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Welcome back!
This is it! The final Dragons for our Best Dragons countdown. Although we're not really counting down, since they're mostly in alphabetical order...
If you haven't done so, be sure and check out the first two parts of the list where I go over the first 16 Dragons that I think are worthy of Magic's Dragon Hall of Fame, if such a thing existed.
With all that out of the way, let's begin!
Scion of Draco
Scion of Draco is an obvious reference to the original 9/9 dragon Draco, which had a mana cost of 16 that was reduced by two mana for every basic land type you controlled. So on your best day, Draco would still cost six mana for a 9/9 flier.
Scion of Draco, however, is a much more competitive card with a mana cost floor of a mere two mana. While it is much smaller in size, the fact that it gives all of your creatures numerous different abilities based on their colors makes this a pretty strong threat. And it's also the only artifact Dragon on the list! Sorry, Steel Hellkite.
Shivan Dragon
What Dragon list would be complete without the granddaddy of all Dragons? At a quick glance, Shivan Dragon has had over 40 different printings, going all the way back to . This was once the most iconic creature in the game and undoubtedly responsible for getting countless Magic players into the game back in the nineties. While it's no longer the strongest threat around, Shivan Dragon will always be a legendary creature with a pedigree that outshines its power.
Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
Skithiryx is an interesting one as it's the only Dragon in the game that has infect! While Skithiryx hasn't seen any competitive play since around 2012, it does see a good deal of play in Commander when it comes to both Dragon decks or even mono-Black decks. And one thing to consider is that Skithiryx as your Commander cuts the Commander damage needed in half, since you'll only need to deliver ten poison counters instead of the normal 21 Commander damage.
The Spirit Dragons
The Spirit Dragons were all competitive all-stars when they were printed in Champions of Kamigawa, but some were head and shoulders above the others. Kokusho, the Evening Star was basically a $40 card for the entirety of its life in Standard, but I don't know how much that's saying, considering she's still about $30 today, some 20 years later. The fact that she says "each" opponent is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Thanks, Commander!
The other two most popular Dragons here were Keiga, the Tide Star and Yosei, the Morning Star. Both were centerpieces in numerous Tier 1 decks, including Frank Karsten's Greater Gifts list, Izzetron decks, Melira Pod decks, and Solar Flare decks.
Stormbreath Dragon
Stormbreath Dragon is our final 4/4 Dragon for five-mana with haste. This was another version of the 4/4 template that was in every red deck that could support it. In addition to becoming a massive 7/7 when you would activate its monstrosity ability, it could also deal the opponent a tremendous amount of damage straightaway with its Sudden Impact impersonation. This ability often proved better against control opponents - who would occasionally be relying on White removal that the Stormbreath could evade - than more aggressive opponents who could quickly empty their hands.
The Ur-Dragon
This card is absolutely wild, which is why it costs around $70. Again, Commander is a crazy format. The Ur-Dragon is only legal in three formats: Legacy, Vintage, and Commander, and it only sees play in one of those, where it is a one-of, and it's still nearly $100. That being said, it's a Commander that passively reduces the cost of all of your Dragons without you having to do anything, which kind of explains the price tag.
You could have probably stopped at that ability alone, but being able to put a permanent into play for free every time you attack with any Dragon, let alone drawing cards, is extremely strong, especially in a deck that's presumably filled with expensive Dragons.
Tiamat
DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT WE SAID ABOUT THE D&D SETS? Tiamat is obviously from Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, which is why it's another $40 Dragon. The only thing I don't get, or like, is that Tiamat has five heads, one for each color, she has five colors, but she's a 7/7. I'm trying to accept the fact that she isn't a 5/5 or doesn't cost five mana, but it's tricky. This is just another "Griselbrand costs eight mana" moment.
Thankfully she does let you search for five different Dragons to go straight into your hand. Another banger for Commander, as no one is really casting this in Pioneer or Modern.
Thundermaw Hellkite
While we may be done with 4/4 Dragons for five mana, Thundermaw was really breaking the mold as a 5/5 for five mana with haste. At the time, the best part about Thundermaw was that it was able to efficiently remove every single Spirit token created by Lingering Souls. This was a huge deal.
In addition to that, the Hellkite often acted as a Lava Axe due to the fact that it was able to tap down every potential blocker and get in at least one time for five damage. It's a bit outclassed now, but all of these factors made Hellkite a huge force to be reckoned with when it was Standard legal. And it still finds a home in Commander, as you may have assumed.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll catch ya next time!
Frank Lepore
