Dragons of Tarkir feels a little too much like Dragon’s Maze for my liking (let’s hope the “All MTG sets with Dragon in the title” doesn’t become the game’s version of “All movies that mention Mars suck”). There’s big and flashy creatures, full of power, but they all look too expensive to dominate Standard, or branch out into other formats. Fortunately, unlike Dragon’s Maze, it looks like there’s enough meat on the set’s bones so that it’s not all fat and gristle. Still, it’s kinda telling when the Dragons are the least interesting thing in the set about Dragons.
My Top Ten cards for Dragons of Tarkir. A caveat, remember that I generally prefer Modern to Standard and I tend to occasionally overrate cards that have “build around me!” potential (as well as cards named [card]Aurelia’s Fury[/card]).
Honorable Mention: [card]Myth Realized[/card]: I want to believe that this card is good. I can see scenarios where it will be game wrecking, and games when you’ll draw it on turn nine, pump it twice, and then watch it die to a [card]Dromoka’s Command[/card]. The power is there, it just depends on what shape the format takes.
10. Elder Dragons: Okay, this is kind of a cheat. I get it. But, I guarantee that you’ll lose to each of these at least once if you’re playing a meaningful number of Standard games of the next 18 months. Which Dragon is best at any time is going to depend on the meta, but I think Ojutai may be the finisher control decks were looking for, Dromoka will have the biggest sideboard impact, and Atarka will have a few decks dedicated to his/her honor.
9. [card]Thunderbreak Regent[/card]: The Bolt dragon may not be all that eld, or legendary, but he sits in a better spot on the curve and guarantees that your opponent will take damage to get rid of him (barring sweepers, but who plays with THOSE). The double red casting cost may even be a boon, as Nykthos is lurking at the back of the format, waiting for a chance to shine once more.
8. [card]Roast[/card] and [card]Rending Volley[/card]: I’m lumping these together because I expect them to see about the same amount of play, but in different formats. Roast may as well say, “Destroy target Siege Rhino” in its text box, and I expect to see it heavily played in Standard. Even if we return to the Battlecruiser Magic of the Titans era, and the format devolves into whoever has the last Dragon wins, Roast will still have a sideboard slot waiting. [card]Rending Volley[/card] is another tool to fight the menace that is [card]Splinter Twin[/card] in Modern (I’m usually against bannings, but can we just set fire to Twin already, please?).
7. [card]Surrak, The Hunt Caller[/card]: Surrak is going to attack the format like the guy that shows up late to a frat party already drunk, falling through tables and making a mess in his pants. I initially dismissed him as yet another five power behemoth for four mana, but after closer inspection, it is so easy to turn him into a hastey five power behemoth for four mana that he will see play. And, you’re pretty much guaranteed to give any five drop you play afterwards haste if he’s on the board. Surrak will be responsible for more, “Wait, how in the hell did I just lose?” games than any other card in the set.
6. [card]Sarkhan Unbroken[/card]: I love Narset. I do, really. In fact, the first deck I’ve built for post Dragons Standard is a Narset deck (spoilers, it’s below). But, I don’t think she has as much potential as Sarkhan. Three colors make him difficult to play, but the fact that one of those colors is green negates the drawback. He meets all the criteria for a powerful planeswalker except one (he costs five instead of four, but if Gideon can see play at five mana, I’m betting Sarkhan can too).
5. [card]Collected Company[/card]: I’m not-so-secretly hoping that this card can revive a Melira-Pod-esque deck in Modern. It curves perfectly with [card]Congregation at Dawn[/card] (getting Melira, [card]Kitchen Finks[/card], and [card]Viscera Seer[/card], stack it so you draw and play [card]Viscera Seer[/card] then cast this to complete the combo), but there’s nothing shabby about just playing it for two [card]Tarmogoyf[/card]s either. If you play enough creatures, you’re getting 6 mana worth of spell for four at instant speed. If you have any way to manipulate your deck, it gets even nuttier. If you’re still messing around with a Doran deck in Modern, this is a card to consider.
4. [card]Sidisi, Undead Vizier[/card]: As if Whip decks needed another awesome card. Sidisi is the one card with the most bom potential in the set. She clogs up the ground; nothing is getting through her with that great big behind, and even if it tries, DEATHTOUCH, MOFO. She allows you to slip a few situationally powerful cards into your deck, or smooths out your draws. Need that land drop to make sure you can play a [card]Hornet Queen[/card] or Dragon of your choice? She can find it. Have the land and need the finisher? She can get that too. I can see her starring in a Rock deck, powered out early by mana dorks that she can Exploit to find the card you need to lock down the game. At five mana, she’s unbelievably efficient, and I may regret leaving her this low.
3. [card]Anticipate[/card]: This feels super boring to rate this as the third best card in the set. It’s not Ponder or [card]Preordain[/card], but it’s the best we have in standard and will find an immediate home. It may even see play in Modern if you think it’s better than [card]Telling Time[/card] (kinda, sorta, maybe). Standard has needed a worthwhile two mana draw spell, and this fills the role (plus, being ¾ of an Impulse is still good enough).
2. [card]Dromoka’s Command[/card]: This is totally a homer pick, as most of my favorite decks love this card. [card]Atarka’s Command[/card] is supposedly better in Modern (red decks will love it), but this gives GW a maindeck way to fight [card]Splinter Twin[/card] without watering down the deck. In Modern, canceling out a [card]Lightning Bolt[/card], bolstering a [card]Tarmogoyf[/card] to win in a fight, and being able to take down a [card]Splinter Twin[/card] at instant speed, presents enough versatility to be a staple. Coupled with the fact that this may be the best Standard format ever for “Sacrifice an Enchantment” to be maindeck worthy, and I see [card]Dromoka’s Command[/card] as the best of the lot.
1. [card]Ojutai Exemplars[/card]: I get that this card is hard to evaluate, and it’s totally dependent on the number of non-creature spells your deck is running to gain maximum value. But, this card can come down and completely take over the game. I can see it played alongside [card]Anticipate[/card] in a aggro-control deck, I can see it coupled with burn in W/R, I can see it as the top end of a WG aggro deck (the options presented by pairing this with [card]Dromoka’s Command[/card] is like trying to compute Pi to the 100th decimal using only your fingers and toes). For the low, low cost of playing non-creature spells, you can turn this into the closest thing Standard has to an [card]Aetherling[/card] or Baneslayer. I can even see it being played in Modern.
And now, time for an early brew. I wanted this one to highlight a few of the Dragons of Tarkir cards.
[deck title=OverWhelmed – Travis Hall]
[Lands]
4 Flooded Strand
3 Windswept Heath
3 Tranquil Cove
4 Temple of Enlightenment
5 Plains
4 Island
1 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Ojutai Exemplars
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Myth Realized
4 Anticipate
3 Disdainful Stroke
4 Banishing Light
4 Whelming Wave
4 Narset Transcendent
1 Aetherspouts
1 End Hostilities
4 Treasure Cruise
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
2 Secure the Wastes
[/Spells]
[/deck]
Man, doesn’t Rebound on a [card]Whelming Wave[/card] feel like the most brain-numbingly aggravating play a deck can make in standard?
If you like my suggestions, you can follow me on Twitter: @travishall456. I throw around random observations and deck ideas every day. You can also hear me on the [card]Horde of Notions[/card] podcast each week, discussing deck ideas for FNM level events and the PTQ grinders.
Travis Hall is a resident Mana D rogue deck brewer with an unhealthy addiction to Heartless Summoning and Birthing Pod.