The Ultimate Sealed Guide to Tarkir: Dragonstorm

Last updated on August 17, 2025

Dracogenesis | Illustration by Kai Carpenter

Greetings planeswalkers! A storm of dragons is fast approaching, with Tarkir: Dragonstorm prereleases are starting tomorrow. Fear not, for you won’t have to face the dragons alone; this guide will arm you with everything you need to emerge from the storm victorious!

As with our other guides, this is intended as a Day 0 primer for the format. I’ll go over the set’s mechanics, archetypes, overlaps, fixing, removal, and bombs, and I’ll make some predictions for its top commons. The guide also includes a section on choosing the best clan for your Prerelease, as this is the first Prerelease that features pre-seeded packs since Streets of New Capenna.

There’s a lot of ground to cover, so let’s begin!

Return to Tarkir

Breaching Dragonstorm | Illustration by Danny Schwartz

If you played the original Khans of Tarkir, you have a substantial head start to understanding Tarkir: Dragonstorm! There are a number of similarities between the two sets:

• Both are 3-color sets designed around the same “wedge” clans;
• Both sets give each clan a unique mechanic and encourage you to build around those mechanics;
• The new clan mechanics closely resemble the originals, albeit with small twists;
• Both feature 2- and 3-color signpost cards, with the 2-colored signposts being enemy colored.

The main differences between the two sets are:

• Tarkir: Dragonstorm has a prominent dragon theme with several dragon payoff cards, while Khans of Tarkir featured zero dragons (as dragons had been wiped out on Tarkir in that timeline);
• A decade has passed since Khans of Tarkir, so we have 10 years of design improvements (and power creep!) that are on display in this set

Tarkir: Dragonstorm is also packed with flavorful references to the original Khans of Tarkir, such as this cool detail:

Mechanics

Tarkir: Dragonstorm features many new mechanics, though the most important ones are definitely the mechanics tied to each clan. As you evaluate new cards, try to keep these mechanics in mind, as many cards that might look odd (i.e., Duty Beyond Death) have great synergy with a clan’s mechanic.

Endure (Abzan)

Endure is a versatile new mechanic that shows off the Abzan’s () collective tenacity. When your creature “endures X,” you’ll have a choice to either put X +1/+1 counters on it or create an X/X white Spirit token. If an endure ability resolves while the creature isn’t on the battlefield (i.e., your opponent played Dragon's Prey in response), you’ll just create a Spirit token.

On its own merits, endure provides either extra sizing or free bodies, and it makes for a nice value mechanic. The choice of which is better is going to vary from board state to board state, though generally choosing counters is more aggressive, and creating a Spirit more defensive. It’s also worth keeping in mind that, as in the original Khans of Tarkir, there are counter payoffs like Delta Bloodflies and Hollowmurk Siege that may incentivize enduring for counters.

Flurry (Jeskai)

Flurry is an aggressive new mechanic that shows off the Jeskai’s () martial prowess. Permanents with flurry trigger whenever you cast your second spell each turn and reward you with bonuses like temporary +1/+1, pinging the opponent, or tapping creatures.

Flurry definitely rewards proactive gameplay, as it’s easier to cast multiple spells in a turn when you’re in the driver’s seat. It encourages the Jeskai to have a slightly lower curve than other clans, as well as cantrips and card draw spells so you don’t burn out too fast. There are also cards like Narset's Rebuke and Focus the Mind that were clearly designed with flurry in mind!

Renew (Sultai)

Renew is a new graveyard mechanic that shows off the Sultai’s () power over death, and it closely resembles the old scavenge mechanic from Return to Ravnica. A creature with renew may be exiled from your graveyard at sorcery speed for some kind of useful bonus. Most renew abilities have you putting beneficial counters on your creatures, though there are a few exceptions like Constrictor Sage and Rot-Curse Rakshasa which debuff your opponent’s creatures.

Renew encourages trading off creatures when possible, and it also rewards cards that self-mill. It’s also a handy way to trigger cards like Kishla Skimmer that care about cards leaving your graveyard.

Mobilize (Mardu)

Mobilize is a new aggressive mechanic that shows off the Mardu’s () preferred mode of warfare. When a creature with mobilize X attacks, you’ll create X red 1/1 Warrior tokens that are tapped and attacking. Those tokens are sacrificed at the beginning of the next end step.

Mobilize looks powerful, as it makes creatures with it more dangerous (almost like a +X/+0 effect), and it also works well with a number of effects in the set. Here are some examples of cards that can “go off” with mobilize tokens:

• Worthy Cost
• Barrensteppe Siege (when you chose Mardu)
• Hardened Tactician
• Shocking Sharpshooter

Harmonize (Temur)

Harmonize is a new mechanic that shows off the Temur’s () unique blend of spellcasting and powerful beasts. Unlike the other clan mechanics, harmonize appears exclusively on sorceries, and it closely resembles flashback. As with flashback, a spell with harmonize may be cast from your graveyard for its harmonize cost. There’s one twist though; you’ll also be able to tap an untapped creature you control as an additional cost to flash back the spell, which reduces the total amount of mana you pay by X, where X is that creature’s power.

For a simple example of harmonize in action, let’s say you have Unending Whisper in your graveyard. Recasting it without aid costs , so you tap your Temur Tawnyback to help cast the spell. It now costs just !

Harmonize encourages you to play lots of powerful creatures, and it looks like a great support mechanic for stompy-style gameplay. It’s similar to past “power matters” mechanics (i.e., ferocious, formidable), but the spellcasting element makes the Temur feel more blue this time around!

Omens

The clans aren’t the only game in town for this set; it’s called Tarkir: Dragonstorm after all! To encourage you to put some dragons in your deck, R&D has cooked up a new card type called omens, which you could easily mistake for adventures if you’re not careful! Omens are similar to adventures in that a creature with an omen spell may be played for either mode, but differ in how an omen spell resolves. Rather than exiling the omen card and casting it later, you’ll instead shuffle it into your deck after it resolves.

This is definitely a downgrade from adventure, so to compensate, most of the omen effects are just barely below rate. Riling Dawnbreaker for example does a serviceable job of filling two slots on your curve, and it also provides a dragon for behold. Omens appear in all colors and several rarities, though there aren’t that many in the set (just 13 in total, with one common for each color).

Behold

Behold is a crunchy carrot mechanic that rewards you for playing more dragons! As an additional cost to cast spells with behold, you may reveal a dragon card for some kind of bonus effect. These bonuses include making the spell cheaper (Caustic Exhale), surveilling 2 (Piercing Exhale, and more.

Behold is a surprisingly sparse mechanic in Tarkir: Dragonstorm, appearing on just five commons and Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant. Most of the commons it appears on are staple Limited effects though, and they become quite efficient if you can reveal a dragon for them.

Mono-Color Hybrid Mana

This isn’t formally a mechanic, but it’s a nice innovation to make being three colors just a little bit easier. Mono-color hybrid mana appears on 10 cards in the set, five commons and five uncommons (two for each clan). These are theoretically castable in any deck, though in practice most have rates like this:

• At 6 mana (i.e. in a RW deck), Gurmag Nightwatch is more or less stone unplayable, as paying that much for a 3/3 es no bueno.
• At 5 mana, Gurmag Nightwatch is definitely below average, though conceivably playable in a desperate situation.
• At 4 mana, Gurmag Nightwatch is a decent Limited card, with Hill Giant stats and some useful self-mill and card selection attached.
• At 3 mana, Gurmag Nightwatch is a good Limited card, with solid stats for its cost that fills a crucial slot on your mana curve.

If you’re actively Sultai, you should be casting Nightwatch for 3-4 mana in 99% of games. The set includes plenty of mana fixing, so think of the colorless costs as a useful fail safe. The colorless costs also let you splash powerful cards from this cycle, like Kin-Tree Severance and Rakshasa's Bargain.

Surveil

The last mechanic is just plain old surveil, which appears in lots of sets these days. To surveil, simply look at the top X cards of your library (where X is whatever number appeared next to “surveil”), then put any number of them into the graveyard or back on top (in any order). Surveil is always useful, both for smoothing out your draws and setting up potential graveyard value (especially with renew cards). It appears only in Sultai colors, and mostly on a handful of commons.

Archetypes

Let’s start with the official Draft Archetypes guide that WotC prints with each set, but expand on each one a little by highlighting synergies with other clans.

Three Color Archetypes

Abzan Endure

“Outsize your opponent with +1/+1 counters or outflank them with Spirit tokens.”

The endure mechanic lets Abzan decks adjust their strategy on the fly, and it also synergizes with +1/+1 counter payoffs. If you’re focusing on those counter payoffs, you may be able to make use of the Sultai renew mechanic. Smaller Spirit tokens also make for great sacrifice fodder, which creates another strategic overlap with Mardu decks.

Jeskai Flurry

“Cast two (or more!) spells in a single turn to overwhelm your opponent.”

Flurry has some decent synergy with harmonize, especially cheaper spells like Unending Whisper. While nothing about flurry works directly with mobilize, both are aggressive mechanics.

Sultai Renew

“Use the power of the graveyard to make your creatures stronger.”

The Sultai can make use of the same +1/+1 payoffs as the Abzan, as both are BGx decks with a mechanic that puts counters on creatures. Self-mill may also occasionally yield extra value from harmonize, as it’s always nice when Roamer's Routine goes straight to the graveyard for you!

Mardu Mobilize

“Create additional tokens to aid in your attacks.”

I’ve covered both of Mardu’s overlaps already, so this is just a reminder of all the neat things you can do with mobilize. Look for effects that sacrifice creatures, pump multiple creatures, care about creatures entering, and more.

Temur Harmonize

“Cast your spells twice with help from your biggest creatures.”

When you put it like that, the synergy between Temur and flurry becomes even more obvious! You’ll still want to focus on big creatures though, so small fry flurry creatures like Devoted Duelist and Jeskai Devotee are mostly just curve filler here.

Two-Color Archetypes

The choice to center the set’s 2-color archetypes in enemy colors was a wise one, as each color pair here is adjacent to two clans! The 2-color cards in this set also tend to overlap with core clan mechanics, so don’t expect to stay in two colors forever! I’m largely repeating the synergies that I’ve mentioned, but the repetition is done purposefully to really drill them in!

WB Sacrifice

“Sacrifice your extra creatures, such as your temporary creatures from mobilize, to get extra use out of those creatures.

WB sacrifice synergizes well with both endure and mobilize, and the color pair is adjacent to Abzan and Mardu colors.

UR Two Spells

“Use harmonize spells frequently in order to reap the rewards from flurry.”

UR’s two-spell focus goes perfectly with flurry and harmonize, and the color pair is adjacent to Jeskai and Temur colors.

BG Counters

“Use counters of any kind, not just +1/+1 counters, to make your creatures formidable in combat.”

BG’s counter focus can be supported with endure and renew, and the color pair is adjacent to Abzan and Sultai colors.

RW Go-Wide Tokens

“Blitz by your opponent with sheer numbers. Use mobilize tokens and flurry rewards to build impressive battlefields.”

RW’s go-wide aggression can be supplemented by mobilize and flurry, and the color pair is adjacent to Jeskai and Mardu colors.

GU Leaves the Graveyard

“Fill up your graveyard, then use harmonize, renew, or other methods to get bonuses for cards leaving your graveyard.”

GU’s graveyard theme goes great with renew and harmonize, and the color pair is adjacent to Sultai and Temur colors.

Putting It All Together

The set is focused heavily on getting you into one of three clans. There are lots of 3-color cards to reward you for this, so you’re encouraged to draft an enemy color pair for a bit first. That way you’ll be open to two potential clans, both of which have synergy with whatever your 2-color mini-archetype is doing. Each clan also plays somewhat well with other clan mechanics, leading to a set full of micro synergies and different ways to do similar things.

Dragons

The last “archetype” in the set is Dragons, which acts more as a subtheme than a full-fledged archetype. In addition to the “behold” mechanic, there are also a few other dragon payoffs like:

• The uncommon Dragonstorm cycle (i.e., Teeming Dragonstorm)
• Dragonstorm Globe
• Embermouth Sentinel
• Maelstrom of the Spirit Dragon

There usually won’t be enough dragon payoffs for several drafters, though dragons themselves are fairly plentiful. It also helps that some of the best 3c uncommons happen to be dragons, as each clan has one uncommon dragon signpost aimed at Limited play.

Set Overview

Tarkir: Dragonstorm clearly wants you to play three colors, but how will you accomplish this?

Mana Fixing/Splashing

With mana fixing, of course! This set packs tons of it, though the developers are on the record saying that they wanted to avoid 5-color soup decks. Let’s briefly cover all the common/uncommon cards you might use to reliably play 3+ colors.

Common Mana Fixing

The Devotee cyle are filler level creatures that can also filter mana for you, and they’ll help make your deck more consistent. Mardu Devotee looks like the worst of the cycle, as a 1/2 for 1 with no combat abilities feels close to a mulligan.

3-mana Rampant Growths with upside seem to be a regular occurrence these days. Roamer's Routine is hardly Dance of the Tumbleweeds level, though it still provides ramp/fixing in a pinch.

Sagu Wildling is a Lay of the Land split card that’s also a mediocre green flier. Not the most exciting fixer, but slightly better than Roamer's Routine in a vacuum.

Manaliths with upside are also regular occurrences in modern Limited. Dragonstorm Globe is a fairly mediocre ramper/fixer, though it does get a bit more exciting if you have several dragons.

You’ll need to actually control a dragon to get the upside with Embermouth Sentinel, though the baseline for Sentinel is Campus Guide either way. That makes for yet another acceptable but unexciting card that can help fortify your mana base.

Evolving Wilds is classic Limited mana fixing that trades speed for flexibility. A couple of these will be good in any 3-color deck and might occasionally contribute to UGx graveyard synergies.

The gain lands are also classic Limited fixing, and they slightly outperform Evolving Wilds if you’re in those colors. The high number of non-green cards we’ve covered shows that you can easily be 3-colors even if you aren’t green in this set.

Uncommon Mana Fixing

Dragonstorm Forecaster provides fixing in a roundabout way if you have Dragonstorm Globe, since this fetches it.

One-shot mana is pretty unreliable for fixing, but it’s technically possible to use Iridescent Tiger to cast spells you had no business putting in your deck!

Dragonbroods' Relic is a Paradise Mantle of sorts, and plays well with Devotees and small Spirit tokens. It seems best in a 4-color deck, as you’ll need to be at least four colors to access the powerful Reliquary Dragon token late game.

Explosive Vegetation with draconic upside, more or less. If you have a high curve and lots of colors, Encroaching Dragonstorm could be a nice fit, though some decks will be a bit small for it.

The five clan Monuments look excellent for Limited, as these are effectively Environmental Sciences plus a free creature value later on. Their only catch is that you’ll need to play at least those colors to access the value.

Khans of Tarkir’s tri-lands are back as well, and they still provide great fixing a decade later. You probably won’t have to fight over these quite as hard as in the original set (as there are more other fixers than in the original Khans), though they’re still great.

Overall, lands will make up the bulk of your fixing in this format, so it may be correct to pick them over middling commons and uncommons.

Removal

Removal is another vital Limited category, especially in Sealed where answering bombs is essential for success! I’ll focus on just common and uncommon removal spells, as Inevitable Defeat is certainly sweet but won’t be seen in most games.

Common Removal

Instant speed is a nice upgrade from last set’s thoroughly lackluster Collision Course, and blowing up enchantments will be useful versus Stormplain Detainment. Coordinated Maneuver plays best in decks with mobilize and/or high creature density, as otherwise this will only be doing 2-3 damage.

Five damage is substantially more than Coordinated Maneuver will do on average, though the attack/block restriction does make Osseous Exhale clunkier. The dragon bonus is quite minor too, though this is still great removal for less aggressive decks.

As is so often the case, the set’s Banishing Light variant is white’s best common removal spell overall. Stormplain Detainment answers whatever you need answered for a fair price; just watch out for Coordinated Maneuver and Heritage Reclamation if you can.

Ringing Strike Mastery is a neat reference to Singing Bell Strike, and it meshes well with the Jeskai’s aggressive gameplan. The drawback is quite real though, as Ringing Strike can’t answer anything permanently, so think of it as a Demotion of sorts.

Modern Griptide variants range from good (Vanish from Sight) to merely okay (Trip Up) from format to format. Riverwalk Technique is a nice card vs dragons and other fatties, and it has a handy noncreature mode that may come up from time to time.

Worthy Cost is a solid Final Vengeance variant that plays well with mobilize and endure. The first copy is going to be consistently excellent, but be careful playing multiples unless you have lots of support.

Last Gasp is still good in 2025 Limited, let alone when it costs 1 mana! -3/-3 kills most creatures in the format, though it does miss many 4+ drops and several powerful uncommons. The behold mode on Caustic Exhale will feel filthy sometimes, but it’s largely just a bonus.

Here’s an easy to cast Murder variant that’s only overpriced when targeting dragons. That doesn’t seem like a terrible dealbreaker to me, as most dragons cost 5+ anyways. Whether Dragon's Prey or Caustic Exhale ends up being stronger is an interesting question that requires some games with the format to determine. For now though, you should desire to open both in your prerelease pools!

Four damage misses only a handful of commons and uncommons in Tarkir: Dragonstorm, which makes Molten Exhale surprisingly thorough. The dragon bonus here is also more relevant than others, as flash can be game winning upside on a removal spell like this.

Two damage, on the other hand, misses quite a few creatures! It’s not all bad news for Twin Bolt though, as the set does feature 17 X/1 creatures at common/uncommon. I wouldn’t be afraid to start one, and then either take it out or board in more depending on my opponent’s creatures.

Five damage is nearly Murder in this format, as Narset's Rebuke misses just endured Dusyut Earthcarver (which would be a 7/7) and a handful of fat rares. It also exiles and sets up flurry sequences, making this one of the better 5-mana removal spells we’ve seen. I won’t be slamming multiples, but the first copy or two should do some solid work.

Bite Down with upside, more or less. Bite Down is generally good but not broken, which is about where Piercing Exhale should land. The dragon bonus here is above average too, so try to get that surveil 2 if you can!

Thanks to Arena Bo1, Plummet now comes with a 2-mana Giant Growth attached to it! That makes for a card that’s quite maindeckable, as Sarkhan's Resolve is an average combat trick that provides valuable insurance versus dragons.

Uncommon Removal

If you can get the pseudo-flurry bonus here, the rate on Rally the Monastery is completely absurd! It also helps that the card is rather flexible, as it’s basically an all-in-one Reprisal + Dauntless Onslaught + Goblin Wizardry split card. Definitely one of the best Jeskai cards in the set, and a candidate for “mythic uncommon” status if it plays as well as it looks to.

Witchstalker's Frenzy but white is a neat new card. Like Witchstalker's Frenzy, Static Snare counts all attacking creatures, not just ones you control. That makes it possible to use for blowouts defensively, though it’s easier to use as cheap removal alongside mobilize.

A creature tagged with Fresh Start is more or less dead offensively, as -5/-0 plus no abilities makes for rather thorough debuffing. Fresh Start is better removal than blue usually gets, and it should excel in controlling decks.

Edicts still aren’t great in Limited, even when you throw in cool bonuses. Strategic Betrayal isn’t unplayable, but it strikes me as more of a sideboard card vs Sultai than something I’d be thrilled to play. It’s especially lackluster vs cards like Mardu Devotee and Fortress Kin-Guard.

Salt Road Skirmish, on the other hand, seems potentially great in Limited. The rate is a bit worse than typical common removal (i.e., 4-mana sorcery vs 3-mana instant with Dragon's Prey), but it makes up for that by effectively mobilizing 2. If you have any synergies for it, Salt Road Skirmish is a solid way to enable those while playing a removal spell.

It’s not quite Wick's Patrol, though it does come with some advantages. A better body and +2/+2 for one of your own creatures are solid perks, and they make Gurmag Rakshasa one of the stronger curve toppers so far.

Firebolt is a pretty good Magic card, especially in Limited formats. Channeled Dragonfire is a great way to answer early game creatures while saving a little something for later. Just don’t expect to use this twice on the same creature much, as that costs 5-X + RRR (possible late game, but tough).

The Plummet mode on Sunset Strikemaster is definitely secondary to it being a red dork, though the bonus is much appreciated.

Calling Unsparing Boltcaster “borderline removal” is deceptive advertising, though it does remove anything foolish enough to block your 1/1 Warrior tokens. That makes Unsparing Boltcaster a valuable tool in the Mardu arsenal, as Tarkir: Dragonstorm includes numerous cards like Worthy Cost that can punish your opponent for not blocking your mobilize tokens!

Noncreature artifacts aren’t especially common in this set, so you should expect to play Overwhelming Surge as “deal 3 damage to target creature” a fair bit of the time. That’s neither good nor atrocious, though picking up a Jeskai Monument sometimes will tip the scales in Surge’s favor.

Felling Blow is back, though the flavor and art are better this time around. It was an exceptional uncommon in Foundations, and it’ll likely be one again in this set. Knockout Maneuver is also another way to turn on +1/+1 counter synergies, giving it a bit of extra utility in Abzan or Sultai decks.

A repeatable 3 damage effect makes for a pretty sick uncommon, especially since what I said about Caustic Exhale killing most things applies to this as well. Glacial Dragonhunt is another candidate for “premium uncommon,” and it looks like a great way to start a draft.

Lie in Wait is an awesome 2-for-1 that rewards self-mill and big creatures. You won’t be able to play this early in most games, but it’s about the best topdeck imaginable in the late game.

Petty Revenge is solid early game removal, while Disruptive Stormbrood is more likely to be valuable later on (especially if it’s blowing up a Stormplain Detainment). You could even play this without green or black mana, though it’s much better when both parts are active.

Sonic Shrieker is one of five nasty uncommon dragons that each clan gets. You can’t really go wrong with the trigger here, which drains your opponent and discards or outright kills a smaller creature.

Defibrillating Current is a fine removal spell with a bit of lifegain attached to it. Four damage will definitely kill most things, though the rate here is only exciting if you're actually Mardu. Jeskai and Abzan decks can (and will) play it though.

Kin-Tree Severance seems generally superior to Defibrillating Current, as most things worth removing in Limited will be 3+ cost anyways. I’d be more than happy to pay 4 mana for this effect too, making this one of the strongest mono-color hybrid cards.

Roast is back, and even brought a friend this time! The rate on Roast is still pretty impressive even in 2025, although missing dragons is a real drawback. Twinmaw Stormbrood itself is also pretty impressive, as it’s quite large and has a valuable lifegain bonus. This is one of the stronger omen cards in the set, and it gives the impression of another top tier uncommon.

Top Commons

This is always a fun section to write, as it involves a healthy amount of guesswork! Here I’ll pick four commons from each color that appear to be among their best. That way, you’ll have a head start as to what commons you should be looking for as you open your Prerelease packs. Note that this is for Sealed specifically, though you can check out our thoughts on the best TDM commons and uncommons for Draft too.

White

1. Stormplain Detainment

The Banishing Light variant is always a safe choice, as Tarkir: Dragonshift would have to be a very strange format for Stormplain Detainment not to be great. This will likely be the most splashed common in the set, and it answers all kinds of bombs at a good rate.

2. Salt Road Packbeast

This rate becomes strong at 2+ creatures, which can be as simple as playing a Fortress Kin-Guard on turn 2! Salt Road Packbeast can also “go off” with mobilize, but I don’t expect to have to put in much work for this beast to perform.

3. Bearer of Glory

Bearer of Glory looks like a strong 2-drop for aggressive decks. It has the same ability we’ve seen on cards like Ambush Paratrooper, but with a better stat line for its cost. That makes for a card that’s solid at any point in the game!

4. Fortress Kin-Guard

Fortress Kin-Guard is another good white 2-drop, especially in decks with sacrifice payoffs. Both options here are fairly compelling, as 2/3 sizing can stop Bearer of Glory and other 2/Xs from getting any damage early.

Blue

1. Sibsig Appraiser

Everyone loves value, so don’t be surprised when the 2-for-1 common is #1! Sibsig Appraiser is just good, clean card advantage, and it might occasionally pull off a 3-for-1 with renew creatures.

2. Iceridge Serpent

Exclusion Mage variants are almost always good in Limited, and Iceridge Serpent should be no exception. This bounces fatties, kills Spirit tokens, and leaves behind a reasonable body afterwards.

3. Focus the Mind

I’m not expecting Tarkir: Dragonstorm to be the fastest set around, so Focus the Mind should be pretty solid. Enhanced Awareness was definitely mid at best in Fate Reforged, but the discount can make this quite efficient.

4. Highspire Bell-Ringer

Highspire Bell-Ringer has solid stats for its cost and a useful ability, especially for more controlling Jeskai decks. This works especially well with Focus the Mind thanks to the cost reduction and its defensive stat line.

Black

1. Dragon’s Prey

Unconditional removal gets the top spot for now, as Caustic Exhale should be superior if the format is faster than expected. The dragon drawback is flavorful but shouldn’t hurt too much in practice.

2. Caustic Exhale

Last Gasp is still great for Limited!

3. Abzan Devotee

It’s Deathless Pilot, but cheaper to activate and with valuable mana fixing. There’s a lot going on here for a common, so Abzan Devotee seems like one of the better Devotees.

4. Feral Deathgorger

The dragon mode is a great wall of a creature, and this also cycles if needed while providing some value. Feral Deathgorger isn’t the most efficient card or anything, but black’s other common creatures look lackluster at best.

Red

1. Molten Exhale

One premium removal spell, extra crispy. Molten Exhale kills most things, and does so for just 2 mana!

2. Stormshriek Feral

Tormenting Voice plus Streaking Oilgorger makes for a nice, flexible split card. Stormshriek Feral is also a dragon of course, and it can make your Molten Exhales even better.

3. Shock Brigade

Shock Brigade looks very annoying to play against, and it should be one of the better common ways to enable mobilize synergies. Try to have Rebellious Strike ready for when your opponent blocks the token!

4. Jeskai Devotee

I also like this Jeskai Devotee, as it has 2/2 base stats and a better flurry ability than Devoted Duelist. You can play it in any red deck, though it’ll obviously be at its best in Jeskai.

Green

1. Piercing Exhale

Removal spells are always a safe bet for top commons, though I could easily see Piercing Exhale being lower on this list later. Don’t forget that you can pair it with Sultai Devotee or Nightblade Brigade to kill any creature!

2. Sagu Pummeler

Hazard of the Dunes showed us how great this stat line can be, and renew provides extra upside just like exhaust did. Feral Deathgorger is the only common flier that can attack through Sagu Pummeler, and it punches well too.

3. Trade Route Envoy

Getting the 2-for-1 here doesn’t take much effort (just play Ainok Wayfarer, for example), and the “fail case” is a 5/4 for 4. As such, Trade Route Envoy should be one of the better 4s available.

4. Ainok Wayfarer

Blanchwood Prowler is back, though it’s a dog this go-around. Self-mill and counters synergize well with lots of cards in Tarkir: Dragonstorm, so Ainok Wayfarer should be a good 2-drop.

Bomb Rares

Another vital facet of Limited play are bomb rares, which are of course cards that tend to take over games singlehandedly. If your opponent’s Betor, Kin to All goes unanswered for instance, you likely won’t survive for long. Here’s every rare in the set that I’d consider a true “bomb.”

Elspeth, Storm Slayer

Here’s an absolute beating, as Elspeth, Storm Slayer is plainly ridiculous in Limited! It protects itself incredibly well, wins games with its 0 loyalty ability, and can even slay dragons with its -3.

Smile at Death

Smile at Death is a bomb if you have 9+ creatures that fit the requirement, as it creates a ton of value off of them. Don’t play it otherwise, but definitely pore over your creatures if you open one!

Craterhoof Behemoth

Eight-mana “you win the game” cards like Craterhoof Behemoth seem worth a try in a slower set like this, especially alongside cards like Ainok Wayfarer. Note that there’s no Rise from the Grave in this set other than Perennation (which is a mythic).

All-Out Assault

Relentless Assault variants tend to be duds in Limited, but All-Out Assault is definitely an exception. The key difference is that this is also a powerful anthem effect, making it powerful at parity and downright absurd if you’re ahead.

Neriv, Heart of the Storm

Neriv, Heart of the Storm’s stat line is excellent, and the ability can be powerful with mobilize or haste creatures.

Dragonback Assault

The sweeper mode is a bit overcosted, but flying Rampaging Baloths are just absurd in Limited. Dragonback Assault even buys time for itself to win the game!

Ureni, the Song Unending

Another 8-mana “you win the game” spell, more or less. Ureni, the Song Unending is a worthy build-around that encourages you to play more lands/ramp spells than you might otherwise.

Betor, Kin to All

Betor, Kin to All is a huge flier that can easily draw a card every turn, which is a clear recipe for winning games of Limited. Just focus on the “toughness 10 or greater” line here, as the others are largely superfluous.

Jeskai Revelation

Jeskai Revelation comes fairly close to “you win the game” as well, and it costs a full mana less than Ureni, the Song Unending or Craterhoof Behemoth!

Shiko, Paragon of the Way

Getting value with Shiko, Paragon of the Way is incredibly easy, and it even packs a great stat line with vigilance to boot. Note that this works with any “nonland card,” not just permanents.

Death Begets Life

Of all the 8-mana “you win the game” spells, Death Begets Life is definitely the loosest one, as drawing this too late could deck you out! It’s powerful enough to make this list, though I’m not sure how it’ll actually play.

Teval, Arbiter of Virtue

Teval, Arbiter of Virtue’s drawback is quite real, as you’ll be taking a lot of damage from this with every spell you cast. To compensate, you’ll have access to huge mana reduction and a gigantic Baneslayer Dragon, which seems worth the risk!

Ugin, Eye of the Storms

Even with zero other colorless cards, simply casting Ugin, Eye of the Storms and then +2’ing makes this card well worth the effort! It’s also not impossible to get a bit of extra value with stuff like Dragonstorm Globe and Embermouth Sentinel.

Marang River Regent

Rain of Revelation is a lovely value spell, so attach it to a 6/7 flier that double bounces and you have one hell of a Limited card! Marang River Regent is just unreal, and it should have you eyeing blue if you open it.

Avenger of the Fallen

The strong base rate here is key, as Avenger of the Fallen is dangerous and very difficult to block profitably. It scales fantastically too, as it’s not impossible for it to be make 5+ tokens per attack later on!

Qarsi Revenant

Power creep these days is such that Vampire Nighthawk now has +1/+0 and graveyard upside! Qarsi Revenant is a completely obscene Limited card, and another windmill slam rare.

Scavenger Regent

The dragon side is the star here, as Scavenger Regent itself is very efficient. Exude Toxin will probably be used less often, but the option to do so is still quite powerful. Just don’t forget that this misses dragons!

Cori-Steel Cutter

Unlike most of the other rares so far, this is a cheap, aggressive card. Cori-Steel Cutter has a great rate if you can pull it off though, and provides strong incentive to build a fast flurry deck.

Magmatic Hellkite

You won’t mana screw anyone with Magmatic Hellkite long term, but it’s still a huge flier for its cost that slows your opponent down. You might even be able to keep them off a color for one turn!

Tersa Lightshatter

Tersa Lightshatter brings an aggressive base rate, free rummaging, and threshold-like upside to the table. That’s a lot of value for just 3 mana, so this is one orc wizard you won’t want to miss!

Bloomvine Regent

You’ll be hoping to cast Bloomvine Regent as a dragon most of the time, though Claim Territory can be a lifesaver if you’re stuck on mana. It’s quite efficient for its cost and comes with valuable (and repeatable) lifegain.

Lasyd Prowler

Huge stats for its cost + powerful renew upside make Lasyd Prowler one of the better Sultai cards in the set. I wouldn’t expect the renew to get too big in Limited, but even just two +1/+1 counters would feel incredible on a creature this good.

Surrak, Elusive Hunter

Surrak, Elusive Hunter has solid base stats and gets a 2-for-1 against removal spells, which is impressive for a 3-drop creature.

Warden of the Grove

Warden of the Grove spirals out of control quickly, as every creature you play after untapping with this comes with counters or a friend. Definitely a kill-on-sight kind of rare; you do not want to see how this plays with 3+ counters on it!

Barrensteppe Siege

“Abzan” is the clear winner here, and makes Barrensteppe Siege an outright bomb rare. All you have to do is keep playing creatures and stay alive, and this will eventually overwhelm your opponent. The Mardu mode is also nifty with mobilize, though you won’t name it often.

Hollowmurk Siege

The Sultai mode goes off in the right deck, while the Abzan mode is very aggressive and easier to use. It’s probably not as busted as something like Innkeeper's Talent, but Hollowmurk Siege even being mentioned in the same sentence as that card should be taken as high praise.

Inevitable Defeat

Inevitable Defeat exiles just about anything, and it even throws in a Lightning Helix to the face as a bonus. That’s just absurd in Limited, making this another windmill slam rare.

Mardu Siegebreaker

Mardu Siegebreaker is flat out incredible, with awesome base stats and a very powerful ability that goes off with “enters” creatures. You can just keep getting the same trigger from whatever you exile with this over and over, so try combining it with cards like Fortress Kin-Guard, Salt Road Packbeast, and Reigning Victor (which would even protect Siegebreaker).

Thunder of Unity

All the sagas are pretty busted Limited cards, and Thunder of Unity is no exception. Chapter 1 is a mere Painful Lesson, but Chapters 2 and 3 tack on a substantial drain bonus that goes off with mobilize.

Zurgo, Thunder’s Decree

Speaking of mobilize, you’d be hard pressed to find a better mobilize creature than Zurgo, Thunder's Decree. “Three-mana Hero of Bladehold” is a fair description for this one, making this the best Zurgo ever printed.

Eshki Dragonclaw

Eshki Dragonclaw is a powerful harmonize payoff, as the mechanic provides a really easy way to pull off Eshki’s requirements. The base stats here are also remarkable and make for another busted 3-color rare.

Roar of Endless Song

The only thing better than one huge elephant is two huge elephants and one very dead opponent. Chapter 3 of Roar of Endless Song was completely egregious here, so you’re likely looking at one of the most busted rares in the set.

Felothar, Dawn of the Abzan

Felothar, Dawn of the Abzan takes a bit of setup, but it has a ton of potential with wide board states and +1/+1 counter synergies. Look to sacrifice mobilized Warrior tokens or small Spirit tokens to buff up your entire team, and don’t forget that this is “enters or attacks!”

Revival of the Ancestors

Speaking of Felothar, it’s hard to imagine a better card with it than this! Revival of the Ancestors is also incredible on its own, as you’re getting a ton of value (6/6 worth of stats for 4 mana, spread across three bodies) and a powerful lifelink swing.

Yathan Roadwatcher

Not a “bomb” in a strict sense, though the value here is too good to pass up. All you have to do is trade off your 3-drop then play Yathan Roadwatcher to get an incredible deal!

Rediscover the Way

All the sagas are busted in this set. Rediscover the Way is a double Anticipate with a deadly third chapter to make use of the cards you drew. Surviving Chapter 3 is sure to be a terrifying ordeal for your opponent!

Awaken the Honored Dead

The busted sagas continue with Awaken the Honored Dead, which is somehow Maelstrom Pulse with upside. Chapter 3 in particular is excellent, as you’ll be able to exchange an extra land for the best creature in your graveyard.

Fangkeeper’s Familiar

Running your dragon into this will not be fun, and it’s flexible enough to still be great either way. You’ll mostly be gaining 3/surveiling 3, but it’s also worth remembering that Fangkeeper's Familiar can blow up Stormplain Detainments as well.

Lotuslight Dancers

Lotuslight Dancers can be a bomb in the right deck, as the body is pretty good and the trigger could grab up to three renew creatures. Don’t forget that you can always “fail to find” if you’re dangerously close to decking!

Bad Rares

Not all rares are bombs, or even good! The rares here are either outright unplayable or only fit very specific decks.

Dracogenesis

Rooftop Storm but 8 mana and for dragons is sweet, but Dracogenesis should not be within five feet of my Limited deck!

Call the Spirit Dragons

Winning a game with Call the Spirit Dragons will require Herculean effort, as you’ll need five colors and at least five dragons in play. Don’t let my advice stop you if you want to try it though!

Mox Jasper

Leave the latest Mox for Constructed players, as it’s tough for this to do anything useful in Limited. By the time you're casting a dragon for Mox Jasper, your mana should be well established anyways.

United Battlefront

Another powerful Constructed card that does not transfer over well to Limited. I’d only play United Battlefront if I had an absurd (i.e., 6+?) number of Stormplain Detainments.

Stillness in Motion

Stillness in Motion mills 40 cards a bit too quickly for my liking, even with the safety mode later. There’s also the risk of getting it blown up, and you’ll be down a card as well from it. Just stick to safer ways to get mill value like Ainok Wayfarer.

Sidisi, Regent of the Mire

Sidisi, Regent of the Mire has a lot of potential, but it only fits in decks built around it; its vanilla stats are pretty bad. That means lots of self-mill and disposable creatures, which makes Ainok Wayfarer an invaluable partner.

The Sibsig Ceremony

Sweet card, though you can’t really build around The Sibsig Ceremony in Limited. BBB is also not realistic in a 3-color deck.

Nature’s Rhythm

Definitely the least bad of the “bad rares” so far, though Nature's Rhythm still won’t fit in most decks. GGGG is a tough mana cost to pull off, so only play this if you’re heavily green and have powerful creatures worth searching for.

Windcrag Siege

The Isshin, Two Heavens as One mode is sweet in Commander, but doubling mobilize isn’t likely enough in Limited. Naming “Jeskai” looks underpowered as well, so I have my doubts on Windcrag Siege in 40-card formats.

Glacierwood Siege

Glacierwood Siege is a bad rare in a random deck, though it could be an obnoxious build-around as a mill wincon. If you’re going that route, make sure to include lots of removal spells plus cantrips like Unending Whisper.

Prerelease Guide

Choosing a Clan

One of the neatest things about this set is the return to picking a clan for Prerelease. Unlike the last decade or so of Prereleases (save New Capenna), Tarkir: Dragonstorm requires you to pick one of the five clans before you open your packs. Your choice determines which pre-seeded pack will be included in your pool, as the 6th Play booster will be replaced by a pack of random cards from that clan. While this won’t guarantee that your deck will be in those three colors (i.e., you choose Jeskai and open nothing but Abzan bombs plus fixing for them), it will definitely tip the scales.

To Min-Max or Not to Min-Max?

When you look at this image, ask yourself: Whose arguments do you find more persuasive? If you said, “Yes Chad,” feel free to skip the next section. But if you insist on crushing the hopes and dreams of nine-year-olds at your LGS, the next section is just for you.

Min Max’ing Your Prerelease

If you must min max: choose Abzan or Mardu, and avoid picking Jeskai. Jeskai has the worst multicolor rares of the five clans, while Abzan and Mardu have nothing but bombs and bangers. While your opponent fools around with New Way Forward and Narset, Jeskai Waymaster, you can hasten their Inevitable Defeat with your superior rares.

Other than rare disparities, it’s difficult to speculate on how the commons/uncommons will play out from these boosters. I like the look of white/black in this set though, so I stand by my assertion that you should pick Abzan or Mardu if you want to win.

Seven Steps for Sealed Success!

This last section is a refresher course for Sealed itself, and a good reference sheet if you’re stuck.

1. Open your boosters and sort your cards by rarity and color. Consider separating the contents of your pre-seeded booster from others, if you’d like. Note any bombs or exceptional cards.
2. Set unplayable cards aside (basically just trash rares), then assess which of your colors are deepest. I’m mostly looking for the best commons/uncommons here, with particular importance given to efficient removal, Salt Road Packbeast, or anything else that’s clearly above average.
3. Start laying out builds and try to include your best cards. As this is a 3-color set, you should expect to be playing either 2 colors with a splash, 3 colors, or 3 colors with a splash.
4. Consider colorless costs and whether splashing makes sense for your Limited pool. The best cards to splash are single pip busted rares; if I open Roar of Endless Song, you best believe it’s making my 40, even if I have to play a Forest in my Jeskai deck.
5. Keep working on your deck, aiming for a good balance of bombs, removal, card advantage, and mana curve. If you’re worried about the clock, you can mitigate time anxieties by having a baseline done early (i.e. “I know I’m playing Abzan because I have Felothar, Dawn of the Abzan, Revival of the Ancestors, and Sandsteppe Citadel, but can I splash Awaken the Honored Dead with Evolving Wilds?”).
6. Settle on a final product, then battle it out! Feel free to change your deck between rounds to fix errors and/or try new things. Prerelease prize payouts are rarely top heavy or anything, so this is a great time to relax and focus on learning the set and having a good time.
7. Don’t forget that you can use Draftsim's Sealed pool generator to practice the set before attending your prerelease! Our sim lacks the pre-seeded boosters, but is otherwise identical to the experience you’ll have building this format.

Wrap Up

Roiling Dragonstorm | Illustration by Dan Mumford

And with that, we are finally done. You should be well and ready to face the Dragonstorms now, especially with this giant wall of text behind you. We can reconvene next week, where I’ll be giving my final word on Tarkir: Dragonstorm Draft.

Which archetypes are you looking forward to playing in Tarkir: Dragonstorm Sealed? Let me know in the comments below or over on the Draftsim Discord.

Until next time, may your prereleases always be enjoyable!