Frostcliff SiegeFrostcliff Siege | Art by Dan Murayama Scott

Hey everyone! We're still on our Tarkir kick at Back to Basics. Last month, I wrapped up the original Tarkir Block sets by bringing you the top 10 most played cards from DTK. I also started looking at the most played cards from each of the plane's clan color identities, starting with Jeskai (). Today, we're catching up with Tarkir's present and covering Tarkir: Dragonstorm (TDM).

As with any set involving the former planeswalker and Dragon enthusiast Sarkhan, you can expect new goodies for that kindred deck. What's interesting about TDM is that there might be fewer of those cards in the top 10 than you might expect! Enough teasers, let's dive in!

10. Encroaching DragonstormEncroaching Dragonstorm - 13,726 decks

To be fair to the plane of Tarkir, the current 10th most played card from TDM does involve Dragons. While it isn't a giant flying monster, it is a useful support card that ramps you and fixes your mana for the multicolor Dragon commanders The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon, TiamatTiamat, special guest Morophon, the BoundlessMorophon, the Boundless, and more.

It's a little clunky at four mana, but you gotta fix your mana somehow, right? It's interesting that it can be reused every time you play a Dragon, but I'm not sure how many basic lands you'll be running in your five-color decks. For some deckbuilding inspiration, check out this recent Ur-Dragon list by Jeremy Rowe.

9. DracogenesisDracogenesis - 15,543 decks

Okay, okay, I said this list wouldn't be too Dragony, but I meant it in the relative sense, compared to other Tarkir lists! It's hard to argue that it can get any more Dragony than DracogenesisDracogenesis, an enchantment that literally lets you put all your Dragons on the table. Or, you could just put one Dragon into play repeatedly by following this combo involving Miirym, Sentinel WyrmMiirym, Sentinel Wyrm and Marang River RegentMarang River Regent:

When you're not doing that, casting Dragons for free is still overwhelmingly cool with Tiamat. I'm sure there is some sequence of Dragons you could fetch and play that would sequentially or cumulatively win you the game. Incorporating Cloudstone CurioCloudstone Curio into your shenanigans can only supercharge your game plan!

8. Frostcliff SiegeFrostcliff Siege - 15,722 decks

I love this cycle of enchantments that put a two-color spin on the original Sieges from Fate Reforged.

It's always interesting to try and figure out how often each of the modes will be chosen. I assume that if you're putting this into your Commander deck, you already have a particular mode in mind, but it's a nice bonus to have the other option waiting to be useful. Based on EDHREC data, it looks like giving each creature trample and haste wins out more often than not over getting to draw a couple of extra cards. In Dragons decks, this acts as a bit of redundancy alongside Temur AscendancyTemur Ascendancy and Dragon TempestDragon Tempest while being easier to cast and offering extra utility. Getting your Dragons into combat immediately is just such a powerful ability when you have haymakers like Atarka, World RenderAtarka, World Render.

This also slots nicely into Jeskai or Izzet prowess decks powered by Monastery MentorMonastery Mentor and other token generators. While boosting your army's power and letting them trample through for a big combat is great, you might also want to pick Jeskai here sometimes, especially in multiplayer tables where each opponent dealt damage nets you one card.

7. Windcrag SiegeWindcrag Siege - 17,318 decks

In Commander, players are likely going to want to choose Mardu an overwhelming amount of the time. That's because doubling attack triggers is an effect we don't see too often, so this boosting the redundancy of Isshin, Two Heavens as OneIsshin, Two Heavens as One and powering up other commanders like Arabella, Abandoned DollArabella, Abandoned Doll, Kaalia of the VastKaalia of the Vast, and Anim Pakal, Thousandth MoonAnim Pakal, Thousandth Moon is valuable.

While Isshin really does seem like Windcrag Siege's best home, there are tons of commanders with attack triggers in color combinations other than Mardu (), so having this card's color identity just be Boros means you can slot it into Satya, Aetherflux GeniusSatya, Aetherflux Genius or Voja, Jaws of the ConclaveVoja, Jaws of the Conclave, too.

Looking beyond just commanders, this doubling token creation abilities like TDM's mobilize means you can get more bang for your buck in decks playing cards like Thalisse, Reverent MediumThalisse, Reverent Medium and Elas il-Kor, Sadistic PilgrimElas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim that want to go wide but also convert these tokens into drain triggers.

6. Maelstrom of the Spirit DragonMaelstrom of the Spirit Dragon - 17,439 decks

This is a sweet callback to the cards Haven of the Spirit DragonHaven of the Spirit Dragon and Tomb of the Spirit DragonTomb of the Spirit Dragon, the Spirit Dragon being UginUgin, of course.

This is just straight up a good utility land for the multicolor Dragon kindred decks described above, usually led by The Ur-Dragon, Tiamat, or Scion of the Ur-DragonScion of the Ur-Dragon. The mana fixing is already nice, and tutoring up a specific Dragon is just more redundancy, and readers will know that I can harp on about how important redundancy is in the format! It's worth noting that this also plays very well with Changelings.

5. Nature's RhythmNature's Rhythm - 18,298 decks

Speaking of redundancy, we absolutely love additional copies of Chord of CallingChord of Calling in decks playing green. You even get to double dip with harmonize, at the cost of this being more costly on the front end than Chord and Green Sun's ZenithGreen Sun's Zenith, and also boasting less upside than Finale of DevastationFinale of Devastation at large mana costs.

EDHREC data shows us that cards like Nature's RhythmNature's Rhythm are often played in Thrasios, Triton HeroThrasios, Triton Hero & Tymna the WeaverTymna the Weaver. This partner combo is commonly built with a Birthing PodBirthing Pod theme that uses creature tutors and cards like Eldritch EvolutionEldritch Evolution and NeoformNeoform to assemble a combo like Tainted PactTainted Pact and Thassa's OracleThassa's Oracle and its variants.

4. Herd HeirloomHerd Heirloom - 18,611 decks

Okay, so this set is pretty Dragony after all, though in a way that doesn't box a bunch of cards into just being "Dragon deck cards." Like Frostcliff Siege before, Herd HeirloomHerd Heirloom is a pretty good Dragons card, because it's a cheap mana generator that also gives big creatures trample and nets you extra cards. But Dragon isn't the only creature type that has a lot of creatures with power four or greater. Heirloom can pack a punch in Dinosaurs, Elementals, and Xenagos, God of RevelsXenagos, God of Revels piles that love having extra mana and a way to trample through for victory.

3. Elspeth, Storm SlayerElspeth, Storm Slayer - 26,439 decks

From a card that enables Dragons to one that slays them, Elspeth is a powerful planeswalker that primarily acts as an additional Doubling SeasonDoubling Season or Mondrak, Glory DominusMondrak, Glory Dominus (among other doublers) that also gets the token train going. An army in a can is supremely useful, even at five mana, when all you want to do is attack for a ton of damage with Arabella or kill opponents without even getting into combat using Impact TremorsImpact Tremors or Warleader's CallWarleader's Call.

Even when you're not winning by assembling those combos, Elspeth still works on her own to get you a ton of value out of SkullclampSkullclamp, Caesar, Legion's EmperorCaesar, Legion's Emperor, and many more cards. What's incredible is that if you just happen to have a bunch of tokens in play but no win condition, she also has you covered there to an extent by pumping your whole team and granting evasion. Wow!

2. Voice of VictoryVoice of Victory - 34,060 decks

Now, from a card that does a ton to one that prevents your opponents from doing anything on your turn. This is the latest in a long line of "hate bears" or creatures, usually in white and costing two mana, that disrupt your opponents' game plans and can even slow matches down to a crawl. You can build a whole deck around them! Of course, Voice of VictoryVoice of Victory, like Grand AbolisherGrand Abolisher, doesn't just disrupt the opponent; it also gives you the opportunity to assemble a combo on your turn without worrying about opposing disruption. This is useful especially in decks like Isshin and Najeela, the Blade-BlossomNajeela, the Blade-Blossom, which sometimes like to win by stacking additional combat phases. Voice even helps out in combat when it's safe to get in by generating attacking tokens.

Combo decks that play creatures, like the aforementioned Thrasios-Tymna Birthing Pod deck, like having access to this effect, as do Kraum, Ludevic's OpusKraum, Ludevic's Opus & Tymna the WeaverTymna the Weaver piles that might be dipping into an Ad NauseamAd Nauseam combo. Peace and quiet are beautiful things to have in EDH.

1. Mistrise VillageMistrise Village - 38,937 decks

Speaking of which, the most played Commander card from Tarkir: Dragonstorm is an unassuming land that makes sure your opponents can't fiddle with you big finish. In his review of the colorless cards in the set, Arnaud Gompertz pointed out that similar cards Boseiju, Who Shelters AllBoseiju, Who Shelters All and Cavern of SoulsCavern of Souls see significant play in the format and predicted that this would be a staple. It certainly seems that way so far, with a variety of decks (including Dragons, of course) making room for this card to protect combos like Demonic ConsultationDemonic Consultation or Tainted Pact and Thassa's Oracle.

We Came Seeking a Challenge. It Seems We Must Continue Searching.We Came Seeking a Challenge. It Seems We Must Continue Searching.

With the end of this list, that's a wrap for all the sets that fully take place on Tarkir. I'm sure this isn't the last we've seen of this sweet, Dragony plane, but in the meantime, I can't wait to see which cards will claim spots in the Top 10 as time passes. Will we see more Dragon-themed cards, or fewer? Until next time!