Tarkir is a legendary plane inMagic: The Gathering(MTG)known for its warring clans, powerful dragons, and rich history that have made it one ofMTG’s most beloved planes among fans. Introduced in theKhans of Tarkirblock in 2014, the plane was initially depicted as a war-torn land where dragons had been driven to extinction. Five clans, each representing a unique wedge color combination and embodying different aspects of a dragon, vied for dominance in Tarkir: the Abzan Houses (White, Black, Green), Jeskai Way (Blue, Red, White), Sultai Brood (Black, Green, Blue), Mardu Horde (Red, White, Black), and Temur Frontier (Green, Blue, Red). Amid this conflict, the time-traveling Planeswalker Sarkhan Vol sought to restore dragons to their rightful place as rulers. InFate Reforged, Sarkhan traveled 1,200 years back and altered history by saving Ugin, the Spirit Dragon, from Nicol Bolas. This change led to the dragons' resurgence inDragons of Tarkir, where they ruled over the human clans. Sarkhan, now free from madness, became Ugin’s guardian, while the khans of the previous timeline were either killed or subjugated.
In the decade since its initial introduction, Tarkir has remained one of the most beloved settings inMagic: The Gathering, remembered for its compelling lore, powerful mechanics like morph and manifest, and one of the most significant time-travel narratives in the game’s history. Given the continued amount of love that Tarkir receives fromMTGfans, it’s not surprising to seeWizards of the Coastdecide to return the franchise to the legendary plane and propel it forward into a new era.
WithTarkir: Dragonstorm, the plane seeks to evolve again. In the years since the dragons' resurgence, rebellions have sprung up against the dragonlords, though it wasn’t until Ugin’s departure from the plane to address the Eldrazi and the substantial draconic casualties following the Phyrexian invasion that the rebellions were able to gain traction. Despite the traction, that wasn’t quite enough to rebuild Tarkir to what the clans desired it to be, and in a desperate bid to defeat the dragonlords, the rebellion leaders gathered at the Spirit Dragons' Nexus and enacted a dangerous ritual, summoning five spirit dragons who were able to overthrow the dragonlords. Despite this victory, the ritual did also empower the dragonstorms further, spawning a new type of dangerous wild dragon.
Tarkir: Dragonstormis right around the corner from its full release date of April 11, and Wizards of the Coast has unveiled additional set details, card treatments, returning cycles,Magic: The Gathering Arenadetails for the set, plus the full suite of cards. Everything you need to know about MTG’s return to Tarkir is right here.
Magic: The Gathering’s ‘Tarkir: Dragonstorm’ Returns Two Beloved Cycles & Introduces Brand New Card Treatment
Two of yours and everyone else’s favorite MTG cycles are returning with ‘Tarkir: Dragonstorm,’ and they’re bringing a new card treatment.
Tarkir: DragonstormRelease Date & Prerelease Info
Tarkir: Dragonstormis set to hit shelves and online stores on April 11, though there are prerelease events as per usual for MTG that will allow players to secure some of the cards ahead of time. These prerelease events begin April 4 at local game stores. Not only are these events a great way to find new friends to play MTG with, they are also the place to exclusively secure themed Prerelease Packs where each one is themed to one of the five Tarkir clans, with each including a rare or mythic rare card as well as six boosters, a promo card, and a spin-down life tracking die. Additionally,Dragonstormwill be released onMagic: The Gathering Arena, the digital version of the card game, on April 8, three days before the physical cards' worldwide release.
Tarkir: Dragonstorm’s Product Line
Tarkir: Dragonstormwill feature both Play and Collector Boosters, priced at $5.49 for the individual packs and $24.99 for the Collector Boosters. Wizards of the Coast does not provide retailers an MSRP for the full boxes. Each Play Booster contains 14Magic: The Gatheringcards, with the following makeup:
While Collector Boosters contain 15 cards with the following makeup:
Dragonstormwill also have a bundle available for purchase, which includes nine Play Boosters, an alternate-art version of the card Temur Battlecrier, 30 Basic lands, and a life counter with an MSRP of $53.99. In addition to the Standard card options, there arefive new Commander decks based on the clans of Tarkir, each with three mana colors to use in gameplay. Each of the five Commander decks has two prominent Commander options to choose to pilot the deck, with one being a dragon and the other a non-dragon. The Wizards provided MSRP for the Commander decks is $44.99, though with the popularity of Commander and Tarkir, it’s possible there will be markups on the price point for these decks.
Tarkir: Dragonstorm’s Cards
Tarkir: Dragonstormis a massive set for the collectible card game, with over 800 cards making up the return to Tarkir. As is the case with any MTG set, there are a variety of mythics and rares to collect, with some brand-new treatments, including anew type of textured foil, available to find in Collector Booster Packs. Each card rarity and its corresponding total cards are available as follows:
Plus, there are also card treatments available to collect:
The Five Clans of Tarkir’s Keyword Abilities
To give each of the five clans of Tarkir a fighting chance against the dragons and one another, they have each been assigned a Keyword Ability that coincides with each of their gameplay styles. The Keyword Abilities for each of the five clans are as follows:
Mechanics inDragonstorm
With the five clans each having their own keyword ability, Wizards of the Coast opted to share the love with the dragons of the plane as well, so to speak. The new mechanics associated with dragons for the set include:
During a virtual press event forTarkir: Dragonstormlast month, Wizards noted that “because this is a ‘return to’ set, there’s a lot of nostalgia forMagicplayers, andWizards felt like they needed to deliver on fan expectations.” With a set as massive asDragonstormwith so many different ways to add to the collectibility of the game, it certainly seems like Wizards has delivered.
