As the Magic: The Gathering community is still on the cusp of Tarkir: Dragonstorm’s big launch, I noted five cards from the set that fans can utilize in all commander decks as a fast upgrade to their 99.
Magic: The Gathering has finally returned to Tarkir’s Khan and Dragon-loaded plane for the first time since Dragons of Tarkir over ten years ago. This time around, Khans and Spirit Dragons are working together to once again put down the Dragonlords who threaten the peace of the plane. With so much focus on dragons and their enemies, fans could easily overlook cards with serious utility in the Commander format, especially those that don’t have heavy price tags or a ‘Chase card’ identification like a Mox Jasper.
While it would be incredibly easy to overload this list with the hottest bangers from the set, like the newest print of Planeswalkers Elspeth and Ugin in their Tarkir: Dragonstorm printings, we have taken it a step further. Instead of highlighting the cards everyone is talking about, we are highlighting five hidden gem budget cards that are currently worth under $1 on TCGPlayer’s median price range that any player (regardless of draconic commander or not) can take a look at to upgrade the ‘other’ 99 cards in their Commander deck.
While the cards below are listed in random order, these 5 hidden gems from Tarkir: Dragonstorm can make your deck roar with astounding power.
Top 5 Hidden Gems From Tarkir: Dragonstorm For Any Commander, But Under $1
Flamehold Grappler
This Jeskai card has fallen shy of 50 cents on TCGPlayer, and now sits at below $1 for all card treatments (outside of foil). This strong Human Monk can be cast for three mana (one red, one white, and one blue), and when a player casts it, the next spell cast this turn can be copied for free. This opens a can of worms for the player’s opponents that cannot be shut after cast, and immediately gives you the upper hand.
Flamehold Grappler has no shortage of uses, with many plays reaching ‘win condition’ territory. Once Flamehold Grappler reaches the board successfully, your next spell will copy regardless of permanent status. A Jeskai burn deck that utilizes Furnace of Rath or City on Fire instantly doubles as a token, allowing a player to eliminate the starting life total of 40 in just a turn.
Commanders like Captain America, First Avenger can instantly take advantage of the two equipment per turn and fit the Jeskai colourway. If a player has Cap on the field, drops a Flamehold Grappler, and then ‘caps’ it off with City on Fire, even a low-cost equipment like Sword of Feast and Famine can drag an opponent to near death with Cap’s throw and catch ability. Using this creature before playing an older card like Helm of the Host is just diabolical, and using something like Narset’s Reversal (also included in Tarkir: Dragonstorm) can allow Flamehold Grappler to use its ability more than once.
Players can also use Temporal Trespass after the Grappler to get three turns in a row, which could end opponents without mercy.
Kheru Goldkeeper
This Sultai Dragon creature utilizes the graveyard to supplement a Sultai colour-included commander deck with glorious treasure from Tarkir: Dragonstorm. The usage of Kheru Goldkeeper runs with graveyard tech commanders, that either utilize the graveyard to cast spells or exile them to use effects. Mill effects such as Blossoming Tortoise can not only mill three cards, but can return a land from the graveyard, netting a Treasure token for your trouble.
The secondary renew ability can become nasty quickly, making this one of the better Tarkir: Dragonstorm hidden gems. Using this ability can instantly remove Kheru Goldkeeper from the graveyard to exile, and inject extra power into a commander’s veins with two +1/+1 counters and flying to boot. I’d argue in a deck with Muldrotha, The Gravetide as commander, Kheru becomes a staple as Muldrotha’s effect can remove two cards per turn from your graveyard. This card can compound on top of Kishla Skimmer, a Simic card also from Tarkir: Dragonstorm that uses the same effect trigger to get a card draw.
Kheru becomes next to unstoppable when fielded with the new Sin, Spira’s Punishment legendary creature from the upcoming Final Fantasy Universe’s Beyond set, considering the commander creature exiles cards from the graveyard each turn, getting a treasure guaranteed. If Kheru gets killed, the Sin, Spira’s Punishment commander can resurrect a token of it, starting the cycle once again like Spira’s nightmare in Final Fantasy X. Ripples of Undeath from Modern Horizons 3 also gives a player activation on both Kishla Skimmer and Kheru, making Sultai a powerful colour for commander after Tarkir: Dragonstorm.
Iridescent Tiger
A mono-coloured cat creature card has entered the chat. Sporting a 3/4 Power/Toughness, this cat doesn’t seem incredibly imposing considering the steep five mana cost. But, in a deck that requires heavy casting costs, such as The Ur-Dragon, Tiamat, Progenitus, or even Jodah, The Unifier, Iridescent Tiger can help summon these Domain commanders easily enough, with Jodah becoming a freebie when the Tarkir: Dragonstorm Iridescent Tiger is cast successfully.
When a player casts Iridescent Tiger on their turn and has a creature with Leyline Immersion on the field at once, casting a brutally difficult creature like Progenitus becomes child’s play. A bonus for Iridescent Tiger is that the mana the creature gives the player can be used in any way possible, adding utility to the card’s effect and giving the player essentially a free creature. Another card on this list, the Flamehold Grappler, can duplicate this effect, adding a massive ten mana of every colour to the player’s mana pool (considering Flamehold Grappler copies the spell itself as it’s cast, and not the creature as a token). This tiger is grrrrreat!
Strategic Betrayal
This is just good old-fashioned creature card removal that gets around everything added to Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Strategic Betrayal lets a player designate an opponent to exile one of their creatures without a bad side effect maiming the player. What’s more, Strategic Betrayal also exiles the target opponent’s graveyard, which could effectively neuter any of the combinations made with the Sultai colours above. Strategic Betrayal can also terminate Indestructible tattooed cards, as well as cards with protection from black, such as Animar, Soul of Elements. If you use Black, Strategic Betrayal deserves a second look.
Shocking Sharpshooter
This two-cost red creature can end opponents quickly if deployed with another colour. This 1/3 two-cost archer doesn’t look so imposing at first, but when deployed with the likes of Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin, playing any creatures and getting them to enter, or even doubling a token, can grant extra +1/+1 counters onto the Legendary Demon along with the -1 to an opponent’s life total.
Shocking Sharpshooter has many uses, but in an Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin deck alongside Devoted Duelist (another red creature from Tarkir: Dragonstorm) and the All Will Be One enchantment from Phyrexia, All is One, this two-cost creature can levy heavy damage against opponents. Popular mono-red commander, Krenko, Mob Boss, can also completely bleed an opponent with its doubling goblins effect each turn.
Using a Duskmourn commander like The Jolly Balloon Man can double Shocking Sharpshooter, and give an opponent two damage per turn instead of one. Using Sharpshooter alongside another creature like Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines, can duplicate the damage given to another opponent, adding more injury to the -1 life insult. Finally, if you’re in a bind and 32 damage is coming at your life total head-on and Inkshield is deployed, Sharpshooter will slam an opponent with 32 damage instantly.
That wraps the Top 5 Hidden Gems from Tarkir: Dragonstorm list. Of course, this is not the entire list of viable cards from Tarkir: Dragonstorm, just the ones I’ve utilized during games that have pulled me across the victory stripe against unsuspecting opponents. As of this article, all five cards listed above will cost just under $3 on TCGPlayer. Hopefully, one or more of the cards above will have a reader saying “GGs” to their opponent on a Magic: the Gathering Monday, and not break the bank doing so.
