Overview:

This Talion, the Kindly Lord deck is a high-powered Dimir combo/control hybrid leveraging cEDH staples and efficient wincons. The strategy focuses on assembling Thassa's Oracle/Demonic Consultation lines while disrupting opponents with free counterspells and stax elements like Winter Orb. Fast mana and 10+ tutors enable explosive starts, while reanimation packages provide alternative angles.

Primer:

Core Strategy: This deck aims to win by T2-4 through 3 primary vectors:

1. Turbo Oracle: Use Demonic Consultation/Tainted Pact with Thassa's Oracle (6 tutors including Imperial Seal and Wishclaw Talisman)
2. Ad Nauseam Storm: Leverage 29 cards with CMC ≤1 (including 0-mana artifacts) to chain into Yawgmoth's Will or Bolas's Citadel wins
3. Reanimation Backup: Entomb + Reanimate targets like Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant or Razaketh for value

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with fast mana (≥2 of Mox Diamond, Mana Vault, Dark Ritual)
• Prioritize T1 Mystic Remora or Necropotence for card advantage
• Reject hands without blue source + free interaction (Force of Will, Mental Misstep)

Key Tips:

• Use Talion's number selection to pressure life totals (4/5 are optimal for hitting common mana values)
• Dauthi Voidwalker disrupts opponents' graveyards while enabling your own reanimation
• Clock of Omens untaps Grim Monolith/Mana Vault for infinite colorless

Avoid Traps:

• Don't cast Talion without protection in early turns
• Prioritize combo assembly over incremental value
• Use Defense Grid before critical turns to force through wins

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• Relies on 2-card combos with limited protection (only 3 hexproof sources)
• Weak to Drannith Magistrate + Leyline of Sanctity locks

Moderate:

• High life payment cards (12 sources) vulnerable to burn
• Limited artifact/enchantment removal

Most Important Cards:

• Thassa's Oracle
• Demonic Consultation
• Ad Nauseam
• Necropotence
• Mana Vault
• Force of Will
• Yawgmoth's Will
• Demonic Tutor
• Tainted Pact
• Grim Monolith

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 9/10

• Theoretical T1 win (T1 Land + Mox + Ritual → Consult/Oracle)
• Consistent T3 goldfish through 14 fast mana sources

Resilience: 8/10

• 7 free interaction spells (including Force of Negation)
• 5 recursion effects (Reanimate, Animate Dead)
• Weak to resolved Opposition Agent

Consistency: 9/10

• 12 tutors (including 5 unconditional)
• 8 card draw engines (Rhystic Study, The One Ring)
• 3 combo redundancies (Oracle/Pact/Consult)

Interaction: 8/10

• 14 counters/removal (6 free)
• Stax pieces (Winter Orb) slow opponents
• Lacks board wipes beyond Toxrill

Rating Justification:

This deck meets cEDH Tier 1 benchmarks (T2-3 protected wins) but lacks the absolute consistency of S-tier consultation decks running Underworld Breach. The 9.0-9.5 range reflects:

• Faster than Tier 2 cEDH (T3 avg vs T4)
• More fragile than Tier 0 (relies on 2-card combo)
• Superior interaction suite to High Power (8.0) decks

Power level: 9.0 - 9.5