Images courtesy of Wizards of the Coast

Hello everyone and welcome back! I’m Command Zoe, and today we’re going through a guided tour of all the new Alchemy cards from Tarkir: Dragonstorm as seen through the lens of your favorite format, Brawl.

There are 30 new cards (33 counting omens), and there are some real gassed up cards among them. I’ve been testing them out and talking with people about which their favorites are, and I’m ready to share my findings with the class. So let’s dive on in!

Not to be confused with a Dessert Cenote, which is delicious.

White

Waystone’s Guidance: Wow! Starting off with a bang. This card is absolutely way too powerful. I expect it will get a nerf at some point, so enjoy it while you can. Every single aggro deck in white will want this card. At just two mana, it’s going to add to your board state, buff anything you send forward, and give you an ever-growing supply of tokens on attack. Sure, the tokens get sacrificed after the attack, but they come back next turn, and they also get added to each new creature you play.

Aggressive Mardu commanders like Zurgo, Thunder’s Decree, Zurgo Stormrender, or Isshin, Two Heavens as One will be the best landing places for it. However, aggressive decks in both red-white, like Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon, and mono-white, like Delney, Streetwise Lookout, can make incredible use of both more creatures and the attack bonus.

Pair it with sacrifice outlets like Goblin Bombardment and Hardened Tactician to really put the hurt on your opponent. Then throw in some death triggers like Marionette Apprentice and Blood Artist to finish off any remaining life.

Remember her from last time? She likey.

Thunderbond Vanguard: Wow! Again! Every single deck I mentioned above also wants this card. Giving this mobilize 2 means its first attack will be with three 3/3s attacking for nine damage, and since Waystone’s Guidance costs two and this costs three, they even curve into each other. But there are other directions it can be taken in as well. While token strategies are currently en vogue in Mardu, they have historically fit quite well in Selesnya as well.

Use doublers like Anointed Procession, Mondrak, Glory Dominus, and Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation in white plus Doubling Season, Parallel Lives, and Primal Vigor to truly pop off with the Vanguard.

And of course there’s that cat…

Lam, Storm Crane Elder: As tempted as I am to play this in the command zone, I think it shines a lot more in the 99 of a Jeskai spellslinger list. A commander like Narset, Jeskai Waymaster that wants to play a ton of low-cost cards could use Lam as a curve topper to close out a game. I worry about mono-white’s ability to keep enough card advantage because not many spells in white replace themselves. Blue, on the other hand, is full of cards like Opt, Consider, and Brainstorm to let Lam be the ultimate grand-mentor to a bunch of Monastery Mentors.

Blue

Cunning Azurescale: Don’t sleep on this card. At instant speed, the omen can help you avoid missing land drops early without risking tapping out. But more importantly, late game this is a more powerful Mulldrifter. Sure, it costs one more mana, but I’m willing to pay that because it has flash.

In a control deck it can be a finisher that you play on your opponent’s end step that replaces itself and gets you another card on top of that. In a flicker deck with cards like Thassa, Deep-Dwelling and Teleportation Circle, you can repeatedly re-trigger the double seek for a terrifying amount of value.

Don’t ask me why I left one plains untapped. You already know.

Black

Draconic Fealty: This card is so insanely powerful not only in Brawl, but every single format. Guaranteeing you hit your opponents’ top end cards makes this a premiere one-drop in any deck. The behold ability is just gravy on a card that is sure to see play in literally every single black deck out there. You don’t need the graveyard exile for this to be very strong. While not giving the information that comes with Thoughtseize, it doesn’t cost any life to cast. Burn and aggro decks will loathe this card.

Runeblade Raiser: This is a really interesting card for several types of decks in black. It’s a good aristocrats target since it always gives two creatures, and its stats are above-rate as a one-mana 2/1. It’s a viable threat if cast on turn one, and it will likely trade with something then come back since opponents can’t afford to let it keep hitting them. This generates both tempo and value. I see this as a sneaky include in aggressive decks, particularly in aggressive lists.

Sibsig’s Artisan: This card might not be incredibly mana-efficient, but I believe it’s looking to go into decks that like seeing cards enter and exit the graveyard. Graveyard tricks and counters were the main themes of the Sultai clan in TDM. Use it with Teval, the Balanced Scale and you’ll have a constant flow of both graveyard triggers and counter triggers coming your way.

Red

Swiftspear’s Teachings: This card fits best in voltron strategies that want to build one big creature up to attack with, and in spellslinger decks since it replaces itself. Notably it’s not a perpetual effect, so slapping it on your commander isn’t as good.

Dragonblood Twins: This card that fits into both Jeskai spellslinger and Mardu attack trigger decks. At two mana it’s cheap enough to take advantage of its double team ability repeatedly in low to the ground, creature-based strategies. 

Dragonsoul Prodigy: This is a funky little card that fits best into an Omen deck, but due to it not being legendary, and there not being a true Omen commander, I think it’s best left for 60-card constructed.

Stormforged Armor: This card is very powerful. The equip having no mana cost means on turn three it can be played then equipped to something that can immediately attack and create that Ball Lightning. So long as you’re able to keep a creature up and attacking every turn, the three life you lose to re-equip will be worth it. Not only that, but because it’s a conjure effect, those Ball Lightnings will fill your graveyard. Now what can we do with that…

Lol. Lmao.

Dragon Typhoon: This might be a little slow, but once it gets going the value it provides is undeniable to any Dragon deck. It’s definitely not for higher-weighted Brawl decks, but in low weight I could see it becoming a menace. And since it’s a Dragon kindred card you can even ramp into it with Mox Jasper. Pair it with Dracogenesis and give new meaning to Dragonstorm.

Green

Hardened Bonds: This Hardened Scales callback is a value-engine for +1/+1 counter strategies. Every single deck running them wants this. One sneaky place I’d like to see this run is Simic-flash decks. This allows you to not only get the one-per-turn benefit on your turn but on your opponent’s turn as well, functionally doubling its output.

Pampered Loamfrill: A one-mana 1/1 with deathtouch certainly has uses, but I see this mostly as a card for limited formats. The only deck I see regularly that would want this is deathtouch all-star, Fynn, the Fangbearer.

Amber-Plate Ainok: A bear that can either pump out tokens or get really big itself is a threat. Whether that be in the stompy archetype, a tokens deck, or a counters deck, I like the versatility this offers. I like this card in most budget lists, since threats can be hard to find if you’re low on wild cards.

Two-Color

Pearl Lake Warden: The omen on this card is better than it looks at first glance. Sure, it only gets you one land compared to something like Cultivate that gets two, but this can get any land. Imagine pulling out Three Tree City for your dragon deck! The base dragon is also quite interesting. I love the digital design space being explored here. Because of the way it works with its Omen, its omen can be cast then reshuffled into the library if you see it on top. Use it with Brainstorm to stack your deck early then shuffle it away on turn 3!

Ureni’s Counsel: While not being the greatest value card imaginable, it is still playable. I can see its high mana cost being exploitable with cards like Combustible Gearhulk and Palantir of Orthanc. Because most dragons have more than four power, it will usually have harmonize targets available too.

Illuminating Lash: This is premier removal. Any deck that is using blue and red should be using this card in Brawl. It kills something and nets you a card back when you interact next. Notably it can also hit face.

Dalkovan Outrider: A great card in what is shaking out to be a terrifying Mobilize list. Pick your favorite Mardu commander and put all the mobilize stuff I’ve mentioned into it. Then throw some token synergies in, and maybe some aristocrats, and you have a fearsome deck.

Territorial Strike: I would call this solid but not amazing. In comparison to Illuminating Lash, it comes up wanting. Both are sorcery speed, but this does not replace itself. The added benefit of removing any permanent type does not outweigh the step up in mana. The behold effect is only so-so.

Song of Seasons: Most of the time this is a better Cultivate in red-green. It doesn’t always grab two lands, but you also won’t always want two lands. If you run ramp in red-green, this is going in your deck.

Three-Color

Mardu Thunderkite: Wow, Mardu is eating in this set. This is a versatile card that can enter to alpha-strike with menace, give your commander permanent-haste, or pull you back from low life by giving a ton of lifelink. All of that on a three mana creature with evasion? And they gave it mobilize 2? Every single creature-based deck wants this card in it if it can.

Audacious Knuckleblade: A somewhat interesting card that is perhaps not meant for Brawl, but its stats are above rate for its cost and it has a few decent effects.

Stonehide Ancient: The removal that gives a discount later is so-so, but it’s sorcery speed and over-costed. The dragon itself is a very strong way of winning a game. It’s good but I wouldn’t go out of my way to craft it.

Hamza, Might of the Yathan: Toughness matters, lands matter, and manifest? And on a commander? Sign me up! This card has been a ton of fun to roll with out of the command zone. I highly recommend using it with all the new Abzan toughness-matters cards like Felothar the Steadfast

Call the Crash: This is a Timmy card that is so much fun if you can get it to work that I just had to try it out. I lost several games trying to get it to work, but when it finally paid off it was all worth it. I ended up having to ramp into it because suspending it just tells your opponents that they need to hold their counter magic up for two turns.

Xho Cai, Flickering Talon: The intended way to use this card is to flicker itself to reduce the cost of the next non-creature that you cast. That wasn’t immediately obvious to me, but after playtesting it I think it’s a decent commander for the Jeskai spell slinger theme based around creatures with prowess.

Oasis of Renewal: After reading and re-reading this card a few times I think I understand what it does; however, it is a lot of hoops to jump through for a mediocre payoff at three mana.

Colorless

Dragonweave Tapestry: This is perhaps a little bit too expensive in anything except a Dragon kindred deck. The card draw is good, but four mana for a rock that only taps for one mana is very below-rate.

Desert Cenote: This gets my vote for the most versatile card in the whole Alchemy set. It’s a must-craft for any deck that runs more than one color. It’s practically a second Command Tower in half your games.

Conclusion

Thanks so much everyone for enjoying my content. I hope you enjoyed reading these evaluations as much as I enjoyed testing the new cards out. Overall I think this is one of the best Alchemy sets to date. Its a great follow up to a set that was full of interesting a fun cards for all formats. If you didn’t see it yet, go check out my last article on the new Elspeth card. Until next time, thanks for reading, and always check the weather channel for chance of dragon storms.