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COMMANDER(S)
The Ur-Dragon
QR Code
B G R U W
- Five-Color
Bracket
5.5 - 6.0
Bracket 3
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ANALYSIS

Overview:

This 5-color Dragon tribal deck helmed by The Ur-Dragon focuses on explosive ramp into massive flying threats, leveraging cost reduction effects and cheat-out mechanics. The strategy revolves around deploying Dragons early through Ur-Dragon's Eminence ability and attack-triggered free casts, overwhelming opponents with aerial superiority. Secondary synergies include token duplication (Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm), damage amplification (Terror of the Peaks), and value engines like Dragon's Hoard. The commander serves as both a cost reducer and card advantage engine, though the deck can function independently through its dense Dragon package.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

  1. Early Setup (T1-3): Prioritize ramp via Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Scaled Nurturer, and Fertile Ground. Use Herald's Horn or Urza's Incubator to enable early Dragon plays.
  2. Midgame Deployment (T4-6): Cast key Dragons like Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm or Lathliss, Dragon Queen, triggering token production. Activate Sarkhan, Fireblood's mana ability or Rivaz of the Claw for recursion.
  3. Late Game Dominance:
    • Exploit Cloudstone Curio loops with low-cost Dragons for repeated ETBs
    • Activate Dracogenesis for free Dragon casts
    • Overwhelm with Utvara Hellkite token swarms enhanced by Crucible of Fire

Mulligan Priorities:

  • Keep hands with 2-3 lands including color fixers (Command Tower, Path of Ancestry)
  • Prioritize 1-2 ramp pieces and at least one Dragon cost reducer
  • Avoid hands with only high-CMC Dragons and no ramp

Key Tips:

  • Sequence Tiamat after establishing cost reducers to fetch Miirym, Terror of the Peaks, Utvara Hellkite, Balefire Dragon, and Ancient Bronze Dragon
  • Use Panharmonicon to double Sarkhan Unbroken's token creation or Ganax, Astral Hunter's Treasure production
  • Pair Wrathful Red Dragon with board wipes like Dragonback Assault for massive damage

Weaknesses:

Critical

  • Severe vulnerability to Cursed Totem/Linvala, Keeper of Silence shutting down mana dorks and Rivaz of the Claw
  • Heavy reliance on commander for cost reduction (7 recasts cost 17 mana)
  • Minimal instant-speed interaction for stack battles

Moderate

  • Tapped-heavy mana base slows early development
  • Blood Moon effects cripple color fixing
  • Struggles against flying hate like Sandwurm Convergence

Minor

  • Limited graveyard recursion beyond Haven of the Spirit Dragon
  • Token strategies outpace single-target removal suite

Most Important Cards:

  • The Ur-Dragon (Cost reduction engine & card advantage)
  • Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm (Token duplication value engine)
  • Urza's Incubator (Critical cost reduction)
  • Terror of the Peaks (Damage conversion wincon)
  • Cloudstone Curio (ETB recursion engine)
  • Sarkhan, Fireblood (Mana acceleration & recursion)
  • Dracogenesis (Free Dragon casts)
  • Tiamat (Tutoring bomb)
  • Crucible of Fire (Combat multiplier)
  • Rivaz of the Claw (Graveyard recursion enabler)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

  • Can deploy threatening boards by T5-6 through cost reduction, but lacks fast mana for T3-4 explosive starts.

Resilience: 5/10

  • Limited protection beyond Asceticism, though Call the Spirit Dragons provides late-game indestructible. Struggles against repeated wipes.

Consistency: 7/10

  • Strong tribal synergy and multiple Dragon tutors (Sarkhan's Triumph, Time of Need), but 5-color mana base introduces variance.

Interaction: 4/10

  • Spot removal like Inevitable Defeat and Crux of Fate, but minimal counterspells and reactive plays.

Rating Justification:

This deck demonstrates focused Dragon tribal strategy with strong synergy and explosive potential, but its tapped lands and commander dependency limit speed while interaction gaps reduce resilience. Capable of T6-8 wins through overwhelming board states but falters against early stax. Matches Optimized Casual benchmarks with High-Power elements.

Power level: 5.5 - 6.0

DECK LIST
The Ur-Dragon
Planeswalker: 2
($23.69)
1
Sarkhan Unbroken
2 G U R
1
Sarkhan, Fireblood
1 R R
Creature: 32
($173.04)
1
Ancient Bronze Dragon
5 G G
1
Atarka, World Render
5 R G
1
Balefire Dragon
5 R R
1
Bonehoard Dracosaur
3 R R
1
Dragonlord Dromoka
4 G W
1
Dragonspeaker Shaman
1 R R
1
Drakuseth, Maw of Flames
4 R R R
1
Earthquake Dragon
14 G
1
Ganax, Astral Hunter
4 R
1
Goblin Anarchomancer
R G
1
Hoard-Smelter Dragon
4 R R
1
Korlessa, Scale Singer
G U
1
Lathliss, Dragon Queen
4 R R
1
Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm
3 G U R
1
Morophon, the Boundless
7
1
Neriv, Heart of the Storm
1 R W B
1
Rith, Liberated Primeval
2 R G W
1
Rivaz of the Claw
1 B R
1
Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant
1 R
1
Savage Ventmaw
4 R G
1
Scaled Nurturer
1 G
1
Scourge of Valkas
2 R R R
1
Siege Dragon
5 R R
1
Stormscale Scion
4 R R
1
Temur Battlecrier
G U R
1
Terror of the Peaks
3 R R
1
Thrakkus the Butcher
3 R G
1
Tiamat
2 W U B R G
1
Twinflame Tyrant
3 R R
1
Utvara Hellkite
6 R R
1
Vaevictis Asmadi, the Dire
3 B R G
1
Wrathful Red Dragon
3 R R
Artifact: 11
($35.51)
1
Arcane Signet
2
1
Chromatic Lantern
3
1
Cloudstone Curio
3
1
Dragon's Hoard
3
1
Dragonstorm Globe
3
1
Herald's Horn
3
1
Lapis Orb of Dragonkind
2 U
1
Orb of Dragonkind
1 R
1
Panharmonicon
4
1
Sol Ring
1
1
Urza's Incubator
3
Enchantment: 11
($41.31)
1
Asceticism
3 G G
1
Call the Spirit Dragons
W U B R G
1
Crucible of Fire
3 R
1
Dracogenesis
6 R R
1
Dragon Tempest
1 R
1
Dragonback Assault
3 G U R
1
Fertile Ground
1 G
1
Garruk's Uprising
2 G
1
Leyline of Mutation
2 G G
1
Rhythm of the Wild
1 R G
1
Temur Ascendancy
G U R
Instant: 7
($4.95)
1
Brainstorm
U
1
Eureka Moment
2 G U
1
Growth Spiral
G U
1
Heritage Reclamation
1 G
1
Inevitable Defeat
1 R W B
1
Planar Genesis
G U
1
Sarkhan's Triumph
2 R
Sorcery: 3
($7.5)
1
Crux of Fate
3 B B
1
Mastermind's Acquisition
2 B B
1
Time of Need
1 G
Land: 32
($10.81)
1
Black Dragon Gate
1
Boros Guildgate
1
Cinder Glade
1
Cliffgate
1
Command Tower
1
Crosis's Catacombs
1
Crucible of the Spirit Dragon
1
Exotic Orchard
2
Forest
1
Gateway Plaza
1
Gond Gate
1
Haven of the Spirit Dragon
1
Hinterland Harbor
1
Inspiring Vantage
1
Island
1
Izzet Guildgate
1
Maelstrom of the Spirit Dragon
1
Manor Gate
2
Mountain
1
Path of Ancestry
1
Plains
1
Prairie Stream
1
Reliquary Tower
1
Rith's Grove
1
Secluded Courtyard
1
Simic Guildgate
1
Sulfur Falls
1
Swamp
1
Temple of the Dragon Queen
1
Unclaimed Territory
Other: 1
($)
1
Nicol Bolas, the Ravager

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