Sarkhan Unbroken
Standard forum
Posted on Sept. 20, 2015, 2:53 p.m. by LucidDreamer13
Why doesn't Sarkhan Unbroken seeing play? He seems really strong with a minus that protects himself and a plus that allows you flood you enemies in card advantage. The only reason I can come up with is a lack of other cards in those colors. Just figured I would see what other people thought.
He's in a bit of a weird spot right now. The format will be slowing down and we have flexible manabases, so a 3-color 5-mana planeswalker will be easier to get out. However: in a deck that wants mana and card advantage, I think people would rather play Kiora, Master of the Depths. In a deck where you would want his -2, people would rather have Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker. Sarkhan Unbroken isn't bad by any means, but he requires a specific type of deck.
September 20, 2015 3:28 p.m.
A 5 color mana base was doable before, but with the excessive amount of dual lands and fetching we have it's probably even easier now. A 5 color dragon/control deck may be a possibility. I don't know how worth it that would be, but that doesn't mean it's not an option. But I feel like the best thing to do with him is just get him out, protect him, then ultimate him. Sure you could play a more midrange deck with him, but I think if you wanted the deck to actually be fairly competitive (at least at FNM) then a control version would prepare you better for more matchups. The tough part is going to be balancing it out enough to get you to the later game, but still have enough dragons to make his ultimate worthwhile/effective.
If I went with a midrange version, I would just ignore his ultimate altogether. I would just use him purely as a ramp/card advantage machine to fuel a temur eldrazi deck. Then his dragons become a bonus that you make whenever you don't have anything large to cast or need to draw a card.
September 20, 2015 3:52 p.m.
I am actually running him in my Temur deck.
If you want the -2, it is better than Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker as this dragon can block.
In regards to Kiora, Master of Depths, He gets you 1 mana and a draw compared to what is essentially 1 land and an untap. Without a board prescence she is defenseless. While she can get you cards quickly, it costs loyalty as opposed to Sarkhan who gains loyalty along with a mana.
September 20, 2015 5:58 p.m.
Mana cost is too much of a pain in the ass to be worth it. He is a monster in EDH, and believe me Temur is my favorite of the wedges at the moment, but in standard he, like you said, doesn't protect himself other than a dragon token, and is really slow. On the off chance your able to cast him, you'll either A. draw a card and get one mana, or B. get the 4/4 dragon. Now obviously he needs protection, so you'd likely go with the dragon, which puts him at 2 loyalty out of the gate. This puts his ultimate just about out of reach, and leaves him vulnerable to anything 2 or above power, or any spell dealing 2 or more damage, which there is plenty of. Temur really doesn't do control as well as the other wedges do, and he is more of a control planeswalker. He is the value engine that control decks like to abuse while they hide. So maybe is Temur had a viable control archetype, he would see play, but Temur wants to be value based aggro, which he can;t help that much with.
September 20, 2015 7:20 p.m.
I play him in my Temur deck and only get him out when I know I can protect him.
He still nearly always dies right away.
The biggest problem he faced was being released when the emphasis became more on two colours rather than wedges. DTK focused more on the duo colour clans and playing tri at that time slowed you down in comparison.
He has the sickest art work ...
September 20, 2015 10:46 p.m.
DarkHero If your immediately -2'ing him (which I agree is likely) then yes he does basically start at 2 loyalty, but think of it like this. Your basically getting Stormbreath Dragon and sacrificing haste for the upside of a planeswalker to go with it. In temur, your either going to ramp into it and a 4/4 flyer will be bigger than most things it has to block or your gonna play other things before you play Sarkhan Unbroken and have more than just a 4/4 flyer to help protect him. Basically in both instances it requires your opponent to have a spell in hand or to top deck it to immediately answer it. If not, then you have a huge ramp and card advantage engine that can make 4/4 flyers. You never play a planeswalker because of their ultimate so like I said earlier it can almost be irrelevant. His first two abilities help fuel what temur wants to do so well and it doesn't matter what your ramping into. So you don't even need to play dragons at all. Thats why I suggest temur eldrazi earlier. Although, there is Thunderbreak Regent, Dragonlord Atarka, Atarka, World Render, Icefall Regent, and maybe Savage Ventmaw as playable dragons to go with Dragon Tempest if you really wanted to stick with the dragon theme for a potential ultimate blow out.
Fyi: just a fun fact, but currently in standard you can play him on turn 3, use his +1 ability, and still be able to protect him. It's easiest on the play. Turn 1: land and Elvish Mystic Turn 2: land and face down Rattleclaw Mystic Turn 3: land and morph the rattleclaw, tap Elvish Mystic and land and cast Sarkhan Unbroken. Then you +1 to add any mana and draw a card. You can now cast a 2 drop using your rattleclaw as mana, or, leave the Rattleclaw Mystic back as a potential blocker with one mana available (side note, Stubborn Denial is great to have here when your on the play because your opponent will just be hitting their third land drop can't protect their Hero's Downfall)... It also doesn't matter if you have to block with your rattleclaw either, because your going to gain 1 mana of any color and an additional draw with Sarkhan as you race to his ult and protect him.
I know that's a perfect sittuation, but it does only take 7 cards and you'll see 9 cards by turn 3 if your on the play. So it's also not entirely out of the realm of possibility either.
September 20, 2015 11:36 p.m.
I disagree with Atarka, World Render as well as Savage Ventmaw. They both lack etb effects with no protection. If im investing 6 or 7 mana, I dont want to lose that to Abzan Charm.
You need to compare the risk and reward.
Thunderbreak costs 4 mana and is removed by a 3 drop, it nets you 3 face damage for only 1 mana compared to what they spend. Icefall taps and raises the cost by 2. You pretty much break even in worst case. And Dragonlord Atarka deals 5 spread how you wish, and if she requires a response or she will end the game on her own.
If you want more dragons then play Sarkhan's Triumph. It gets you the dragon you nees and thins out the deck.
September 21, 2015 1:30 a.m.
I play Sarkhan's Triumph in my Lord of the Skies deck.
It's invaluable with Dragons.
September 21, 2015 1:34 a.m.
I don't see how you can say Dragonlord Atarka requires a response or she wins the game but for some reason you don't say the same about Atarka, World Render even though it's a faster clock for the exact same mana investment and they both do exactly the same thing on an empty board.
Also, I said maybe Savage Ventmaw because your limited in options in those colors when it comes to dragons. Also, based on your criteria of having to be answered or else it wins you the game, one could argue that Savage Ventmaw has to be answered as well. If not your opponent basically lets you cast Atarka's and other dragons for free.
Lastly, it's obvious I was making a bunch of different card suggestions. If you actually tried to play every card I mentioned as a 4 of plus other necessities that didn't get mentioned you'd end up with a deck well over 60 cards.
September 21, 2015 2:05 a.m.
The difference with the dragonlord is that she makes an impact. On the next turn say your opponant casts Hero's Downfall. Both of them die doing no damage. But the Dragonlord will take at least one creature with her.
September 21, 2015 2:09 a.m.
I played a Temur midrange deck that was extremely successful against most decks it faced, and Sarkhan Unbroken was one of my favourite cards in the deck.
I'm updating it for Zendikar rotation: Straight Outta Tarkir
Fantastic card, and underrated for sure!
September 21, 2015 10:45 a.m.
@Radix that's only true provided there is a creature or planeswalker on board when you play it and it has a toughness of 5 or less. Like I said, on an empty board they both do nothing, cost the exact same, but world render is a faster clock. But because the dragonlord has a conditional etb effect you guys have it in your mind that world render is unplayable, which is flawed logic.
You guys keep saying the dragonlord provides immediate value even if answer right away like it's a guarantee and always going to happen, but that is completely conditional and it could easily have no effect at all. Really though, I get it. You were told that world render is bad so you've just accepted it because it's easier than putting thought into stuff and figuring out answers for yourself.
September 21, 2015 11:40 a.m.
Actually I came to that deciscion on my own. World Render only does 4 more damage. All it will take would be 2 hits from the dragonlord plus a draconic roar or regent. World Render doesnt increase the clock enough to outweigh the risk.
5 damage on etb is good. If they dont have a creature or planeswalker by turn 6 or later when you play the Dragonlord, you are winning. A 6/6 double strike on an empty board is good until they kill it for 3 mana, this is true for both of them. But in most scenarios the opponant has something. Dragonlord will likely trade 2 for one even with immediate removal.
September 21, 2015 2:28 p.m.
LOL..... You literally just said that the dragonlord is better because it requires extra cards in order to do what the world render does in the same amount of time. Requiring you to attack twice and do nothing else is always better than having to attack twice and cast a spell or having to attack 3 times.
Yes having an ETB effect is a bonus, but only if it comes into play. You literally just said "If they dont have a creature or planeswalker by turn 6 or later when you play the Dragonlord, you are winning.", that is a direct quote. So, basically your saying if you play the dragonlord on an empty board your already winning so that's ok. But playing the world render under those exact same conditions is bad because it can be killed next turn for 3 mana. But you keep ignoring the fact that under the exact same conditions so can the dragonlord because you've determined that the world render is just completely unplayable. Despite, that under the exact same conditions and regardless of whether the ETB effect comes into play that the world render kills your opponent faster. In reality the only time the ETB effect is that important (and not just a bonus) is if they immediately kill your dragon, because if they don't you win faster with the world render giving your opponent less opportunity to answer it and survive.
September 21, 2015 3:13 p.m.
Yes world render is better but only when the field is open. It will be far more common that it isnt, in which case Dragonlord is better.
And attacking twice plus something else assumes the opponant is still at 20 life. Which is unlikely.
The reason the Dragonlord is better is because save specific circumstances, it will make more of an impact for the cost you spend.
September 21, 2015 3:28 p.m.
The ETB is only important though if they kill your dragon. So even if it is far more common that the board isn't empty, how common is going to be that every time you play the dragon your opponent has the answer in hand or sitting directly on top of their deck? In other words, you can't really be stupid enough to play your dragon into removal 100% of the time so just be cause it can die doesn't mean it will die (the dies to removal argument is dumb). That means being able to kill your opponent faster with the world render is important because it gives the less chances to answer it.
Ok, if you want to start assuming your opponent is at less than 20 life, then that just means it's even easier for the World Render to kill your opponent. It's very possible to do 8+ damage to your opponent by turn 6 or 7, requiring only 1 swing from the World Render. Sure you only have to do 4+ damage to make the Dragonlord kill in 2 swings in that same time frame but all that does is make it just as efficient as the World Render. You would need to do 12+ damage to make it more efficent.
Yes, having an ETB ability is a bonus, but that does not make the World Render completely unplayable. Killing something upon entering isn't required to kill your opponent (the point of the game), it's just a bonus in case they kill your dragon. You can't say that the world render is completely unplayable when it does what you want the dragonlord to do, just faster.
September 21, 2015 4 p.m.
I am saying the 5 damage etb is better than 4 extra combat damage. It removes blockers so other creatures can attack as well. I am not saying World Render is unplayable. I simply think the utility of the a ETB effect outweighs the 4 extra combat damage essentially since the opponant often wont let them attack. If I can play a 7 drop sweeper and they have no response then I have already won no matter whether it takes 1 or 2 turns
September 21, 2015 4:55 p.m.
Vaalthurion says... #20
I run Sarkhan in my 5-Mana deck.http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/unbroken-chromanti-funsies/
I just started playing competitively not too long ago and am surprised nobody capitalizes on how crazy you can make a 5 color deck in the current meta. S.Unbroken seems to have been engineered with a 5-color dragon deck in mind, even.
It's a shame we're losing Mana Confluence as it seems like it would open up all kinds of deck possibilities when paired with S.Unbroken.
September 23, 2015 1:02 a.m.
Yeah but you have that dragon land that taps for any color which helps offset that
JWiley129 says... #2
He is very strong, but he just hasn't found a home yet. Abzan and Jeskai proved to be the strongest wedges in THS-KTK Standard with Temur being kindof the whipping boy.
September 20, 2015 2:55 p.m.