Tarkir: Dragonstorm Set Review - Reprints

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Death Is No Excuse to Stop Working

Ah, the plane of Tarkir. After the last several sets, it feels like we're returning home. 

Home in this context, of course, means a place where time makes no sense, giant flying lizards blot out the sun, and your life is defined by your job. But still, home is where you make it. 

And speaking of familiarity, that's what we're all about here in the regular Reprint Review. As always, we're not here to try to memorize a bunch of new words on new cards, but rather we're all about the known. And Tarkir: Dragonstorm and the associated Commander decks has plenty of known to go along with the unknown.

All told, we've got 19 reprints in the main set (not counting basic lands), 323 in the five Commander decks, and 10 Special Guests. Let's get to it. As usual, we're looking at choice reprints through the dual lenses of whether we needed a reprint (the cost of the card pre-reprint) and whether we wanted the reprint (how popular the card is in Commander, as per EDHREC). 

Tarkir: Dragonstorm

Craterhoof Behemoth

Did we need it?

You knew we were going to start here. Ol' 'Hoof was a surprise reveal for a main (read: not Masters) set, but certainly a welcome one. Craterhoof Behemoth has widely been used as a game-ender for creature decks playing green since it first showed up in Avacyn Restored way back in 2012. Since then, and before Tarkir: Dragonstorm, it's seen four reprints and a Secret Lair, for a total of three distinct arts (including this one

With TDM, four additional versions are added to the 'Hoof pool:

Because of its immense popularity and relatively sparse reprinting to date, you'd be hard-pressed to find any copy for under $25. Thankfully, TDM will change that. Look for the "regular" pack version of 'Hoof to drop as low as $10 for awhile, though it will likely slowly creep back up again as time goes by. 

As for the non-"regular" treatments we see above, they'll become the premium version of the card. Already, the "ghostfire frame" version (the one that looks like it's Ugin's hat) is pushing $60, while the "halo foil" versions of that are nearly $200. If you're the kind of person who needs the flashiest and most expensive version of everything, that's the new Holy 'Hoof Grail.

Did we want it?

It's Craterhoof Behemoth, we definitely wanted it.

However, in terms of actual data, 'Hoof's reputation is larger than its actual hoofprint. 

According to EDHREC, only 6% of all decks playing green include 'Hoof in their 99, good for 157,484 decks. That's obviously a lot, but it isn't as ubiquitous as we might have assumed. A lot of Commander game stories end with "and then they played a Craterhoof" so it's natural for us to think it's in every green deck. It's actually only the 74th-most popular green card in the format in terms of percentage of inclusions. For context, Beast Whisperer

We can blame the price for this one. It's obviously powerful enough to have the reputation it has. That can't be debated. So it must be the price tag that keeps it out of more decks. With the reprint here, it's likely that 'Hoof will terrorize even more Commander tables as its price falls to within more people's budget.

The Rest of TDM

We'll zoom through the rest of the main set reprints, since they're not nearly as exciting as Craterhoof Behemoth. 

For a card that only came to us four years ago via Kaldheim, we see Snakeskin Veil a lot. TDM's version is the card's ninth, and sixth new art.

Originally from the first go-around in Tarkir, specifically Dragons of Tarkir, Twinbolt saw one reprint in Conspiracy: Take the Crown in the interim. This is the first new art, though.

The Clan Lands:

Depending on which one we're talking about, these lands have seen upward of a dozen reprints since they debuted in Khans of Tarkir. They're a go-to reprint for any preconstructed Commander deck that plays each one's specific combo of colors, and they're so evergreen at this point it's actually surprising they're only 11 years old. Each receive new art here in TDM, but no fancy borders or treatments, sadly.

The Gain Lands:

Speaking of evergreen budget color-fixing, did you know this cycle of lands also debuted in Khans of Tarkir? It's true. They even saw their frist reprint in the very next set, Fate Reforged, for draft reasons. Since then, we've seen each of then at least a dozen times, as they're the perfect cheap, low-impact fixing a set needs to allow for draft archetypes (or in the case of Scoured Barrens

No three-color set is complete without an Evolving Wilds. It's critically important in Limited, but we Commander players don't need to pay too much attention, though. A fun bit of trivia, if you needed it, is the Evolving Wilds in TDM is the card's 70th printing in almost exactly 15 years. And it's first set? Rise of the Eldrazi.

Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander

Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor

Did we need it?

It took roughly 25 years for Gix to get its first card in 2022's The Brothers' War after being mentioned in stories dating back to Urza's Saga. Its first reprint, though, only took three years.

That reprint, of course, is from Mystery Boosters 2:

It's awesome, with the old Pete Venters Vanguard art and Future-Sight frame. It's also $200+ so it's hard to consider it a true reprint. 

That's why it's nice to see it appear in the 99 of Mardu Surge. Gix was hitting double-digit prices, and an incidental reprint in a preconstructed deck will do a bit more for that price than a highly sought-after unique printing from a convention-only release. 

Did we want it?

Gix isn't exactly the most popular mono-black commander, but it's not forgotten entirely, either. To date, Gix has 2,954 decks to its name, making it the 20th-most popular commander in mono-black. At least that's more popular than roughly 90 other mono-black options before you have to hit the "Load More" button. 

Gix is also in nearly 40,000 decks as a member of the 99, seeing a lot of action in Sheoldred, the Apocalypse

It's nice to see cards like Gix get reprints whenever possible, because they're the exact kind of card that otherwise would see its price climb steadily for little gameplay reason. All that would do is keep it out of the hands of people on a budget who would have wanted to try it out.

Ob Nixilis, the Fallen

Did we need it?

Originally from Zendikar (the first one), OG Ob has seen one in-set reprint, coming via Iconic Masters, as well as a stint on The List. That's it, covering 16 years of existence. Yes, Ob Nixilis, the Fallen is old enough to drive. 

Its price has been slowly creeping up over the years, topping out at around $16 only a few months ago. It's always been a fun, unique card depicting a very popular Magic villain, and it's great that the Sultai Arisen Commander deck included Ob in its 99 as a way to help newer players snag a copy.

The price of each version not from TDM Commander probably won't wiggle much, maybe dropping into the $10 range, but at least now more people can try to live out their mono-black landfall dreams. Those people are still going on and on about Iridescent Vinelasher

Did we want it?

As a Commander, those people I just mentioned looking to build an Ob deck are a mighty and proud minority of Magic players. On EDHREC, there are only 441 decks logged for Ob, making it the 1,643rd-most popular commander on the site. That's, uh, not very popular, which is a shame, because it's actually a pretty cool deck.

Ob makes up for it as a card in the 99 of other decks, though. Currently, it's in 36,976 lists, serving as a way for black-splashing Landfall decks to win the game. It's in a ton of Lord Windgrace

Here's to hoping that a reprint here will see more people trying Ob as a commander, setting them on a path of renewed appreciation for cards like Walking Atlas

Hellkite Courser

Did we need it?

The first reprint of Hellkite Courser since it first arrived in Commander Legends, this dragon's presence in the Temur Roar preconstructed deck is doing a lot (along with the next entry) to justify buying what is probably the weakest of the five decks for Tarkir: Dragonstorm. 

Currently around $16, it's one of the more expensive dragons printed in the last five years or so, and thanks to its very Commander-specific text box, we probably won't see a ton of subsequent reprints any time soon. It's a cool card, and can do some real damage in certain scenarios, but it's not worthy of its double-digit price tag. 

Did we want it?

Hellkite Courser's numbers are inflated a bit on EDHREC due to its slot in the 99 of Temur Roar, but even still, we don't see it all that often. As of this writing, it's in 35,570 decks, good for around 1% of all decks playing red.

Unsurprisingly, it's in a lot of dragon decks, but it also sees some attention in decks with very expensive commanders, like Lord Xander, the Collector

It's unlikely that Hellkite Courser is going to suddenly become a Commander staple now that it was in a precon, but it'll probably see a bit more use moving forward.

Nogi, Draco-Zealot

Did we need it?

This little kobold fella's been pretty pricy for awhile now, mostly because until now, it only existed in the box set Game Night: Free-for-All. That wasn't exactly an in-demand product, thus Nogi and a few other mechanically-unique cards (Imaryll, Elfhame Elite

Did we want it?

As a Commander, Nogi's hardly worth a mention; on EDHREC, there are only 286 decks with it at the helm. Mono-red dragons have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to prospective commanders, and sadly Nogi's barely a blip on that radar. 

As a card in the deck, though, it's slightly more popular, appearing in 8,208 decks. For context, there are currently 77,197 dragon decks listed on EDHREC, of which, as you might imagine, the vast majority are capable of playing red. Until now, Nogi was next to impossible to acquire at a price even close to justifiable, so most people just skipped it.

With it in Temur Roar, it'll find its way into more people's possession and thus into their own dragon decks, but ultimately it'll probably be one of the first cuts when it's time to trim down a list.

Dragonlord Dromoka

Did we need it?

Two of the five original dragonlords are returning to us via reprint in Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Dromoka and Dragonlord Atarka. We know Dromoka's got a big chin, not a bird's beak, but did you know that Dromoka is the most expensive of the five dragonlords? That's even despite seeing a reprint already in Double Masters 2022, which gave us two new treatments:

Currently, every version of Dromoka demands double-digits, with the cheapest being the original, nonfoil version from Dragons of Tarkir. That'll change soon, though, and the reprint here will probably dip to the $8-9 range soon enough.

Did we want it?

Dragonlord Dromoka is a very good card, but in very non-dragon colors. As a result, Commander decks with Dromoka at the helm number in the low 500s on EDHREC, which is very miniscule. More commonly, decks with Dromoka as the commander are built around the theme of lifelink, then hatebears, then +1/+1 counters, then dragons.

As a card in the 99, though, Dromoka sees a lot more action, appearing in nearly 40,000 decks, good for 3% of all decks that can play Dromoka's colors. Dromoka's in a hair under 60% of all The Ur-Dragon

I don't think a reprint here will do much for Dromoka's popularity as a commander, or as a card in Commander. 

Grand Crescendo

Did we need it?

Seeing its first reprint here, Grand Crescendo was originally from New Capenna Commander and proved to be very popular for token-based strategies from the jump. As a result, the card has been hovering around the $15 mark for awhile.

It's a great card, albeit not a very thematic one unless you're one of the 10 or so people playing a Citizens deck. But that's a minor quibble, as for only you can keep your tokens, Citizens or otherwise, safe from a sweeper or unfavorable combat step. There's no reason it should be double-digit dollars, though, so a reprint here is a two-step in the right direction.

Did we want it?

Nearly 50,000 decks are currently playing Grand Crescendo, which equates to around 2% of all decks playing white. Fellow New Capenna card Jetmir, Nexus of Revels

However, if your commander cares about tokens and is in white, chances are you're looking to find a slot for Grand Crescendo. Often, it replaces Secure the Wastes

Dauthi Voidwalker

Did we need it?

Some of us are old enough to remember the original Dauthi cards, but none of them were as inherently powerful as the Voidwalker. Coming to us from Modern Horizons 2, Dauthi Voidwalker has seen a pair of specialized reprints in a Secret Lair as well as a promo. It also goes from a righty to a lefty in terms of preferred stabbing hand:

These versions understandably are the most expensive, followed closely by the MH2 versions with fancy fancy borders:

Still, until now you couldn't get a copy for under $10, but that's already changed thanks to a Tarkir: Dragonstorm reprint, which as of this writing is around $7. That textless Store Championship promo above, however, is still $85 and won't get any cheaper any time soon.

Did we want it?

Like I said, Dauthi Voidwalker is a very powerful card. So powerful, in fact, that it sees attention across pretty much every bracket, from 1 (Dauthi/Shadow theme decks) to 5 (no fun for opponents cEDH decks). As a result, it's in 213,764 lists on EDHREC, or around 7% of all decks with black. That's a very respectable number and makes it the ninth-most popular black creature in the format, behind ubiquitous creatures like Blood Artist

It's a great reprint choice, although I'm sure opponents of people who will finally snag a copy won't be so thrilled. 

Life from the Loam

Life from the Loam

Going from a relatively recent card to a much older card, we've got a reprint of Life from the Loam. We've had Life from the Loam in our lives for 20 years now. Yes, 20. Two decades. Since that debut in Ravnica: City of Guilds in 2005, the card has been reprinted quite a bit, in duel decks, Masters sets, Secret Lairs, and most recently, Ravnica Remastered. 

That's a lot of different looks, but you're paying a premium for style here. All told, though, Life from the Loam isn't a terribly expensive card, with the cheapest being the Modern Masters version for around $8. Until now, at least, as the Tarkir: Dragonstorm version is already less than that. 

Did we want it?

Currently, there are 102,641 decks logged with EDHREC that run Life from the Loam, or roughly 4% of all decks with green. In the right deck, though, it's as close to a must-have staple as you can get. Any deck that wants to put cards into the graveyard like Life from the Loam, and if those decks want to put lands specifically into the graveyard, then they love Life from the Loam. 

That's why more than 70% of The Gitrog Monster

Seedborn Muse

Did we need it?

Speaking of old cards being reprinted, here's one even older than Life from the Loam. Our first look at Seedborn Muse came to us courtesy of Legions, which hit shelves in February of 2003. 

That's a lot of time for reprints, and it's time well-spent in that regard:

That's a lot, and you're probably noticing that most of those reprints carry the same Adam Rex art throughout. Nothing wrong with that, as the art's iconic at this point, but it would have been nice to see a reprint with new art here, outside of a Secret Lair or special one-off release. 

Despite these many reprints, it's still a very highly sought-after card that couldn't be found for under $8 until this most recent version. And if you want to be really fancy, that Legions version in foil is currently almost $300.

Did we want it?

In short, yes. Absolutely. The more reprints of Seedborn Muse, the merrier. As per EDHREC, the card's in 217,048 lists, or 8% of decks with green. It's one of those universally excellent cards that can single-handedly generate so much advantage that you'll likely win the game if it survives a full turn cycle. 

It's the 13th-most popular green creature in the format, which is saying a lot considering the depth of high-quality green creatures it's contending with.

Hedron Crab

Did we need it?

Oh, Hedron Crab. This little, unassuming crustacean has been terrorizing mill-averse Commander players for nearly as long as the format has existed. Coming to us from 2009's Zendikar, the little fella's only been reprinted in The List and as part of a Secret Lair last year:

That's it, until now. Despite only being an uncommon, the Zendikar version's $8, and The List printing is a quarter more than that. As for the colorful Secret Lair printing, that's almost $20. So, if you've wanted a Hedron Crab but didn't want to buy one, you're in luck. The TDC printing is already the cheapest, hovering at $5-ish. 

Did we want it?

Its younger, handsomer brother Ruin Crab might have stolen Hedron Crab's spotlight a bit. Hedron's in 35,527 decks, while Ruin's in almost twice that. However, as mentioned, there aren't nearly as many Hedron Crab copies floating around out there, and there's something to be said about Hedron's targeted removal having more versatility in some situations (like self-mill) than the blanket table-mill of Ruin. 

Maybe we'll see Hedron catch up to Ruin now that it's more easily obtainable.

Lightning Round

We've hit the highlights, but there are still many, many reprints out there thanks to TDC. We won't waste breath going over Sol Ring, et. al. because frankly I'm sick of writing about them, but there are other interesting tidbits to mine.

Not as exciting these days as it was when it showed up in Alara Reborn, sadly. Lord of Extinction has been outclassed a bit and having no evasion hurts quite a bit. Still, the novelty/nostalgia of it has kept its price around $7 for decades.

Only the second reprint of Tree of Redemption since it debuted in Innistrad, and the first with new art. People might be complaining that it's this tree, and not Tree of Perdition

We're seeing a lot of cards from 2021-2022 get their turn on the reprint merry-go-round right now, so cards from sets like Strixhaven are going to be popping up frequently in the next few sets. There's nothing wrong with that, as there are some really cool cards from that recent era people might have skipped or missed, thanks to the constant deluge of new stuff we've gotten since then. See the next card for another example.

This is the first reprint of Tocasia's Welcome since it came out of The Brothers' War. White's trying to catch up in the card advantage game for awhile now, and cards like this are a good way to do it without going overboard.

Originally from Commander 2015, we've seen nine reprints of Command Beacon since, and this one in TDC makes 10. Even still, the card's weirdly expensive, with the most recent printing still more than $7.

Obviously Defender decks have loved this card since it appeared in New Capenna Commander, but decks that care about keywords love it, too. However, until now it had never been reprinted, so you'd be spending $10 for a copy. At least the TDC version's already down to $7.

Only a brief stop on The List separates this reprint from the card's debut in War of the Spark. That's a surprise, since it's widely beloved by blue players. At least that's what I've been told. 

How expensive can a vanilla creature not from 1993 get? Well, if you've got a thick trunk and are from Morningtide, you're Indomitable Ancients and you're $10. The TDC reprint, the card's first, is half that, so don't get too worked up about it. But 10 toughness for four mana is still pretty unique.

Originally from Zendikar, Crypt of Agadeem has been seen as a budget land for big mana black decks, until the price kept rising out of budget range. Now it's $6+ for the Zendikar printing and its sole reprint from Commander 2014. The TDC version will help deflate that price, but the budget days for Crypt of Agadeem are over.

This is the first reprint of Colfenor's Urn since it showed up with Lorwyn. It's never really been too expensive, currently hovering just below $5 in most cases, but it's still cool when a card like this is dredged out of obscurity to join a preconstructed deck.

A $5 uncommon from Urza's Legacy, Phyrexian Reclamation is seeing its third Commander precon reprint here to go along with its presence in two Jumpstart sets and a Secret Lair.

Every time it's reprinted, people say, "hey look, they reprinted Skullclamp!" We forget, though, that Skullclamp has been reprinted in at least one precon every year for eight of the past 10 years. Never has it had a bearded, tusked goblin seeing God on the art, though.

Special Guests

As is now custom, every new set release comes with 10 Special Guests that may or may not be tied into that set's theme. With Tarkir: Dragonstorm, the selections are definitely thematic:

The above cards are traditional foil, but there's also a chance to get the fetch lands in "dragonscale foil" with different art:

In terms of reprints and value and all that stuff, these won't do anything for prices or availability. They're fancy collector's items, and the dragonscale fetches are already being priced at the high $100 and low $200s. The most expensive, Misty Rainforest, is currently $240. So if you're opening Collector Packs, which is the only place you can open one of these, good luck and Godspeed. 

Glory to the Burning Ones!

And that'll do it for the Reprint Review of Tarkir: Dragonstorm. We've gone over quite a bit today; was there anything you think I left out? Any reprints you were particularly excited for? Any cards that you're surprised didn't make the Tarkir cut? You know what to do.