Moving our eyes over the mountain side of things and the traditional color of Dragons, I fully expect that we will see some very fun cards in red.
Stormscale Scion: If you’ve played any kind of storm-based deck in years past, you know that one of the usual win conditions for the deck are to build up a big storm count with cantrips and red fast mana (in as much spending two to get three is fast, sorry, Seething Song) and then win with either a lethal Grapeshot (now) or Empty the Warrens (next turn).
Now you can storm up this guy instead, but in a storm deck, do you want to? Grapeshot costs two, ETW is four. Storm decks can get to six mana but they often live on the razor’s edge of “just enough mana to win.”
If Seething Song was still legal in anything but Legacy, I could see this being a centerpiece card. But it isn’t, so Commander is probably it’s ceiling.
Dracogenesis: Like Omniscience, but for Dragons! And right there you have both the floor and ceiling for this card in one sentence. Probably one of the most ultimate Timmy cards ever and cheaper than Omniscience, and I suppose if you squint you could say “yeah, and Shapeshifters, too.”
Like Stormscale Scion above, you could power this out using artifact and fast mana but then your Dragon density goes down. I’ll want a copy or two for Commander, for sure, but just don’t see this happening in any other constructed format, unless someone really wants to make the niche Show & Tell deck happen.
Magmatic Hellkite: Have I mentioned that, underneath this warm and kind exterior, deep down I’ve got a heart of pure spite, like an evil peanut M&M. Unfun decks were my stock in trade. Death by Stasis locks? Yes please. Grind you out with the Millstone? You’re speaking my love language.
But land destruction, man, I’ve always had the softest of soft spots for some land-o. Justifiably, the days of three-mana land kill spells and Black Vise are consigned to history, and any appreciable land destruction spells start at four and they are pretty much terrible.
But this guy! This guy gets my Ponza heart beating. The Ghost Quarter effect is reasonable, the body is nice for the price and moving the stun counter ability to lands now, I like that kind of creative thinking.
I tend to be terrible at predicting “omigod this is gonna be the breakout card of the set” but I really believe this guy is gonna be a strong supporting player across multiple formats and I’d get that playset when you can. Not every card can be Michael Jordan, you need some Luc Longleys and Horace Grants in there, too.
Sarkhan, Dragon Attendant: The centerpiece for the new behold mechanic. I behold a card … that isn’t that good.
Tersa Lightshatter: If we lived in a world without Screaming Nemesis, people would be going gaga over this card, but unfortunately, we do. There’s still a lot to like here! Similar stats and a useful ability, but if the ability targeted a specific card, not random, then I’d be down to clown. I think it’s worth picking up a playset, this is the kind of card that only needs the right situation to shine, or for Screaming Nemesis to at least rotate out of the format.
Channeled Dragonfire: I played a lot of Red Deck Wins back in the day. I’ve flashed back more than my fair share of Firebolts. Sadly, this isn’t Firebolt. Awesome in draft, that’s about it.
Stadium Headliner: One mana Goblins with an ability will always find a home somewhere (even one mana Goblins with no abilities used to find homes), and this one’s no exception in a go-wide strategy. If only it made Goblin tokens, alas.
Fleeting Effigy: Yet another attempt to make a one-drop 2/2 bounce creature, like Reinforced Ronin. Much like fetch, this is never going to happen.
Sunset Strikemaster: An odd melange of abilities here; I’m all for a mana dork in red, and I guess that second ability is a concession to “hey we need more ways to kill Dragons at uncommon.” I like this card a lot. Could be the breakout uncommon of the set.
Molten Exhale: Even without the Dragon bonus this is a perfectly cromulent card. Deal four sorceries have been more than playable in sideboards for some time now.
Wild Ride: Harmonize is not flashback! Stop trying to make harmonize happen!
Once again, I remember the days of Reckless Charge, and this isn’t Reckless Charge. Still not a terrible card, though. Another draft all star but that’s about it.
The overall verdict? Like much of the set, all the good stuff is up at rare and mythic, I wouldn’t call this a prince set quite yet but in draft, the rares you open will likely steer you where you want to go and most of the constructed stuff is at rare and above.