The Dragons of Tarkir have arrived in what looks to be one of the most exciting sets for Commander in recent memory. Whether you want big, fire- (and other
element) breathing dragons or very tricksy tricks, Dragons of Tarkir is the set for you. As soon as the set is released, you’re going to see card after
card from DTK in your local playgroup.
I’ll do a variation on a theme of the way I commonly review sets. I’ll still rate cards as Will Likely Get Played and Will Definitely Get Played, but I’m
dropping the Won’t Get Played category. There’s no sense in making you read through a list of cards which don’t fit well into the format just to get to the
juicy stuff. Last week, I talked about two significant cards
and a bunch of the dragons which had already been spoiled. I’ll touch on all of them again (with some new insights, instead of just repeating myself).
Remember that this is a set review for Commander only. There are many fine cards for Limited and other Constructed formats that we won’t see in the
100-card decks.
Will Likely Get Played
These cards either have situational uses or look interesting enough that some folks will give them a run to see how they work out. Tribal cards that aren’t
necessarily bombs are likely to end up here.
White
Arashin Foremost: We’re most likely to see this in a Boros-style attacking deck or something led by a Warrior commander, such as Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer
or Brion Stoutarm, and of course, Ruhan of the Fomori.
Fate Forgotten: While I’m putting this in the “likely” column, if there were a “no, really, you should play this” column, that’s where it would go. Because
of the multiple graveyard and deck recursion strategies in the format, exile is a powerhouse. I might eventually look toward most of my spot removal being
exile instead of destroy.
Gleam of Authority: If you’re playing with the +1/+1 counter theme, this could make one of your creatures doubly large. The thing that makes the card
potentially playable is the low mana cost and giving the creature vigilance.
Graceblade Artisan: There are already Enchantress decks, right?
Herald of Dromoka: Ruhan having vigilance seems slightly awesome.
Radiant Purge: See Fate Forgotten. In the world where gods exist, you need some weapons.
Secure the Wastes: Given the art, those should be sand warriors.
Shieldhide Dragon: This probably wouldn’t get played if it were any other creature type-although that gives me a cool design idea. You basically make the
same card, only this is a changeling and you choose a creature type when you turn it face up.
Blue
Belltoll Dragon: The megamorph cost is too damn high!
Contradict: It counters a spell and draws a card. People will try it out and then realize that Desertion is better at the mana cost.
Icefall Regent: Kind of a mini flying Frost Titan without repeatability. There’s probably room for it in some kind of creature lockdown deck.
Living Lore: Because the conditions under which you can recast the card are limited-it’s no Snapcaster Mage-this gets bumped down a spot. If you’re playing
this, you’re probably set up to recur it, so you might have lots of chances to cast your stuff over and over.
Mirror Mockery: Someone has already asked me why the token creature doesn’t come in tapped and attacking. For one, I think this was designed to be a
defensive card. Two, it only costs two mana.
Mystic Meditation: Drawing cards and setting up your graveyard. This is my kind of plan.
Shorecrasher Elemental: Seems like a long way around to get a 4/4, but it might be a fine enabler for things that trigger when creatures enter the
battlefield.
Stratus Dancer: If you just want a counterspell, play a counterspell. This might go into a manifest deck as a role-player of some kind.
Youthful Scholar: Perhaps in an Azami deck since it’s a wizard, but you’re just drawing so many cards anyway, it might not matter.
Black
Acid-Spewer Dragon: I’m not yet sold on the megamorph dragons. Hopefully there’s something cooler down the list.
Ambuscade Shaman: I think folks will quickly realize this is a “win more” card off of Living Death or Rise of the Dark Realms.
Deathbringer Regent: Interesting design space here might have had it kill non-dragon creatures.
Foul Renewal: I see this as a card that’s better than it looks the first time you see it. It helps you do two things, neither of which you’d pay 3B for
alone, but together they have nice synergy.
Foul-Tongue Invocation: Your Thraximundar decks will probably give this a run. Remember, you can always target yourself.
Silumgar Butcher: Probably worth a look for your zombie tribal deck.
Virulent Plague: Is your local group having trouble with Avenger of Zendikar? Unleash the plague.
Red
Atarka Pummeler: There are more efficient ways of keeping opponents’ creatures from blocking. I suspect with this in play you won’t have too much trouble
getting to eight power.
Berserkers’ Onslaught: It might be a little pricey at first look, but double strike is so good that folks will take a second look.
Dragon Whisperer: It feels like it’s good, but a conditional and more easily killable Dragon Roost doesn’t quite cut the mustard in my book (although
really, who cuts mustard?).
Dragonlord’s Servant: In environments that are Wrath-happy, you’re better off just playing a ramp spell to get the extra land into play. Even in
environments in which creatures survive longer, I still wonder how often this will allow you play a second dragon spell in a turn, which is the only time
it’s more valuable than a land.
Lose Calm: I think this is a little bit of a sleeper. It’s a Threaten effect that creates a blocking condition. Don’t discount using this on your own
creature to get that final push when someone has only a single blocker available.
Sarkhan’s Triumph: Red is pretty weak in the tutor department, so being able to go get that one dragon you want/need changes the math.
Stormwing Dragon: In general, dragons are big enough that they don’t need the extra help. If you’re doing things where those counters matter, then it’s a
different story-just make sure no one is playing Kulrath Knight.
Thunderbreak Regent: While the ability is okay, what might get this played is that it only costs four. It’s still a tribal card, but it slots in quite
nicely.
Warbringer: In the trim, I don’t think dash is quite beefy enough to be impactful enough in the format, but Warbringer’s cost reduction may enable you to
fuel some sort of engine that simply cares about creatures entering the battlefield.
Green
Ainok Survivalist: When playing this instead of Nantuko Vigilante, you just have to ask if you prefer Hound Shaman over Insect Druid Mutant. The major
actual difference is that it can only target things your opponents control, so you can’t get rid of the Jinxed Choker that’s about to kill you.
Assault Formation: Doran, the Siege Tower is already pretty cool. Since a number of the dragons in this block have greater toughness than power, I can see
this getting some consideration.
Deathmist Raptor: Obscenely strong in Limited, this has some distinct possibilities in a heavy morph deck for Commander. Sure, they can see it coming, but
that’s by definition a rattlesnake.
Den Protector: We love Eternal Witness, so I’m pretty sure we’ll like its slightly-less pretty sister, Den Protector.
Display of Dominance: Black has the best targeted removal, and blue is pretty good at stealing your stuff. Cheap mana cost and nicely flexible, it will get
rid of any number of things that are plaguing your green decks, like Dictate of Erebos or Propaganda.
Epic Confrontation: Fight cards are already pretty cool. They’re even cooler when you have Vigor on the battlefield.
Foe-Razer Regent: I didn’t get the draconic Contested Cliffs I wanted, but this is still solid for your fight club decks.
Herdchaser Dragon: Again, I’m not quite sold on the megamorph dragons because the cost seems a little high, but I’m willing to give them a shot to see if
they can make the grade.
Obscuring Aether: Cost-reducers of any kind always get my attention since the folks in development do a great job of making costs ability- and
effect-appropriate. Reducers change the math in your favor (and unlike Helm of Awakening, this one doesn’t count for your opponents). The neat little trick
of turning it face down to avoid a Disenchant is clever, but until you bounce it back to your hand, you won’t be able to have it face up since it doesn’t
have a morph cost. It would be amusing to manifest this onto the battlefield.
Press the Advantage: There are for the most part fewer combat tricks in Commander than other formats, but this is one of them that’s worth consideration.
Giving creatures trample is directly responsible for players getting killed.
Salt Road Ambushers: Super-saucy in a manifest or morph deck.
Salt Road Quartermasters: I love the idea of moving around counters, especially when you have Hardened Scales or Doubling Season. I think I like this
slightly better than Simic Fluxmage because it doesn’t tap.
Sight Of The Scalelords : The mana cost is what keeps this from the “definitely” list, and I think it’s only a one mana difference. At 3G or even 2GG, I’d
windmill slam this into decks.
Multi-color
Arashin Sovereign: I’m not sure R&D uses the term anymore, but this is a card which used to be called a “skill tester.”
Cunning Breezedancer: I’m sure there are more clever deckbuilders than I am who will be able to get some mileage out of Cunning Breezedancer.
Dromoka’s Command: Each ability has some decent situational usage. I think I like the fight one best.
Kolaghan’s Command: There are plenty of times you’d be happy to destroy an artifact for three mana. Getting a creature back into your hand at the same time
is just value. I actually see that as the only combination of the modes which we’ll likely see in the format.
Necromaster Dragon: Meh. Really meh.
Silumgar’s Command: The mana cost gives me a great deal of pause. Seems like we’re paying a little too much for the flexibility the card offers.
Colorless, Artifact, and Land
Ancestral Statue: Combos nicely with those morph and megamorph creatures that do something saucy when you turn them face up.
Atarka Monument, Dromoka Monument, Kolaghan Monument, Ojutai Monument, Silumgar Monument: As three-cost mana rocks go, I think I’d rather have Cluestones.
The ability that turns these into creatures is a little expensive for my tastes.
Tapestry Of The Ages: Someone is always going to give a chance to abilities which draw a card for two mana. I like Jalum Tome better here since it plays
into the reanimation strategies which I love, but this is reasonable enough to give a whirl.
Will Definitely See Play
White
Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit: Even in its worst-case uses, your creatures that don’t have counters just get bigger from most of what you play. In the best
case, you’ve sculpted your deck to take advantage of the ability. Cool card to pair with the younger Anafenza: Spike Feeder.
Dragon Hunter: Just be careful those dragons don’t also have trample. Hopefully Dragon Hunter will make people start to remember Intrepid Hero.
Hidden Dragonslayer: If Dragon Hunter didn’t create an Intrepid Hero memory, Hidden Dragonslayer sure will. Despite its name, it can kill more than
dragons. In fact, it kills most of the scary creatures in the format. Interesting formatting on “an opponent controls.” That means someone can’t Willbender
it back to one of your creatures, but they can still ship it toward another of your opponents’. The more good morph cards there are, the far more
strategically interesting this game becomes.
Myth Realized: This might not be splashy, but due to its low mana cost and zero-cost triggered ability, the counters can pile up pretty quickly without you
having to make an additional investment.
Ojutai Exemplars: The designers did a great job here with three thematically interesting abilities. First strike and lifelink might be the most
interesting. When you blink it, it will trigger Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit for max value.
Profound Journey: Profound beatings. I’d be tempted to play it at its current mana cost if it didn’t have rebound. Since it does, I think it’s a
no-brainer, especially since it gives you the flexibility of bringing back more than just creatures. The thing that jumps out to me is planeswalkers.
Sunscorch Regent: Pro tip-don’t play this with Rule of Law.
Blue
Anticipate: Face it-you’d pay 1U just to draw a card as an instant. Now, you have your choice of the top three.
Blessed Reincarnation: At first blush, it might not seem the best thing to give an opponent a new creature. On deeper consideration, we see that you can
potentially get rid of their best creature and replace it with a lesser one. This can be especially valuable with all the cards in this set which put +1/+1
counters on things. If you’re attacking me with a 30/30 Kresh, the Bloodbraided, I’m just going to take my chances. It can also be used if you want to make
allies-exile someone’s token to hopefully give them something which helps the cause. Rebound is just icing on this particular cake.
Clone Legion: Great Caesar’s Ghost! You can double your own board (assuming no legendary creatures) or let someone else do all the heavy lifting and then
just copy them. Imagine the player to your right having just played Rise of the Dark Realms. This card will create the kind of epic games we love to talk
about in this format.
Dragonlord’s Prerogative: I’m happy paying 3UU to draw three with Jace’s Ingenuity, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be happy to pay one more mana for one more card
(and have the potential for it to be uncounterable). I wouldn’t necessarily put extra dragons into a deck in order to use this, but I’d certainly put it
into a deck which already has them.
Gurmag Drowner: I’m starting to see even more possibilities for Dimir colors to be the future colors of self-mill and reanimation.
Learn from the Past: Mnemonic Nexus is a thing. Learn from the Past will even be more of a thing since it targets a player and draws a card. We’ll often
see that Karador, Ghost Chieftain, or other black commander player loading up the graveyard for a one-sided Living Death. Mnemonic Nexus is a nice defense
against that since it effectively blanks the spell, but Learn from the Past will blow out the person with the best graveyard.
Profaner Of The Dead: I’m not sure why this is profaning the dead. Isn’t it more like profaner of the living? Still, very saucy card, especially if you’re
exploiting Woodfall Primus.
Silumgar Sorcerer: This needs a little more setup than Mystic Snake, but the non-linear nature of your thought and decision trees make the card very
interesting.
Black
Blood-Chain Fanatic: Oh yeah! Move over, Disciple of Griselbrand. Your bigger, better brother is here. And this is in Lord of Extinction and Consuming
Aberration colors. My agony will be over which deck gets this card (certainly either Kresh or Karador). So spicy.
Damnable Pact: Great, another weapon for the Exsanguinate player. At least it’s targeted and won’t kill everyone at once.
Foul-Tongue Shriek: What the Mott the Hoople is going on here? For one mana? That’s crazy! Swing with an army that will kill one player, cast this, kill
the second. For one mana!!!
Gravepurge: Tricksy Lurking Predators players will love this-put the card you want to cast (small, utility creature, for example) on the top, big monster
below. Also nice protection against Bojuka Bog.
Hedonist’s Trove: It’s going from ridiculous to ridiculous-er over here! The worst that could happen is this getting blown up right away and you not
getting to use it-but you still took away the best graveyard.
Minister of Pain: Goodbye goblin armies. So long, Storm Herds. This would be even more awesome if it were a Zombie to combo with both Noxious Ghoul and
Vengeful Dead.
Risen Executioner: Speaking of Zombies, this is good even if you never get to cast it from your graveyard. Another zombie lord makes scary creatures even
scarier.
Sidisi, Undead Vizier: I actually can’t say too much that I haven’t already said about this card. Do not panic. It will not break the format. It will make
some broken decks a little more broken. I don’t think it breaks unbroken decks.
Red
Commune with Lava: I see this mostly as a finisher-it’s not that you want to play everything that gets exiled, it’s that you want to find the one thing you
want. It’s kind of a red version of Browse in that respect. Maybe combine it with Braid of Fire. Get a big pile of mana on your upkeep to cast this with,
then the rest of your ‘normal’ mana to cast what you peel off.
Descent of the Dragons: Karrthus playing Descent of the Dragons seems kind of obvious, especially on an earlier turn when you’re behind on the creature
count. It’s also a way of turning a bunch of small creatures into a truly threatening army. Strangely enough, in this format, a swarm of 4/4 fliers might
be a downgrade to someone’s board.
Dragon Tempest: Low, low mana cost for high damage returns. Combo with Descent of the Dragons for even more mayhem. I think the first time you play this,
everyone will go “Okay, whatever.” The second time, they’ll be justifiably scared.
Impact Tremors: Holy guacamole, it’s mini-Purphoros! I think we can stop talking about red as if it were the leper of all the colors. It’s getting game.
Ire Shaman: The card that immediately came to mind is Cloudstone Curio since you can then put Ire Shaman back into your hand to do it all over again. Not
that Animar needs any help, but Animar just got some more help.
Volcanic Vision: An interesting variant on Vengeful Rebirth, this is good because it does double-duty of clearing away opponents’ creatures and getting
back a big spell. Seems like a nonbo with Insurrection though.
Green
Avatar of the Resolute: Step one, Forgotten Ancient spreads out a bunch of counters. Step two, Avatar of the Resolute gets ginormous. Seemingly
unspectacular, we’ll find that this will dispense some real beatings.
Collected Company: Strong at any point in the game given the number of great utility creatures you have at CMC 3 or less, I see this as extra good early in
getting land-searchers like Wood Elves and Sakura-Tribe Elder onto the battlefield. Or Coiling Oracle. Man, that card is good.
Inspiring Call: A strict upgrade to Rootborn Defenses, this is pretty silly in your +1/+1 counters matter decks-or anything with creatures and Cathar’s
Crusade. Super-nice at uncommon since you’ll be able to pick up foily copies cheaply.
Shaman of Forgotten Ways: Honestly, the first ability is enough to get it played. As far as the second ability goes, don’t panic. I swear to you that it’s
only rarely going to be a factor in games. It may be worth playing only for the fact that it will eat targeted removal instead of one of your actually
dangerous creatures.
Stampeding Elk Herd: Who cares about intervening if clauses? This by itself gets you most of the way to formidable. Trample kills players.
Sunbringer’s Touch: Imma let you finish, but first I’m going to make my small creature into a death machine.
Surrak, the Hunt Caller: I know lots of folks online have expressed that they’re disappointed in this Surrak, but I disagree. Even if he’s out there alone,
the next creature you play is likely to turn on formidable. At four mana, Surrak is a bargain.
Multi-color
Atarka’s Command: The first mode is the most significant. There are plenty of decks which rely on lifegain in big batches to stay alive. The other modes
are nice enough, but it’s that first one that will ensure this sees play. I’d like it even more if it said that damage couldn’t be prevented this turn, but
we have Flaring Pain for that.
Boltwing Marauder: The cost on this is very aggressive. A 5/4 flier for five is reasonable enough; the power increase to a creature pushes it over the top,
especially when multiple creatures are entering the battlefield. It can turn a moderately-sized commander into a one-shot killer.
Dragonlord Atarka: I’m pretty sure this is the best of the new elder dragons. Its huge body leads me toward building it as a Voltron-style deck that can
kill in no more than two hits, sometimes one (with double strike).
Dragonlord Dromoka: If you’re playing any deck with green and white in it that has creatures, Dromoka gets serious consideration. I suppose it’s also a
very expensive combo deck protector, but I guess if you’re going that route, you just play Abeyance.
Dragonlord Kolaghan: Straightforward but strong, more fuel for your savage Rakdos decks.
Dragonlord Ojutai: I’m so happy that I started turning my Merieke deck into a dragon deck. This slots in quite nicely, thank you.
Dragonlord Silumgar: Another card which combos extremely well with Conjurer’s Closet, either in getting the trigger again or permanently keeping control of
whatever you borrow.
Enduring Scalelord: In a Naya deck with Vigor and Blasphemous Act. That’s not asking too much, is it?
Harbinger Of The Hunt: Any time you have the ability to deal damage to each creature, you can be onto something. I’d prefer Harbinger of the Hunt’s
toughness be a little higher, but I don’t think that will keep it out of decks.
Narset Transcendent: What’s surely to be one of the chase cards from the set, the -2 ability is likely to be the most significant. Narset starting with six
loyalty counters borders on insanity.
Ojutai’s Command: It’s no Cryptic Command, but little else is. I don’t see the lifegain getting used much, but I definitely see the others being quite
relevant.
Pristine Skywise: Now if there were only an equipment which gives the creature an inspired ability. This might end up as the biggest creature ever to get
consistently tapped with its controller’s Opposition.
Ruthless Deathfang: I love sacrificing my own creatures. I guess that’s why Orzhov is my guild (and the only true guild).
Sarkhan Unbroken: Look! It’s Sarkhan and he’s not insane. If I promise to never use the -8 ability, can I keep it around just for the +1?
Savage Ventmaw: Radha, Heir to Keld’s pet, Savage Ventmaw is basically giving you a free spell in your second main phase. Just make sure it doesn’t get
killed in combat.
Swift Warkite: I think we’ll see this in a great number of Jund decks, getting those utility creatures back.
Colorless, Artifact, and Land
Haven of the Spirit Dragon: The latest Ancient Ziggurat variant. Use it and Cavern of Souls to make sure you cast your big dragons unmolested.
That’s 51 cards on the “definitely” list. 51 is nearly a quarter of the whole set. All of those notwithstanding, there are another 59 on the “likely” list.
There are so many new weapons in this arsenal for your existing decks that there’s probably no way that you’ll have room for all of them. Of course,
there’s also a bunch of new legendary creatures to build decks around. If this set doesn’t inspire you to build a Scion of the ur-Dragon deck, nothing
will. With all the dragons flying around, this may be the Timmiest set ever, and that’s just fine with me.
Decks Without Comment will return after set review season.
Check out our cool deck list database for the latest versions of all my decks:
ADUN’S TOOLBOX
; ANIMAR’S SWARM;AURELIA GOES TO WAR;CHILDREN of a LESSER GOD;DEMONS OF KAALIA;EREBOS and the HALLS OF THE DEAD;GLISSA, GLISSA;HELIOD, GOD OF ENCHANTMENTS;DREAMING OF INTET;FORGE OF PURPHOROS;KARN, BEATDOWN GOLEM;HALLOWEEN WITH KARADOR;KARRTHUS, WHO RAINS FIRE FROM THE SKY;KRESH INTO THE RED ZONE;LAVINIA BLINKS;LAZAV, SHAPESHIFTING MASTERMIND;ZOMBIES OF TRESSERHORN;MELEK’S MOLTEN MIND GRIND;MERIEKE’S ESPER CONTROL;THE MILL-MEOPLASM;NATH of the VALUE LEAF;NYLEA OF THE WOODLAND REALM,OBZEDAT, GHOST KILLER;PURPLE HIPPOS and MARO SORCERERS;ZEGANA and a DICE BAG;RAKDOS: LIFE IS SHORT;RITH’S TOKENS;YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF;RURIC THAR AND HIS BEASTLY FIGHT CLUB;THASSA, GOD OF MERFOLK;THE ALTAR of THRAXIMUNDAR; TROSTANI and HER ANGELS
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