-speed interaction suite with targeted removal, bounce, and Fairie-specific counterspells, though lacks mass artifact/enchantment removal.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates as a focused tribal control list with optimized synergies but lacks the speed and redundancy of top-tier combos. Its ability to disrupt while building value aligns with strong casual play, but reliance on combat damage and political tools limits its ceiling.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5