Auroral ProcessionAuroral Procession | Art by Marco Gorlei

I’ve been looking forward to this one. Khans of Tarkir was my entry into the game, and the clans and dragons of Tarkir have always held a special place in my heart. Expectations were high for Tarkir: Dragonstorm, and it absolutely delivers. Dragons are back, three color awesomeness is back, and after a few “hat sets” (which were fun, don’t get me wrong) I think that it’s fair to say that it feels a bit like – in some senses – Magic is back.

As always, I approach this list with the aim of selecting cards that make for interesting and memorable games – where you leave your evening with the warm feeling of having had good and interactive games where things happened.

These cards are not necessarily going to help you win games, and they are not selected to introduce chaos or randomness, but I hope that they will help to inject some interest and interactivity, keeping players engaged with games and perhaps generating new and interesting situations.

Whether or not a card is interesting is subjective, so this is an inescapably biased list, but I hope that it will make for an interesting read, perhaps make you think about a card that has passed you by in the maelstrom of new sets and products, and maybe generate a discussion or two.

Honourable Mention

Omen

For this set’s honorable mention I have selected an entire mechanic. Omen is a riff on the Adventure mechanic, and is one of the many takes on a double-sided card that we have seen through Magic’s history. Cards with Adventure allow you to cast the built-in instant or sorcery ‘side’ of the card, which resolve with the card itself in exile, from where you can cast the permanent ‘side’ direct to the battlefield.

If you cast the Omen side of a card, however, the card shuffles itself back into your deck upon resolution. Importantly, this means that you do not then have access to the non-Omen side of the card immediately after casting the Omen, as you would with Adventure, but it does mean that when you eventually re-draw the card you will again have the choice of which side to cast.

In Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Omen is only found on dragons. It gives the cards massive flexibility, and utility at different stages of the game. Sagu WildlingSagu Wildling, for example, would be a bad thing to see in your hand early in the game if it were simply a 5-cost Dragon, but the 1 mana sorcery that allows you to replace it with a basic land means that more often than not you will be glad to see it early, and glad to see it late when you need a flyer and a bit of a life boost.

However, the main reason I wanted to honorably mention Omen before I get stuck into the top 10 is that the flavor is just so cool. Omens represent something happening that gives a sense of a Dragon’s impending arrival. Maybe your opponent casts the Coil and Catch half of a Marang River RegentMarang River Regent – you’re going to spend the rest of the game braced for the Dragon’s arrival.

But when it comes back, maybe it just draws and discards cards harmlessly overhead again, waiting for its time to strike. I love the idea of games full of dragons doing threatening fly-bys as they head back into the deck, biding their time and returning to wreak havoc later.

#10 – Heritage ReclamationHeritage Reclamation

If I had a nickel for each time the #10 on this list was a low-cost modal green card that deals with artifacts and enchantments I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot etc. etc. (the last top 10 had Insidious FungusInsidious Fungus in this spot). I guess it’s a bit bread-and-butter, but it’s still worth taking the time to talk about.

Heritage ReclamationHeritage Reclamation is an iteration on Return to NatureReturn to Nature, but now comes with built-in pseudocycling in that you may now exile up to one card from a graveyard, and when you do you draw a card.

The opportunity cost of running this effect has therefore come way down – previously this would sit in hand until a suitable target hit the board or graveyard, but now if there’s nothing worth targeting it can be cashed in for another card for only 2 mana.

This is therefore a highly interactive card representing flexible removal that is a low-risk include, and I expect that we will see it coming up in games a lot.

#9 – Flamehold GrapplerFlamehold Grappler & Mardu SiegebreakerMardu Siegebreaker

I’ve gone for a double bill here rather than dedicating two slots on the list to cards that copy things. Both Flamehold GrapplerFlamehold Grappler and Mardu SiegebreakerMardu Siegebreaker are aggressively costed versions of their effect, and both will do some exciting things in games.

Flamehold GrapplerFlamehold Grappler is one of the more powerful flurry cards in Tarkir: Dragonstorm. It has a very simple effect – when it enters, whether it was cast or otherwise, you copy the next spell that you play this turn.

Not the next instant or sorcery spell, the next spell. For a 3-mana investment you can get two of something, whether it’s a utility creature, a game-ending threat or simply doubling up on interaction.

As I noted above, this isn’t limited to when you cast Flamehold GrapplerFlamehold Grappler either, if you flicker it you can trigger its effect again, which will accumulate dangerous amounts of value very quickly. A starting selection of things that you might like to have two of:

Mardu SiegebreakerMardu Siegebreaker is a very Mardu sort of copy effect – it’s fast, aggressive and temporary. In contrast to Flamehold GrapplerFlamehold Grappler’s one-two punch value combo, Mardu SiegebreakerMardu Siegebreaker tucks a creature away until combat and then hits your opponents really hard with three of them.

There’s not much more to say about either of these cards, but there are any number of things that it stands to reason that if you want one of them, you won’t be sad to have more. Consider a simple value play like putting a Solemn SimulacrumSolemn Simulacrum under the Siegebreaker, netting you three lands and three cards in each combat that you have both the Siegebreaker in play and a full roster of opponents.

Then there’s cards like Fear of Burning AliveFear of Burning Alive – that’s a lot of damage on attack, and a pretty near-guaranteed boardwipe every turn if you’ve got Delirium online. Or then there’s Gray Merchant of AsphodelGray Merchant of Asphodel or Bloodletter of AclazotzBloodletter of Aclazotz… The sky’s the limit.

#8 – Auroral ProcessionAuroral Procession

Auroral ProcessionAuroral Procession is an instant-speed RegrowthRegrowth. That’s it, that’s the reason it’s on the list. Unless I’ve missed anything, this is unprecedented – we’ve had instant speed regrowth effects with limitations, see Grapple with the PastGrapple with the Past or Cosmic RebirthCosmic Rebirth, but Auroral ProcessionAuroral Procession is our first opportunity to get back any card from graveyard to hand, instant speed, no downside.

This means that you can be holding up a counterspell or removal in case it’s needed, with the fallback plan of picking up a gameplan piece to play out on your next turn if your interaction isn’t needed. It’s the very definition of flexibility, and, perhaps more importantly, look at that art.

#7 – Disruptive StormbroodDisruptive Stormbrood

Disruptive StormbroodDisruptive Stormbrood is a double-sided removal spell. On the one hand, it’s removing small (power 3 or less) creatures, and on the other it’s removing an artifact or enchantment. You don’t need me to tell you that modern artifacts and enchantments are loaded with value, and that sometimes you just really need to get one off the board.

But what is perhaps more useful information is the relevance of Petty Revenge – it hits 58 of the top 100 commanders in the past 2 years, according to EDHREC. That’s a massive percentage, and includes powerhouse commanders like Lathril, Blade of the ElvesLathril, Blade of the Elves, Kaalia of the VastKaalia of the Vast and Isshin, Two Heavens as OneIsshin, Two Heavens as One.

But let’s not limit ourselves to commanders – EDHREC’s list of the top creatures in the past 2 years shows a fairly ridiculous 75% of the top 100 creatures being valid targets for Petty Revenge.

In a format overflowing with value creatures it’s perhaps not surprising, but I suppose what I’m saying is don’t underestimate the relevance of both halves of this card. It’s excellent removal, and both modes will interact with your opponents’ plans in meaningful ways.

#6 – Teval, Arbiter of VirtueTeval, Arbiter of Virtue

I’m not sure I ever would have expected the text ‘Spells you cast have delve’ to appear on a card. If I had, I think I would have anticipated even more of a downside than simply losing life equal to each spell’s mana value, since giving yourself an effective discount of all generic mana cost in every spell is such an outrageous upside. The life loss will add up fast, certainly, but Teval’s lifelink will go a decent way towards making up for it, and any deck with this card in the command zone is going to be loaded with life gain to the extent that it’s really not going to feel like there’s a downside at all while you’re mercilessly dunked on by delve value.

Teval, Arbiter of VirtueTeval, Arbiter of Virtue is an extremely unique card, and while I’m not sure that it will necessarily be particularly fun to play against, it is one of a surprising number of cards in Tarkir: Dragonstorm that had me saying “wait, they can do that?”.

#5 – New Way ForwardNew Way Forward

Have you ever run into a Deflecting PalmDeflecting Palm? You’d remember if you had. Deflecting PalmDeflecting Palm is one of the most brutal pieces of Uno reverse interaction in the game, up there alongside things like InkshieldInkshield, and depending on whether you are the person doing the deflecting, being deflected at or simply a bystander this card hitting the table will be either unimaginably satisfying, miserable or just hilarious. Wow that’s a big commander. What a nice Comet StormComet Storm. Oops your Chandra’s IgnitionChandra’s Ignition ignited backwards.

There’s always an opportunity to point some big damage back at the person trying to damage you. Now imagine that not only does your damage backfire, but your opponent draws cards equal to the damage of your mighty should-have-been-killing blow. Man, that’s going to be demoralising.

Sure, it’s a lot more mana and more restrictive in color identity, but New Way ForwardNew Way Forward is going to be a massive blowout pretty much every time you resolve it. In the sort of draw-go deck that this will find a home in, leaving 5 mana open isn’t going to be a big ask, and you’ll be backing up your New Way ForwardNew Way Forward with all sorts of alternative answers. But when the time comes that New Way ForwardNew Way Forward is the answer, it’s going to be a really good time.

#4 – Rot-Curse RakshasaRot-Curse Rakshasa

This card is another example of “they can do that?” design. I mean it makes perfect sense, keyword counters are here and they’re here to stay, but up to this point they’ve pretty much just been a nice thing to put on your own creatures. Rot-Curse RakshasaRot-Curse Rakshasa is a 2 mana 5/5 trample, which is an unexpected statline in and of itself, but once it hits the graveyard it threatens some truly magnificent interaction.

Putting a decayed counter on a creature has two main functions – it makes the creature unable to block, which is going to swing combat in your favor, and it also means that if its controller ever does decide to attack with it then that is the last thing that it will ever do (they have to sacrifice it).

So, putting a decayed counter on a thing is good, but Rot-Curse RakshasaRot-Curse Rakshasa takes this idea all the way up to an open-ended X-cost. For the low, low starting investment of two black mana, you can simply pay X and put a decayed counter on that many creatures.

This takes its double-purpose from combat shenanigans and conditional removal to setting you up for an unblockable alpha strike with a timed one-sided boardwipe attached.

Run graveyard hate, people.

#3 – Magmatic HellkiteMagmatic Hellkite

I like stun counters, it’s an elegant design to circumnavigate the challenge of remembering that you weren’t supposed to untap your creature this turn, with built-in scalability to enable soft removal designs that put more stun counters on a thing to take it out of action for more than a single turn.

A couple of cards like Involuntary CooldownInvoluntary Cooldown have taken stun counters a step further to let you put them on artifacts too, which is very nice, turning off mana rocks or vehicles for a turn, and after jumping through quite a lot of hoops The Watcher in the WaterThe Watcher in the Water will stun a nonland permanent. But for some reason it never occurred to me that they could end up going on lands too. It makes so much sense!

It’s a simple and well-communicated drawback, and powers up a card like Magmatic HellkiteMagmatic Hellkite in a straightforward but material way. Other versions of this effect mostly exist for the disruption in manabase, knocking players off colours or key nonbasic lands like Gaea’s CradleGaea’s Cradle or Urborg, Tomb of YawgmothUrborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, but simply by putting a stun counter on the land it also throws your opponent down a mana for their next turn, which really is significant.

However, we are also seeing stun counters being used as a cunning downside for otherwise overpowered cards. See things like Ambling StormshellAmbling Stormshell or Pugnacious HammerskullPugnacious Hammerskull – low mana value and massive stats, but they stun themselves so they’re likely not swinging in every turn.

So what if we put these ideas together – stun counters on lands as a downside for an otherwise pushed card? This is why Magmatic HellkiteMagmatic Hellkite is so high up this list, because of what I think that it represents for the future of stun counters. I’m calling it now, a Rampant GrowthRampant Growth variant for a single G that has the land enter with what, 3 stun counters?

That’s not far off suspending a Search for TomorrowSearch for Tomorrow, except the land and its stun counters are present and interactable with. Would we play this? I don’t know, I’m not a designer.

#2 – Fangkeeper’s FamiliarFangkeeper’s Familiar

Fangkeeper’s FamiliarFangkeeper’s Familiar is Mystic SnakeMystic Snake but different. For the shiny new Sultai version we have traded in the ability to counter any spell for some complex modality.

We can still counter a creature spell, which is a very relevant card type in most games, but now can also destroy an enchantment on entry or simply gain 3 life and surveil 3. I hesitate to say that this version is better, but I can remember many games where a Mystic SnakeMystic Snake got real comfortable in my hand while there wasn’t anything happening that I really wanted to counter.

Fangkeeper’s FamiliarFangkeeper’s Familiar eliminates this by having a couple of very castable modes for when no countering is required. It has also saddened me in the past that a Mystic SnakeMystic Snake won’t do anything useful with sorcery speed blink or copy effects, and while this is a very minor complaint I am also pleased that Fangkeeper’s FamiliarFangkeeper’s Familiar will have things to do in those situations.

I will say that in a Magic: the Gathering world where cards are getting more complicated I don’t want to see too many cards that can do multiple things and be relevant in multiple situations – part of the joy of deckbuilding (for me, and I think others) is making your card choices to be ready for different scenarios, so it doesn’t really fill me with joy to have yet another card with massive flexibility and no particular downside, but this card is the very definition of interactive and so here we are.

#1 – Songcrafter MageSongcrafter Mage

I selected my number 1 for this list moments before the Tolarian Community College video about this card went live. Really all I can say is go watch the video, all relevant points are made and made well over there. However, if you are enjoying my writing enough to stay here and see the list through to the end then a) thank you and b) I will do my best to summarise the headlines briefly.

Songcrafter MageSongcrafter Mage is Snapcaster MageSnapcaster Mage but different. I’m sensing a theme. It is different in very interesting ways, however, and does by nature of its design occupy a different place in the cast-a-spell-from-your-graveyard-that-your-opponent-wasn’t-expecting-you-to-cast space.

Snapcaster MageSnapcaster Mage gives a spell flashback, nice and simple, and therefore after the cost of Snapcaster itself you’re going to be wanting to flashback a reasonably low-cost instant, likely a counterspell or similar interaction piece. Songcrafter MageSongcrafter Mage, in contrast, gives its target instant or sorcery Harmonize.

This new mechanic from Tarkir: Dragonstorm lets you cast a spell from your graveyard by tapping a creature you control to reduce its generic mana cost by the creature’s power.

The premium targets for Songcrafter MageSongcrafter Mage are therefore are going to be higher cost cards which you will cast for mighty discounts because of your mighty creature(s). You can even tap the Songcrafter itself to Harmonize the spell, so there will be a minimum discount of 3 lined up – cunning removal from your opponents notwithstanding.

There are many sorceries that you might like to cast from your graveyard cheaply, like Ignite the FutureIgnite the Future, Increasing SavageryIncreasing Savagery or Rite of ReplicationRite of Replication (Harmonize can also reduce kicker costs, so with a sufficiently big creature on board you’re kicking a Rite of Replication from the yard for 2 mana!), but – like Snapcaster MageSnapcaster Mage – the instants are where Songcrafter MageSongcrafter Mage shines.

Spree cards like Great Train HeistGreat Train Heist, kicker cards like Strength of the TajuruStrength of the Tajuru or simply expensive cards like Blood for the Blood God!Blood for the Blood God! are all fantastic targets for Songcrafter MageSongcrafter Mage, and your opponents just won’t see them coming. Instant speed surprises make for the most unexpected and memorable interactions, and I think that Songcrafter MageSongcrafter Mage will be as fun and silly as it is powerful.

So we only ended up with three Dragons on the list, although Omen being a strictly Dragon mechanic (for now) maybe also counts. I hope that your prereleases went well and that your decks enjoy the new toys and tools from the new set. A Khans of Tarkir Temur prerelease kit was my first experience of Magic Limited, so I’ll be diving in pretty deep to this one. Thanks for reading!

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