Apparently I’d been loving under a rock. No, it’s not to hide from all the dragons that are roaring overhead. In fact, I didn’t even hear them coming.
I’ve gotten pretty used to the January/May/July/September release schedule for new Magic sets, so the March release of Dragons of Tarkir caught me
completely off-guard. Spoilers started popping up on social media, and there it was!
Dragons of Tarkir looks like a thrilling set, full of flying beasties, nifty mythics, and powerful interactions. I’m excited for it to drop, but I have to
admit, it cut my Fate Reforged time a little short! That set’s only been out for about five or six weeks, and we’re already moving on, and that means I
didn’t get to cover some of the cards I was most excited about from the middle set.
In a way, a quick turnaround like this allows you to get a concise “who’s hot, who’s not” list from the previous set. Normally we have three months or so
to adjust the metagame to fit the new cards, but for Fate Reforged, we learned pretty quickly that Tasigur, the Golden Fang is excellent and Yasova
Dragonclaw is not, and Outpost Siege is superb, while Monastery Siege fell flat. There are so many creatures and spells though, that I didn’t get a chance
to really highlight.
But that’s okay. Today’s focus card is from Fate Reforged, but it has two different iterations based in two different timelines: the universe of Fate
Reforged, and the universe of Dragons of Tarkir.
I’m already kicking myself that I didn’t cover this one sooner. In fact, I didn’t even cover the first on-flavor land, Tomb of the Spirit Dragon (I play a
one-of in my mono-blue artifact deck and it’s amazing). I love lands, and I didn’t give the Crucible its due.
Most people dismissed this land right away as far too expensive to activate, offering that maybe tapping alone to add a counter might have made it good
enough, and they might be right (sorry, Crucie). But I see it a bit differently. I see Crucible of the Spirit Dragon as a payment plan. You’re not going to
pay any less for your Dragons than if you cast them traditionally, but you can cast it efficiently on one turn, and it fixes your color. That’s what your
small, slow investment gets you. Why don’t we put that investment to good use?
This fun Commander plant has the perfect lines of text for our Crucible. If you could tap it “for free” twice in a turn cycle, it might be a lot better,
right? Combined with other untapping through Voyaging Satyr, a ramp-oriented deck that lets you build a multi-colored Dragon might be something worth
exploring.
Creatures (24)
- 4 Sylvan Caryatid
- 4 Prophet of Kruphix
- 4 Voyaging Satyr
- 4 Satyr Wayfinder
- 2 Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury
- 2 Dromoka, the Eternal
- 1 Silumgar, the Drifting Death
- 2 Atarka, World Render
- 1 Ojutai, Soul of Winter
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (25)
Spells (7)
This blue and green deck still supports every Fate Reforged legendary dragon, thanks to Sylvan Caryatid and Crucible of the Spirit Dragon. Most every card
is focused on mana or, by proxy, land. Satyr Wayfinder lets you find the Crucible so you can start your investment early, and because it’s not legendary,
you can build two or more at a time. Voyaging Satyr lets you untap it and is simpler to cast than the potentially more powerful Kiora’s Follower. Sylvan
Caryatid helps with the color burden, if you aren’t able to make a big Crucible, and four Prophets streamline the process. Yes, I think you do need four,
it’s probably gonna die the first time. The ability to give your Dragons semi-haste is particularly spicy. All of the Dragon triggers you can manage will
decimate your opponent when you untap.
It then features eight Dragons, with the diversity present to mostly deflect the legendary clause of these mighty beasts. I think that Kolaghan, Dromoka,
and Atarka are the best ones from Fate Reforged, so I doubled up on them, while the others are more conditional. I particularly like Dromoka as a way to
bolster one-and-done cards like Satyr Wayfinder. Kolaghan can also empower your smallest fighters with a +1/+0 attack boost.
I’m no fool; Crucible of the Spirit Dragon is a slow card, so sometimes all you have time for is to activate it a couple times to store colored Dragon
mana. Frontier Siege provides the bulk of the colorless cost to help get these bruisers out on time. The Dragons mode is also pretty relevant, if you find
yourself with sufficient mana, as the deck lacks hard removal. Three Dig Through Time, powered by the Siege, ramp, or a Satyr Wayfinder’s dross, can help
you find the perfect Dragon at instant speed. And hey, if you’ve got a Prophet, you can cast it right away too! Finally, a set of Kiora will buy you some
time either with her +1 or by having a face that isn’t yours to soak a hit. Her -1 also lets you avoid spending your land drop on a Crucible, if you find
yourself in need of other lands first.
This deck plays funny, and — woah! Time vortex!
(Back to the Future Theme Music)
They grew up!
With these much more powerful versions of our Elder Dragons on hand, what does that do to Dragons as a tribal strategy?
A lot, it turns out. Some got better, and some got worse. First, who looks worse?
Dragonlord Silumgar was the first one to be spoiled, and now that all the others have been shared, I feel like he’s the most average of the mythic
offerings. He’s still not bad, but I feel like I prefer his previous-universe iteration, which came at the same cost, provided hexproof, and a repeatable
effect. There will be sometimes when you “get them;” I’ve had my ready-to-ultimate Vraska the Unseen stolen by Zealous Conscripts one too many times to
think that the Sower of Temptation for planeswalkers is bad. It’s pretty good, and it can turn a game around. However, with as slow as you’re going to cast
this, I’m not sure they won’t have an answer, and they can respond to the trigger so that you never gain control.
In the same way, I don’t believe the new Ojutai is bad; in fact, I think it’s excellent. The big question is in what deck will it find a home? You’re
pretty much guaranteed to untap with it, and the Ophidian effect is far superior to other Specters, Ohran Viper, and other historically powerful cards that
draw when they hit. If it had hexproof all the time, I’d say it’s a slam dunk, but then it might also be one of the most oppressive creatures in the
format. All in all, it’s powerful but ill-fitted to current decks. But hey, that just means someone needs to brew an Ojutai-friendly deck!
Dragonlord Dromoka feels good. Ever tap down and know your creature’s going to land? Kind of like when you cast Thragtusk with Cavern of Souls on
Beast? The new Dromoka has that feeling. I also love the flavor text; for some reason, it just really strikes me. Maybe it’s Dromoka’s stance and the “it
will resolve and survive” nature of it, but I dig it. In Standard, it feels like a critical sideboard card, somewhat along the same lines as Sigarda, Host
of Herons. Abzan and Naya might board this against black decks or control lists. The brewing potential is a little low because of its static benefits, but
it is a conditionally awesome house.
Kolaghan, who I already thought was the best Dragon from Fate Reforged, continues to impress. This thing is big, evasive, and fast, and the second line of
text isn’t all that bad either. Against most creature decks, they’ll have a couple copies of every creature. Sticking this against a mono-red or mono-black
deck means you’ve probably already won, but it might be nice for Whip of Erebos decks, Hornet Queen, Siege Rhino, or any other four-of value creature your
opponent decides to play.
And here’s my favorite. Our own Cedric Phillips got to spill the beans on this gem, and while social media has debated the validity of this monster, I feel
like it’s the next Hornet Queen: It provides more power and more damage for the same cost. It blows up all sorts of nonsense: Cast it and break two
Rabblemasters and a token, obliterate a freshly-cast Elspeth, Sun’s Champion, or slaughter a Polukranos, World Eater. I’ve seen people complain that its
triggered ability doesn’t go to the face. Honey, eight evasive trample damage goes right to the face. My personal vote for the best Dragon of the
set so far.
Now that we’ve dusted the continuum dust off our clothes and pulled the Mobius spider webs out of our hair, we should get to brewing with the best dragons
and our old locale the Crucible.
Creatures (24)
- 4 Voyaging Satyr
- 4 Courser of Kruphix
- 4 Rattleclaw Mystic
- 1 Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury
- 1 Silumgar, the Drifting Death
- 4 Shaman of Forgotten Ways
- 4 Dragonlord Atarka
- 2 Dragonlord Kolaghan
Planeswalkers (8)
Lands (26)
Spells (2)
Every creature got better! The consistent ramp, the powerful creatures, and the incorporation of the awesome new Sarkhan, Sarkhan Unbroken, are all what
makes this list strong on the outside. The Crucible isn’t quite it used to be; without the Prophet and a much more powerful and durable Dragon suite, it’s
not nearly as necessary as it might have been in a multicolored brew. This deck doesn’t have many complex interactions, tricky plays, or backbreaking
matchups, but doesn’t it look like the most fun you’ve ever had playing Standard Magic?
Dragons as a fixture of Standard makes all of us happy, from the well-oiled Spike to the humble Timmy. We all yearn for that primal roar, the flaming
breath, and the rush of wind from their wings.
Which Elder Dragon is your favorite, and how have you been brewing around the mono-Dragon future?