As we peer through the cards in Magic 2015, it seems pretty blatant that Khans of Tarkir has a Dragon theme. Considering that we know Sarkhan Vol is from that plane and that the Dragons were gone from Tarkir, and that saddened Sarkhan, we can reasonably assume from a flavor perspective that Dragons will be involved in the storyline. (Maybe their return in set two or three will be heralded.)

I've recently built a few Dragony Commander decks for you, including a recent budget entry for Bladewing the Risen. I noticed that a lot of Dragon helpers and adjuncts have expensive price tags. Dragons are always a poplar mainstay at the kitchen table, especially with Kaalia of the Vast for Commander. Despite that, we have some surprisingly cheap Dragon cards, too.

So, in preparation for a potential Dragon-centric Standard, let's look at some of these cards that might be more or less expensive than you expected. Perhaps you aren't even aware of some of this great stuff, so you can pick things up early now. If some Dragon support cards are reprinted, their costs will drop (just like what happened with Crucible of Fire, which had climbed to around $4 for a near-mint version, and it’s now is a bulk rare in M15). But if they aren't . . . 

Bladewing the Risen – Bladewing is usually on the cheap end of Dragon enablers. He's two colors, he’s an odd combination of reanimation and Dragons, and he has been printed multiple times. It clocks in around $1.50 for the cheapest version, and he packs some power. See also: Bladewing's Thrall.

Death by Dragons – We will make the Dragon horde that you dream of, only split across various opponents. It’s not my favorite Dragony card—unless it’s paired with Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund! Steal them all! Your life must not be worth much; your death is just a quarter.

Dragon Roost – We have a few ways of making fun Dragon tokens! This is the Centaur Glade of Dragons. You can filter mana in this whenever you have extra mana to churn out seriously strong dorks. The main issue is how much mana it takes per iteration: 7 mana. Compare that to 3 mana for Mobilization (and all Soldiers gain vigilance) or the 4 mana for a 3/3 from Centaur Glade. This was the weakest entry of this Onslaught trio. Luckily, it's just $1.50 as well, and with today's mana-makers, you can easily add some accelerants to your deck.

Dragonmaster Outcast – Sure, this 1-drop is now $12, but it also can make a Dragon for free every upkeep for no mana down once you've built enough lands to be taken seriously. But you don't have to tap those lands for your Outcast, so it slides along many other draconic cards due to its mana-light nature.

Dragonstorm – Hugely expensive, heavily reprinted, and a lot of fun, the Dragonstorm can infuse your draconic deck with serious Dragon-fetching. Unfortunately, it's not for every deck. You need the mana reliability to play it, and if you want to fetch up multiple Dragons, you have to be able to storm this thang out. It is still $1.50 for one of the many versions of it.

Imperial Hellkite – One of the best reasons to morph is to hide creatures. Dragon decks usually have exactly one morph card: the Imperial Hellkite. Sure, it takes a ton of mana to unmorph, but you can find the right Dragon for the situation, and it provides lovely pressure. It's also just a $0.49 investment of your money.

Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund – We have a lot of pricey draconic mythics, and Karrthus is similarly expensive ($12). But this guy has a useful anti-Dragon ability to steal all of the Dragons for your side. And he gives all of your Dragons haste, too. So, in a Dragon-on-Dragon fight, Karrthus wins. That's a useful point in the favor of Karrthus. (Plus, my preferred legendary Dragon is Karrthus for Commander.)

Kilnmouth Dragon – Like some other Dragon enablers, Kilnmouth has been printed a few times here and there, and now you can pick them up for $1.50. If you have a lot of Dragons, this can amplify your damage-dealing capacity considerably. Having just two Dragons in hand makes this an 11/11 flyer for 7 mana who taps to deal 6 damage to a player or creature. That's nasty-good.

Sarkhan Vol – While this slightly-less-annoyed version of Sarkhan is here and rocking the roost, don't forget that he can ultimate-spew a ton of Dragon tokens all over your battlefield. It can haste and +1/+1 your team while growing bigger and ready to summon a storm of Dragons. Now, Sarkhan Vol is not cheap. Either version is $13, but if you have one, he'll fit right in.

Scion of the Ur-Dragon – You can easily build a deck around the Scion, and Commander embraces that hardcore. I've seen a vicious Bladewing (sixty-card deck) that put Scion and Bladewing in the ’yard, Reanimate to bring it back, and then win in one hit with the right activations. (I can't remember them all, but I know Dragon Tyrant was involved). Scion is just $2, which is a price that constantly surprises me since it's great in many Dragon decks, it’s an ideal Dragon Commander, and it has never been reprinted.

Utvara Hellkite – Recent mythic entries in the Dragon club tend to be on the cheap side. Because this guy can spawn an increasingly large Dragon problem at the table, he's pretty important to Dragon decks. But he's just $2 because he's recently printed. There are a lot more copies of a mythic from Return to Ravnica block than there are from Shards of Alara block because more people are playing and more sets are being made and sold. I want to target a few more of these for my collection right now—they might be the $8 to $10 casual Dragon favorite in a few years’ time.

Zirilan of the Claw – I mentioned this guy in a Budget Commander article that surveyed really cheap options to lead your deck. I am still shocked by how cheap he is considering:

1. He was printed a long time ago in Mirage;
2. He is on the Reserved List, so he can never be reprinted;
3. His ability to search up a Dragon for a turn is very potent, and it works around a popular tribe.

I mean, seriously, Dragon enablers can be worth a bit of money as we've seen. I'm shocked that Zirilan is just $1.50 today.

Dragons are fun! And while some are surprisingly cheap, others have a hefty price tags.

If we did have a huge Dragon theme, this would have been a good time to have reprinted Baneslayer Angel: in order to give a protection-from-Dragons creature to the environment (as well as to the hands of many new players who weren't playing when she was released a few years ago).

Consider these anti-Dragon threats if your table moves Dragonward: Hivis of the Scale and Rashida Scalebane.

I really hope we do have a fun draconic theme going forward. Let’s get our scales on!

See you next week,

Abe Sargent