Sidisi, Regent of the MireSidisi, Regent of the Mire | art by Diana Franco

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Cloudy with a Chance of Dragons

The storm is upon us. Behold! Gaze upon the awesome and terrifying might of the dragonstorm. As we navigate through this disaster, let's take a look at the what lies in store from Tarkir: Dragonstorm.

We'll be entering Sultai territory, so be warned, Dragons might not be the only thing we have to worry about.

Mythics

Death Begets LifeDeath Begets Life

Starting off strong is a variant of a pretty expensive boardwipe, Decree of PainDecree of Pain. Death Begets LifeDeath Begets Life can hit enchantments in addition to creatures making this a slightly better payoff for the high-cost than Decree of Pain.

A boardwipe that can hit multiple card types is notable, especially if your deck focuses more on other permanent types like artifacts.

Or if you're a Sultai deck that wants creatures in graveyards, so having enchantment-removal on top of that is just gravy. The only other note I have about this card is that Decree of Pain has a way to cycle it for five-mana to remove a board of small creatures, so you'd be stuck with an eight-mana wraith in hand for the early game.

Kotis, Sibsig ChampionKotis, Sibsig Champion

Kotis' gameplan allows him to get stronger from reanimating his army. To have enough cards in the graveyard to exile each turn, we'll need plenty of mill-effects to ensure we have enough exile fodder to start reanimating creatures.

Part of this deck's goal in the early game is bringing back small creatures that generate value, like Sakura-Tribe ElderSakura-Tribe Elder, in order to eventually afford to cast big haymakers like Colossal Grave-ReaverColossal Grave-Reaver.

Kotis getting counters, doesn't fit all that much with the reanimator theme, but if you happen to have WonderWonder in the graveyard, then he can become a real threat in the late game.

Some cards I'd recommend for Kotis that weren't in the precon are Wake the DeadWake the Dead, a reanimation spell that will generate a burst of value with all the ETB creatures in the Kotis precon, and Daring FiendbonderDaring Fiendbonder, which can give Kotis or another strong creature an indestructible counter. Overall, Kotis is a solid reanimator that can also be a big beater in the late game.

Rot-Curse RakshasaRot-Curse Rakshasa

The design of this card is very cool. It embodies what it means to curse your opponents' creatures. It's not removal, but it forces your opponents' into a difficult decision, especially if they have a commander that triggers when they attack.

Notably, creatures with declay can't block, so Rot-Curse Rakshasa can be used offensively to prevent your opponents from blocking a lethal swing.

Teval, Arbiter of VirtueTeval, Arbiter of Virtue

Giving all your spells Delve is a huge advantage to have, but it comes at a great cost of losing life equal to the mana value for each spell cast. I like that Teval isn't all upside here, it presents an interesting restriction on how many big spells you can chain together before dying to your own commander. You'll want to include ways to gain a ton of life outside of Teval's lifelink ability.

However, with how low your life total can be, it'd be pretty funny to swap your life total with an opponent with Profane TransfusionProfane Transfusion or just bring everyone's life totals down with Repay in KindRepay in Kind.

In order for a deck like this to work, we'll need plenty of ways fill our graveyard in order to make casting multiple spells with Delve feasible.

Ripples of UndeathRipples of Undeath and Cemetery TamperingCemetery Tampering will consistently mill each turn to help keep your graveyard full. But it doesn't have to be just mill, I'm partial to Dreamscape ArtistDreamscape Artist as a way to fill my graveyard and ramp–plus the lands come into play untapped.

Teval, the Balanced ScaleTeval, the Balanced Scale

Moving on to our second Teval, which also wants deals with our graveyard. Teval, the Balanced ScaleTeval, the Balanced Scale fills our graveyard, returns a land from our graveyard, and in turn, gives us a Zombie Druid when cards leave our yard.

There's been an increasing trend of cards that either exile cards from the graveyard or care about cards leaving the graveyard, and here we have a solid payoff in the command zone. Tormod, the DesecratorTormod, the Desecrator has the same payoff, but Teval will mill, ramp, and be a 4/4 flier.

Having the enabler and payoff in the command zone is going to be way more appealing to players, and so I suspect Teval will be very popular.

Rares

Afterlife from the LoamAfterlife from the Loam

Is this a better Breach the MultiverseBreach the Multiverse? At eight mana, it's technically more expensive than Breach and it doesn't mill ten cards, but it's pretty easy for Afterlife from the LoamAfterlife from the Loam to only cost 3 mana to cast.

And it might not be apparent at first, but this is a great inclusion in Zombie decks. The creatures becoming Zombies is significantly better than becoming Phyrexians, given how powerful Zombie synergies are.

I'm a big fan of symmetrical theft effects like this, and playing cards like Breach or Sepulchral PrimordialSepulchral Primordial give you a huge advantage that often leads to your victory.

Avenger of the FallenAvenger of the Fallen

Avenger of the Fallen is incredibly aggressive. The ability to make X 1/1's based on the number of creatures in your graveyard is so strong.

Token decks will have finishers like Impact TremorsImpact Tremors and Divine VisitationDivine Visitation, so a creature that can produce so many tapped and attacking creatures each turn can and will win you games.

And this is going to slot in perfectly with the new Zurgo StormrenderZurgo Stormrender as those token will either draw cards or drain the table when they leave.

Awaken the Honored DeadAwaken the Honored Dead

All three chapters on Awaken the Honored DeadAwaken the Honored Dead are solid effects. I'd say that if you want to add in more synergies to your removal package, this could replace a Beast WithinBeast Within or something similar.

It's hard to swap out an instant for sorcery speed removal, but I do prefer removal that furthers my gameplan over generic staples.

Bone DevourerBone Devourer

At first glance, I wasn't all that impressed with Bone DevourerBone Devourer. We've seen creatures like this before that flash in and get counters or draw cards equal to the number of creatures that died this turn like Bloodcrazed PaladinBloodcrazed Paladin or Sautekh ImmortalSautekh Immortal. But Bone Devourer has flying.

So you can flash in Bone Devourer after a boardwipe and swing in with a large dragon. And your opponent's will have to exile it, otherwise they either have to deal with large flier or let you draw a bunch of cards. In an The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon deck, this is only three mana to cast.

Fangkeeper's FamiliarFangkeeper's Familiar

I love modal spells, and Fangkeeper's FamiliarFangkeeper's Familiar is no different. While not truly comparable to Frilled MysticFrilled Mystic, since the familiar can only counter creatures, if you're holding up four mana and nothing comes around that's worth countering, you can still choose to surveil 3 or remove a pesky enchantment.

Over-costed counters spells like You Find the Villains' LairYou Find the Villains' Lair, don't feel as bad to hold mana up for when you can still cast them for their other modes and help further your gameplan.

Jaws of DefeatJaws of Defeat

This enchantment is going to add a nice oomph to toughness and power matter decks. Wall of JunkWall of Junk becomes a lot scarier when you realize that it can drain an opponent for seven each turn while also blocking big attacks.

I also read this card wrong at first and thought it cared about the toughness being higher than power, but it's simply the difference between them. So Ball LightningBall Lightning style creatures now can hit hard and drain opponents, putting in twice as much work for cheap.

Kotis, the FangkeeperKotis, the Fangkeeper

Having a Villainous WealthVillainous Wealth in the command zone will cause no problems at all, I'm sure. While Gonti, Canny AcquisitorGonti, Canny Acquisitor cares about going wide to steal cards from opponents' libraries, Kotis takes the opposite approach and goes tall to steal cards from your opponents.

Kotis does have some hurdles to jump through in order to succeed. For one, Kotis needs evasion. Luckily evasion is cheap. Aether TunnelAether Tunnel gives Kotis evasion and buffs his power. Or Winged BootsWinged Boots which grant flying and some protection against Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares.

The other hurdle that Kotis needs to jump through is increasing his power. Hitting someone for two damage isn't enough. The chances that the top two cards of an opponent's library will A) not be lands and B) cost two or less mana is pretty slim.

That's why we need to go big. Giant InheritanceGiant Inheritance will give Kotis +5/+5 and trample with the Role token, on top of being a hard to remove Aura.

If you have evasion, giving Kotis a Blackblade ReforgedBlackblade Reforged will let you cast basically anything you exile. Having Kotis be a Voltron commander means that if all else fails and nothing you steal helps you win the game, commander damage will still get you there.

Some tech that I would run in Kotis are cards that grant vigilance like Sword of VengeanceSword of Vengeance since he can be an indestructible blocker.

Also, running ways to phase Kotis out not only saves him from exile removal, but saves anything attached to Kotis. You can target Kotis with Slip Out the BackSlip Out the Back in responsible to a VandalblastVandalblast and save all your Equipments/Auras from destruction.

Lotuslight DancersLotuslight Dancers

For just one more mana, we get a better Vile EntomberVile Entomber that puts three cards into the graveyard instead of just one. It's Sultai, so this card is just perfect for Muldrotha, the GravetideMuldrotha, the Gravetide.

Tutor any three cards of the right colors to the graveyard to reanimate with Muldrotha, and then you can do it again by sacrificing and reanimating the Lotuslight DancersLotuslight Dancers again.

Qarsi RevenantQarsi Revenant

I'm happy to see keyword counters still crop up here and there, and didn't get lost in Ikoria. Giving a trample counters to a big creature or a flying counter to a creature with a combat damage trigger is always satisfying.

For three mana, Qarsi RevenantQarsi Revenant can turn any creature into a Vampire NighthawkVampire Nighthawk. All three counters give relevant keywords that can bolster a commander to being a lethal threat.

If you had ways to get Qarsi RevenantQarsi Revenant in the graveyard, Kotis, the FangkeeperKotis, the Fangkeeper would love to have all those keyword counters.

Scavenger RegentScavenger Regent

Scavenger RegentScavenger Regent is a fairly easy inclusion in Dragon decks. Having a way to clear the board of non-Dragon creatures can be a wincon in of itself for Dragons.

There are other Dragons that can clear the board but none that are as clean as Scavenger Regent. Silumgar, the Drifting DeathSilumgar, the Drifting Death is certainly powerful, but requires having multiple dragons attacking one player to remove their board. And Deathbringer RegentDeathbringer Regent does clear the board, but also destroys your dragons, which is not worth it.

Not a big fan of Omens shuffling the creature half into your library instead of exiling them like Adventures, but it's fine. The creature half is not the reason you play this in your Dragon deck, after all.

Sidisi, Regent of the MireSidisi, Regent of the Mire

A graveyard Birthing PodBirthing Pod in the command zone could prove to be strong, but we have many options for reanimator commanders. However, having a cheap reanimator and sac outlet will be desirable in Aristocrat and graveyard-matters decks.

There's a limit to what you can be reanimated, but if you're running the right tutors, like EntombEntomb or Buried AliveBuried Alive, then finding the exact card you want to reanimate won't be difficult.

Sinkhole SurveyorSinkhole Surveyor

Never underestimate a cheap flier that makes more fliers. The Endure mechanic can either put a counter on the Sinkhole SurveyorSinkhole Surveyor or make a Spirit, but here, I think making a Spirit is almost always the right call.

Token decks will often have ways to pump tokens, so these small Spirits won't stay small for long. Having a cheap token maker come down early also means that we can get value from Zurgo StormrenderZurgo Stormrender's ability as soon as he comes out.

Teval's JudgmentTeval's Judgment

Among all the ways we can exile or return cards from our graveyard, Teval's JudgmentTeval's Judgment will be a nice payoff. With similar templating to Monument to EnduranceMonument to Endurance, we can trigger Teval's Judgement multiple times for each instance that we exile, reanimate, etc.

If our commander interacts with the graveyard like Kotis, Sibsig ChampionKotis, Sibsig Champion, then we could be drawing and making a treasure token every turn we can.

In the right deck, it'll put a lot more work than a Phyrexian ArenaPhyrexian Arena could. And since Zombie decks have many ways of reanimating themselves, Teval's Judgement will be a consistent source of Zombie tokens.

The Sibsig CeremonyThe Sibsig Ceremony

Similar to Heartless SummoningHeartless Summoning, The Sibsig CeremonyThe Sibsig Ceremony reduces the cost of your creatures but destroys them in the process.

In Aristocrat decks that want creatures to die, this would allow you to cast creatures with death triggers for very cheap and destroy them when they enter. And when those are creatures are destroyed, you create a 2/2 Zombie Druid which can add to your Zombie hoard.

Tip the ScalesTip the Scales

This is a solid Toxic DelugeToxic Deluge variant for decks that have high toughness creatures. This could even be a one-side boardwipe if you don't sacrifice the creature with the highest toughness on your board.

Toxic Deluge is still better since you can use it when you're behind and have no creatures, but Tip the ScalesTip the Scales is a decent alternative if you often have big creatures on board.

Even in Dragon decks, sacrificing a 4/4 or 5/5 Dragon is enough to clear most of the board without touching your Dragons with higher toughness.

Welcome the DeadWelcome the Dead

The ability to create a swarm of Zombies often leads to games ending. With how easy it is mill multiple cards at a time, Welcome the DeadWelcome the Dead would be easier to pull off than Rise of the Dread MarnRise of the Dread Marn and could produce as many Zombies as Army of the DamnedArmy of the Damned could for half the price.

And on top of all this, it draws two cards and discards a card. It's a slam dunk in any Zombie deck or even just any deck that puts a lot of cards into the graveyard.

Will of the AbzanWill of the Abzan

I think this is one of the better ways black can do an impression of Crackling DoomCrackling Doom. Soul ShatterSoul Shatter hits creatures with the highest mana value.

So the only other ways black can hit creatures with the greatest power are Professor OnyxProfessor Onyx (more often used as a combo piece than removal), Shadowgrange ArchfiendShadowgrange Archfiend, and Extract a ConfessionExtract a Confession.

The latter two are too situational to be staples. So for four mana, you get a black Crackling Doom that also reanimates a creature. And there's potential for gaining favors with opponents if you choose not to target them to sacrifice a creature. I think versatility of this spell will be desirable in many black decks.

Within RangeWithin Range

Your opponents can forget about blocking. In go-wide decks, swinging in with multiple creatures a turn will quickly drain your opponents, especially if they can't block your army.

Of course, this will be a staple in Isshin, Two Heavens as OneIsshin, Two Heavens as One decks as swinging with five creatures now means draining someone for 10 life before damage is even dealt. If you're running an aggressive deck that produces a lot of creature turns, this will be a powerful wincon.

Uncommons & Commons

Kheru GoldkeeperKheru Goldkeeper

Kheru GoldkeeperKheru Goldkeeper is a great payoff for reanimator decks by creating a Treasure token anytime a card leaves our graveyard.

Our three Sultai commanders I mentioned earlier, Kotis, Sibsig ChampionKotis, Sibsig Champion, Teval, Arbiter of VirtueTeval, Arbiter of Virtue, and Teval, the Balanced ScaleTeval, the Balanced Scale, could make use Kheru Goldkeeper to make Treasures in addition to what the deck is already doing.

Kheru Goldkeeper also combos with GravecrawlerGravecrawler and a sac outlet. Get infinite ETBs, Death Triggers, you name it. It might be included in Sultai decks for pure value reasons, but I see this making it's way into many decks as a combo piece.

Lie in WaitLie in Wait

Three mana to return a creature is slightly over-costed, but tacking on creature removal to it is nice. It's sorcery speed removal, but if you're running high powered creatures, it could be a good inclusion.

Yathan TombguardYathan Tombguard

Yathan TombguardYathan Tombguard is a great source of card draw for decks that give creatures counters of any kind. It also has menace, so it's able to trigger itself if we put a counter on it.

As an uncommon, it might get overlooked, but I wouldn't pass this card up. Any deck that puts counters on creatures will want this card.

Parting Clouds

It's hard to tell if the light coming through the clouds is sunlight or fire, but either way, we've made it to the end of our review today. There are many exciting new cards to look forward to from Tarkir.

What commanders are you looking forward to building? Are there any new pieces of tech you were able to find today? Let me know in the comment below and I'll see you next time!