<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>


mtgtds

Examining Tarkir: Dragonstorm, One Year Later