Pioneer Set Review: Tarkir Dragonstorm

The previews of the new Magic set, Tarkir: Dragonstorm, have come to an end. The return to one of the most iconic worlds in the card game brought everything that was expected - dragons, the return of the three-colored clans, the first Magic expansion in recent years that doesn't seem to suffer from an aesthetic crisis, and an interesting lore with characters that captivate the audience, in addition to a slight spike in power level when compared to some of the releases that preceded it.

We now begin the Cards Realm's Reviews season, where we analyze the cards of the new set for the game's main competitive formats and consider their potential for the Metagame.

In this article, we focus on the Pioneer format with a complete review for the Competitive Metagame, highlighting the main cards of each color and what their potential is after the set's release.

Spirits and Humans already have cards with effects that benefit from removal and/or protection from sweepers in abundance in Pioneer, and Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage joins the team with a decent body and an ability that interacts mainly with Spirits, but can also gain space in Humans and, who knows, give Soldiers a push to become a competitive deck.

Clarion Conqueror was one of our highlights during the previews, and has an almost certain home in the Selesnya Company lists, where despite blocking the ability of mana dorks, it manages to “lock” several key cards in the Metagame today, such as the many Planeswalkers, Bloodtithe Harvester, Reflections of Kiki-Jiki, Parhelion II, Witch’s Oven, among others.

Elspeth, Storm Slayer is technically competing with Beza, the Bounding Spring and even Elspeth, Sun’s Champion in decks that would care about her - generally, Caretaker’s Talent lists, and the advantage of guaranteeing evasion for all creatures can surprise and even make her a curve topper for long games in Aggro lists with white, in addition to her being a recurring removal.

If there is a Dragons archetype, Osseous Exhale can be an interesting sideboard option, but it doesn’t deserve maindeck slots in a format with Get Lost and other better white removals.

Rebellious Strike costs one more than Defiant Strike, but provides a much greater power boost than its predecessor, in addition to the draw. It seems a bit relevant in Boros Prowess lists with Slickshot Show-Off that want more draw effects combined with efficient pumps.

Humans or decks like Boros Convoke have no trouble playing a one-drop followed by another spell to trigger Sage of the Skies, and having two bodies with Flying and Lifelink in addition to the interactions and synergies of these archetypes can make a difference.

Smile at Death will compete with Raise the Past as a recursion tool in lists with small creatures. It doesn't have the same combo potential as we saw with the Foundations card, but it offers more resilience in constantly putting threats on the board in the face of a lot of removal.

Sunpearl Kirin seems redundant, but the fact that it has Flash and Flying makes it a possibility for Esper Bounce to complement Nurturing Pixie and Fear of Isolation. It also makes it easier to create an Orzhov Bounce.

If a Dragon deck exists in Pioneer with Tarkir: Dragonstorm, it's likely to be Mardu or Jeskai. In either case, Twinmaw Stormbrood operates as removal and life gain with a good body in long games.

United Battlefront was another one of our highlights, and it has the challenge of creating an archetype that works around its deckbuilding concessions. It's likely home today would be with Simulacrum Synthesizer and artifacts that interact with the board in some way, but there may be other ways to take advantage of the new Collected Company of the Upside Down.

Grand Abolisher already exists in the format and sees very little play in the current Metagame. Voice of Victory is easier to splash and blocks better than its predecessor, but it doesn't lock abilities during its controller's turn. It may see play in sideboards in the future, and it's unlikely to be in a strategy trying to do something fair.

A draw three + pseudo-Fog isn't exactly where Pioneer wants to be when playing Control, but Bewildering Blizzard deserves an honorable mention for its potential to offer "extra turns" against Aggro, especially go-wide.

Silumgar's Scorn exists and I don't think Pioneer's mana base would have any problems paying from the second turn onwards on most lists, so Dispelling Exhale shouldn't become a staple in Dragon decks.

Speaking of Dragon decks, Dragonologist seems like the ideal card for players who want to try something similar to the Izzet Dragons list that Yuta Takahashi used to win the 2021 Worlds. Its body is decent, it blocks well, and its ability can find either one of the best Dragons or interaction and/or Alrund's Epiphany.

Marang River Regent offers a great draw effect in its Omen ability while having a decent body and an ETB effect that interacts with both the opponent's board and the possibility of returning cards like Nowhere to Run and Stormchaser's Talent from its controller.

I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes one of the best cards in the set due to its potential in Dimir Bounce.

Taigam, Master Opportunist could be a good choice for Tempo archetypes that try to play cheap spells combined with efficient threats. Personally, I don't think the best deck that could run it - Izzet Phoenix - would want it in their lists, but the possibility of copying spells cast and granting more late-game breathing room makes it a card with a lot of potential.

It is likely to be better utilized in Modern or Legacy than in Pioneer.

Avenger of the Fallen is the kind of card you try to build around while also being just pretty good on its own. Its body blocks well, it trades with any creature, and if it attacks with at least three creatures in your graveyard, it already guarantees a considerable clock on the board.

Orzhov variants of Humans or lists with plenty of creatures are likely homes for it, but it wouldn't be surprising to see it with sacrifice interactions that don't have a turn restriction, like Bartolomé Del Presidio.

A 5/5 demon for two mana that can only attack once, but with a graveyard ability that compromises your opponent's board position, may be worth slots in Rakdos Demons and other black Midranges, but it probably lacks enough permanent power to be worth slots over Blade of the Oni.

Scavenger Regent is an interesting option for Midrange decks with black, or even Control lists, if go wide becomes a prevalent archetype in the future, and since it reshuffles with Omen's ability, it's also a recurring sweeper.

Its body and cost are decent, but Graveyard Trespasser costs less, has the same protection, can become a 4/4 and is a graveyard hate and constant life gain, so I have low expectations for it on the maindeck outside Dragon-themed lists.

The Sibsig Ceremony has an infinite combo with Acererak the Archlich and Relic of Legends, where we can cast Acererak with , with its trigger on the stack, tap it to generate with Relic of Legends and return it to the hand, which should resolve before The Sibsig Ceremony destroys it.

This combo requires far fewer pieces and color commitments than the current version of it, but it is much more linear, but the biggest problem with the new enchantment is finding cards that we can use with it without relying solely on Acererak — otherwise, it is just a two-card combo worse than Unstoppable Slasher and Bloodletter of Aclazotz.

There may be room for Sidisi, Regent of the Mire in Zombie lists that have recently appeared in Pioneer Challenges. In that case, we could use it to create new interactions with Dread Wanderer or Relentless Dead. Outside of that, there doesn't seem to be a deck right now that can get the most value out of a graveyard-only Prime Speaker Vannifar.

Strategic Betrayal isn't likely to see much play as a sorcery, but it's a comprehensive Sideboard slot that handles both archetypes that focus on a large threat and lists that rely on the graveyard to execute their game plan.

There are a few possible combos with Breaching Dragonstorm, but most of them involve deckbuilding concessions that are too heavy to work for competitive purposes. In the end, Possibility Storm will still be a better card in this category.

Some Prowess and Mono Red lists have been running a copy of Barbed Batterfist in the maindeck to have one-mana interactions with the abilities of Heartfire Hero and Emberheart Challenger (I prefer Lavaspur Boots), and Cori-Steel Cutter can fit in that same slot since it makes up for its higher cost. with the possibility of creating more bodies on the board if there are not enough creatures, and for guaranteeing Trample and Haste.

Krenko’s Buzzcrusher sees play in some lists, and Pioneer’s mana base is considerably greedy, to the point where Sunspine Lynx in the maindeck is a major threat. For Dragon decks, it is likely that Magmatic Hellkite will become a staple. But outside of them, I believe that the Murders at Karlov Manor card has more utility for dealing with Lotus Field.

The first time Storm appears in Pioneer outside a Planeswalker ability, Stormscale Scion requires a lot of building around if we think only about its ability to create copies of itself.

Therefore, it appears that the best option with it is to treat it as a curve topper that improves as the game goes on, where it is possible to cast more spells before it to put one or more copies of it into play.

There are some possible interactions with Tersa Lightshatter that involve cards like Draconautics Engineer and Afterburner Expert and/or Hollow One and Marauding Mako, with it having a more aggressive body than other options like Fable of the Mirror-Breaker.

The recursion ability being random pretty much kills the possibility of taking advantage of it consistently.

Wild Ride is the closest thing we have to Reckless Charge in Pioneer, and it can make a difference in both Slickshot Show-Off lists and those with the Mice package. Additionally, it's a card that buffs lists with Leyline of Resonance, which often need to wait a turn before completing the combo with Cacophony Scamp or Heartfire Hero.

Craterhoof Behemoth is a great motivator for go-wide decks that can somehow pick it up with Chord of Calling or any other creature tutor. This takes an absurd amount of mana to do, so it's likely to be relegated to Elves, or some new Mono Green Devotion variant that takes more advantage of tutors than Storm the Festival.

Heritage Reclamation has enough versatility to be considered in sideboards for green decks, or with splashes for . Personally, I don't think it does enough to be worth the slots, but the scope can make a difference and put it on a similar level to Pawpatch Formation.

Lasyd Prowler has good interactions with lists that benefit from having lands in their graveyard and has some good combos with Aftermath Analyst and the “Fetch Lands” from Streets of New Capenna, which has motivated some Temur Analyst lists in the last few weeks.

In this case, Prowler becomes a means of turning any creature into a threat while interacting positively with the archetype's proposal.

Nature’s Rhythm is probably worse than Finale of Devastation or Chord of Calling in terms of finding key pieces to close combos, and the Harmonize cost is considerably high to pay even with a creature in play that can be tapped to pay X.

Surrak, Elusive Hunter can basically be read as a 4/3 for three mana that offers a two-for-one because all the opponent’s spot removal will be targeted at it the moment it comes into play. Its cost also ensures that it can be played from a Collected Company and makes it easier to splash.

It could be worth slots in Selesnya Company, a potential Nykthos Stompy card (but probably not good enough for the Ramp version), and if a Temur Company emerges, it seems like a near-certain slot for the list.

An instant-speed Regrowth that can be revealed with Niv-Mizzet Reborn might not be enough to warrant slots in the archetype, but given how much value everything in these lists generates when played, there might be room for a copy of it.

Betor, Kin to All requires little effort to generate card advantage, its body is decent, it survives a dozen removals, and it does so at an efficient cost. There are no Abzan lists in the format today, and the versions I can imagine wouldn't be opting for it over other five-mana cards with more friendly costs.

Like Lasyd Prowler, Dragonback Assault seems like a card that Aftermath Analyst lists would like as both a sweeper and a win condition, where returning all the “Fetches” would create an army of dragons on the board to finish the game.

Fangkeeper’s Familiar has a relatively high cost and in a color combination that isn't very popular in Pioneer today, and its versatility is limited for the current Metagame, so expectations are relatively low for the new Mystic Snake.

Sea Gate Stormcaller has seen little play in Pioneer so far, and Flamehold Grappler is a potential upgrade to the card given that it copies any spell and its body is noticeably more efficient than its predecessor's.

In practice, you'll be paying more to copy something while putting a 3/3 with First Strike on the board, making it ideal for some sort of Jeskai Midrange that can mix it with Delve spells like Dig Through Time or mid-game interactions that make paying that extra cost worthwhile.

Glacierwood Siege can enable some combos if we can reuse an instant or sorcery repeatedly to mill the opponent's deck. I can't imagine which cards today can use this interaction to close games, but the potential is there and should be explored.

Magma Opus exists in Pioneer and has much more versatility than Jeskai Revelation since it can be discarded to speed up a turn, or even to cast Indomitable Creativity to reveal a Torrential Gearhulk and cast it from the graveyard. There doesn't seem to be a home for the new card in this scenario.

There are better removals than Kin-Tree Severance in Pioneer, but the fact that it triggers Up the Beanstalk means it deserves an honorable mention, but it should only be worth the slots in Abzan lists, or Golgari Midrange with a slight splash of .

Lotuslight Dancers allows finding some specific cards to close combos while having a decent body. It seems less efficient than Emergent Ultimatum in this sense, but we can't overlook the possibility of it finding Scavenger's Talent and Ygra, Eater of All, or even being another consistent line to find specific key cards in Lotus Combo.

Exiling a Skyclave Apparition with Mardu Siegebreaker and copying it every turn when it attacks to remove a blocker is an option, but the trade-off on the board doesn't seem to be worth it, especially given the new card's color scheme and the fact that it bypasses Collected Company.

Neriv, Heart of the Storm has good interactions with creatures with Haste and especially with Screaming Nemesis, where spells and abilities that deal damage to it the turn it comes into play will deal double damage, so a Witchstalker Frenzy becomes considerably more threatening.

Additionally, Neriv can be ideally curved with another five-mana dragon with Haste like Stormbreath Dragon or Goldspan Dragon for a considerable amount of damage, making it a potential enabler for Mardu Dragons in Pioneer.

Rakshasa’s Bargain is considerably closer to Stock Up as it feeds the graveyard for Dig Through Time and Treasure Cruise, in addition to triggering Up the Beanstalk. We can imagine decks like Sultai Control or even Tolarian Terror variants wanting this card, not to mention its potential in Goodstuff lists.

If there is an Abzan Company, Severance Priest becomes a core piece of it for interacting with the opponent’s hand while having a great body by its own.

On the other hand, it's too close to Anointed Peacekeeper or Elite Spellbinder to be worth a splash in Selesnya lists, so it's possible that its impact on the format will be almost inexistent.

Shiko, Paragon of the Way is the main driver for a Jeskai Dragons or Jeskai Midrange in the coming weeks, but the problem with that combination is that it would be competing with Dig Through Time for cards in the graveyard, and a Delve spell that digs deep into the list is probably better than a Serra Angel with benefits.

Songcrafter Mage's main interaction is that it can drop from a Collected Company and allow you to reuse the card in the same turn for , but it's a card that wants more noncreature spells on the list, while Company wants as many creatures in the deck as possible.

There may be some lists that want Songcrafter as a target for Chord of Calling or another creature tutor to reuse Company, but outside that case, it seems like an ideal card for Goodstuff lists that would probably get more out of it than Auroral Procession.

The design team put great effort into making a card with the text "spells you control have Delve" not work in the most formats, and unfortunately, I don't think Teval, Arbiter of Virtue does enough to deserve slots. But like Emet-Selch, Unsundered, the new dragon has a good body and an ability that allows you to reuse almost any card in your graveyard - it can be worth testing.

Ureni, the Song Unending is the perfect payoff for traditional Ramp lists that try to put as many lands into play as possible. It might deserve slots in some Omnath Ramp or list with Genesis Ultimatum, which are absent from the Metagame, since Big Mana versions that don't run Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx are practically nonexistent in Pioneer.

I have a hard time imagining Ugin, Eye of the Storms being the powerhouse it will be in Modern without more support for colorless spells and/or Eldrazi in Pioneer.

Its cost is too high, and while it exiles a permanent when cast and generates a constant card advantage, we have no way to get the most out of the new Planeswalker, making it worse than its predecessor, Ugin, the Spirit Dragon.

There are few low-cost Dragons in Pioneer to take advantage of Mox Jasper and almost no payoff that would make it worth including in lists. Perhaps Smoldering Egg makes it a viable ramp to ramp other high-cost dragons like Magmatic Hellkite and Goldspan Dragon, possibly ending with Stormscale Scion, but this doesn't seem like a consistent deck at this point.

Dalkovan Encampment deserves a slot or two in Boros Convoke and can also fit into other Aggro lists that have no problem playing it untapped, or that benefit from having more creatures on the board during combat.

Mistrise Village basically locks in stack interactions with combo pieces or key cards that, if resolved, can change the course of the game. One of its best comparisons is with Veil of Summer, but in exchange for an extra draw and protection against removal, the new land offers the possibility of having this interaction in the maindeck without consuming slots from other spells.

From Lotus Combo to Esper Greasefang, possibly passing through a one-of in other lists, there are possibilities for Mistrise Village, but unlike Legacy, where it should become a potential staple, Counterspells do not tend to be the predominant interaction of Pioneer.

Great Arashin City has good interactions with Ketramose, the New Dawn and other cards that care about things leaving the graveyard, such as Insidious Roots.

If its ability worked for any graveyard, it would be an instant staple. As it is written today, it will at most be a one-of in decks that have synergy with it.

Cori Mountain Monastery is arguably the strongest Tarkir land for Pioneer since it functions as a Castle Locthwain for red archetypes.

Aggro lists may not want this card since is a high cost and Den of the Bugbear already exists in those slots, but for slower archetypes, or those with more late-game reach like Izzet Phoenix, or a possible Jeskai Control variant that comes out of Tarkir, it basically serves the same function as one of the best utility lands in Throne of Eldraine.

Kishla Village is almost a Castle Vantress in green. It offers top manipulation and feeds the graveyard for cards that can take advantage of having specific pieces or spells in it.

The first deck that comes to mind that could use it is a list of Up the Beanstalk and cards like Tolarian Terror and these also take advantage of a Sultai mana base with Rakshasa’s Bargain, but other archetypes like Abzan Greasefang can run a copy of it.

That’s all for today!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!