Overview:
A mono-red Dragon tribal deck centered around Zirilan of the Claw's ability to tutor and temporarily summon powerful Dragons, utilizing various artifacts and effects to either keep the Dragons permanently or exploit their temporary presence through sacrifice outlets.
Primer:
This deck operates as a toolbox strategy, using Zirilan of the Claw to fetch specific Dragons for different situations. The primary gameplan involves using various artifacts like Sundial of the Infinite or effects like Conjurer's Bauble to prevent the Dragons from being exiled, or alternatively, leveraging their temporary presence through sacrifice outlets like Ashnod's Altar and Goblin Bombardment for value. The deck can generate additional value through copying effects like Rings of Brighthearth and Illusionist's Bracers.
The secondary strategy involves using powerful Dragons like Terror of the Peaks and Utvara Hellkite to create overwhelming board presence, while cards like Scourge of the Throne enable additional combat steps. The deck includes numerous ways to untap Zirilan through cards like Thousand-Year Elixir and Magewright's Stone, allowing for multiple Dragon tutors per turn.
Weaknesses:
The deck heavily relies on its commander and can struggle if Zirilan is repeatedly removed or countered. Graveyard hate can be particularly problematic as it prevents recursion strategies. The deck can be vulnerable to artifact removal, which disrupts many of its key synergies and protection pieces.
Top 10 Most Impactful Cards:
- Sundial of the Infinite
- Rings of Brighthearth
- Illusionist's Bracers
- Terror of the Peaks
- Scourge of the Throne
- Ashnod's Altar
- Thousand-Year Elixir
- Sneak Attack
- Utvara Hellkite
- Molten Echoes
Attribute Ratings:
- Speed: 6/10
- Resilience: 5/10
- Consistency: 7/10
- Interaction: 5/10
Rating Justification:
This deck operates at a focused power level, capable of executing its strategy consistently but not typically winning before turn 7-8. While it has powerful individual cards and strong tutor ability through its commander, it requires setup time and can be disrupted by common removal. The deck performs well against other 6.0 decks but would struggle against more optimized strategies in the 7.0 range due to its reliance on its commander and vulnerability to interaction.
Final power level rating: 6.0 - 6.5
Zirilan of the Claw