Tarkir's Dragonstorm Unveiled in Magic: The Gathering Preview

The excitement is building for Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts as the upcoming set, Tarkir: Dragonstorm, is set to launch on April 11, with pre-orders now open. This set takes players back to the dynamic plane of Tarkir, where the five clans—Abzan Houses (White, Black, Green), Jeskai Way (Blue, Red, White), Mardu Horde (Red, White, Black), Sultai Brood (Black, Green, Blue), and Temur Frontier (Green, Blue, Red)—are embroiled in an epic struggle against ancient dragons. As a proud owner of a Scion of the Ur-Dragon Commander deck, I'm eager to see how the new cards will enhance my collection and undoubtedly give my friends a run for their money.

What to Expect From Tarkir: Dragonstorm

Tarkir: Dragonstorm introduces a range of new mechanics tailored to each clan, ensuring a unique playstyle for every faction. The Jeskai Way's Flurry mechanic rewards players for casting a second spell in a turn, enhancing their strategic depth. Sultai Brood's Renew mechanic allows players to exile cards from their graveyard to grant counters to surviving creatures, adding a layer of resource management. Mardu Horde's Mobilize creates temporary creatures that vanish at the end of the turn, perfect for their aggressive tactics. Temur Frontier's Harmonize, reminiscent of Flashback, lets players replay cards from the graveyard at a reduced cost by tapping creatures. Finally, Abzan Houses' Endure triggers when a non-token creature dies, providing +1/+1 counters and other benefits, as exemplified by Anafenza, Undying Lineage, who can spawn a 2/2 flying Spirit token or grant additional counters.

But the real stars of Tarkir: Dragonstorm are the dragons, with new mechanics like Omen and Behold expanding their capabilities. Omen allows cards to be cast as creatures or as instant or sorcery spells, with the option to shuffle back into the deck if cast as a spell. Behold activates when a dragon is revealed from your hand or already on the battlefield, as seen with Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant, who generates a Treasure token upon being played. These mechanics are not clan-specific, offering versatile deck-building opportunities across multiple colors.

Among the dragons, Betor, Kin to All (2WBG) stands out with its ability to trigger different effects at the end of your turn based on the total toughness of creatures you control, ranging from drawing cards to untapping creatures or even forcing opponents to lose half their life. Ugin returns as a colorless planeswalker, Ugin, Eye of the Storms (7), with a powerful passive ability that exiles target permanents when you cast a colorless spell, and a -11 ability that allows you to search your library for any number of colorless non-land cards, exile them, and cast them for free until the end of the turn.

With the set's release just around the corner, most of Tarkir: Dragonstorm remains a mystery, but the anticipation is high. I'm particularly excited about the potential return of legendary dragons like Atarka and Ojutai, or the introduction of a new five-color dragon. Tarkir: Dragonstorm promises to be a thrilling addition to the Magic: The Gathering universe when it launches on April 11.

Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Product Listings

Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Play Booster Box
$164.70 at Amazon

Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Collector Booster Box
$299.88 at Amazon

Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Collector Booster
$24.99 at Amazon

Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Commander Deck Bundle - Includes All 5 Decks
$224.95 at Amazon

Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Deck - Abzan Armor
$44.99 at Amazon

Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Deck - Jeskai Striker
$44.99 at Amazon

Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Deck - Sultai Arisen
$44.99 at Amazon

Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Deck - Mardu Surge
$44.99 at Amazon

Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Deck - Temur Roar
$44.99 at Amazon

MTG - Tarkir: Dragonstorm Preview - Art

Magic: The Gathering - 5 New Cards from Tarkir: Dragonstorm