Background
This is my attempt at upgrading a Commander 2017 Draconic Domination deck into a pseudo-budget Scion of the Ur-Dragon deck based off information I've scrounged up around the internet. While there are much more powerful Scion of the Ur-Dragon decklists out there (check out my References section), they are also quite expensive [1-4]; and some budget lists I've found aren't as potent as I would like [5]. I hope this decklist can fill it's own niche as slightly more budget-friendly, yet terrifyingly potent, alternative.
Because I was upgrading the deck from a Pre-con that I purchased for ~$100, I began by trying to keep the deck under $150. I pushed the goalpost to $200, however, because I couldn't resist including some of the many excellent cards I discovered. $200 must be the limit, unfortunately, because the deck is slightly too powerful for my playgroup as is. I cannot in good conscious play this deck against my playgroup at the moment. That said, I suspect that the power level of my playgroup will eventually creep high enough to justify this deck's presence, and I enjoy being able to pull this deck out of my back pocket when justice calls for retribution (which is why I appreciate all the help!). Suggestions are very welcome!
2/20/20 Update
This deck began with a $200 budget ceiling, but inflation and some expensive upgrades/gifts has inflated the value of this dec[7].
This deck is in the upper range of my playgroup's power level so I seldom get to play it. That said, I have gotten a few games in every now and then, and each time I reinforced the potency of this deck by KO-ing players or outright winning through some degenerate combo requiring relatively little set up. Although my combos required a nontrivial amount of effort to ascertain a win depending on board states, I felt guilty winning--even when victories felt earned--because I know I would feel bad losing to them myself.
My victories were entirely too dependent on commander politics which revolved around preserving my presence in the game long enough to seize victory. I felt bad making deals which were ultimately thinly veiled threats instructing players not to attack me lest I brutally cripple or defeat them before they got opportunities to attack me. (Disclaimer: of course I am okay with being attacked, but my life total generally decreased drastically and early enough that additional or concentrated attacks would essentially kill me or leave me in an untenable position). Furthermore, I frequently found myself in games where I never intended to win through a degenerate combo, but was forced to do so, because the alternative would be to die an early death.
Suffice it to say, while this deck was powerful, it suffered from a serious flaw: the cut-throat play style of the deck didn't align with my principles of commander. Winning didn't feel as enjoyable for me compared to when I won playing The Ur-Dragon so long ago [7]. I had become increasingly more aware of it, but it wasn't until my most recent game on 2/20/20, that it finally became clear to me: if this deck's greatest weakness was its personality flaws, its greatest strength was it's capacity to win. This deck is inherently incompatible with my commander play style, so I decided to prioritize its strengths. I resolved to win. With my inner Timmy satisfied by my Return of the Ur-Dragon 2 deck, I embraced the Spike within me [8-9].
If the most efficient way to win was through degenerate combos, then I should make them more consistent [7]. I won most of my games through the Curiosity + Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
combo, which was useful, but limited by the number of cards in my deck. Further, this combo frequently resulted in discarding Worldgorger Dragon, which prevented any win through mass resurrection (e.g. Lathliss, Dragon Queen + Living Death + Scourge of Valkas
). I knew I had too many combos as is, and a relatively small number of dragons, so I reluctantly dropped mass resurrection (i.e. Living Death) to focus on winning through Worldgorger Dragon by including Dance of the Dead and Necromancy as duplicates of Animate Dead [10].
If my increasing pressure to win ASAP came as a result of early game aggression, and if I didn't want to rely on commander politics as much, then I should be more invested in preventing damage. To this end, I included the "pillow fort" cards Propaganda, Ghostly Prison, and Collective Restraint. I am admittedly struggling to find more ways to survive to the late game, so additional suggestions are very welcome. The alternative to surviving to the late game could also be to win more quickly, perhaps by introducing Entomb to reinforce the Worldgorger Dragon combo.
The adjustments included:
Earthquake because this card underperformed and my life total was always too low--> Dance of the Dead to increase consistency of Worldgorger combo
Dragonlord Dromoka because I seldom used it --> Necromancy to increase consistency of Worldgorger combo
Hellkite Overlord because it's not a combo piece --> Arcane Denial to further protect combos
Yosei, the Morning Star because I always rely on Belltoll Dragon first --> Shivan Hellkite as backup for Worldgorger Dragon combo
Lathliss, Dragon Queen because I lack dragons and took out Living Death --> The Ur-Dragon for flavor
Living Death for reasons stated above --> Xenagos, God of Revels to increase potency
Dragon Mage --> Propaganda to preserve life
Dragonlord Kolaghan because Kolaghan synergized best with Living Death --> Swiftfoot Boots for protection and haste
Keiga, the Tide Star because I always rely on Belltoll Dragon first --> Collective Restraint to preserve life
I am currently considering cutting Kindred Discovery for Pact of Negation, because I'm unsure if I have enough dragons to justify the former.
Notable Combos
Dragon Tyrant + Moltensteel Dragon + Scion of the Ur-Dragon
Moltensteel Dragon + Scion of the Ur-Dragon + Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
Curiosity + Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
Bear Umbra + Hellkite Charger
Aggravated Assault + Savage Ventmaw
Rite of Replication + Scourge of Valkas
Animate Dead + Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius + Worldgorger Dragon
Animate Dead + Scourge of Valkas + Worldgorger Dragon
Dragon Tempest + Scion of the Ur-Dragon + Bladewing the Risen + Animate Dead
Notes to self
Finishing cutting Keiga, the Tide Star for Collective Restraint
References:
[1] https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/commander-edh/multiplayer-commander-decklists/619563-scion-death-by-dragons
[2] Scion of the Ur-Dragon combos and synergies
[3] Scion of the Ur-Dragon EDH
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF_qmKcw-LY
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYw7WHR0cfM&t=51s
[6] http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/22-08-17-edh-dragons/
[7] Useful comments/suggestions by mrdehring
[8] http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/return-of-the-ur-dragon-2/?cb=1583039632
[9] https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/timmy-johnny-and-spike-2013-12-03
[10] Useful suggestions by Gracco
