Tarkir: Dragonstorm/Trivia

Tarkir: Dragonstorm

 

Commander decks

 

Card comparisons

 

Trivia

 

Art Series

 

MaRo's Tarkir: Dragonstorm Teaser

Mark Rosewater gave his traditional teaser for Tarkir: Dragonstorm with the following hints to the contents of the main set:

First up, here are some things you can expect:

• A cycle of Dragonstorm enchantments — Teeming Dragonstorm, Roiling Dragonstorm, Corroding Dragonstorm, Breaching Dragonstorm, Encroaching Dragonstorm
• Two planeswalkers — Elspeth (Elspeth, Storm Slayer) and Ugin (Ugin, Eye of the Storms)
• Some counters in the set: decayed, lifelink, and time — Rot-Curse Rakshasa (decayed); Qarsi Revenant (lifelink); Taigam, Master Opportunist (time)
• A card that can tutor for one of two other cards — Dragonstorm Forecaster (Dragonstorm Globe or Boulderborn Dragon)
• A legendary enchantment — The Sibsig Ceremony
• A Hydra that uses a clan keyword — Warden of the Grove (Abzan Endure)
• A common archetype theme gets an ability word — Flurry ("Second spell matters")
• An instant that generates five effects — Jeskai Revelation (Bounce, damage, tokens, card draw, and life gain)
• Dragons get a new typal enchantment based on a popular Zombie one — Dracogenesis (Rooftop Storm)
• A new instant and sorcery subtype — Omen

Here are snippets of rules text you’ll see:

• “Whenever you cast a Turtle spell, untap this creature.” — Ambling Stormshell
• “As long as there are three or more different kinds of counters among creatures you control,” — Hundred-Battle Veteran
• “You may cast it without paying its mana cost if that spell’s mana value is 8 or less.” — Breaching Dragonstorm
• “If you put +1/+1 counters on five Dragons this way, you win the game.” — Call the Spirit Dragons
• “Whenever a creature you control enters, if you cast it, destroy that creature” — The Sibsig Ceremony
• “At the beginning of combat on your turn, if you’ve cast both a creature spell and a noncreature spell this turn,” — Eshki Dragonclaw
• “Then if creatures you control have total toughness 20 or greater,” — Betor, Kin to All
• “During your end step, Warrior tokens you control have ‘This token can’t be sacrificed.’” — Zurgo, Thunder's Decree
• “Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, you may search your library for a card named <CARDNAME>, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.” — Tempest Hawk (searches for another copy of itself)
• “Spells you cast have delve.” — Teval, Arbiter of Virtue

Here are some creature type lines from the set:

• Creature – Dog Monk — Equilibrium Adept
• Creature – Elephant Druid — Dusyut Earthcarver
• Creature – Yeti — Summit Intimidator
• Creature – Djinn Cleric — Severance Priest
• Creature – Zombie Advisor — Sibsig Appraiser
• Creature – Kirin — Sunpearl Kirin
• Creature – Snake Shapeshifter — Naga Fleshcrafter
• Artifact Creature – Chimera — Embermouth Sentinel
• Artifact Creature – Ape Snake — Jade-Cast Sentinel
• Legendary Creature – Zombie Snake Warlock — Sidisi, Regent of the Mire

Finally, here are some names in the set:

• All-Out Assault — Enchantment
• Cruel Truths — Instant
• Desperate Measures — Instant
• Dragonologist — Human Wizard
• Hundred-Battle Veteran — Zombie Warrior
• Lightfoot Technique — Instant
• Rescue Leopard — Cat
• Seize Opportunity — Instant
• Stillness in Motion — Enchantment
• War Effort — Enchantment

Miscellaneous

Set

• Before retiring in 2024, Erik Lauer achieved his bucket list goal of leading a vision design team with Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Due to his previous experience as development lead for Khans of Tarkir block, Design felt that the return to Tarkir was the perfect opportunity for him.
• The behold mechanic is identical in function to an unkeyworded mechanic from Dragons of Tarkir, which appeared on one cycle of cards (the Dragons-matter cycle) and one rare, Dragonlord's Prerogative. Like this mechanic, it appears on one cycle of cards (the Exhales) and one rare, Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant.

Cards

• Ambling Stormshell is a reference to Meandering Towershell, and even slower than its predecessor. The Towershell successfully attacks once every two combats, but assuming the Stormshell is not untapped outside its controller's untap step, it can only attack once every four combats.
• Afterlife from the Loam is a play on Life from the Loam. Despite this, they have no mechanical similarities.
• Bearer of Glory and Voice of Victory have a visual continuity.
• Furious Forebear nearly has recover , but it is not exiled if a creature dies and the cost is not paid.
• Inevitable Defeat's effect and flavor text are both references to Utter End.
• Jade-Cast Sentinel is a reference to Thieving Amalgam, which is also depicted to be from Tarkir.
• The headliner Mox Jasper is illustrated by Dan Frazier, who illustrated the original five Moxen. He has gone on to do an illustration of all subsequent moxen except Mox Amber and Mox Lotus.
• Maelstrom of the Spirit Dragon continues the "Lands of the Spirit Dragon" cycle from the Khans of Tarkir block, which includes Tomb of the Spirit Dragon, Crucible of the Spirit Dragon, and Haven of the Spirit Dragon.
• Rebellious Strike's name, effect and flavor text are all references to Defiant Strike.
• Rediscover the Way casts Anticipate twice then gives the player access to Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest's ability.
• Ringing Strike Mastery is a callback to and is a smaller version of Singing Bell Strike.
• Riverwalk Technique is a callback to the name and flavor text of Flying Crane Technique.
• The cycle of "Sieges" (Barrensteppe Siege, Frostcliff Siege, Hollowmurk Siege, Windcrag Siege, and Glacierwood Siege) each depict the overlapping lands between two clans.
• Skirmish Rhino is a callback to, and smaller version of, Siege Rhino.
• Stormscale Scion riffs on the Storm Scale and the fact that Storm is a 10 on that scale.
• Summit Intimidator is a callback to Summit Prowler.
• Watcher of the Wayside continues the story of Witness of the Ages, Pilgrim of the Fires and Custodian of the Trove.