Dragons. Multicolor cards. Legendary Creatures. Tarkir: Dragonstorm has something for every Commander player. Releasing April 11th, Tarkir: Dragonstorm takes us back to the plane of Tarkir where the balance of power is shifting once again. This set features five clans usurping existing Dragonlords covering three colour wedges, which means tonnes of multicolor cards and a large variety of Legendary Creatures. Of course this set is jam-packed with Dragons and Dragon-related goodies. With all these options for Commander decks, were going to go over the top 10 cards from this set a bit differently. For some of the individual card slots we’ll instead use a theme to jam in a few extra cards you shouldn't miss! As with other articles we've done, we will still favour cards for the 99 over Commanders proper. Let’s dive in and see what terrors the storm brings.
Token doublers are often a fan favourite, and with Elspeth, Storm Slayer we now have a modal option. Featuring some single target disruption or a potential win condition, this Planeswalker will definitely be a target once it hits the table.
Heartless Summoning can be pretty sweet in the right deck (and it was recently reprinted) and can be a key piece for some infinite combos. The Sibsig Ceremony offers some redundancy for the cost reduction effect and can double up death and enter triggers When you've got a cyclable Creature. It does have some high color requirements so you won't see it in every deck that can run in, but it may introduce some new unique loops we haven't seen before.
Sidisi, Regent of the Mire introduces a new repeatable reanimation effect, allowing you to sacrifice a Creature and resurrect another Creature with an incrementally higher mana value. The repeatability is limited by the tapping cost, but even sacrificing and reanimating a Creature once per turn can be a great way to activate a value engine or win the game. While not as strong as Birthing Pod, I expect Sidisi, Regent of the Mire will be a popular removal target nonetheless.
Do you like it when you get payoffs for doing the thing you were going to do anyways? Well you'll love Kheru Goldkeeper! It can only be used in decks that have Green, Blue and Black, but it will do work in graveyard decks. Creating a Treasure whenever one or more cards leaves your graveyard synergizes highly with Dredge, reanimator effects, Flashback and many others. Not to mention you also get a 3/3 Flier that can sneak in some extra damage.
Rather than have a top 10 list full of Dragons, here are some of the bonkers cards that have been printed for the typal group. Dracogenesis is a Rooftop Storm clone, but with Dragons having an average higher mana value you can expect this Enchantment to demand a response. The moxen are a group of Artifacts that cost 0 and create mana, they are very strong. Now Dragon players have one to call their own with Mox Jasper. The last card we’ll cover here is Stormscale Scion. Is this an obvious pick? Yes. Is this going to be a fun card to play? Also yes. This Dragon is very much a win-more card, but who doesn’t want to live the dream of having a swarm of Dragons rush the battlefield.
For each intersection of two clans there’s a Siege that offers solid modal abilities, and modal cards are excellent in a singleton format like Commander. Glacierwood Siege is either a Crucible of Worlds or a mill engine for yourself or your opponent. Do you like attacking your opponents? Well Windcrag Siege can let you benefit from multiple attack triggers or have more Creatures to attack with.
Seven mana is a high cost for an Instant, but Jeskai Revelation delivers on value for the investment. Remove something, remove a small Creature, create some blockers, draw some cards and gain some life - that’s a few effects worth more than 7 mana in sum.
Do you want to repeat enters triggers multiple times per turn? Mardu Siegebreaker does so on every attack, creating an attacking token for each Opponent you have. Color identity will limit what you can do with this battle chicken riding Human, but I’m certain there will be one or two ways to ramp, draw cards, remove problem permanents, reanimate or just be a threat in general.
Perennation is the single target reanimation spell we’ve been waiting for. Yes, it is Sorcery speed, but for one more mana than your typical reanimation spell, your target permanent is not going anywhere. It will enter with both Hexproof and Indestructible making it almost impossible to remove. Is this going to be a spicy Enchantment, or your favorite Creature? Who knows, but the possibilities are pretty wide open for decks running Black, Green and White.
Creature ramp can be very good, especially in Creature focused decks, and even more-so in stompy Creature decks. Temur Battlecrier fills this role exceptionally. At a minimum, this Orc Warrior will reduce the cost of following Creature spells by one for a three mana investment. If you have a Creature with more than four Power, all of a sudden you’re casting a bunch of big beaters on the cheap. Temur Battlecrier will definitely pack a punch for the decks it’s included in.
Well there we have it, 10 cards you should pick up from Tarkir:Dragonstorm for your Commander decks. These aren't the only goodies that exist though, you should check out our pre-order page to see all the other cool tech. Were there any cards you’re excited about that I missed? Let me know in the Chimera Gaming Discord, or reach me directly on Bluesky.
Did you know we usually have 20 pods firing for Commander night on Tuesdays? Tables fill up fast and I hope to see you there!
