Tarkir Dragonstorm Commander Display
Magic: The Gathering returned to Tarkir with Tarkir: Dragonstorm on April 11, 2025 — and the five Commander precon decks are some of the strongest in recent memory. Each represents one of Tarkir's three-color clans with a distinct strategy, 10 brand-new exclusive cards, and meaningful upgrade paths.
This guide ranks all five decks, breaks down their commanders and strategies, covers the most valuable cards, and tells you exactly which one to buy based on how you like to play.
All 5 Decks Ranked
Based on aggregated reviewer consensus from Card Kingdom, Draftsim, and The Gamer:
- Temur Roar (G/U/R) — Strongest out of the box. Dragon tribal with massive flying threats and excellent reprints.
- Mardu Surge (W/B/R) — "One of the best precons in years." Tokens + sacrifice + card draw engine.
- Abzan Armor (W/B/G) — Most focused gameplan. Unique toughness-matters theme. Seedborn Muse reprint.
- Jeskai Striker (W/U/R) — Solid spellslinger starter but unfocused stock list. Biggest upgrade potential.
- Sultai Arisen (B/G/U) — Excellent commander (Teval), but slow grindy gameplan. Novel land-recursion strategy.
Temur Roar — Dragon Tribal Powerhouse
Commander: Ureni of the Unwritten (Borderless ~$16.63) — A 7-mana flying Dragon that tutors Dragons to your hand when entering or attacking. The deck packs 29 Dragons alongside ramp spells and cost reducers to deploy them fast.
Alternate Commander: Eshki, Temur's Roar — Starts as a 2/2 that grows whenever any creature spell is cast. Draws cards when 4+ power creatures enter, and deals damage to all opponents when 6+ power creatures arrive. Serious snowball potential.
Key exclusive cards: Thundermane Dragon (plays cards from library top, gives haste to big creatures), Broodcaller Scourge (free spell casting on combat damage), Deceptive Frostkite (2-mana clone).
Notable reprints: Lathliss Dragon Queen, Stormbreath Dragon, Temur Ascendancy, Kodama's Reach.
Buy this if: You love Dragons, you want the strongest precon out of the box, or you want the most dollar-for-dollar value in reprints.
Mardu Surge — Token Army
Commander: Zurgo Stormrender (~$6.05 borderless) — Has Mobilize 1 (creates a tapped-and-attacking 1/1 Warrior token whenever he attacks). When creature tokens leave play as attackers, draw a card. Otherwise, opponents lose life. Every token generates value whether it lives or dies.
Key exclusive cards: Ironwill Forger (grants myriad via Lieutenant), Goldlust Triad (~$8.11 extended art, Dragon with myriad that makes Treasure tokens).
Notable reprints: Adeline Resplendent Cathar, Gix Yawgmoth Praetor, Skullclamp, Divine Visitation, Grand Crescendo.
Buy this if: You want a proven, aggressive strategy that floods the board and overwhelms opponents. Card Kingdom called it "one of the best precons in years, as far as playability goes."
Abzan Armor — Toughness Matters
Commander: Felothar the Steadfast (~$7.10 borderless) — Assigns combat damage based on toughness instead of power. Lets creatures with defender attack. Sacrifice a creature to draw cards equal to its toughness. One of the most elegantly designed commanders in the set.
Key exclusive cards: Jaws of Defeat (deals damage when toughness-heavy creatures attack), Reunion of the House (one-sided recursion for walls/defenders), Tip the Scales (3-mana board wipe).
Notable reprints: Seedborn Muse (~$12), Dragonlord Dromoka, Assault Formation, Indomitable Ancients (first-ever reprint).
Buy this if: You want something different. Toughness-matters decks are rare in precon form, and Felothar makes the strategy genuinely powerful. The most focused gameplan of all five decks.
Jeskai Striker — Spellslinger
Commander: Shiko and Narset, Unified — Creates copies of spells, with the second spell needing to target a permanent or player. Encourages creative deckbuilding beyond typical extra-turn loops.
Key exclusive cards: Transcendent Dragon (6-mana flash flyer that counters a spell on entry), Hammerhead Tyrant (bounces permanents when you cast spells), Will of the Jeskai (~$6.13, functions as Past in Flames or Wheel of Fortune).
Notable reprints: Veyran Voice of Duality (~$7.76), Narset's Reversal, Lier Disciple of the Drowned.
Buy this if: You love casting instants and sorceries and want a deck with the most room to grow through upgrades. Stock list is unfocused but the ceiling is high.
Sultai Arisen — Graveyard Value Engine
Commander: Teval, the Balanced Scale (~$8.44 borderless) — Attack trigger ramps mana, gives graveyard fuel, and makes a 2/2 Zombie token. Returns lands from graveyard. Creates Zombies when cards leave the graveyard. A one-stop value engine and possibly the single best commander design in the set.
Key exclusive cards: Colossal Grave-Reaver (~$12 extended art, reanimation + life gain), Teval's Judgment (~$8.10, flexible payoffs when cards leave graveyard), Will of the Sultai (mills and returns all graveyard lands).
Notable reprints: Living Death, Meren of Clan Nel Toth, Tasigur, Phyrexian Reclamation.
Buy this if: You love graveyard strategies and don't mind a slower setup. Teval is outstanding, but the stock list needs more self-mill and landfall payoffs to really sing. Best upgrade path of all five.
New Mechanics
Each clan gets its own keyword, all flavored to Tarkir's identity:
| Clan | Mechanic | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Temur | Harmonize | Cast from graveyard. Tap a creature to reduce the cost by its power. |
| Mardu | Mobilize N | Create N tapped-and-attacking 1/1 Warriors when this creature attacks. |
| Abzan | Endure N | Choose: put N +1/+1 counters on a creature OR create an N/N Spirit token. |
| Jeskai | Flurry | Triggers whenever you cast your second spell in a turn. |
| Sultai | Renew | Activated abilities usable only from the graveyard (exiles the card). |
The set also introduces Omens — a new subtype pairing instants/sorceries with Dragon creatures (similar to Adventures). When you cast the Omen half, it shuffles back into your library, forcing a strategic choice between the spell and the creature.
Most Valuable Cards
| Card | Price | Deck |
|---|---|---|
| Ureni of the Unwritten (Borderless) | ~$16.63 | Temur Roar |
| Seedborn Muse (reprint) | ~$12.05 | Abzan Armor |
| Colossal Grave-Reaver (Extended Art) | ~$12.00 | Sultai Arisen |
| Teval, the Balanced Scale (Borderless) | ~$8.44 | Sultai Arisen |
| Goldlust Triad (Extended Art) | ~$8.11 | Mardu Surge |
| Teval's Judgment (Extended Art) | ~$8.10 | Sultai Arisen |
| Veyran, Voice of Duality (reprint) | ~$7.76 | Jeskai Striker |
| Felothar the Steadfast (Borderless) | ~$7.10 | Abzan Armor |
Individual Deck vs. Set of 5?
Individual decks are $44.99 MSRP. The set of all 5 runs ~$180–200, saving roughly $25–45 compared to buying individually. If you're interested in 3+ decks, the bundle is the clear play. If you only want one, Temur Roar or Mardu Surge are the strongest standalone buys.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Tarkir Dragonstorm Commander deck is the best?
Temur Roar is the strongest out of the box — Dragon tribal is inherently powerful with massive flying threats, and it has the best reprints. Mardu Surge is the close runner-up and arguably more fun to play with its token swarm strategy.
Are the Tarkir Dragonstorm Commander decks worth buying?
Yes — they're widely considered one of the strongest batches of Commander precons in 2025. Each has a clear identity, strong exclusive cards, and meaningful upgrade paths. At $44.99 per deck, the value is excellent. Reviewers say "you should definitely buy something from this set."
What is the most valuable card in the Tarkir Commander decks?
Ureni of the Unwritten (Borderless) from Temur Roar at ~$16.63, followed by Seedborn Muse reprint (~$12.05) from Abzan Armor and Colossal Grave-Reaver Extended Art (~$12.00) from Sultai Arisen.
Can you upgrade the Tarkir Commander precons?
Absolutely — each deck has clear upgrade paths. Temur Roar benefits from more Blue/Green dragons and ramp. Mardu Surge gets better with token doublers like Mondrak. Abzan Armor wants more toughness buffs. Jeskai Striker improves most with extra-turn spells. Sultai Arisen needs more self-mill and landfall payoffs.
Shop Tarkir Dragonstorm at Bad Moon Rising
Grab the Tarkir Dragonstorm Commander Set of 5 or browse our full MTG collection. All products are factory sealed and ship within 1 business day. $9.99 flat rate shipping — free over $300.
