Where do Dragons fit in standard?

Standard forum

Posted on March 10, 2015, 1:48 a.m. by pikatrue

So as of right now Dragons are looking pretty darn sweet in DKT standard, due to the following cards:

Sarkhan Unbroken

Dragonlord Kolaghan

Thunderbreak Regent

Stormbreath Dragon

Dragon Tempest

Descent of Dragons

Atarka, World Render

Silumgar, the Drifting Death

Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury

Draconic Rage

Silumgar's Scorn

Now we do have many more cards to be spoiled in the new set.. But I would like to know where you all think Dragons will end up. Right now It's looking like it 100% must involve Red.I believe the following homes for Dragon of Standard will either be:

Grixis (B/R/U) as a more control build using Silumgar's Command, Crux of Fate, Silumgar's scorn, Ultimate Price, Silumgar, the Drifting Death, etc.

Jund (B/R/G) as a much more aggressive build using mana ramp with the combo of Dragon Tempest + Descent of Dragons along with Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury.

Temur (G/U/R) also using some mana ramp along with our best friend Sarkhan Unbroken and following a midrange build.

Either way the cards I see being total staples in dragon decks are Stormbreath Dragon, Draconic Rage, Dragon Tempest, and Thunderbreak Regent. Dragon decks wont work without those 4 beauties.

I'm leaning towards grixis as of now because I am in love with Silumgar's Scorn and I think Grixis can utilize it best. That could change, however. So let me know what you all think, this is definitely interesting and will warp the format of standard.

TL;DR: Dragons eat Rhinos.

dezzo says... #2

the only dragon deck that is remotely playable post theros + m15 rotation is R/G dragons.

for a long time R/G // Temur have no real evasion fatties so taking to the skies is the only way.

only Green has all the ramp (frontier siege // mana dorks) to power all the 6cc cards.

Whisperwood Elemental + Descent of the Dragons + Dragon Tempest

March 10, 2015 2:43 a.m.

pikatrue says... #3

dezzo

I'm not entirely sure that I agree. Check out my Grixis build as of right now. Even without Stormbreath Dragon who can be replaced by more Kolaghans, it will still do some work.

http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/06-03-15-a-dance-with-dragons/

It has plenty of kill spells and counter spells to control the board, taking you to late game where you win in the sky. You have enough ramp with Dragonlord's Servant, Crucible of the Spirit Dragon, and Haven of the spirit dragon.

March 10, 2015 2:55 a.m.

Tribal effects like Dragon Tempest that benefit from large numbers of Dragons are a bit ridiculous since Dragons tend to be expensive and threatening enough on their own. Crux of Fate seems like the best reason to play a dedicated Dragon deck.

March 11, 2015 9:34 p.m.

IndepenentMeta says... #5

I'd go with jund in standard

March 11, 2015 9:46 p.m.

pikatrue says... #6

ChrisHansonBiomancin Dragon Tempest does have extreme value, as it can act as a kill spell upon ETB. It targest creatures OR players, so you can get off a bolt if you've got two on field, or kill off a rabblemaster if you've got one. I think it has some significant value. Especially coupled with Descent of Dragons, as each dragon token will see every other one upon ETB. If you have 3 creatures on field + tempest, and cast descent, that turns into hitting your opponent for 9, along with swinging for an additional 12 in the air. That wins games if it's not answered. I think that's pretty good.

March 12, 2015 10:31 a.m.

pikatrue says... #7

IndepenentMeta

Why's that?

March 12, 2015 10:32 a.m.

If you ever get Dragon Tempest to trigger for more than two, you probably were winning handily anyways.

Adding incremental value to high-value spells doesn't do much, especially considering that you had to invest a card into the Tempest. The effect would be much more relevant if it triggered from Warriors or another weenie tribe that pursues strength in numbers.

Tribal effects for Dragons should work well with one or two of them because that's all you really need.

March 12, 2015 3:46 p.m.

This discussion has been closed