As of this article's writing, we are just days away from the release of the much anticipated Magic set, Tarkir: Dragonstorm! The tagline of the set: "Join your clan. Break the storm." This set promises plenty of powerful new dragons and dynamic clan gameplay. After my interest in Aetherdrift draft stalled out, I am eagerly awaiting the new release!

Before the Tarkir: Dragonstorm Limited format shakes out, I'm first turning my attention to the most valuable cards in the set. Why? Because I want to open them in my prerelease and release pool, that's why! Sure, winning a casual event at your LGS is fun, but nothing beats the knowledge that my entry fee was already virtually covered by the cards I opened in my pool. Even if I can't join a prerelease due to other commitments, I'm bound to crack open a few booster packs of the set to get my hands on the physical cards.

Let's take a look at the most valuable cards to open day one.

Returning Icons

He's baaaaack! Ugin, that is. Ugin Planeswalkers of the past have often been splashy, powerful, and valuable. The newest iteration, Ugin, Eye of the Storms, is no exception.

This version is colorless like previous versions, and starts with a whopping seven loyalty! Ugin, Eye of the Storms can immediately replace itself by drawing you a card and ticking up to nine loyalty (the life gain is also nice). Or, you can get a three mana rebate with Ugin's zero ability. Lastly, the ultimate (that can be achieved after just two turn cycles in play) allows you to search for any number of colorless nonland cards and cast them without paying their mana cost. If you're jamming Eldrazi such as Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, for example, this threatens to straight-up win the game!

But wait, there's more! Ugin has a static ability that states you can exile a permanent of at least one color when you CAST it. Plus, you exile more permanents as long as they're at least one color whenever you cast other colorless permanents! Wow. This is a colorless control deck's dream, and it's no wonder the card is currently the most expensive single from Tarkir: Dragonstorm (around $80)!

Maybe giant Planeswalkers aren't your thing. If you're hoping to open something iconic, but don't want to play a colorless-themed deck with Ugin, perhaps I can interest you in the other card pre-selling for $80: Mox Jasper!

According to my count, this marks the thirteenth Mox card ever to be printed (if you included Unhinged's Mox Lotus and Unglued's Jack-in-the-Mox). Considering five came out in Alpha, that makes eight new Moxes across 30 years of Magic. Wizards prints one new tournament-legal Mox approximately once every five years. Previous Moxes have largely been powerful and popular, leading to elevated prices.

Will Mox Jasper, a card that does virtually nothing unless you control a Dragon, live up to its $80 pre-order price tag? History says not likely--while Mox Jasper could certainly be one of the chase mythic rares of Tarkir: Dragonstorm, it's highly unlikely the card maintains a price tag over $50 unless it's played as a four-of in multiple formats. Still, you'd better believe I'll be hoping to crack open one of these in every booster pack I open!

The third most expensive pre-selling card from Tarkir: Dragonstorm is another throwback to a classic, iconic Planeswalker: Elspeth, Storm Slayer!

I fondly remember when Shards of Alara first came out and all I wanted was a crispy Elspeth, Knight-Errant from that set. Finally, I broke down, coughed up the $30 required to purchase the card. Well, if I want to purchase a fresh copy of Elspeth, Storm Slayer with pre-orders I'll be paying a good $50! Elspeth, Storm Slayer's static ability is a doubling card (Mark Rosewater's favorite), so there's no doubt this Planeswalker will be one of the most valuable cards from the set. Are the rest of the abilities enough to justify that price tag?

It's possible! All three of Elspeth's loyalty abilities are relevant. Creating a creature will help defend her; if you have a large board of creatures already, her 0 ability can be a win condition all on its own; the -3 ability is a useful way of eliminating a threat and stabilizing the board. None of her abilities win the game like Ugin's ultimate, but I can definitely see Elspeth, Storm Slayer making waves in Standard. She does justice as a throwback to my precious Elspeth, Knight-Errant!

The last throwback I want to mention also happens to be the fourth most valuable card (pre-orders) in Tarkir: Dragonstorm. This one is a reprint! Say hello to the new Craterhoof Behemoth!

We've all seen this card before. We know it's immensely powerful, and can win games upon hitting the battlefield. I'll just add that I love Magali Villeneuve's art for this reprint--her Magic art is some of my absolute favorite. Craterhoof Behemoth is pre-selling for close to $25, on par with its other printings.

Flashy Dragon Cards

By now, you may be wondering where all those new flashy, powerful Dragon cards have gone. Are there none worth opening from your Tarkir: Dragonstorm booster packs?

Rest assured, they're in this section and there are plenty to review! Here's a list along with approximate preorder pricing:

• Call the Spirit Dragons ($20)
• Dracogenesis ($20)
• Stormscale Scion ($20)
• Teval, Arbiter of Virtue ($10)
• Shiko, Paragon of the Way ($10)
• Betor, Kin to All ($10)
• Neriv, Heart of the Storm ($8)
• Urnei, the Song Unending ($8)

Tarkir: Dragonstorm is filled with many powerful Dragons and Dragon cards worth more than the price of a Play Booster (at least during prerelease). Two examples are pictured above: Call the Spirit Dragons and Dracogenesis are two enchantments that are all about Dragons! The former gives your Dragons indestructible plus an alternate win condition in a fun five-color Dragon Commander deck. The latter makes all your Dragons free to cast! I don't expect to see these in 60-card constructed decks, but in Commander I can definitely see them having a profound impact!

Moving down the list, there's a cycle of five three-colored mythic rare Dragons. Wizards has done cycles like this in the past, dating all the way back to the original Elder Dragon Legends in Legends. Will these five be as popular as the cycle from Legends, Invasion, and Planar Chaos? It's hard to predict with certainty, but they're definitely exciting to crack open on prerelease day.

Stormscale Scion isn't part of the cycle, but it's also not "just another big Red Dragon." This creature has an ability we see very rarely nowadays: it has Storm!

That's right! Despite being a 10 on the eponymously named Storm Scale, Wizards of the Coast found a miracle and added Storm on Stormscale Scion! It seems fitting, when you think about it. Will Storm's return to Standard break the format and ruin Magic? I wouldn't expect this, but I do expect this Dragon lord to remain fairly valuable for years to come.

Rare Lands and an Honorable Mention

Rare nonbasic lands always catch my attention in any new set. They often bring along a new tool for Standard, and can directly impact the metagame. In Tarkir: Dragonstorm we have a cycle of lands that enter tapped unless you control an enemy basic land for the respective land, with an added ability tacked on.

Preselling for the most so far is the Blue land of the cycle, Mistrise Village.

Notice how the land taps for Blue mana, and can enter untapped if you control a Mountain or Forest. The real power is in its ability, which can make a spell uncounterable. This rare land currently sells for around $15, and while I expect it to drop from here, I can see it remaining in high demand throughout its life in Standard. The other four lands in the cycle (Kishla Village, Dalkovan Encampment, Great Arashin City, and Cori Mountain Monastery) aren't selling for nearly as much at the start.

Speaking of rare lands, I'll mention here that the enemy cycle of Fetch Lands show up as Special Guests in Tarkir: Dragonstorm. These are all definitely worth opening from a booster pack now and throughout the set's time in Standard.

Lastly, there's one honorable mention I wanted to highlight for its value, despite not fitting into one of my previous categories. That card is Taigam, Master Opportunist, which is currently pre-selling for around $15.

This two-drop creature showcases a new keyword: Flurry. Flurry is an ability that triggers when you cast a second spell in a turn, something that Wizards has printed many times in the past. In the case of the Opportunist, you basically get a delayed copy of the second spell you cast in a given turn. Thus, Tarkir: Dragonstorm not only brings Storm back into Standard, but also Suspend. While not a ten, Suspend has historically ranged from seven to nine on the Storm Scale, making it a small miracle to see the ability back in Standard, albeit in limited fashion.

Wrapping It Up

Tarkir: Dragonstorm is shaping up to be a smashing hit, giving players a refreshing return to a traditional fantasy world (no more race cars, thank goodness). Dragons abound, and the set has no shortage of powerful spells and effects!

Personally, I'm most excited to see the throwback mechanics of Storm and Suspend on the mythic rares. I hope these don't break Standard or confuse players too much, so that we can continue to see such mechanics on the occasional, new card.

When it comes to pure value, however, I must say Mox Jasper tops my list. I just learned that almost every new Mox card is worth a significant amount. Beyond that, the new Elspeth is sure to stay expensive due to its doubling static effect. You can never go wrong opening Craterhoof Behemoth as well.

These cards are all preselling for well above the price of a Play Booster. Will this remain the case? Probably not--prices always taper off once a new set is released. That being said, it'll still be exciting to open a new Mox, Ugin, Elspeth, or a flashy Dragon card in Magic's newest set, Tarkir: Dragonstorm!