Tarkir: Dragonstorm is shaping up to be a very strong set in just about every possible way, so here’s a glimpse of what’s to come.
It’s time, people – we’re heading back to Tarkir. The plane of Dragons, Clans, and alternate reality timelines has a special place in our hearts thanks to not only mighty creatures but also some amazing spells and a Standard scene that was truly absurd. Well, Tarkir: Dragonstorm is taking us back for the first time, and we’re hyped.
Tarkir: Dragonstorm Themes and Story
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We’re back with the five clans clashing against the dragons of the plane, and while the dragons are sometimes siding with them, it’s all a bit rough. Maelstrom of the Spirit Dragon is a good example of the raging storms occurring on Tarkir, where it’s also a card that lets you cast Dragon and Omen spells more easily, and can also be sacrificed to let you find a dragon card from your library into your hand.
Ugin was a big part of Tarkir last time we were there, but since he’s left the plane, we’ve had Eldrazi and Phrexian invasions, so it’s been rough, to say the least. The leaders of the rebellion all worked together to try and perform a ritual to summon five spirit dragons, who we’ll see in card form, but while this did work, it also gave birth to new dragons, thanks to the Dragon Storms.
Thanks to all of the Omenpath stuff, we see Elspeth heading to Tarkir, where she seeks out the mighty Narset to try and find a way to solve things. Of course, if you know anything about this plane, you also know that some people really like dragons, like Sarkhan. The core crisis in this set will be the power struggle between these two sides, with Sarkhan being on one with a bunch of dragons, with most other people on the other side.
Of course, Tarkir means we go back to the clans as well, along with their color alignments:
- Abzan: white, black, and green – All about getting stronger and using token generation
- Jeskai: blue, red, and white – A clan mainly focused on strength through knowledge and spells
- Mardu: red, white, and black – Heavy focus on high-tech attacks and aggressive tactics
- Sultai: black, green, and blue – Back to a focus on death and reconstruction of those who deserve it
- Temur: green, blue, and red – Nomadic magic users who live in harmony with the land
Tarkir: Dragonstorm Mechanics
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We’re getting a chunk of mechanics here as well. Each clan gets its own mechanic, along with two dragon-themed ones as well. Abzan is getting the Endure mechanic, which allows you to either put counters on things or create tokens. Jeskai cards will have Flurry, which will provide benefits when you cast your second spell on a turn. Mardu gets Mobilize, which creates tokens that enter play tapped and attacking. Sultai has Renew, which allows you to pay a cost and exile the card from the graveyard to grant different benefits. Finally, Temur has Harmonize, a Flashback-style effect that helps you reduce the cost of a spell by tapping a creature (and the reduction comes from the creature’s power).
For the dragons, we’ve got Omen, which is a bit like an Adventure card we’ve seen from Wilds of Eldraine. This means you have a noncreature spell attached to a dragon, which once cast, will then see the card shuffled back into your deck. This seems like it could be incredibly powerful, depending on what spells we get access to in Tarkir: Dragonstom. There’s also Behold, which will offer you benefits (or a mana discount) if you have a dragon on the battlefield or reveal one in your hand. We’d be surprised if this didn’t come back in different forms for different creature and card types in later Magic releases.
Meet the Neighbors
Ugin, Eye of the Storms
Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Mythic
Naturally, a new set means new cards, and oh boy, the initial previews are powerful. Ugin, Eye of the Storms is a seven-mana seven loyalty Planeswalker. You get to exile a permanent when you cast it, and then do the same whenever you cast colorless spells. It can not only draw your cards and gain you life, but can also add three colorless mana and even lets you cast colorless cards from your deck. This thing will be obscene in Modern Urza Tron decks and Commander. We’re kind of in awe of this draconic lad, and it’s hard to imagine a more powerful seven-mana card in this set than this.
Elspeth, Storm Slayer
Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Mythic
Elspeth, Storm Slayer is a five-mana white Planeswalker that doubles the tokens you create, creates tokens, puts +1/+1 counters on a bunch of your creatures, and can destroy creatures, too. This is another bomb of a card, and we’re expecting it to be very powerful in multiple formats and will be an alternative option to the heavily-played Anointed Procession in Commander.
Betor, Kin to All
Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Mythic
As the name suggests, Tarkir: Dragonstorm sees a selection of spirit dragons with some genuinely powerful abilities. Take Betor, Kin to All as an example, who is a five-mana Abzan dragon 5/7 with flying who offers you a breadth of bonuses for having a lot of toughness on your side of the board. Shiko, Paragon of the Way is an excellent option for Jeskai, who is five-mana 4/5 with flying with vigilance that lets you cast nonland cards from your graveyard. Lastly, Neriv, Heart of the Storm is a four-mana Mardu 4/5 with flying that lets creatures that enter deal double damage on that turn.
Kotis, the Fangkeeper
Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Rare
If dragons aren’t your jam, there’s some power elsewhere in Tarkir: Dragonstorm with Kotis, the Fangkeeper, who is a four-mana Sultai 2/1 with indestructible. When it deals damage, you get to exile cards from that player’s library and then cast their spells. Sidisi, Regent of the Mire is a two-mana black 1/3 that offers recursion synergies, which could be great if you’re looking to Birthing Pod creatures into play from the graveyard. Ureni, the Song Unending is an eight-mana Temur 10/10 dragon with protection from white and black, it deals damage as it enters equal to your land count split among multiple targets. It’s like a bigger, meaner Atarka, World Render, and we’re here for it.
Frostcliff Siege
Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Rare
Frostcliff Siege is a three-mana blue and red enchantment that lets you choose Jeskai or Temur as it enters to either help you draw cards or just make your creatures stronger. Also, Craterhoof Behemoth is returning to Standard, so that’s cool for budding Commander players. Along with that, we’re getting Special Guests versions of Eerie Ultimatum, Emergent Ultimatum, Genesis Ultimatum, Inspired Ultimatum, and Ruinous Ultimatum with incredible artwork.
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We’re also getting Marsh Flats, Scalding Tarn, Verdant Catacombs, Arid Mesa, and Misty Rainforest as Special Guests too, but these can appear in Play Boosters as non-foils, and foils in Collector boosters. You’ll also have a chance to open a Dragonscale Foil in Collector Boosters, which is a new foil treatment for Tarkir: Dragonstorm that comes with a scale-like foiling effect across the card.
A serialized Mox Jasper is the headliner card for Tarkir: Dragonstorm, appearing in the stunning Double Rainbow Foil, so if you get your hands on one of those, we’d recommend putting it in three or four sleeves and a toploader as soon as you can… just in case someone famous wants to buy it off of you or something.
Tarkir: Dragonstorm Products All Over the Shop
Market Price: $280.24
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Naturally, we’ve got all the usual range for Tarkir: Dragonstorm such as Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, and Bundles. Prerelease Kits are a little more interesting this time as you’ll choose a clan (Abzan, Mardu, Jeskai, Temur, or Sultai) you like and will then get a seeded booster inside of that pack to make your deckbuilding a bit easier. After all, leaving three colors up to chance can be a bit rough.
While we are huge fans of the two Commander decks brought to us with Aetherdrift, it seems Wizards of the Coast are really committing to the format here with five decks, one for each of the clans on Tarkir. Abzan Armor has both Felothar the Steadfast and Betor, Ancestor’s Voice as options, and the deck has a focus on counters, creatures with big toughness, and some graveyard shenanigans too.
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Jeskai Striker is headed up by Elsha, Threefold Master and Shiko and Narset, Unified. This one’s all about casting a ton of spells, with Elsha having prowess and being able to create tokens with prowess, with Shiko and Narset, Unfied letting you copy spells. Sultai Arisen has Kotis, Sibsig Champion and Teal, the Balanced Scale and is based around mucking around with your graveyard and playing cards from it.
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For those who crave violence, Mardu Surge is headed up by Zurgo Stormrender and Neriv, Crackling Vanguard, and it really wants you to attack and create a lot of tokens. Finally, Temur Roar has Eshki, Temur’s Roar and Ureni of the Unwritten, and will reward you for playing big creature cards, but especially dragons.