(Ojutai's CommandOjutai's Command | Art by William Murai)

The small are mostly ignored by dragonsThe small are mostly ignored by dragons

Hey, everyone! While Tarkir: Dragonstorm has been out for nearly a week, here at Back to Basics and Associated Listicles, we've got one more Dragony throwback set to check out before I bring you the most played Commander cards from the newest set.

That's right, we're wrapping up our retrospective of the original Tarkir block by bringing the Top 10 most played Commander cards from Dragons of Tarkir! You can check out my Fate Reforged and Khans of Tarkir lists for the full experience that Sarkhan would approve of.

10. Dragonlord DromokaDragonlord Dromoka - 40,864 decks, 521 as commander

While Dromoka can be your commander in a deck built around various themes (lifegain and hatebears being the most popular), she really shines in the 99 of Dragon kindred decks, usually led by one out of the big three: The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon, TiamatTiamat, or Scion of the Ur-DragonScion of the Ur-Dragon. Here, she can enable a winning turn by silencing your opponents and is generally a beefy deterrent for decks that like to attack.

Given that the 5/7 is a two-color legend with a relevant set of abilities, it's also at home in legends-matters decks led by Jodah, the UnifierJodah, the Unifier, Captain SisayCaptain Sisay, or Niv-Mizzet RebornNiv-Mizzet Reborn for more of a multicolor focus.

9. Sidisi, Undead VizierSidisi, Undead Vizier - 49,451 decks, 584 as commander

One of my favorite cards from the set, this decrepit incarnation of Sidisi can be the commander in a very combo-focused Ad NauseamAd Nauseam deck you can learn more about here, using EDHREC's helpful tag function.

In the 99, she's an excellent option in Zombie decks, because having access to a Demonic TutorDemonic Tutor that you can recur sounds super sweet. Generating material to sacrifice is trivial for Zombies, especially when you have combos like GravecrawlerGravecrawler and Phyrexian AltarPhyrexian Altar.

There are tons of commander options for decks like this, including Wilhelt, the RotcleaverWilhelt, the Rotcleaver, The Scarab GodThe Scarab God, and even Sidisi, Brood TyrantSidisi, Brood Tyrant.

This 4/6 will also get you closer to combos on top of enabling them, including the popular game-winning engine of Bolas's CitadelBolas's Citadel, Sensei's Divining TopSensei's Divining Top, and Aetherflux ReservoirAetherflux Reservoir:

8. Sunscorch RegentSunscorch Regent - 54,584 decks

This flier boasts a powerful ability that scales incredibly well with the number of players at the table. The lifegain aspect of the ability works well with cards like Lathiel, the Bounteous DawnLathiel, the Bounteous Dawn, Exemplar of LightExemplar of Light and Vito, Thorn of the Dusk RoseVito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose, and the counters this gets goes bananas with doublers like Conclave MentorConclave Mentor and Kami of Whispered HopesKami of Whispered Hopes. Shalai and HallarShalai and Hallar also greatly appreciate how Regent enables them to spray damage across the table.

Regent is also a Dragon that can act as a powerful standalone threat while contributing to the critical mass of kindred creatures you need for The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon.

7. Savage VentmawSavage Ventmaw - 66,085 decks

Here be Dragons, alright! This time, we have a Gruul () monster that ramps you and also forms a handy two-card combo with Aggravated AssaultAggravated Assault:

Ventmaw is also one of the most played Gruul cards in the format, partly because it works so well with commanders like Wulfgar of Icewind DaleWulfgar of Icewind Dale and Karlach, Fury of AvernusKarlach, Fury of Avernus to generate a bunch of mana for various nefarious purposes.

It's also an important piece of the Atarka, World RenderAtarka, World Render-led Gruul Dragons variant, which can play similarly to Xenagos, God of RevelsXenagos, God of Revels or Anzrag, the Quake-MoleAnzrag, the Quake-Mole in that attacking carries the day via gigantic buffs and multiple combat steps.

6. Secure the WastesSecure the Wastes - 72,277 decks

This is one of the most efficient token-generators around, and it powers up a ton of different commanders. It not only provides Caesar, Legion's EmperorCaesar, Legion's Emperor with sacrifice fodder, but it can combine to with his last ability to deal a huge chunk of damage.

Arabella, Abandoned DollArabella, Abandoned Doll is similarly supercharged, while Jetmir, Nexus of RevelsJetmir, Nexus of Revels and Baylen, the HaymakerBaylen, the Haymaker are fully activated without too much of an investment.

And those are just the commanders that get better the more tokens you have! Jinnie Fay, Jetmir's SecondJinnie Fay, Jetmir's Second and Mondrak, Glory DominusMondrak, Glory Dominus will let you go impossibly wide, while Kudo, King Among BearsKudo, King Among Bears will cheekily ensure that your army is far too much for any opponent to handle.

There are also a ton of sweet interactions with nonlegendary creatures, including with the cards that "ping" the opponent for one damage when a creature enters. More on that later!

5. Dragonlord's ServantDragonlord's Servant - 73,992 decks

The original Tarkir block contributed a ton to making the Dragon kindred deck more powerful, reliable, and redundant, as you'll see from this next trio of cards.

Commander has never really had a shortage of giant, expensive Dragons to cast, and while the format has a ton of ramp, too, cards like Dragonlord's ServantDragonlord's Servant and the older Dragonspeaker ShamanDragonspeaker Shaman imbue extra potency into the deck by making it possible to cast more than one discounted creature a turn.

We've also seen more variants of Dragon-enablers printed over the years, ensuring that you can cast your spells earlier than their mana value indicate in anything from five- to two-color decks.

4. Haven of the Spirit DragonHaven of the Spirit Dragon - 79,449 decks

This utility land not only fixes your mana for any color of Dragon creature spell; it also helps you rebuild your combo engines after one piece is dealt with.

Dragon kindred decks can feature a ton of different combos, including Old GnawboneOld Gnawbone shenanigans with Hellkite ChargerHellkite Charger or Aggravated Assault and Astral DragonAstral Dragon and Cursed MirrorCursed Mirror.

Haven also sees some play in colorless decks, usually led by Eldrazi, because you can also return Ugin, the Spirit DragonUgin, the Spirit Dragon or any of his variants to your hand, which is pretty handy and less replaceable than Raise DeadRaise Dead effects on creatures.

3. Dragon TempestDragon Tempest - 101,985 decks

This enchantment helps all your Dragons with attack or combat damage abilities trigger immediately while also acting as removal thanks to its second ability. Tempest is also a cool combo card, helping Dragons decks deal near infinite damage alongside Ancient Gold DragonAncient Gold Dragon and netting you infinite enters and sacrifice triggers with Vrondiss, Rage of AncientsVrondiss, Rage of Ancients.

2. Inspiring CallInspiring Call - 211,502 decks

Moving away from Dragons, Inspiring Call keys off a staple mechanic from the plane of Tarkir and its Abzan faction, +1/+1 counters. There are other ways to protect the creatures that are so essential to the game plan of a counters deck, including Heroic InterventionHeroic Intervention and Unbreakable FormationUnbreakable Formation.

But this instant also offers a lot of upside in the form of card advantage. Shamanic RevelationShamanic Revelation is one of the most played Commander cards from Fate Reforged, and this similar but more flexible effect sees a ton of play out of Dragons of Tarkir.

1. Impact TremorsImpact Tremors - 283,681 decks

This card figured just outside the top 10 most played mono-red cards in EDH and seems to crop up a lot in these Back to Basics lists. That's probably because Impact TremorsImpact Tremors and its ilk are comprise one of the premier game plans in the format.

Winning via Purphoros, God of the ForgePurphoros, God of the Forge, Warstorm SurgeWarstorm Surge, or any of the variants, like Agate InstigatorAgate Instigator, is powerful because you don't need to get into combat or have your creatures stick around too long to win the game.

Tremors also has some combo potential, including with Niv-Mizzet, VisionaryNiv-Mizzet, Visionary and The Locust GodThe Locust God, but you don't even need to set up elaborate engines when a simple Krenko, Mob BossKrenko, Mob Boss, Ojer Axonil, Deepest MightOjer Axonil, Deepest Might, or Ghyrson Starn, KelermorphGhyrson Starn, Kelermorph can already work so well with it. And it's a common, too!

No matter the timeline, some legends will endureNo matter the timeline, some legends will endure

And that's a wrap for the original Tarkir block! I was playing a ton of Magic around when these sets were released, so writing these articles has gotten me so nostalgic. I already mentioned that Sidisi was a favorite of mine from the set, but all five Commands have a special place in my heart, too.

Dragonlord Silumgar is probably my absolute favorite from DTK, though that's more because he was so much fun to play in Standard Esper Dragons!