Tarkir: Dragonstorm released on 4/8 to online platforms, so I’ll be breaking down each card to help you get accquainted! Much like it’s predecessor, TDM is a “wedge” set, that encourages you to play one of the supported color combinations; Abzan, Jeskai, Mardu, Sultai, or Temur. While 1-2 color decks are supported, the most powerful cards are often three colors, so you will be incentivized to support them.
5.0: Disgustingly powerful and basically unbeatable. Either answer it the turn it comes down or just pack up your cards. (Gruff Triplets, Virtue of Persistence, The Eternal Wanderer)
4.5: Incredible bomb that still gives your opponent a slim chance. (Virtue of Loyalty, Imodane's Recruiter, Realm-Scorcher Hellkite)
4.0: Great rare or the absolute best uncommons and removal. (Faunsbane Troll, Gumdrop Poisoner, Talion’s Messenger)
3.5: Great role filler or removal that you never cut. (Candy Grapple, Hearth Elemental, Torch the Tower)
3.0: Good playable that I’m basically never cutting. (Shrouded Shepherd, Spellscorn Coven, Sharae of Numbing Depths)
2.5: Decent playable and the bar I hope nearly every card in my deck to reach. (Evolving Wilds, Archon's Glory, Flick a Coin)
2.0: Mediocre filler that normally is your 20-23rd card(s). (Mintstrosity, Ice Out, Grabby Giant)
1.5: Replaceable, overall bad filler. Could also be decent sideboard cards. (Titanic Growth, Scarecrow Guide, Territorial Witchstalker)
1.0: Bad filler. Gets cut most of the time. (Dark Tutelage, Kindled Heroism, Impact Tremors)
0.5: Very unhappy to main deck this, but maybe it has fringe sideboard applications. Cards that “could” be situationally decent, but bad in most situations. (Smothering Tithe, Rhystic Study, Mana Flare)
0.0: Unplayable in every possible situation. They rarely print cards this bad these days. (Hew the Entwood, One with Nothing)
All of these are fantastic. They fix mana by finding a land while offering creatures later. They are kind of like a 2-for-1 in terms of value. All of them are great, with the Abzan monument being a little worse, as it does have requirements to impact the board in a meaningful way.
This is really, really underwhelming in this set. The format is extremely mana intensive, very rarely do you want to spend the mana required to equip this for a small buff.
This protects itself by killing a creature the turn it comes down. The loyalty is so ridiculously high, that it’s incredibly difficult to kill without a direct removal spell. This might be the best card in the set.
These are fantastic at fixing mana bases, as well as enabling splashes. You should likely be taking these more aggressively than you currently do. Stop waiting until pack 3 and hoping you the exact one you’re looking for. Yes, I’m talking to you.
Ol’ reliable. It can be a bit awkward with splashes, because it requires you to put in a basic land of that type, even if you have a few ways of producing it via tap lands.
Andy "Icky" Ferguson is a long time limited grinder, with his first draft in 1999 at the age of 11. 22 years later, you can still find him streaming drafts, achieving the top ranks, including rank #1 5 months of 2021. Seasoned member of the Draft Lab squad and appointed "zen master", Andy lives by the motto; "lose and learn, learn and win".
