<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teval, Arbiter of Virtue" href="#" target="_blank">Teval, Arbiter of Virtue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CAlexander+Ostrowski%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alexander Ostrowski</a></em></p>
<p>Saturday, April 11th marks one year since <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/tdm" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em></a> came out, and we are here to look back on it! The set followed <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/examining-aetherdrift-one-year-later" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Aetherdrift</em></a>, which was a rough go of a set. Did <em>Dragonstorm</em> put <em>Magic</em> in better graces? Read on!</p>
<h2><em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em>, in Contrast to <em>Aetherdrift</em></h2>
<p>In the wake of the blunder that was <em>Aetherdrift</em>, Wizards of the Coast needed a win. There had been a great many <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/are-hat-sets-bad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"hat sets"</a> out in the year preceding <em>Dragonstorm</em>, and these seriously didn't go over well with players. Now, when I speak of "hat sets," I am referring to sets that use extreme tropes and shoehorn existing <em>Magic</em> characters into said tropes (for more examples, see <em>Murders at Karlov Mano</em><em>r</em> or <em>Outlaws of Thunder Junction</em>).</p>
<p>Anyhow, the <em>Magic</em> player base was extremely down about hat sets. This seemed to be a direct response to their existence amid a proliferation of <em>Universes Beyond</em> sets interspersed with this seemingly new type of set. So, what was Wizards of the Coast to do?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mistrise Village"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Voice of Victory"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elspeth, Storm Slayer"></div></div>
<p>The answer seemed to be, and largely still seems to be, to return to established <em>Magic</em> worlds and not resort to hat set-style tropes. <em>Karlov Manor</em> proved that players wouldn't take kindly to a hat set on an established plane, and <em>Aetherdrift</em> cemented that sentiment threefold.</p>
<p>When <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> came out, the set enthralled established <em>Magic</em> players. We were returning to a plane of existence that we had left on a small-scale cliffhanger. And what's more, we were back on this plane without Wizards resorting to hackneyed, overused tropes.</p>
<p><em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> is seen by many players as one of the game's biggest successes of 2025. Although the next set in the lineup, the juggernaut of <em>Final Fantasy</em>, considerably overshadowed this success, many players look upon <em>Dragonstorm</em> with a lot of fondness.</p>
<h2>The Story So Far</h2>
<p>We last left the plane of existence known as <a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/Tarkir" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tarkir</a> on a strange, if lesser-scale, cliffhanger. Notably, <em>Dragons of Tarkir</em> changed the timeline of not just Tarkir itself, but the Multiverse at large. The dragon-devoted Planeswalker <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sarkhan Vol" href="#" target="_blank">Sarkhan Vol</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> had freed Ugin from his <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ugin&#039;s Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> tomb, but to do so, he had to travel back in time.</p>
<p>Previously, the timeline saw a Tarkir where dragons had gone extinct. However, Ugin survived, and his survival ensured that dragons were now the primary apex predator of the plane.</p>
<p>This had some strange effects upon Tarkir's fate. The Khans still exist in the <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> set, but they now co-exist with a different set of dragons. How is this possible? During <em>Dragons of Tarkir</em>, the Dragonlords terrorized their "lesser," non-draconic subjects. However, the Khans conspired to find a way to depose the Dragonlords. To do this, they appealed to ancient magic and summoned other dragons (these each being of three color identities, as opposed to the Dragonlords' two) to defeat these other broods.</p>
<p>Now, the Khans' clans and the new dragon broods work largely in symbiotic harmony with each other. This is where the brunt of the set sources its cards. There is also meddling within the larger overarching storyline that concluded with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker" href="#" target="_blank">Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> being freed from the Meditation Realm, where he had been imprisoned since <em>War of the Spark</em>. You can thank <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jace Beleren" href="#" target="_blank">Jace Beleren</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for this.</p>
<p>But at any rate, we got a really close approximation of what a draconic utopia looks like with <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> here.</p>
<h2>Top Commanders of <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em></h2>
<p>It's no surprise that this set has a variety of really well-liked commanders. It's also not a shock that the top commanders of the set are either Khans or Dragons. Let's look at some stats!</p>
<ul>
<li>The #5 most popular commander of the set is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teval, Arbiter of Virtue" href="#" target="_blank">Teval, Arbiter of Virtue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who currently leads 5,338 decks and is ranked #464 overall.</li>
<li>At #4 is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zurgo, Thunder&#039;s Decree" href="#" target="_blank">Zurgo, Thunder&#039;s Decree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Zurgo has 6,018 decks under his command and ranks #409 overall.</li>
<li>The 3rd most popular commander of <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neriv, Heart of the Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Neriv, Heart of the Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Neriv leads 6,658 decks and is ranked #350 on the site.</li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teval, Arbiter of Virtue"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zurgo, Thunder&#039;s Decree"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neriv, Heart of the Storm"></div></div>
<ul>
<li>#2 is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Betor, Kin to All" href="#" target="_blank">Betor, Kin to All</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who leads 8,027 decks at the time of writing. Betor is ranked at #275 right now.</li>
<li>Finally, the #1 most popular commander in the set is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kotis, the Fangkeeper" href="#" target="_blank">Kotis, the Fangkeeper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Kotis commands a great lead over the other main-set commanders and is the only one with a five-figure number of decks. Kotis ranks at #89 on EDHREC with 15,913 decks at the time of writing.</li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Betor, Kin to All"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kotis, the Fangkeeper"></div></div>
<h2>Top Commanders of the <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> Precons</h2>
<p>This set had five precons, one of the most anticipated asks that were answered for the set. Each of the five clans was represented here, each led by an iteration of its Khan and an iteration of the main associated Dragon as well. This, in turn, leads us to look at the top five most popular commanders from these precons:</p>
<ul>
<li>#5 is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Betor, Ancestor&#039;s Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Betor, Ancestor&#039;s Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This version of Betor is far more popular than its main-set version, with 14,018 decks at its disposal. It's also the only commander in the precon list's top 5 who doesn't hit the Top 100 overall most popular commanders on the site, ranking #113. Finally, it's the only precon commander in the top 5 that fails to exceed Kotis, the Fangkeeper's numbers. It's all uphill from here, folks!</li>
<li>At #4 is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Felothar the Steadfast" href="#" target="_blank">Felothar the Steadfast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Felothar has 15,973 decks and is ranked just above Kotis, the Fangkeeper, at #88 overall.</li>
<li>The #3 most popular <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> precon commander is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zurgo Stormrender" href="#" target="_blank">Zurgo Stormrender</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Far more popular than his main-set counterpart, Zurgo Stormrender leads 16,735 decks and is ranked #80 out of all commanders on the site.</li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Betor, Ancestor&#039;s Voice"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Felothar the Steadfast"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zurgo Stormrender"></div></div>
<ul>
<li>At #2 is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ureni of the Unwritten" href="#" target="_blank">Ureni of the Unwritten</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This iteration of Ureni has 16,773 decks at its disposal and is ranked #78 on the site at the time of writing.</li>
<li>The most popular commander of not only the precons of <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> but of the release overall is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teval, the Balanced Scale" href="#" target="_blank">Teval, the Balanced Scale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Teval commands a staggering and formidable 29,555 decks and is ranked #14 out of all commanders at this time. Unless something miraculous or absurd happens, this lead probably won't be toppled by any other commander from the release, given its current popularity.</li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ureni of the Unwritten"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teval, the Balanced Scale"></div></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>As mentioned above, <em>Final Fantasy</em> outshone <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> in a multitude of ways when it came out. However, <em>Dragonstorm</em> will still sit comfortably in the annals of 2025 <em>Magic</em> history as a true shining star.</p>
<p>And now, I'd like to open the floor to you, dear readers! Have you created any Commander decks based on the commanders above, or any other legendary creatures from the release? Which clan of Tarkir is your favorite and why? Sound off in the comments below!</p>


Examining Tarkir: Dragonstorm, One Year Later

The Top 10 Most Played Commander Cards from KTK

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anafenza, the Foremost" href="#" target="_blank">Anafenza, the Foremost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| art by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jamesrymanart/?hl=en">James Ryman</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>In honor of <em>Aetherdrift's</em> release, this week's episode is based around a theme that I've never built around before: vehicles! The new "death race" set provides us with a ton a sweet tech for this archetype, and I couldn't wait to brew around it!</p>
<p>Thanks to <em>Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty's</em> vehicle precon, the most popular color combination for this archetype is Azorius (white and blue).</p>
<p>Looking at the "bottom of the barrel", one of the least played color combination for this archetype is Abzan (white, black, and green), with 47 decks in the database.</p>
<p>Seeing this color combination, I immediately thought of an old legend from the original <em>Tarkir</em> block: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anafenza, the Foremost" href="#" target="_blank">Anafenza, the Foremost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anafenza, the Foremost"></div></div>
<p>Anafenza is well known for her "<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leyline of the Void" href="#" target="_blank">Leyline of the Void</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>"-style ability, but this deck makes her first line of text really shine.</p>
<p>When Anafenza attacks, she can put a +1/+1 counter on another tapped creature, and since crewing a vehicle requires you to tap a creature, this seemed like the perfect match!</p>
<h2>Category #1: Kind-of Vehicles (Mounts!)</h2>
<p>Our first category acts similarly to our overall vehicle plan, as the new "Mount" sub-type requires us to tap a creature for an additional benefit. Mounts are interesting because they are still creatures that can attack without being saddled.</p>
<p>Because of this, they get around a common vehicle downside: without a creature to crew the vehicle, it usually does nothing.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, being creatures right off the bat also means that mounts are more susceptible to removal, so that's something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>Mounts were introduced in <em>Outlaws of Thunder Junction</em>, but there are a few new ones from <em>Aetherdrift</em> that <em>needed</em> to be in this deck.</p>
<p>Bulwark Ox doubles down on the +1/+1 counter sub-theme and provides our modified creatures with much needed protection; District Mascot provides artifact removal in an adorable package (I mean, just look at him!!); Guardian Sunmare may be the strongest mount in the deck as it provides a consistent tutor effect for nonland permanents under 4 mana value; Seraphic Steed comes down early and provides extra power in the air via 3/3 Angel tokens; and The Gitrog, Ravenous Ride can allow us to draw an <em>absurd</em> amount of cards and put any number of those cards into play if they're lands.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bulwark Ox"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="District Mascot"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guardian Sunmare"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seraphic Steed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Gitrog, Ravenous Ride"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Creatures that <em>want </em>to be tapped</h2>
<p>Any vehicle deck can benefit from creatures that have triggers when they become tapped, and we are lucky to have a suite of great new options thanks to <em>Duskmourn's</em> "survival" mechanic.</p>
<p>For example: Kona, Rescue Beastie lets us drop <em>any permanent</em> if it is tapped in our second main phase; Rip, Spawn Hunter allows us to dig for more creatures and vehicles; and Reluctant Role Model just gets better and better each time its survival ability triggers!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kona, Rescue Beastie"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rip, Spawn Hunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reluctant Role Model"></div></div>
<p>Outside of these picks from Duskmourn, there are a few other stars of the show: Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero gives us great card draw; Emmara, Soul of the Accord creates a 1/1 soldier token with lifelink (which is nothing to scoff at); Stonybrook Schoolmaster <em>also</em> creates a 1/1 body; Sanwell, Avenger Ace lets us dig for more vehicles; and King Macar, the Gold-Cursed provides removal <em>and</em> a gold token for the low price of untapping him!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emmara, Soul of the Accord"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stonybrook Schoolmaster"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sanwell, Avenger Ace"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="King Macar, the Gold-Cursed"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: Creating "Pilots" and/or "Cowboys"</h2>
<p>We need creatures to crew our vehicles and saddle our mounts, and outside of that, just having consistent ways to generate creatures is never a bad thing!</p>
<p>Esika's Chariot was a standard all-star for a reason, and it allows us to double up on any creature token that we choose; Virtue of Loyalty lets us create a knight token at instant speed, all while being an absolute power house when we cast the 5-mana side; Parhelion II is expensive, but the pay-off for attacking with it is <em>insane; </em>Valor's Flagship is a fantastic new card that we can cycle in a pinch for some actual pilot tokens; The Prydwen, Steel Flagship gives us benefits for casting artifact spells; March of the Multitudes can create an instant board; Thousand Moons Smithy creates a huge Gnome token, which is hilarious; and Rolling Hamsphere creates hamster tokens, which is also hilarious.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Esika&#039;s Chariot"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Virtue of Loyalty"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Parhelion II"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Valor&#039;s Flagship"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Prydwen, Steel Flagship"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="March of the Multitudes"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thousand Moons Smithy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rolling Hamsphere"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: The "Secret Spice"</h2>
<p>There are 2 cards that round out our "secret spice" category this week, and one of them is a popular finisher in white token decks: Halo Fountain.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Halo Fountain"></div></div>
<p>This card is an absolute <em>house</em>, and can do just about anything. Need to create a token? Done. Draw a card? Done. Win the game?</p>
<p>Well, harder than the first two, but still an option. With all of the token makers in this deck, getting to 15 creatures should be no problem at all!</p>
<p>Our second "secret spice" is a card that I've been trying to brew around since it was spoiled: Mechtitan Core.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mechtitan Core"></div></div>
<p>With the sheer amount of vehicles in the deck, creating Mechtitan should be a breeze. The best part about this card?</p>
<p>If Mechtitan somehow gets removed, <em>we get everything we exiled back to the battlefield! </em>(Minus Mechtitan core, but hey, at least we did the cool thing once!)</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Now that <em>Aetherdrift</em> is here, it was the perfect time to build this deck. I hope this article builds some excitement for <em>Aetherdrift</em>, and I hope you can use my decklist as inspiration for your own vehicle deck!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our sixth edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of vehicles!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Anafenza, the Foremost" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Anafenza, the Foremost
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Avacyn&#039;s Pilgrim
*1 Bulwark Ox
*1 Caradora, Heart of Alacria
*1 Caustic Bronco
*1 District Mascot
*1 Drumbellower
*1 Emmara, Soul of the Accord
*1 Guardian Sunmare
*1 House Cartographer
*1 Intrepid Stablemaster
*1 King Macar, the Gold-Cursed
*1 Kona, Rescue Beastie
*1 Lita, Mechanical Engineer
*1 Miriam, Herd Whisperer
*1 Oviya, Automech Artisan
*1 Reluctant Role Model
*1 Rip, Spawn Hunter
*1 Sanwell, Avenger Ace
*1 Seraphic Steed
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer
*1 Stonybrook Schoolmaster
*1 Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle
*1 The Gitrog, Ravenous Ride
*1 Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Alacrian Armory
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Bessie, the Doctor&#039;s Roadster
*1 Conqueror&#039;s Galleon // Conqueror&#039;s Foothold
*1 Debris Beetle
*1 Demonic Junker
*1 Dodgy Jalopy
*1 Dune Drifter
*1 Ebony Fly
*1 Esika&#039;s Chariot
*1 Foreboding Steamboat
*1 Guidelight Matrix
*1 Halo Fountain
*1 Lumbering Worldwagon
*1 Mechtitan Core
*1 Mighty Servant of Leuk-o
*1 Parhelion II
*1 Peacewalker Colossus
*1 Reckoner Bankbuster
*1 Recon Craft Theta
*1 Rolling Hamsphere
*1 Salvation Engine
*1 Smuggler&#039;s Copter
*1 Sol Ring
*1 The Prydwen, Steel Flagship
*1 Thousand Moons Smithy // Barracks of the Thousand
*1 Thunderhawk Gunship
*1 Thunderous Velocipede
*1 Unidentified Hovership
*1 Valor&#039;s Flagship
*1 Wand of the Worldsoul
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Dazzling Theater // Prop Room
*1 Virtue of Loyalty // Ardenvale Fealty
*1 Well Rested
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 One Last Job
*1 Split Up
*1 Tune Up
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Lethal Scheme
*1 March of the Multitudes
*1 Revitalizing Repast // Old-Growth Grove
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Abstergo Entertainment
*1 Ancient Den
*1 Bleachbone Verge
*1 Bountiful Promenade
*1 Brushland
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Caves of Koilos
*1 Command Tower
*1 Darkmoss Bridge
*1 Demolition Field
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Fabled Passage
*3 Forest
*1 Goldmire Bridge
*1 Indatha Triome
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*1 Llanowar Wastes
*1 Mech Hangar
*1 Minas Morgul, Dark Fortress
*1 Monumental Henge
*3 Plains
*1 Scene of the Crime
*1 Spire of Industry
*2 Swamp
*1 Temple of Malady
*1 Temple of Plenty
*1 Temple of Silence
*1 Thornglint Bridge
*1 Tree of Tales
*1 Vault of Whispers
[/Lands]"></span></div>


khans of tarkir

Examining Tarkir: Dragonstorm, One Year Later

The Top 10 Most Played Commander Cards from KTK

Bottom of the Barrel - Anafenza, the Foremost