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Khans of Tarkir block has been a slam dunk so far, and Dragons of Tarkir is looking to keep the hits coming. I've heard complaints about there being too many dragons and the fact that megamorph isn't the most creative name for an ability, but looking at the set strictly in terms of constructed playability, things look awesome.
Once the set is fully spoiled, I plan to do an article similar to the one that I did for Fate Reforged, but for now I would like to discuss constructed applications of what we've seen so far.
White
Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit and Arashin Foremost are both stellar cards for traditional white weenie style decks. Arashin Foremost fits into two and even three-color aggro decks as well.
I don't think that Standard is in a place where the sort of deck that wants either of these cards can thrive, but they're worth paying attention to once rotation happens.
If there's a white card spoiled so far that can make a dent pre-rotation, it's Ojutai Exemplars.
When I first read this card, I assumed that it was legendary. Even if it were, I would still say it has a lot of potential. I could see a UWx shell with Exemplars and Monastery Mentor being a powerful deck, though Siege Rhino being a 4/5 does put some pressure on the card. Obviously, Exemplars can tap down the Rhino when it comes time to attack, but you only get to trigger prowess so many times.
The most damning point against Exemplars is that you want to put it in a deck with a ton of non-creature spells, and this deck needs to be stronger than Heroic. If I had a list I thought worked, I would easily pick these guys up, but I wouldn't gamble $10 a pop hoping that somebody else will break it.
Hidden Dragonslayer is another card that has quite a bit of potential.
When Elspeth rotates out, we'll still need to kill Siege Rhinos. Six mana is a little steep, but this is diminished some by morph. You also force action and/or make your opponent think twice about playing a four power creature just by playing a morph with this card existing.
The biggest downside is all of the inevitable "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragonslayer" jokes.
Blue
Let's not harbor any illusions that Dragonlord's Prerogative won't see play.
It's Opportunity with upside. The upside might be minor, but there are definitely dragons worth playing in control decks, and an uncounterable draw four can just wreck a control mirror. It's unlikely that this card will be worth much of anything, though.
These cards have more speculative playability:
They all fit into Blue Devotion, and there are definitely enough cards for it to be a cohesive deck.
But is said deck good? I think it's worth exploring.
Stratus Dancer is absolutely a boon to this deck, as it not only adds a great two-drop, but it can also be morphed to counter a number of problematic cards for the Devotion deck. In particular, Drown in Sorrow is extremely strong against the deck and also immune to Disdainful Stroke. Stratus Dancer gives the deck another tool against such a sweeper without costing it anything in the threat department.
I'm not sure if Shorecrasher Elemental is all it's cracked up to be, but the hype is obviously real.
If you're sitting on any Master of Waves, you may have noticed they've been gaining some value. Shorecrasher Elemental is preordering for a bit too much, with a very low chance of maintaining its value, so buying into the deck right now seems ill-advised.
If anything, I'd say now is the time to sell any Master of Waves you've either held onto too long or picked up to spec on Modern. They'll easily go down from where they are now.
Black
Sidisi, Undead Vizier is definitely going to show up in Standard.
She fits right into the Satyr Wayfinder-driven Sultai decks in Standard, but even just having a five mana Demonic Tutor isn't the worst, and just a 4/6 is fine a healthy percentage of the time as well.
I could see Sidisi and other exploit cards making friends with Bloodsoaked Champion, too.
Red
So far we haven't seen anything spectacular out of red. What we have is some aggressive creatures that could thrive or languish depending on the metagame.
Zurgo could be poised to be excellent when Drown in Sorrow rotates.
In the meantime, Lightning Berserker's dash ability gives current red decks some play against such sweepers. Red decks will still struggle to beat down through Sylvan Caryatid and Courser of Kruphix, but Lightning Berserker is able to trade with such creatures, which isn't for nothing.
Thunderbreak Regent looks very good on its face, but I'm not convinced it cuts the mustard. There are a ton of great four-drop creatures in Standard right now, with the most direct competition coming from Ashcloud Phoenix.
It's hard to say which is better at this point, but I'm leaning Phoenix. A Lava Spike just isn't worth as much as rebuying your creature as a morph.
What I will say is that I'm much happier paying $3 for Zurgo than $5 for Regent.
Green
Let's start with the obvious best card.
Eternal Witness was always gas, so it's hard to imagine this card being bad.
Five mana is more than three, and a 3/2 isn't much better than a 2/1, but this card is almost guaranteed to see play. The evasion here is also pretty strong, and Den Protector will likely feel right at home in a Siege Rhino deck.
Shaman of Forgotten Ways needs a little more to go right in order to be great in Standard, but the potential is there. Jumping from three to six mana on a body that doesn't die to Wild Slash is not to be ignored.
There are a lot of non-creature things that the green decks want to spend mana on pre-rotation that really limit Shaman's immediate efficacy, including Master of the Unseen and activating monstrous abilities and casting planeswalkers.
It does add mana of any color, though, so don't be surprised if we see Shaman powering out some manner of dragon in the near future.
Deathmist Raptor is a little speculative, but I'd bet on it seeing play. You get a lot of value when you flip up a Den Protector and get aDeathmist Raptor into play in addition to your Regrowth.
The deck doesn't even need to be self-mill, as Den Protector and Deathmist Raptor are both reasonably good at beating down. Ashcloud Phoenix sounds right at home in this shell.
It's unlikely that Raptor sees much of any play pre-rotation, but keep your eyes on it. It's a mythic in a large set that will only be 2/3 packs in its draft format. It's pre-ordering for $5 and I could see it hitting $10+ during its life in Standard.
Gold
I'm not sure how well Atarka's Command fits into Standard, but it's right at home in Modern Burn.
The extra land ability kind of sucks, as it doesn't really jive with Lava Spike. Going from two to four is definitely relevant, but I'm not sure this card belongs in a deck that wants many four drops.
Realistically, if you're not happy casting Skullcrack, you probably shouldn't sleeve these up. The $5 pre-order price strikes me as steep, though the card could show up in a Goblin Rabblemaster deck.
Our new dragon overlords look to be reasonable boons for control decks.
Drawing a card with some selection on what you draw is pretty strong, but in order to trigger this ability, you may need to use a counter to protect it, which is rarely something that control decks want to do.
Silumgar, on the other hand, is downright dirty. Siding them in when your opponent should have cut most or all of their removal is gas, and even just playing it in a deck that's good at running opponents out of resources will get by just fine. Sower of Temptation is much more fragile and has seen plenty of play in decks that are already vulnerable to removal.
Their commands are a bit more dicey.
Ojutai's Command suffers from its abilities being a little too narrow, and Silumgar's from costing one mana too many.
That said, both cards have scenarios where they generate powerful two-for-ones, and it's difficult for a card with this potential to go completely unplayed. I don't like either card at their pre-order price, and would hold off for now.
Speaking of holding off on pre-ordering...
If I wanted to play UW, I imagine I'd want a Narset or two in my deck.
That said, Narset itself does not strike me as a strong incentive to play UW. The -2 ability is great, assuming that you have something to rebound. If you don't, though, then Narset is a pretty mediocre topdeck.
It's also pretty poor that the +1 will not draw a card every time. I find the $50 preorder price laughable and would be amazed to see Narset hold half of this value.
A big mistake I see in evaluating Narset is discussing her ultimate. Cut that noise out. You have to use her lousy +1 several times in order to ultimate. It's true that she has a high starting loyalty and that a couple "Fork"s on the right spells can take over a game, but most of the admiration for Narset that I've seen wreaks of hype and unconditional optimism.
Now, if you want a real planeswalker...
Sarkhan's ultimate is terrible. But, as I was saying, that doesn't really matter.
Sarkhan's +1 and -2 are both great and don't rely on external factors. The -2 protects Sarkhan in addition to, you know, winning games.
The biggest drawback to Sarkhan is that he'll only fit into one deck. The upside is that, unlike Narset, Sarkhan gives you strong incentive to play this deck.
That said, fitting into exactly one deck, probably only as a 2-3 of, does not warrant a $30 price tag. Expect a drop in Sarkhan's price, though it's hard to say exactly what the floor will be.
~
Dragon's of Tarkir is looking like a very fun set so far, and I can't wait to see it flesh out.
As per usual, be careful navigating your investments in the new set and avoid any Narset-sized pitfalls. Fear the hype! And please post your thoughts in the comments.
Thanks for reading.
-Ryan Overturf
@RyanOverdrive on Twitter
