Nigga... I don't know all the EU4 meta-strats, it's the only one of the 5 main Paradox game bar Stellaris that I can't get into. I actually had a pretty good start by fully annexing one of my 4 province neighbors to my south, I was gonna push on to the Rashidis to my north but the Mamluks declared war on me. The guide on the EU4 wiki says you can secure an alliance with the Mamluks immediately but that must be outdated since i can't secure an alliance with them OR the Timurids or even the Ottomans. Shame, since Najd seems like a nice simple start that can blob out like Hungary in HOI4, I didn't even have any problems with money like I did with England.
Edit: OK, annexed Jabal Shammar, then got an alliance with the Ottomans, I should be safe from the Mamluks now.