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)
Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
Not only can this pick off low toughness attackers, but it creates a pretty significant passive threat the longer it sits on the battlefield.
Arashin Sunshield
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
Expensive tappers are rarely playable, and this will likely be more of a sideboard card for the graveyard hate trigger.
Bearer of Glory
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
The power of this guy really depends on how wide your deck wants to go. This works really well in Mardu, and the mobilize mechanic, specifically.
Clarion Conqueror
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
A 3/3 flyer for 3 mana is always nice, just be sure it doesn’t hinder your own deck too much.
Coordinated Maneuver
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This works well with mobilize cards, but can be a bit unreliable at times.
Dalkovan Packbeasts
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
Though this won’t kill anything during combat, 4 toughness is a good number for surviving combat. This does fall off pretty hard in the late game, so keep that in mind.
Descendant of Storms
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
Aggressive 1 drops seem decent for Mardu, and probably not great in other archetypes.
Dragonback Lancer
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This seems like a decent evasive threat for the decks that want one.
Duty Beyond Death
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This has a very high ceiling and very low floor. In a token / go-wide deck, I think it can be a viable trick. It works well with mobilize tokens, since they will die anyways, and also works somewhat similarly to a Snakeskin Veil for your entire board.
Elspeth, Storm Slayer
Rating: 4.0 // 5.0
At its worst, this will be a five mana removal spell that forces an attack on her. On any game that’s board stalled, she will easily take over, and doubles the amount of mobilize tokens you create as well.
Fortress Kin-Guard
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This is solid filler, helping both Abzhan counter, and Mardu go wide strategies.
Furious Forebear
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
One toughness is a little rough in this set, but it’s still a fine filler card that can be annoying in certain games.
Lightfoot Technique
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This is somewhat similar to Feat of Resistance, and should be a solid trick for Jeskai decks.
Loxodon Battle Priest
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This looks like a great card for Abzhan decks, and probably a bit slow for Mardu and Jeskai.
Mardu Devotee
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
Mana fixing on a one drop is a bit sketchy. If you need mana fixing in your deck, the chance you will have the correct mana on turn one is likely pretty low. In a more focused, two color deck, this is a nice tool to help with a third color splash.
Osseous Exhale
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
White looks like one of the more aggressive individual colors in the set, which makes Divine Arrow effects a bit worse than usual. This is still a solid removal spell, it just works better in decks that will be able to hit attackers instead of blockers.
Poised Practitioner
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
This is a pretty underwhelming creature for Jeskai, and likely just bad in any other archetype.
Rally the Monastery
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This is a great, versatile trick for most white decks, and very serviceable in Jeskai.
Rebellious Strike
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
This is a nice trick within Jeskai, helping to enable the flurry mechanic, as well as a nice card to pair with prowess and double strike.
Riling Dawnbreaker // Signaling Roar
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This is a very solid creature for every white deck, providing two creatures for one card is always great.
Sage of the Skies
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
By the time you’re able to get two copies of this creature, there will likely be a bigger dragon on the battlefield to stop them in their tracks. It’s still a fine flying creature to include in any deck.
Salt Road Packbeast
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
Mobilize creatures die at your end step, so this is a nice card to fit into Mardu. As long as you can reliably cast this for 3-4, it should be solid.
Smile at Death
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This is a weird card, but can be problematic in certain games. The floor on this is pretty low, and it is definitely on the slow side, so there are some big downsides in trying to run this.
Starry-Eyed Skyrider
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This is a powerful enabler for aggressive white decks, and pairs very nicely with mobilize creatures.
Static Snare
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
A very powerful removal spell, that can cost as little as one mana! It’s very efficient on both offense and defense.
Stormbeacon Blade
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This is a nice enabler for white aggressive decks. The cast and equip cost are low enough to do in the same turn, and easily draws you cards with mobilize creatures.
Stormplain Detainment
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
The classic Borrowed Time removal spell for white. It’s still solid.
Sunpearl Kirin
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This works well with mobilize creatures, but can also save your own creatures from removal spells. Flying is also huge to help push damage through the early game.
Teeming Dragonstorm
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
By itself, this actually isn’t half bad. I likely wouldn’t want to run it with 0 dragons, but you really don’t need many in your deck to justify playing this card.
Tempest Hawk
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
I’m not too sure how I feel about this guy yet, and not sure how many you would even want in your deck. It’s a bit slow, but the effect is powerful.
Twinmaw Stormbrood // Charring Bite
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
A removal spell and a giant flyer in one card is the kind of value that’s hard to dismiss.
United Battlefront
Rating: 0.0 // 5.0
This isn’t really a limited card, you shouldn’t have enough noncreature, nonland permanents to reliably hit them.
Voice of Victory
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
A nice aggressive creature that makes your attack steps much safer.
Wayspeaker Bodyguard
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This is a nice value based creature. The flurry trigger should be easy enough to hit after you return a cheap creature to your hand.
Top 3 White Commons:
Ride's End Leonin Surveyor Collision Course
White has a ton of support for the mobilize mechanic, and wants to be on the aggressive side. There are some cheap and effective removal spells. Of the three wedges associated with white (Abzhan, Jeskai, Mardu), it looks like it contributes the least to Abzhan. We’re gonna be jamming out blue next, stay tuned!
Lose and Learn, Learn and Win!
