In a decade distant and long gone, Wizards planned out an intricate series of three sets featuring the new plane of Tarkir. The story featured time shenanigans and a shifting balance of power between scrappy clans and mighty dragons. Naturally, Wizards thought, people love dragons. So we’ll end the block with the dragons large and in charge, and everyone will be happy!

Well. Unfortunately for Wizards, they designed the clans maybe a little too well, and the general reaction to the dragons’ happy ending was disappointment. But time heals all wounds, and Tarkir: Dragonstorm (abbreviated as TDM) returns to a Tarkir where the clans have regained their predominance - but only in conjunction with new dragon allies. What can we expect from this new pairing? Let’s see!

Mechanics and Themes

Each of the five clans has a signature mechanic, with the association made clear by the clan’s watermark on the card. However, keep in mind that these mechanics are often found on mono-colored cards - and a clever player may find ways to mix these clan mechanics in order to unlock powerful synergies.

Endure (Abzan)

When a creature with Endures X enters the battlefield, its controller can either put X +1/+1 counters on that creature or create an X/X Spirit token. Most spells with Endure are creatures which trigger the ability when they come into play. Some, such as Krumar Initiate, have more complex ways of triggering Endure.

Which option should you pick with Endure? Well, that depends on a variety of factors. What does the current situation call for? How does the rest of your deck synergize with counters or tokens? The choice may not be easy, but the payoff is likely worth it. 

Flurry (Jeskai)

A card with Flurry has a triggered ability when you cast your second spell in a turn. Note that Flurry will not trigger if you cast additional spells after that; but also note that Flurry can trigger during an opponent’s turn.

The rewards for Flurry vary wildly - from Wingblade Disciple’s 1/1 Bird token to Devoted Duelist’s ping of damage to Poised Practitioner’s self-buff. The common thread is how you want to build your deck: full of low-cost spells that will let you trigger Flurry again and again and again.

Renew (Sultai)

Sometimes dead is - well, not better, but at least useful. If a card with Renew ends up in your graveyard, you can pay its Renew cost and exile that card (at sorcery speed) to gain an effect. This effect will usually place +1/+1 counters on a creature; sometimes, as with Champion of Dusan, it’ll do more.

What’s the best way to take advantage of Renew? The simple answer is to cast your Renew creatures, trade them off, and then use their Renew abilities. The more complex answer is to find ways to mill yourself, turning your graveyard into a secondary resource.

Mobilize (Mardu)

There’s a lot of joy in being the first to charge forward while knowing that your compatriots will be following close behind. When a creature with Mobilize X attacks, it creates X 1/1 attacking Warriors to harry the opponent before disappearing at the end of the turn.

Mobilize is a straightforwardly aggressive mechanic; however, it manifests slightly differently in each color. Zurgo’s Vanguard multiplies the aggression with a creature whose power scales up and up and up; in contrast, Dalkovan Packbeasts is a defensive creature whose toughness helps it survive each combat. And then there’s Veteran Stormsinger and its additional text that gives additional value to the fleeting nature of the Mobilize tokens.

Harmonize (Temur)

When a spell with Harmonize ends up in the graveyard, it can be cast again by paying the Harmonize cost (which also exiles the spell). That cost is not small - but it can be made small by tapping a creature to reduce that cost by the creature’s power.

Harmonize cards are all fundamentally 2-for-1s. The trick is to survive long enough to take advantage of that fact - but if you do, you’ll have a plethora of spells to fling all over the place.

Two-Brid

“Two-brid” is a variation of hybrid mana costs that allows you to pay either a specific colored mana or pay two mana in order to cast the spell. You can thus cast Gurmag Nightwatch and Reigning Victor for anywhere from three to six mana. Naturally you’d rather use the minimal mana costs - but there may be two color decks that are happy to pay a little extra mana for a two-brid card.

Omen

Omen spells are very similar to Adventures - with one key difference. Like Adventures they’re split into an instant or sorcery, and a creature; like Adventures you can cast either side. However, unlike Adventures, if you cast the instant/sorcery half, the card is shuffled into your library. This dials their power down somewhat, as Omens are not automatic 2-for-1s. They are quite flexible, however; chances are that an Omen is never completely dead in your hand.

Dragon Kindred

There are a variety of cards and mechanics that interact with Dragons. The most amusing one is Behold a Dragon: cards with this text increase in effectiveness if you point at a dragon you control on the battlefield or reveal one in your hand. There’s also a cycle of uncommon Dragonstorm enchantments that bounce back to your hand if you play a Dragon, allowing you to take advantage of their effects again and again and again.

Archetypes

So: TDM is different. Instead of having ten two-color archetypes, this set has five two-color archetypes (focusing on enemy-color pairs), and five three-color archetypes (focusing on the clan wedges). There’s a lot to say about how this affects the Limited format, but let’s take a look at the archetypes first!

Clan Archetypes

The clan archetypes are defined by their respective mechanics.

Abzan (White/Black/Green): Endure

It may not be immediately obvious why Endure has the name that it does; how does the choice between making a Spirit token or buffing a creature equate to endurance? The answer is that it allows you to make the best decision to survive the current board state before your steady drip of incremental value overwhelms the opponent. This value will often take the form of +1/+1 counters, such as the ones gifted by Armament Dragon and Reputable Merchant; and if you’re looking for an optimal target for these counters, look no further than Skirmish Rhino, which provides a threat that can grow from “inconvenient” to “fatal”. Of course, such a game plan requires a way to deal with your opponent’s threats, and Kin-Tree Severance is a particularly effective removal spell that does exactly that.

Jeskai (Blue/Red/White): Flurry

There’s definitely a Flurry deck that mixes cheap spells with an aggro mindset (and we’ll talk about it below). However, if you embrace all three colors of the Jeskai, then you’ll need to be patient and understand the need for value and good decision making. Figuring out ways to sequence your spells to trigger Flurry is part of that, but both Riverwheel Sweep and Monastery Messenger present interesting choices that - made properly - have the potential to swing a game wildly in your favor. And don’t underestimate the explosivenss of this clan’s creatures. Jeskai Shrinekeeper can easily catch an opponent off guard and reward you with damage and life and card draw. And plan around Jeskai Brushmaster well, and you may just find yourself knocking an opponent out with a single decisive hit.

Sultai (Black/Green/Blue): Renew

Renew is a graveyard mechanic, and that makes Rakshasa’s Bargain and Gurmag Nightwatch very attractive as ways to quickly dump cards into your graveyard. Mill the wrong creature away? No worries; Lie in Wait will get that creature back and (hopefully) knock off an opponent’s creature to boot. Kheru Goldkeeper magnifies this value train by granting you Treasure whenever you utilize your graveyard - and if it dies, you can always make use of its carcass to turn one of your creatures into a buffed flying threat. Embrace the bounties of the dead, and your opponent will find themselves overwhelmed by the weight of the resources you’ll be able to bring to bear.

Mardu (Red/White/Black): Mobilize

As you’ve probably already gathered, Mobilize decks want to attack. Bone-Cairn Butcher and Reigning Victor both Mobilize and both provide additional ways to squeeze your attackers through, whether it’s by giving your attacking tokens Deathtouch or granting a creature temporary indestructibility. Another way to continue your rampage is to simply remove any potential defenders, and Defibrillating Current is a pretty efficient way to do that. And if you’d like to play for the late game, when the board may be stalled, stick in spells like Sonic Shrieker that provide a little dose of direct damage that just might be enough to finish off a wounded opponent.

Temur (Green/Blue/Red): Mobilize

Harmonize actually asks for two things: a strong effect you’re looking to repeat, and big creatures that let you bring down the Harmonize cost to a considerable degree. Mammoth Bellow provides both: a chunky 5/5 body at a reasonable price that can be recast using that chunky 5/5 body for a pleasantly unreasonable price. There’s other tricks that can be done with this mechanic: use Temur Tawnyback to throw Harmonize cards into the graveyard, and you may be able to reap their effects early. Once you’re ready to move past the value effects and focus on actually whittling down your opponent’s health, big evasive creatures such as Karakyk Guardian - which comes with limited built-in protection - will win you the game within a couple of turns. And if you want to reduce the clock, use Dragonclaw Strike: a removal spell that gets a blocker out of the way before smashing in with a supercharged creature.

Two-Color Archetypes

The five two-color archetypes can each be matched to two clans; for example, White and Black are colors that are found in both Abzan and Mardu. As such, you can think of them as strategies that explore how two clan mechanics can work well together.

White/Black (Abzan/Mardu): Token Value

Both Endure and Mobilize share a token making effect, so it makes sense that White/Black finds ways to take advantage of those tokens. For example, there’s Marshal of the Lost, whose buff takes advantage of a wide board. But in reality, Magic is a cruel game - and that means most of the token value in this archetype comes from sacrificing them. Give Unrooted Ancestor indestructible, or draw cards with Hardened Tactician, or simply buff and protect the rest of your army with Duty Beyond Death. Just pair these cards with consistent ways to generate tokens, and you’ll slowly (but surely) grind your opponent away into nothing.

Blue/Red (Jeskai/Temur): Flurry Tempo

You don’t usually expect to see a four mana 6/5 creature with vigilance and menace in Blue/Red, but that’s exactly what Effortless Master is… kind of. This archetype represents the more patient half of Flurry, with repeatable Harmonize spells such as Glacial Dragonhunt and Ureni’s Rebuff allowing you to control the board until you’re ready to strike in with heavy hitters like Effortless Master or Equilibrium Adept. Plan your turns right and your opponents will find it very difficult to deal with this mix of power and control.

Black/Green (Sultai/Abzan): Counters

There are all kinds of counters in the world, and although Endure only grants +1/+1 counters, Renew can grant all sorts - +1/+1, deathtouch, trample, and more. You can boost this strategy with Stalwart Successor, accelerating the rate at which your creatures outgrow your opponent’s. There is a vulnerability to a counter strategy, however; a lot of the work you put in can be undone by a single removal spell. That makes Host of the Hereafter a critical safety net for this archetype, ensuring your counters won’t go to waste. Other cards to look for include ones such as Hundred-Battle Veteran and Formation Breaker: creatures that gain a benefit from the mere existence of counters, even if they’re not present on the creature itself. Put all these pieces together, and you’ll have a deck well-suited to quickly grow its threats beyond what your opponent can handle.

Red/White (Mardu/Jeskai): Flurry Aggro

Both the Jeskai and the Mardu have their share of aggression to work out, and both sometimes believe that the best therapy is sending a fist right into their opponent’s face. Go wide with cheap token makers like Frontline Rush - which can also double as a sudden massive spike in damage. Or Flurry out your cheap spells and punch in extra damage with Cori Mountain Stalwart and Devoted Duelist. The curve for this deck should be low, but Wayspeaker Bodyguard provides so much utility - getting back a cheap permanent spell while also potentially tapping defenders down - that it may make an ideal curve topper. Just remember to keep the proper intent in mind: hit quick and hard and unrelenting!

Green/Blue (Temur/Sultai): Graveyard Value

There’s a certain delight in looking upon one’s graveyard and seeing a larder full of tasty treats, whether they be spells with Harmonize or Renew. Double that value with Kishla Skimmer, or simply pluck out useful spells (at instant speed!) with Auroral Procession. You’ll also want to fill your graveyard at an accelerated pace - a task well suited to creatures like Veteran Ice Climber and Rainveil Rejuvenator. These creatures also provide key functions: early game defense for the former, and mana acceleration for the latter. Survive the first few turns, and your opponent will find it very difficult to overcome your advantage in value and resources!

Key Commons and Uncommons

White

Creatures

Loxodon Battle Priest: Maybe this doesn’t belong in a super aggressive deck, but maybe those decks might be willing to stretch their curve up to five for this card.

Riling Dawnbreaker // Signaling Roar: The strength of this card lies in its flexibility: as long as you have two mana, you’ll always be able to add some board presence.

Starry-Eyed Skyrider: This card is definitely at its best in a tokens deck, but jumping up even a single other creature can be enough to win you the game.

Non-Creatures

Osseous Exhale: Is five damage for two mana good? Well, it seems to hit most dragons, so I’m going to say yes.

Rally the Monastery: I’m not sure which mode will end up being the most played, and that’s because I can see them all being useful in the right situation.

Stormplain Detainment: It’s boring, it’s familiar, it’s good.

Blue

Creatures

Constrictor Sage: Stunning a creature is great, as is being able to do it again.

Iceridge Serpent: Bounce away counters or tokens or just a normal creature card that you don’t want to deal with for a turn.

Kishla Trawlers: There are certain conditions that must be met for this card to be good - but I don’t think those conditions are very hard to meet.

Non-Creatures

Fresh Start: I think this Aura is definitely good enough, especially since it can lasso down dragons at instant speed.

Ringing Strike Mastery: This is in no way a long-term solution for a problematic threat, but it may work for just long enough - and its cheap mana cost is ideal for Flurry decks.

Roiling Dragonstorm: On the one hand it only draws you a single card; on the other, pitching something into the graveyard may feel like drawing an extra card. And if you have dragons, then this enchantment becomes pure value.

Black

Creatures

Alchemist’s Assistant: Early on, it’s a blocker that gains you some life; later, it can be used to stick a lifelink counter on a powerful creature - and that by itself may be enough to win you the game.

Gurmag Rakshasa: This demon is a credible threat by itself, and the turn it comes down you’re probably doing some damage to boot.

Yathan Tombguard: Not all of Black’s archetypes involve counters. But most of them do, and this card drawing effect is powerful enough that I’d alter my Limited strategy just to accommodate this creature.

Non-Creatures

Desperate Measures: The obvious target for this card is one of your Mobilize tokens, but the secondary case of pumping one of your creatures to trade in combat and draw two cards when it dies - well, that’s pretty good too.

Salt Road Skirmish: Unconditional removal, hurray!

Worthy Cost: Mobilize and Endure both generate disposal creature tokens that can be used to cast this spell, and sacrificing a Renew creature isn’t terrible either.

Red

Creatures

Sunset Strikemaster: A mana dork - in Red! As a bonus, its self-sacrificing ability will kill most dragons in the set.

Summit Intimidator: There will be a lot of games that will end as soon as this creature is played.

Unsparing Boltcaster: Want to make a defender paranoid of blocking a 1/1 token? This creature will do the trick.

Non-Creatures

Fire-Rim Form: A nice combat trick that becomes a permanent buff, and also allows for surprise mid-combat Flurry activations.

Molten Exhale: Four damage won’t kill everything, but it will kill most things.

Seize Opportunity: It’s not entirely dissimilar to an instant speed Divination, and the creature pump option is a nice way to keep your opponent on their toes.

Green

Creatures

Inspirited Vanguard: Is this a five mana 5/4 that can keep growing? A consistent 2/2 token maker? A mix of both? You get to choose!

Sagu Pummeler: Need to block a dragon, maybe twice? Here you go!

Trade Route Envoy: I could be wrong, but this seems pretty close to a four mana 4/3 that draws you a card.

Non-Creatures

Piercing Exhale: A two mana instant speed punch is great, and maybe you get to surveil as well.

Sarkhan’s Resolve: A two mana combat trick or instant speed removal spell for a dragon - sounds good to me!

Synchronized Charge: This is simply a two mana game ender… that you can cast more than once if you need to.

Other Cards to Know

Mana Fixing

Okay, yeah - there’s a lot. First, the land slot in DFT may contain one of ten lifegain dual lands:

There’s also a cycle of three-color clan lands:

And a cycle of clan artifacts that search for an appropriate basic land (and which can be used to create token creatures later in the game):

And a cycle of cheap common creatures with interesting abilities that also filter for a particular clan’s colors:

And there are a few additional (dragon themed) colorless mana fixers as well:

And, as usual, Green has a few additional options:

Creatures with Reach

In a set chock full of sky-soaring dragons, creatures with Reach are more important than ever:

Summation

So what should you keep in mind when playing Tarkir: Dragonstorm?

• Yeah, this is a complex set.

• Do not expect your three color clan decks to be narrowly defined by their signature clan mechanic. There is a lot of (intended) synergy between the mechanics of neighboring clans, and you’ll have plenty of incentive to make the clans work together.

• With the exception of the most aggressive two color decks, I expect most “two color” decks will actually splash for bombs and removal. There are simply too many powerful three color cards, and too many ways to fix your mana.

• Yeah, that means there’ll be plenty of Limited decks that play four colors.

• Each pack will have a million options that open up different horizons for your deck. Focus on what your deck wants to do - counters, Flurry, graveyard - and grab cards that maximize those payoffs.

• Don’t forget about the dragons. You’ll need to be able to defend against them.

Good luck!