Dragons of Tarkir is the last “third set” we’re likely to see for a while; per the official Wizards of the Coast announcement, after Dragons of Tarkir and
Magic Origins, the game will move to a “two sets per block, two blocks per year” model, with three blocks legal for Standard at a time. (This will have the
unusual effect of rotating Khans of Tarkir and Fate Reforged out of Standard at the appointed time next year, while still leaving Dragons of Tarkir in it.)
One of the main reasons for the change to the two-block model is that third sets, historically, haven’t lived up to expectations. All too often, design
space feels “mined out” or players simply get tired of the third set’s elaboration on a block theme. Worse yet, when the third set does switch things up,
it can be even more of a disaster:
Saviors of Kamigawa:
Encouraged players not to deploy their cards (for example, Descendant of Kiyomaro gave a benefit for hand size). Kataki, War’s Wage was one of the few
things that set had going for it…and I say that as an “Affinity until the day it’s banned” player in Modern!
Rise of the Eldrazi
and Avacyn Restored: Completely disconnected from their preceding two sets mechanically, a thematic misstep. Both also encouraged a completely
different “battlecruiser” style of Magic not supported by their preceding sets. Casual value? Check. Fun? Um…
Dragon’s Maze:
Tried to jam ten guilds into one small set after devoting two large sets to five guilds each. Beyond Voice of Resurgence, most of the set’s cards are
little more than a memory.
The irony is that Wizards of the Coast finally might have figured out how to make a third set, and specifically a large third set, work out…but it was a
solution that would only work once a decade, if not only once ever.
Time travel’s just too big of a gimmick to repeat with any frequency, and as for the danger of repeating gimmicks, just ask M. Night Shyamalan, who deployed an effective ending plot twist in his third feature-length
film, The Sixth Sense, but then went back to theTwilight Zone well forUnbreakable (Okay),Signs (Okay-ish), and The Village (uh-oh), and now is seen largely as a trick filmmaker who
can’t do anything new. If you can find it anywhere, try watching his first film, Praying with Anger; it’s not the M. Night Shyamalan you think you know.
To jump from one movie comparison to another, Khans block as a whole is Magic meets Back to the Future: start with a present (Khans), monkey with the past
(save Ugin, the Spirit Dragon of Planeswalkerly Planeswalkerliness), and come back to a changed present (Dragons). Wizards had the sense not to drive a
gimmick like time travel into the ground, but when there are no more chances to do so…why not?
So here we are: Dragons of Tarkir. Because many Dragons of Tarkir cards are meant as reflections of Khans of Tarkir cards, noting them all would run
unacceptably long, but you might want to go through the spoiler card-by-card to make your own discoveries.
As for this flavor review, I’ll talk about the cards that caught my eye, for good or ill, in a rapid-fire format. As I’m a word nerd, I’ll focus on flavor
text more than art, though I’ll be sure to hit my highlights (and lowlights) in the latter category. Onward!
White
Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit
– One wonders if Anafenza, like Narset, stumbled upon a hidden truth. While it’s hard to argue that Anafenza’s better off dead than alive, perhaps her
spirit feels more purpose than she ever did in her human form.
Aven Tactician
– The flavor text feels oddly bloodless. As an overzealous Wikipedia editor might point out, who so esteems the aven?
Champion of Arashin
– New artist sighting! Joseph Meehan doesn’t have that much of a web presence (his website just links to an
infrequently updated Blogspot), but what little’s there shows his talent. It’s a pity I don’t like the piece more, but it’s obviously digital in a
plasticky way, and with my traditional-art biases he’ll have a tough climb to me. I hope to see more from him nonetheless.
Echoes of the Kin Tree
– Another Anafenza reference. I feel as if I’m short an Uncharted Realms of understanding what happened to her, as the kin-trees were uprooted more than a
millennium ago.
Fate Forgotten
– There’s skillful exposition, and then there’s infodumping. This flavor text is the latter.
Misthoof Kirin
– A clear echo of Alabaster Kirin from Khans.
Pacifism
– I wish I could figure out which of the main figures is speaking. Either way the card’s a hoot, and the latest in a line of “funny” Pacifisms.
Sandcrafter Mage
– Though this flavor text hinges on knowledge of glass-making techniques, I find it
beautiful and add it to my “wish I’d written that” pile.
Silkwrap
– The flavor text pun might’ve been put on a tee, but someone still had to take the swing. Well done.
Blue
Ancient Carp
– The “translated from Draconic” bit bothers me a little, but only a little. Someone who doesn’t read Uncharted Realms wouldn’t know that the Elder Dragons
speak no other tongue.
Anticipate
– Can we all just take a moment to appreciate how much Lake Hurwitz is killing it here? For a newer artist he’s making quite an impression.
Contradict
– It’s not Force of Will, but it is a counterspell that costs 3UU … and the art is cool!
Glint
– It’s a bit of an unusual name for a blue card, but I love the concept (echoes of Master of Pearls from Khans of Tarkir?) and the use of yet another
one-syllable name.
Living Lore
– Living Lore, I played with Walking Atlas. I knew Walking Atlas. Walking Atlas was a friend of mind. Living Lore, you’re no Walking Atlas. (Though your last ability is pretty flavorful.)
Negate
– The flavor text of this card later was recorded on a scroll and stored in the Repository of Oh Snap.
Sidisi’s Faithful
– …and this is the scroll right next to Negate’s.
Sight Beyond Sight
– Among the many images of “monks looking cool posing” in the set (and they feel as numerous in blue and white as do dragons), this one stands out for
sheer scope.
Updraft Elemental
– I think the “X Elemental” naming trend just jumped the shark with this one.
Youthful Scholar
– More great art from Cynthia Sheppard. I love how he’s trying so hard to look posh, and mostly he just looks ridiculous.
Black
Blood-Chin Rager
– The one-line flavor text makes me nod even as the art makes me shudder.
Deadly Wanderings
– Oh, hey, Sorin. I was wondering when you’d show.
Defeat
– I can tell Wizards Creative thought a long time about using this name. I find the card reprintable enough to be worthy of it.
Duress
– A clear Dragons counterpart to Despise in Khans of Tarkir. (Also, Thoughtseize – Despise – Duress all in one Standard? Yikes.)
Flatten
– Another wicked one-word name, another evergreen card. I approve!
Gravepurge
– Footbottom Feast gets another chance and a new evergreen name.
Marang River Skeleton
– Hmm, looks like the past 1280 years haven’t been kind to the Marang River Prowler. (Then again, how will I look in 1280 years?)
Mind Rot
– It’s a pity Asmala is stuck on one world. I could stand to hear her brand of snarky evil in multiple sets.
Qarsi Sadist
– Elegantly composed and a piece of art that absolutely could not have been done while Wizards was reacting to moral panics.
Self-Inflicted Wound
– The repetition of “watch” in the flavor text bugs me. Unless there’s a mirror handy, how is the victim supposed to “watch?”
Silumgar Butcher
– Zombie Djinn. Zombie. Djinn. It’s not often that type line makes a card, but this one’s marvelous!
Virulent Plague
– I get where the flavor text is trying to go — the Mardu can’t chase their bloodlust when afflicted by this plague — but it’s far too unclear. A missed
opportunity, and a pity.
Red
Commune with Lava
– The efreet, no longer welcome in the Jeskai as they became Ojutai, move over to Temur. I’m not sure how Atarka made her promise, though, with her being
painted as, for want of a better term, rather stupid in her Uncharted Realms appearances so far.
Crater Elemental
– See Updraft Elemental, with the additional concern that when I think “crater,” I think meteors more than volcanoes.
Dragonlord’s Servant
– This card’s big callback is actually to Shards of Alara, where goblins put on something far tastier.
Kolaghan Forerunners / Kolaghan Stormsinger / Lightning Berserker
– Three cards in a row with trippy patterns in the art! Of the three, I like Lightning Berserker the best.
Roast
– Unlike some of the other one-word names in the set, I’m not happy with Roast. The card feels oddly specific in a way Defeat doesn’t, even though both are
removal spells with restrictions. Maybe it’s the one-syllable part and Roast doesn’t feel “special” enough.
Sarkhan’s Triumph
– Take the picture, rework the flavor text, and this would be the Vorthos card of the set.
Summit Prowler
– Aside from basic lands, this is one of the few straight reprints between Khans and Dragons of Tarkir, though there are the expected tweaks to art and
flavor text.
Tail Slash
– There’s an understated wit to the flavor text that I appreciate, sprinkled with a bit of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Tormenting Voice
– Another within-block reprint but with an even starker change to art and flavor text, substituting the just-awakened Ugin for Sarkhan.
Twin Bolt
– I’ll admit to a pet peeve here: never “utilize” when “use” works just as well.
Zurgo Bellstriker
– Did Zurgo really get that much of a downgrade? He’s still as tough as ever.
Green
Ainok Artillerist
– What makes this expository flavor text work? First, it features someone with the right perspective talking (Sarkhan). Second, it does an effective
comparison-and-contrast. Third, it wraps itself up quickly, establishing the thought and retreating to silence. I can’t ask for much more.
Atarka Beastbreaker
– Through an unknown mechanism, the beastbreaker’s uniform has spread across various planes.
Colossodon Yearling
– The word “quickly” is unnecessary in the flavor text, but I appreciate the humor of the “gentle flip.”
Epic Confrontation
– Punching bears, punching dragons — is no creature safe?
Guardian Shield-Bearer
– While Lindsey Look has had work appear online and in Commander 2014, Dragons of Tarkir is her Standard-legal debut.
Lurking Arynx / Naturalize
– One flavor text works, and one doesn’t. Even though I don’t know where the places are on Lurking Arynx, I get the flavor of geography, but on Naturalize,
I have nothing to hook into — it’s a bald fact that says no truths.
Pinion Feast
– The classic flavor text that says more about the speaker than the subject.
Press the Advantage
– What’s going on with her face? No, seriously. It’s in uncanny valley territory. Highly
unsettling.
Servant of the Scale
– Yet another gorgeous Winona Nelson portrait. Never gets old.
Stampeding Elk Herd / Tread Upon
– Though they’re by different artists, these two illustrations go together marvelously. While I’m on the topic of Stampeding Elk Herd, Carl Frank has one of the most unusual Magic careers I’ve ever seen: one card in Tempest, work from Future Sight
through Eventide, and now this card pops up almost at random.
Colorless
Basic lands
– It’s actually been a while since Wizards has printed a “bad” basic land illustration; frankly, there are too many talented, proud professionals in the
stable (John Avon, Noah Bradley, Titus Lunter, Adam Paquette, and many more) to have a disaster go through unchecked. Out of the fifteen in the set,
though, only one is drop-the-mic good: #264/264 itself, Titus Lunter’s second Forest.
Custodian of the Trove
– A continuation of the X of the Y name theme from Khans and Fate Reforged, after Witness of the Ages and Pilgrim of the Fires, representing the
Witness/Pilgrim in this changed timeframe.
Keeper of the Lens
– Yep, Lens of Clarity isn’t quite strong enough as just an artifact. A 1/2 body is more like it!
Scion of Ugin
– A strongly “story-influenced” card, Scion of Ugin’s flavor text explains a sizable chunk of the Khans block’s story in one paragraph.
Tapestry of the Ages
– I love the sense of scale of the scroll. An extremely limited palette, but deployed to excellent effect.
Multicolor
Arashin Sovereign
– While I get the sentiment of the flavor text, do the Ojutai really face that many rebellions? Seems off.
Cunning Breezedancer
– The flavor text moves into “duh” territory. I’d be less harsh if I hadn’t seen the theme before, and done better, on Verduran Enchantress.
Dragonlord Silumgar
– My favorite of all the five new Elder Dragon illustrations, if only for the Tasigur necklace. (Take a good look at the pendant Silumgar’s wearing much as Rose once wore the Heart of the Ocean.)
Narset Transcendent
– It felt like only a matter of time before the talented Magali Villeneuve would get her first planeswalker, and here it is! The frame feels a bit cramped,
but make no mistake: the highly trained, super-skilled, and neurodivergent Narset is ready and willing
to splat you if you get between her and the truth.
Sarkhan Unbroken
– This is Aleksi Briclot’s ninth planeswalker, after the original five from Lorwyn; Gideon Jura; Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas; and Vraska the Unseen.
**
Whew! I love these long set reviews, but they take a lot out of me. I think I’ll kick back with some Opera Roanoke
to go with my Prerelease weekend. Good luck, have fun, and quote some flavor text as you smash face!