If there’s one thing I’m known for in the Magic community, it’s attending a lot of prereleases. Before I joined the staff of Gathering Magic or got into podcasting, my claim to fame was that I was mentioned (though not by name) on an episode of the now-defunct Daily MTG Podcast. It was just after the Gatecrash prerelease, and my friends Mike and Tifa Robles were recapping their adventures with Simic and Gruul. “We know someone who went to six prereleases,” Mike said. “She said she slept for nine hours over the course of the weekend.” It was a feat that I would never achieve again; after running myself ragged during Dragon’s Maze prerelease weekend, I decided to cut down my marathon from six events to a more reasonable four.

The players at my local game store have a strong preference for red, it seems, as Kolaghan and Atarka were the two most popular dragon broods. Perhaps it was this sample-size bias that accounted for the preponderance of red decks at the top tables, though I admit I was quite impressed by the aggressive decks I played with and against. Dash creatures evaded sorcery-speed removal spells such as Pacifism and Epic Confrontation, and I saw quite a few players conservatively holding back blockers in fear of a barrage of hasty creatures. B/R Aggro will probably be a force to be reckoned with in Dragons of Tarkir Draft, but I expect the metagame to balance out as players grow more comfortable with the new cards. All five clans seemed potentially powerful to me; I’m a bit concerned that the Ojutai decks may have too few prowess creatures to go with their rebound spells, but I have faith that someone, somewhere, will break Skywise Teachings, just as LSV broke Goblinslide.

What impressed me most about Dragons of Tarkir Prerelease Sealed was the extent to which synergy mattered. Sealed is always a bomb-heavy format, and some rares in the set are very difficult to deal with (I’ll get to them in a moment), but the most cohesive decks frequently won the day. Synergies involving commons and uncommons felt incredibly powerful—try exploiting a Youthful Scholar with Vulturous Aven to draw four cards or dashing Warbringer and Sprinting Warbrute successively in the same turn (that’s 8 hasty power for just 5 mana). Here are some cards that exceeded my expectations over the weekend . . . and some that didn’t quite meet them.

Removal Spells

Flatten (Overperformer) — This strictly-better alternative to Throttle and Lash of the Whip was surprisingly effective in both my aggressive Kolaghan deck and my durdly Silumgar deck. For a common removal spell, Flatten deals with a ton of heavy-hitting creatures; it takes down eighteen of the twenty-six Dragons in the set—or twenty-three of thirty-one if you count the Monuments as 4/4 Dragon creatures. (That list includes four of the five two-color Dragons at rare, three of the five Regents, and sometimes Ojutai, if your opponent isn’t careful.) 4-mana removal spells are a tough sell, but I think Flatten is well-positioned in this format.

Pacifism (Underperformer) — Don’t get me wrong; I love a Pacifism—but I don’t love it in Dragons of Tarkir Limited. It’s ineffectual against the dash decks, which can maneuver around it; the exploit decks, which can sacrifice their immobilized creatures; and the formidable decks, which still have the board presence they need to trigger their creatures’ abilities. In the best-case scenario, you’ll put it on your opponent’s Dragon at a crucial point in the game, stymieing his offense; if you have the choice, pick a different removal spell.

Common and Uncommon Creatures

Warbringer (Overperformer) — The uncommon dash creatures in this set are all excellent. Ambuscade Shaman hits like a truck, Lightning Berserker may be Constructed-playable, and Kolaghan Forerunners goes nicely with those Goblin tokens you made with Dragon Fodder. Warbringer is undoubtedly my favorite, though, as it facilitates surprise alpha strikes and messes with combat math. This will be an easy first pick in many of my Draft packs.

Conifer Strider (Overperformer) — I didn’t give this card a second glance when I was building my Dromoka deck on Saturday night. When I saw this 5/1, I imagined it trading with Palace Familiars and shrinking away from copies of Minister of Pain. Conifer Strider is most useful in an Atarka deck, where it can easily trigger formidable abilities, gain trample, and Tail Slash Dragons out of its way—though in a Dromoka deck, it’s an easy target for bolster and can easily grow too large for your opponent to keep at bay. Lesson learned: Never underestimate a hexproof creature.

Dragon Hunter (Underperformer) — When we discussed Dragons of Tarkir cards on the latest episode of The Girlfriend Bracket, Erin admitted to disliking Dragon Hunter. “It can block Dragons as though it had reach, but it’s white, so it can’t block Stormbreath Dragon,” she pointed out. I resolved to give this guy a try in Limited and was disappointed. He never blocked a single Dragon, as he frequently died at the hands of Atarka Efreet and Twin Bolt. Dragon Hunter would’ve been excellent in Fate Reforged (he even has the Warrior subtype!); as it stands, he may not always make the cut.

Rares and Mythics

Silumgar Assassin (Overperformer) — Most of the decks I played against this weekend fell into one of two categories: either aggressive Kolaghan and Dromoka decks that curved out and won quickly with tricks and removal or decks that gummed up the ground until they could land a Dragon. Silumgar Assassin is an asset against both of those decks, and it seemed to fit in no matter what I was playing. Small though he may be, Silumgar Assassin may turn out to be a defensible first pick.

Living Lore (Underperformer) — Maybe “underperformer” isn’t the right word for this creature, whom I wasn’t excited about to begin with. Living Lore didn’t fit my Ojutai deck at all, which was all about evasive creatures and cheap tempo spells, and to make matters worse, I opened two copies. If you can exile a Will of the Naga, you’re in business; otherwise, this Avatar may not be worth your while.

I finished my weekend with an 11—5 record—not my best, but not my worst, either. I took home thirteen packs, which I hastily stashed in my board-game closet along with all the packs of Fate Reforged I’ve been saving. For the next several weeks, I look forward to holding Drafts and perfecting my two favorite archetypes from the prerelease: B/R Aggro and U/B Control. With Khans of Tarkir on its way out, Dragons of Tarkir has some big shoes to fill, but so far, it’s growing on me.