Hidden Gems for Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant
Behold! Dragons, Magic’s most popular creature type, are about to take center stage in the upcoming set,
Let’s go over a new card that’s bound to take the helm of many upcoming Commander decks:
#1. Belbe's Portal
Dragons are expensive. This new Sarkhan does a great job of giving a Dragon deck some things to do before those fiery lizards hit the battlefield. He ramps. He attacks. He beholds. But to speed things along, we have a few options to cheat those expensive Dragons into play.
Belbe’s Portal isn’t as shiny or fancy as
If you want to dig even deeper, look at
| Belbe's Portal |
#2. Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei
I’m not sure if this Goblin and Sarkhan have ever met, but I assume they’d cross paths, bump into each other, one would drop a book, they’d both reach for it, make eye contact, and fall in love.
They’re small creatures that both add to Dragon synergies. Goro-Goro can make Dragon tokens, but needs a modified creature, and that’s where Sarkhan steps in. He gives himself counters, making him modified, which lets Goro-Goro make Dragons, which makes Sarkhan even more modified. Now that’s love.
To top it all off, if a Dragon enters the battlefield, Goro-Goro can grant it haste. Cute.
| Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei | ||
| Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei (Showcase) | ||
| Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei (Extended Art) |
#3. Rain of Riches
If you want to take Sarkhan down a Treasure token route, there are a number of cards that beg to be included. Rain of Riches helps ramp and find free spells.
There are obvious choices that top the list of great mono-red Dragons, like
| Rain of Riches | ||
| Rain of Riches (Extended Art) |
#4. Panharmonicon
Who doesn’t love doubling triggered abilities? Boring people.
And there are plenty of Dragon friends that would love to double their power as they answer your summons:
| Panharmonicon | ||
| Panharmonicon (Borderless) | ||
| Panharmonicon | ||
| Panharmonicon |
#5. Koth of the Hammer
Koth is a longtime friend of the mono-red player. He can perform a mana ritual that can help ramp into one of the big Dragons, go aggro with the help of a Mountain, or if you’re really lucky, use his ultimate to turn your Mountains into killing machines.
If you play Sarkhan on turn two, behold a Dragon, Koth can come out to play on the very next turn. Is this another bromance in the works? I think yes.
| Koth of the Hammer | ||
| Koth of the Hammer | ||
| Koth of the Hammer |
That’s all for this week on Hidden Gems. Don’t forget to check out our Premium membership for more entertainment and Magic market insights! Until next time, happy brewing!
Further Reading
Adam Berg
Adam started playing Magic on his 14th birthday, when Judgment just released and the game's first Gorgon was born (It's a girl!). Since then, he's delved deep into Commander, written for television and film, and learned how to drive. He's published two YA Fantasy novels, Rainbringer and The Broken Pantheon. His favorite card is Repay In Kind, which is really all you need to know.