All 16 Mardu Cards in Tarkir: Dragonstorm Ranked

Neriv, Crackling Vanguard | Illustration by Lucas Graciano

Back in Khans of Tarkir, Mardu was all about the raid mechanic—fast, aggressive, and always ready to strike. With Tarkir: Dragonstorm, the clan has evolved, picking up some powerful new mechanics that keep the pressure on in fresh ways.

Today, we’re taking a look at the best Mardu cards from the set. Whether you’re playing Constructed or Limited, I’ll walk through the standouts and rank them based on how likely they are to see play across different formats. Let’s dive in!

What Are Mardu Cards in Tarkir: Dragonstorm?

Neriv, Heart of the Storm | Illustration by Victor Adame Minguez

Mardu cards in Tarkir: Dragonstorm include anything from the set with a Mardu color identity—so that’s red, white, and black. We’re not just talking about gold cards here. This also includes things like lands or artifacts that can produce Mardu-colored mana, or mono-colored creatures that have abilities in the other Mardu colors. We’re looking at both the main set (TDM) and the Commander decks (TDC) when picking out the best Mardu cards. Cards with the Mardu watermark or name don’t count unless they actually have the right color identity.

#16. Bone-Cairn Butcher

This is an efficient 4/4 for 4 mana that brings two 1/1 deathtouch tokens into the red zone every attack. Great in Limited and potentially decent in Mardu token or aristocrats-style Commander decks. It works well with anything that doubles token production or triggers on token death—think cards like Anointed Procession or Bastion of Remembrance.

#15. Mardu Devotee

A 1-drop with scry 2 and mana fixing? This common is going to be a Pauper all-star and a Limited staple. That ability to add Mardu mana (once per turn) makes it a slick fixer in Draft, and the early scry lets you smooth out clunky draws. In Pauper, it could be a decent roleplayer in a midrange deck.

#14. Reigning Victor

Another mobilize creature, this time at common. The mobilize 1 and indestructible buff on ETB make it great for building board presence quickly and setting up big strikes in Limited. It could be nice in budget Commander builds or token synergy decks that just need more ways to flood the board.

#13. Shattered Landscape

While not new (printed in Modern Horizons 3) this is some clever land design. It taps for colorless, can fetch a basic when sacrificed, and it cycles too—talk about versatility. It’s flexible enough to be solid in Pauper, EDH, and Limited. Bonus points if you’re running land recursion like Ramunap Excavator or Wrenn and Six.

#12. Defibrillating Current

Here’s a solid hybrid mana spell (or two-brid as it's been popularized recently) that fits perfectly in Limited or casual 60-card builds. Six mana might seem steep, but with hybrid costs, it slides into decks of various colors. It’s great at stabilizing—4 damage and 2 life gained is a decent swing. While it probably won’t make waves in high-powered Commander, Defibrillating Current is a handy piece of interaction for Draft or Sealed.

#11. Mardu Monument

Mardu Monument searches a basic on ETB—great for color fixing in Limited—and then later converts into a trio of hasty, menacing Warriors. Activate it before a swing with All-Out Assault or anything with team-wide pump, and you’re setting up a nasty turn. Feels right at home in Commander, too.

#10. Nomad Outpost

The classic Mardu tri-land is back. It's tapped mana, but Nomad Outpost gets you all three colors. It’s a staple in Mardu Commander decks and just a reliable piece of fixing. Not flashy, but always welcome.

#9. Inevitable Defeat

An uncounterable exile spell that also drains 3 life? That’s just pure value. This is a removal spell that punches through blue decks, answers almost anything non-land, and keeps your life total high. Inevitable Defeat is efficient and brutal, fitting like a glove in Commander and midrange decks in Standard or Historic.

#8. Mardu Siegebreaker

A 4/4 deathtouch haste creature is already strong, but Mardu Siegebreaker‘s attack trigger makes things spicy. You temporarily exile a creature you control, then when the Siegebreaker attacks, you get a hasty copy of that creature attacking your opponents. Think of this as a pseudo-blink meets combat pressure combo. Ideal in Commander decks that run powerful ETB creatures or token duplicators like Flameshadow Conjuring.

#7. Sonic Shrieker

Dragons are always cool, and Sonic Shrieker gives you burn, life gain, and hand disruption all at once. A 4/4 flier for five with an ETB Shock is already decent, but punishing your opponent’s hand if they take the hit? That’s sneaky value. Great for aggressive or midrange decks in Limited and maybe even some casual Commander lists.

#6. Thunder of Unity

This saga starts strong—draw two at the cost of 2 life—and then turns into a passive drain engine for every creature that enters. Thunder of Unity is subtle but powerful in decks that churn out tokens or blink creatures.

#5. All-Out Assault

This mythic enchantment is a battle cry wrapped in cardboard. Not only do your creatures get a pump and deathtouch—which makes even your tiniest tokens deadly—but All-Out Assault also gives you an extra combat and main phase the turn it drops (as long as it's your main phase). This kind of tempo swing is incredible in Commander, especially in aggressive token builds or go-wide strategies. Pair it with creatures that have attack triggers, like Adriana, Captain of the Guard, or commanders who love more combat phases, like Zurgo, Thunder's Decree.

#4. Neriv, Crackling Vanguard

This mythic spirit dragon is all about token synergy and top-deck value. With flying and deathtouch, it’s a great blocker or evasive beater. When Neriv, Crackling Vanguard attacks, you exile cards based on how many different tokens you control and get to play them if you attacked with a commander. This pushes you toward variety in tokens—Goblins, Treasures, Clues, etc.—and rewards you for going wide in creative ways. Excellent in Commander, especially paired with token generators like Ophiomancer, Marionette Master, or even Food/Clue shenanigans.

#3. Neriv, Heart of the Storm

Neriv, Heart of the Storm is a powerhouse finisher. Doubling damage from any creature that ETB’d that turn? You can easily KO someone out of nowhere. Drop this pre-combat, and suddenly all those tokens from mobilize or hasty critters hit like trucks. Works wonders in aggressive Commander decks that flood the board, especially with extra combat spells.

#2. Zurgo Stormrender

This version of Zurgo takes the usual Mardu aggression and gives it card draw or life drain depending on how your tokens leave play. That kind of flexibility makes Zurgo Stormrender an exciting Commander choice. Since it creates an attacking token every swing, Zurgo fuels their own draw engine. Add in cards like Skullclamp, Impact Tremors, or Purphoros, God of the Forge, and you’ve got a self-sustaining engine.

#1. Zurgo, Thunder's Decree

Another take on Zurgo, this time focused on mobilize and protecting its warrior tokens from being sacrificed. That’s wild—it lets them stick around beyond the usual sacrifice timing. Combine Zurgo, Thunder's Decree with anthem effects or token synergy pieces and you’ll be drowning in a persistent army. They're perfect as a go-wide token commander with a twist.

Wrap Up

Sonic Shrieker | Illustration by Jason A. Engle

While most of the Mardu cards shine with their mobilize abilities, there's also a subtle life drain subtheme woven throughout the clan that can be pushed even further with cards that care about gaining life.

What are your thoughts on the Mardu? Would you have preferred a different design approach for them? Which cards do you think have the potential to see competitive play? Let us know in the comments!

Interested in the other 3-color clans? Check out the best Jeskai cards, Abzan cards, Sultai cards, and Temur cards from Tarkir: Dragonstorm.

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Take care, and I'll see you in the next article!