Tarkir: Dragonstorm (TDM) Limited Set Review: Blue

Tarkir: Dragonstorm will release 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)

Aegis Sculptor

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

This guy seems a bit slow, and needs more than a few turns to outsize a dragon. It also requires you to have cards in your graveyard every turn in order to grow.

Agent of Kotis

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

A fine two drop that hopefully trades with another two drop, netting you the renew counters in the process.

Ambling Stormshell

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

There aren’t any turtle spells in the set, so if you do want the three cards, he will be in his shell for a while. Even so, this is a very large creature, that’s pretty difficult to get around.

Bewildering Blizzard

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

You only want one copy of this card in your deck, as it’s quite expensive. I don’t think it will line up too well that you blow your opponent out with this, but it will certainly happen from time to time.

Constrictor Sage

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

A decent top end card, but nothing too special. It gets much better in self mill decks.

Dirgur Island Dragon // Skimming Strike

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

The tap spell is a bit weak, but does help justify playing the dragon half in your deck. Overall it looks like decent filler.

Dispelling Exhale

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

It’s always difficult to guage how powerful counterspells will be. This seems pretty solid if you have a high dragon count, as it will hit almost everything until the very late game.

Dragonologist

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

As long as you have a high enough instant/sorcery and dragon count, this is a solid inclusion. If your a math nerd, you can use a hypergeometric calculator to find out the odds in any given deck.

Dragonstorm Forecaster

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

I do like the Dragonstorm Globe, so if you have a copy in your deck this gets a lot better. If you have the forecaster and the globe, you could justify putting Boulderborn Dragon in your deck as well.

Essence Anchor

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

This card doesn’t do anything on its own, and requires you to have either renew cards or other ways to exile from your graveyard in order to activate it. It’s just too narrow for me, dog.

Focus the Mind

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This is a well-designed card. Casting it for 5 doesn’t feel too bad, and casting it for 3 to refill your hand feels awesome.

Fresh Start

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This is a pretty decent piece of removal that works better in defensive decks.

Highspire Bell-Ringer

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

The creature part of this leaves a lot to be desired, and it’s rare that this will ever end up saving you that much mana.

Humbling Elder

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This is a great tool for Jeskai flurry decks. It’s a cheap spell that can easily help you win meaningful combat steps.

Iceridge Serpent

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

ETB bounce creatures are typically pretty solid. This one is a little small compared to the most recent iteration, Spikeshell Harrier, but should still be serviceable.11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Kishla Trawlers

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

By the time you want to cast this, you should have the prerequisite creature in your graveyard to do so. Costing only 3 mana will often allow you to cast the returned spell the turn you return it as well.

Marang River Regent // Coil and Catch

Rating: 4.0 // 5.0

This is a brutal creature. It’s a gigantic flyer that sets your opponent back in a huge way. The draw spell portion of the card is even more upside to it.

Naga Fleshcrafter

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

The Clone face of the card is pretty lackluster, but the renew ability on this creature can be game breaking in the right circumstances.

Ringing Strike Mastery

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

This card can be great in a hyper aggressive Jeskai build. Aside from that, it’s very replaceable.

Riverwalk Technique

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

This is a bit weak in terms of removal, the added counterspell bonus is nice, but doesn’t change the card that much.

Roiling Dragonstorm

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

I wouldn’t run this in a deck with 0 dragons, but all you need is 1-2 to justify playing this.

Sibsig Appraiser

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

The ability on this card is solid, but it is a bit small for a 3 drop.

Snowmelt Stag

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

I like the design of this card a lot. Most games it will trade down when it attacks, but it does make for a decent blocker and a late game threat.

Spectral Denial

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

This is a really cool counterspell that scales throughout the game. When you can counterspell things for one mana in the mid-game is when its power level will shine.

Stillness in Motion

Rating: 0.0 // 5.0

This isn’t really a limited card.

Taigam, Master Opportunist

Rating: 3.0 // 5.0

This will create a lot of value throughout the game, even if it comes 4 turns later.

Temur Devotee

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This is one of the better mana fixers. Aside from Jeskai, this is decent in some of the slower blue decks.

Unending Whisper

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This is probably solid in Jeskai decks, acting as a cheap prowess/flurry enabler.

Ureni’s Rebuff

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

This is reminiscent of Silent Departure, which was very powerful.

Veteran Ice Climber

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

If you have ways to pump this creatures power, like Stormbeacon Blade, this guy is quite problematic. If he stays a 1/3 however, he can be a bit of a liability, providing your opponent with renew and harmonize cards for free.

Whirlwing Stormbrood // Dynamic Soar

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

The omen part of the card is a little bit sketchy, so be cautious playing it into open mana. The dragon half is pretty sick.

Wingblade Disciple

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

Small flyers aren’t at their best this set, but if you can get a couple birds out of the deal, it’s hard to ignore.

Wingspan Stride

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

This is a pretty cool tool for Jeskai decks, helping activate flurry and prowess repeatedly. It should be avoided outside of Jeskai though.

Winternight Stories

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

Sorcery speed hurts this card quite a bit, but it’s still a decent draw spell.

Top 3 White Commons:

Outside of the Jeskai oriented cards, blue is trying to play the long game. It’s also short on any reliable removal, so you will need to rely on other colors for removal. Blue also has a good amount of card advantage spells, but they all feel very slow, which to me indicates the format will be a bit slower than anticipated. I’ll be running through Black next, stay tuned!

Lose and Learn, Learn and Win!