Lands (38)
- 1x Bad River
- 1x Blood Crypt
- 1x Bloodstained Mire
- 1x Breeding Pool
- 1x Cavern of Souls
- 1x Command Tower
- 1x Flood Plain
- 1x Flooded Strand
- 3x Forest
- 1x Godless Shrine
- 1x Grasslands
- 1x Hallowed Fountain
- 2x Island
- 1x Madblind Mountain
- 3x Mountain
- 1x Overgrown Tomb
- 1x Path of Ancestry
- 1x Plains
- 1x Polluted Delta
-
1x
Reflecting Pool
- 1x Reliquary Tower
- 1x Rocky Tar Pit
- 1x Sacred Foundry
- 1x Steam Vents
- 1x Stomping Ground
- 2x Swamp
- 1x Temple Garden
- 1x Verdant Catacombs
- 1x Volrath's Stronghold
- 1x Watery Grave
- 1x Windswept Heath
- 1x Wooded Foothills
Removal (3)
Dragons (20)
- 1x Atarka, World Render
- 1x Balefire Dragon
- 1x Bladewing the Risen
- 1x Deathbringer Regent
- 1x Dragonlord Dromoka
- 1x Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund
- 1x Keiga, the Tide Star
- 1x Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury
- 1x Mirrorwing Dragon
- 1x Nicol Bolas
- 1x Quicksilver Dragon
- 1x Scalelord Reckoner
- 1x Scourge of the Throne
- 1x Scourge of Valkas
- 1x Silumgar, the Drifting Death
- 1x Steel Hellkite
- 1x Teneb, the Harvester
-
1x
The Ur-Dragon
- 1x Utvara Hellkite
- 1x Wasitora, Nekoru Queen
Ramp (9)
- 1x Birds of Paradise
- 1x Chromatic Lantern
- 1x Commander's Sphere
- 1x Cultivate
- 1x Explosive Vegetation
- 1x Kodama's Reach
- 1x Mirari's Wake
- 1x Prismatic Geoscope
- 1x Sol Ring
Recursion (7)
Commander (1)
Utility (11)
- 1x Become Immense
- 1x Bower Passage
- 1x Dragonmaster Outcast
- 1x Dragonspeaker Shaman
- 1x Lightning Greaves
- 1x Mirror of the Forebears
- 1x Rite of Replication
- 1x Sarkhan the Mad
- 1x Sneak Attack
- 1x Sun Quan, Lord of Wu
- 1x Swiftfoot Boots
Card Advantage (7)
- 1x Call to the Kindred
- 1x Kindred Discovery
- 1x Kindred Summons
- 1x Rhystic Study
- 1x Selvala's Stampede
- 1x Sensei's Divining Top
- 1x Temur Ascendancy
Tutors (4)
Overview
Scion of the Ur-Dragon is a commander that can be taken many different ways. Personally, I enjoy reanimator the most. It isn't an infinite combo deck, or a deck that needs to go off ASAP to win. There are a couple of insta-wins in the deck, but I intentionally removed all infinite combos. I run some utility choices, and a relatively small number of Dragons, but the deck functions well enough. You can dump cards in your GY and reanimate them all with a massive Living Death or Patriarch's Bidding. You also get to play expensive dragons on the cheap. All in all, this makes for a fun EDH experience that doesn't take as long to get going as its competitor, The Ur-Dragon.
Card Choices
38 Lands
10 Fetchlands (6 Onslaught/Tarkir/Zendikar fetches and 4 Mirage slow fetches): Bloodstained Mire, Flooded Strand Polluted Delta, Windswept Heath, Wooded Foothills, Verdant Catacombs, Bad River, Flood Plain, Grasslands, Rocky Tar Pit.
These are incredibly important for mana-fixing. With a set of ten fetches, even if they are not totally ideal, you will usually be able to fetch any necessary color of mana with shocklands.
10 Shocklands: Blood Crypt, Breeding Pool, Godless Shrine, Hallowed Fountain, Overgrown Tomb, Sacred Foundry, Steam Vents, Stomping Ground, Temple Garden, Watery Grave.
These are the second incredibly important part of the mana base. In conjunction with the 10 fetchlands, you can grab any of these untapped for 2 life, or tapped for none. And what's extra special is that they have basic land types, making them compatible with the fetches.
4 lands that produce all colors: Command Tower, Path of Ancestry, Cavern of Souls, Reflecting Pool.
Mana-fixing is a necessary part of any multi-colored deck. The Command Tower produces mana of any color and enters untapped. Path of Ancestry scries whenever you cast a dragon, Cavern of Souls makes your dragons uncounterable, and Reflecting Pool can produce any color as long as you have more lands that can produce that color.
3 Utility lands: Madblind Mountain, Reliquary Tower, Volrath's Stronghold.
Madblind Mountain shuffles away cards that you recur with Volrath's Stronghold so you can send them back again with Scion. Reliquary Tower is practically a commander staple with its ability to let you draw a great deal of cards with enchantments like Rhystic Study and Kindred Discovery.
11 Basics: 1 Plains, 2 Islands, 2 Swamps, 3 Mountains, 3 Forests.
Basics are the baseline of MTG lands. They enter the battlefield untapped, but only produce one color of mana. They have no drawbacks, but no advantages either. They are, however, great for dodging hate like Blood Moon and Back to Basics.
24 Creatures
Atarka, World Render: Giving all my Dragons double strike to win in one fell swoop. Yessiree.
Balefire Dragon: A trick for an unblocked Scion. A bit better than Ryusei, so we put him in, especially coupled with Scourge of the Throne.
Birds of Paradise: Enter manadorks. Birds gives one mana of any color on a dork for one mana. An easy include for any five color deck.
Bladewing the Risen: This is Unburial Rites on a Dragon that can also pump everybody for . Who would I be if I didn't take that.
Deathbringer Regent: Boardwipes can be devastating in commander. This is a boardwipe on a Dragon, and even boardwiping yourself can help. If you want a massive reanimator from Patriarch's Bidding or Living Death, this is a good way to go about it.
Dragonlord Dromoka: Are your opponents trying to counter your spells? Are they trying to bounce your creatures? Do you want them to stop. Copy Dragonlord Dromoka and reanimate her. Now your opponents can't do anything during your turn. Awesome!
Dragonmaster Outcast: This is a one-drop that should never be played on turn one. But, if you have 6 lands, making a Dragon every turn is an effect that is very hard to pass up.
Dragonspeaker Shaman: For 3 mana I can reduce the cost of all my dragons by . Sign me up!
Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund: Feel free to run Standardize and turn this into Insurrection, but I'll keep him just because he's a better haste enabler than Dragonlord Kolaghan, and you get to steal everybody else's dragons if they have any.
Keiga, the Tide Star: Who wants some shenanigans? If you use Volrath's Stronghold to recur this, and then sneak it into play, you'll take control of one permanent per turn. I love it.
Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury: This guy pumps up your dragons for each one attacking. His effect somewhat resembles that of Jazal Goldmane, but for free and without boosting toughness. I won't complain, though. He can also dodge removal with his dash cost, which is pretty cool.
Mirrorwing Dragon: This is a Dragon I don't see very often in Scion decks, but if you couple this with a Become Immense, all of your Dragons get +6/+6. That is an easy way to win, especially when coupled with Bower Passage and/or Sun Quan, Lord of Wu.
Nicol Bolas: If someone is foolish enough to let an un-transformed Scion through, or if they don't have a blocker, you can transform it into this guy and make them discard their hand. It's a cruel trick, but an effective one.
Quicksilver Dragon: This is a techy choice that can protect Scion from most targeted removal, and turn it back on your opponents. If they don't expect it, you can turn it to the biggest threat on the table.
Scalelord Reckoner: This is another tool to punish your opponents for targeted removal, or even cards that tap yours. Again, if it's unexpected, you could gravely punish an opponent.
Scourge of the Throne: Who wants an extra combat phase? ME! ME! ME! As long as you don't have the highest life, you'll get one. If you've played Rite of Replication, you'll get even more.
Scourge of Valkas: This with a Rite of Replication deals 180 damage!. 5 triggers from each of 6 dragons for 6 damage. 5 x 6 x 6 = 180. This can also do a large amount of damage if you have a massive Living Death.
Silumgar, the Drifting Death: This is a one-sided boardwipe that even gets rid of indestructible creatures. Attack with 13 dragons and destroy a Blightsteel Colossus. I'll keep it.
Sun Quan, Lord of Wu. It either feels really good to be the only person with horsemanship at a table, or the person who didn't forget horsemanship at a table where everybody else but one did. Plus he can couple with Bower Passage to make someone use horsemanship and reach to block a single dragon. Or a Dragon Hunter, but who plays him?
Steel Hellkite: A third trick for an unblocked Scion that can destroy troublesome permanents for their cmc in colorless mana. This can get rid of a great deal of threats.
Teneb, the Harvester: is a free reanimator trigger if they forget to block your dragon. That's 5 mana to reanimate a creature if it's Scion, or 3 for Teneb. With Sun Quan it's ridiculously easy.
The Ur-Dragon: I love cheating 9 mana dragons into play for cheap. Animate Dead or Unburial Rites brings him back after Scion sends him away, and then you'll have a 10 (or 9)/10 flier that reduces the cost of your dragons. Should be an auto include in Scion decks.
Utvara Hellkite: If you full swing, this Hellkite will double your board presence. That's absolutely incredible! Such a large amount of Dragons makes Become Immense + Mirrorwing Dragon a death sentence.
Wasitora, Nekoru Queen: Sacrifices are a great way to get around Voltron commanders, or go tall strategies like Arahbo, Roar of the World. It can also make more dragons after a boardwipe.
12 Sorceries
Rite of Replication: Don't you wish you could deal 180 damage with Scourge of Valkas? Or take 6 extra combat steps from Scourge of the Throne? Of course you do! That's why we play Rite of Replication.
Unburial Rites: A must-include in any Scion deck. If you have one, send your biggest, baddest Dragon to they graveyard coughThe Ur-Dragoncough and reanimate it next turn. Then do it again with the flashback cost.
Living Death: If you've just boardwiped, and have massive Dragons, or Scourge of Valkas in your graveyard, this can be a game ender.
Demonic Tutor: to search for any card, whenever you need it. There's a reason why this is a commander staple, and it's not the artwork.
Explosive Vegetation: Ramp is a crucial part of commander, and this gets you to 6 mana sometimes as early as turn 3 (if you have the tenth piece of power, of course).
Cultivate and Kodama's Reach: These are exactly the same card. They ramp you and make sure that you can hit your land drop the next turn. Auto includes in any green deck.
Crux of Fate: You can either boardwipe yourself to get the most out of Patriarch's Bidding, or you can boardwipe your opponents, leaving them open for a direct assault. Win-win.
Vindicate: This can destroy anything for three mana, and it's pretty cheap after it's Eternal Masters reprint.
Patriarch's Bidding: Expensive, yes. Powerful, hell yes. Massive reanimation trigger right here, and if no one else is running a tribal deck, you benefit the most.
Selvala's Stampede: An easy way to get a great deal of massive creatures, depending, of course, on whether you have a great deal of players in your game.
Dark Petition: If you've played a few instants or sorceries, this is effectively a second Demonic Tutor. If not, it's one mana more for a Diabolic Tutor. It's good enough.
5 Instants
Kindred Summons: After an Utvara Hellkite trigger or two, this is an easy way to dump your entire library's worth of creatures onto the battlefield.
Become Immense: A great spell when coupled with Mirrorwing Dragon. It's a game ender when played at the right time.
Swords to Plowshares: One mana removal. An easy include in any white deck. This can also be replaced by Path to Exile. Either do the job well enough.
Mystical Tutor: A way to tutor for a Rite of Replication, a Become Immense, an Unburial Rites, removal, or ramp. I love it.
Repopulate: This is an easy way to dodge graveyard hate at instant-speed, if your opponent is activating a Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, or Bojuka Bog.
9 Enchantments
Animate Dead: Two mana to reanimate any creature that you've dumped from Scion at the low low cost of giving it -1/-0. Auto include, but could be replaced by Dance of the Dead or Necromancy.
Bower Passage: Unless your opponents' creatures have reach, your dragons are unblockable (except by Dragon Hunter, but who plays that?).
Debtors' Knell: This shares the effect of Sheoldred, Whispering One but as an enchantment, which makes it easier to dodge removal and boardwipes.
Kindred Discovery: This is a great source of card draw, especially after a massive Living Death.
Mirari's Wake: This is a mana doubler that pumps all your creatures. It's a great include to pump your Dragons, cast more quicker, and send more to the graveyard with Scion.
Rhystic Study: Tax all your opponents, or you get to draw a card. This is a mono-blue staple, and for good reason.
Sneak Attack: This gives shenanigans with Keiga, the Tide Star, or cheats something temporary into play for a turn. This is especially good with Bladewing the Risen.
Survival of the Fittest: This is a great creature tutor that synergizes really well with the reanimator theme.
Temur Ascendancy: This functions very similarly to Kindred Discovery in a Dragon deck, but also enables haste.
9 Artifacts
Chromatic Lantern: A necessity in any five-color deck. It's ramp and fixing for three mana.
Commander's Sphere: Another three mana mana-rock that can tap for any color, and if something like a Jokulhaups occurs, it'll net you a card.
Elixir of Immortality: Another good way to dodge graveyard hate, because that is what a reanimator deck hates most. It also helps if you draw too many cards.
Lightning Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots: This dodges targeted removal and enables haste for whatever creature comes into play, or whatever you want to protect.
Mirror of the Forebears: This is another way to clone dragons. Two Utvara Hellkite triggers or extra Scourge of the Thrones is very helpful.
Prismatic Geoscope: This will double your mana if you play it when you have five lands that include shocks and basics.
Sensei's Divining Top: This can give you an extra draw for whatever you recur from Volrath's Stronghold, or delay it until a later point, or until you can get rid of it again with Scion.
1 Planeswalker
Sarkhan the Mad: This can change a useless Dragon or Birds of Paradise into a 5/5 dragon, and you can reanimate the original later. If you have a large number of dragons, it's -4 can act as a wincon.
How to Play
This is a pretty straightforward deck. There are a few synergies like Rite of Replication + Scourge of Valkas and Become Immense + Mirrorwing Dragon , but most of the deck is just a matter of dumping dragons into the graveyard, and reanimating them through Unburial Rites and Animate Dead. You can abuse ETB triggers with Sneak Attack (or leaves the battlefield triggers) and recur everything with Volrath's Stronghold. You ramp in the early game and cast dragons at a reduced price in the late-game. It's somewhat easy to pilot, but more synergistic than The Ur-Dragon. Either could make a good commander, but Scion of the Ur-Dragon is a lot more flexible in his builds. This is just one of many strategies to take.
Suggestions
I would love any recommendations that could be given, but I don't want a deck that wins Turn 5 with infinite combos. I want something that's fun to play in a group setting, and that won't turn you into the target of the table as soon as you show your commander. However, any helpful feedback will be greatly appreciated and taken to heart. Thank you.
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| Date added | 7 years |
| Last updated | 4 years |
| Key combos | |
| Legality | This deck is Commander / EDH legal. |
| Rarity (main - side) | 14 - 0 Mythic Rares 50 - 0 Rares 19 - 0 Uncommons 6 - 0 Commons |
| Cards | 100 |
| Avg. CMC | 4.39 |
| Tokens | Cat Dragon 3/3 BRG, Copy Clone, Dragon 5/5 R, Dragon 6/6 R, Morph 2/2 C |
| Folders | Other Decks, Scion, Scion Aggro |
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