You mad?

The former marquee chase rare of Shards of Alara is back in Black.  Sarkhan the Mad is the newest addition to the Planeswalker lineup, showing once again that R&D; are really seeing how far they can push the type.  Sarkhan embodies everything that is Red and Black gorgeously by trading time for assets.  The most appealing aspect of the Planeswalker is his ability to generate a board presence.  The most successful Planeswalkers are those that can protect themselves efficiently, and turning your worst guy into a 5/5 flier is good for a lot of protection.

As a Dragon Factory, he would probably be decent, but it's his "0" ability that puts him into the realm of playable.  He can turn into a funky sort of Dark Confidant once he's done making dragons and get you at least a few extra cards.  Red and Black really don't get card draw without the expense of life loss, so this ability is pretty rare.  The -4 ability is a nice option if Sarkhan is topping out the curve of a deck like current Red-Black Deck Wins. 

Hype alone will cause the Planeswalker to command double digits.  It's possible that this does a "Chandra Ablaze", which is to top out at its release price and steadily fall due to lack of use, though unlikely - Sarkhan looks a fair bit better than Chandra Ablaze, so his $10-ish starting price will likely be supported.