Draconian Swarm (Ur-Dragon Tribal) (Commander / EDH MTG Deck)

Draconian Swarm (Ur-Dragon Tribal)

Commander / EDH*

FoxLGV

Land (37)

Creature (30)

Planeswalker (3)

Enchantment (11)

Artifact (10)

Sorcery (5)

Instant (3)

Maybeboard

Instant (1)

1x Eladamri's Call

With the arrival of Commander 2017 I was presented with the wondrous opportunity to rebuild a five colour EDH deck stolen many years ago. In the spirit of its predecessor this deck is designed to be a fun, more or less casual deck, focused on being fun to play as without being so oppressive that your opponents just don't enjoy the game. It's tuned with flavour in mind, and limited to what I have available to me; but feel free to make suggestions for things I should look out to acquire. I will be updating the deck as I play with it.

Detailed Synopsis Show

The Commander

The Ur-Dragon is selected as the commander for several reasons. The eminence ability helps counterbalance any mana issues you may experience early on, but it's also a very flavourful leader for any sort of dragon swarm. It's big, it hits hard, and adding it to any reasonable board position instantly threatens far more than simply lethal damage. The ability to slam it onto the field and draw X cards before putting a permanent straight into play can surprise anyone not paying attention, refilling your hand to rebuild after the inevitable board wipe. Its mana cost can be a it of a downside, and playing it multiple times can sometimes become arduous. Personally after the second death, I will often let it go to the graveyard and pull it back with cards like Unburial Rites or Bladewing the Risen.

The Dragons

Every dragon horde requires lots of dragons, and limited to 100 cards you have to be a bit choosy. The deck fields a number of dragons to fill a variety of roles, all while sitting comfortably within the mantle of 'big flying lizard that breaths fire.' Nearly one third of the deck is dragons, which should give you plenty of scales to blot out the sky with.

The '6/6 for 6' dragons (Crosis, Darigaaz, Dromar, Intet, Numot Oros, Rith, Teneb, Treva, and Vorosh) act as the main meat of the deck, and are selected mostly of flavour reasons. In MTG lore, these creatures made up two groups known as the "Dragons Primeval," who were nearly invincible when banded together, and the "Chaos Primeval," who were the same draconian figureheads in an alternate timeline. Each of them made up a part of The Ur-Dragon, which is more an avatar of dragonkind than a physical creature. While they're primarily used as the core of the deck, some of them have huge potential for small combos. Intet can be paired with Path of Ancestry to scry, swing, and then cast something big for free. Teneb can be used to pull dragons from the graveyard, including Bladewing which brings back something else, triple proccing enchantments like Ascendancy and Kindred Discovery. They also offer a bit of utilitarian diversity, giving you various abilities that can be handy in a pinch. Scion can also be used to pull specific ones out of your deck if they are seriously needed. They also provide wicked fuel for Wild Pair, which you'll notice nearly all of the dragons fit into nicely.

The Dragonlords (Dromoka, Kolaghan, Atarka, Ojutai, and Silumgar) are also included. Here we use the 'lord form' of Dromoka for his protection (preventing opposing spells on your turn) and Kolaghan for haste (which is valuable enough to overlook his awkward total Attack/Toughness). Atarka, Ojutai, and Silumgar use their non-lord forms as their abilities procing on each attacking dragon fit the play-style of the deck more than their lord forms.

Of the other dragons included, Utvara Hellkite, Scalelord Reckoner, Bladewing the Risen, Hellkite Charger, and Scion of the Ur-Dragon all need to be mentioned as well. Utvara is what truly produces a 'dragon horde,' massing your field faster than anyone can blink. Drop it once you have a at least two or three already on board for guaranteed value, and sit back knowing you've just produced blockers to cover you and your planeswalkers until next turn. Keep in mind, every time you play this it's likely to get board wiped; so you may want to wait until people have used some of theirs up and just hope it sticks. This should also be your primary target for reanimation when the time arises.

Scalelord Reckoner is an excellent deterrent. Mutually assured destruction works for our governments and it can really put in work in any commander game.

Bladewing is a great way to pull dragons back. It will also double-proc the decks card-drawing enchantments. It's also a useful way to get around your commander tax if it's been cast too many times. Remember that its ability triggers when it comes into the battlefield, meaning you can resurrect Bladewing to immediately pull something else back with it.

Hellkite Charger is a scary card indeed, and if it survives with a few friends it can be used to double-proc all of the 'dragon attack' abilities in the deck. Given a source of haste and Utvara Hellkite you can swing, spawn dragons, untap, swing with all the new dragons as well, and effectively quadruple your board instantly.

Scion needs little explanation, he's the literal herald of your commander and an amazing card. Swapping him into the commander slot is perfectly viable, but it does alter the decks play-style from 'dragon horde' into a more aggressive one that can make you the target of retaliation before you've even done anything. Use him to hunt for specific dragons, reanimating them from the graveyard shortly thereafter.

Supporting Permanents

Sadly, not quite an 'independent horde who don't need no enchantments,' this deck relies on a number of artifacts and enchantments to keep its engine rolling; but the ones therein should keep your hand full and your mana extensive.

Elemental Bond, Kindred Discovery, and Temur Ascendancy all act as great sources of card draw. Try to avoid playing more than one at a time, as they will get targeted by any forward thinking player. If opponents are willing to leave you alone, Kindred Discovery can bring you back from nothing in just one dragon and two turns (thanks to drawing on attack as well as coming into play).

Lurking Predators and Wild Pair can throw things onto the board for free and stack up very quickly. Wild Pair has a ton of synergy with this decklist as all but one creature has one or more creatures to pull out of the deck; nearly all dragons falling into the 4/4, 5/5, or 6/6 slots.

Temur Ascendancy and Dragon Tempest offer haste, giving you a great amount of striking power even from your hand. Play them a turn or two before big plays and reap the rewards of the various 'dragon attacks' abilities the deck offers.

Herald's Horn, Dragonlord's Servant, Morophon, the Boundless, and Dragonspeaker Shaman all stack up on The Ur-Dragon's eminence ability. Having more than one on the board can make your dragons nearly free, nullifying their massive costs.

Three planeswalkers are included in the decklist, although they are mostly for flavour reasons. Ugin and Bolas, despite being enemies in lore, are both great to throw down in late-game standoffs to quickly get things rolling again. If no one deals with them, they can give you the extra umf to end the game. Sarkhan Unbroken provides another source of card draw, and a little bit of mana ramp. Getting him out early can give you a good edge for slipping into late-game, and if you do manage to get his ultimate off you can basically win the game right there and then.

And of course, the deck hosts Crucible of Fire for obvious reasons, as well as several mana rocks to help ramp you into the mid and late-game.

Land Ramp

Any good five colour deck needs land ramp. Any good five colour deck that has an average CMC of five, needs a lot of it. Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, Explosive Vegetation, and Harrow are some of the best ramp spells in the game. Paired with mana rocks like Dragon's Hoard, Darksteel Ingot, and Sol Ring you should have no problem establishing a good land base.

Update: July 17, 2019

Two years down and several changes! The deck performs better than ever, and has even more powerful toys to play with. New cards means cuts, and I've had to give up some of my favourite cards to make way for better ones. But since then, the new additions have definitely earned their place in the list.

Anguished Unmaking -> Utter End

The extra mana never felt like that big of a deal, but the three life does. This deck is wicked fast and anything more than the worst possible start will make you an early target as the mid-game kicks off. The three life difference has saved multiple close games.

Commander's Sphere -> Dragon's Hoard

This was a simple change, consistent card draw will always outpace a one off, and it's perfectly on theme!

Diabolic Tutor -> Sarkhan's Triumph

Over time I noticed I was searching for dragons way more often than non dragons with Diabolic, and needing two black is a bit of a weird cost for a wubrg deck focused on red and green. Moving the coloured requirement over to a single red meant I was searching far more often and able to pull out specific dragons when they were most needed.

Dragonmaster Outcast -> Skyline Despot

This was a weird swap, but I found outcast under-performing in most games. The only upside seemed to be that it came down turn one, but that would quickly draw aggression and even played late it was almost always removed before it became useful. Despot on the other hand has one key element that's always been useful: Card draw. The Monarch mechanic can really make games interesting, and even if the dragon gets removed before the next turn it still leaves behind a consistent draw source. More importantly, once the game turns into archenemy your opponents are encouraged to swing at each other for the monarch, splintering their efforts to take you down.

Exotic Orchard -> Cavern of Souls

This was a no-brainer once I got my hands on a copy, and it's served me well since.

Hellkite Tyrant -> Lathliss, Dragon Queen

While Tyrant presented an alternate win condition, it never seemed to become relevant. Pulling in Lathliss will allow for more tokens, focusing instead on the decks core theme and supporting its more consistent wincon.

Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker -> Nicol Bolas, the Ravager

As powerful as the original Nicol bolas planeswalker is, there's one thing it's technically not: a dragon. This means it doesn't synergize with many of the deck's main components. While this is fine, trading it out for the flip bolas offers similar abilities but with a dragon body that can land hard as a turn three drop.

Path to Exile -> Sarkhan, Fireblood

So over time, I've found that the removal in this deck is usually redundant. The deck is fast and efficient, and does better with more ways to move even faster than ways to disrupt your opponents. Ninety percent of the time, your opponent's creatures will be smaller and largely irrelevant to your game plan.

Prismatic Geoscope -> Chromatic Lantern

Geoscope is just too slow. Turn 4-6 is better spent planting dragons on the board to prepare for lethal blows in following turns. Geoscope allows for a whole other dragon on the following turn, but costs the same as a whole dragon itself (and can't be discounted). Chromatic lantern instead ensures complete colour coverage and comes down earlier.

Ramos, Dragon Engine -> Dragon Broodmother

Ramos is a huge hit and a lot of fun, but his explosive mechanics require significant setup. Dragon Broodmother instead requires none, and arguable hits just as hard. Creating dozens of small dragons over such a short period of time offers easy blockers, and a massive wave of attack triggers. The devour is largely irrelevant, but never really necessary.

Ryusei, the Falling Star -> Rhythm of the Wild

Ryusei is fun, and a really interesting board wipe, but the key problem is that it doesn't trigger until it dies. This makes it difficult to control when you get to board wipe, and aside from that ability he doesn't really provide much for the deck. Swapping in Rhythm provides an additional haste source, and some counter protection.

Scourge of Kher Ridges -> Ojutai, Soul of Winter

Scourge's ability to board wipe was useful, but it had a serious drawback: It killed your 6/6s. Normally only flying creatures get in the way of victory, and Scourge's only way to clear a path eats a lot of your board up too. Ojutai gets around that, and does so with no mana investment.

Steel Hellkite -> Kaya's Ghostform

This wasn't really a direct swap, but Kaya's Ghostform is just too good to not include and Hellkite didn't bring that much to the deck. Having no trouble killing players, board state is usually irrelevant and removing the player behind tricky permanents has always been easier. With ghostform, you can protect key assets from even board wipes, allowing a quick rebuilding turn to secure the win with those key pieces.

Vivid Crag -> Ancient Ziggurat

Vivid Grove -> Unclaimed Territory

Island -> Spinerock Knoll

Plains -> Windbrisk Heights

Some Land upgrades.

Update: Sept. 13th, 2017

Welcome back everyone, I'm happy to report the deck is performing admirably, and far better than expected. As a disclaimer: I have been playing multiplayer and can't really speak from experience as to how this deck would perform one on one, but I couldn't be more proud of it. It's an absolute powerhouse that, if given even an inch of room to breath, can swarm the board over and over; recovering from board-wipes and just mauling players down. It is however, a bit rough around the edges; and I'd like to make a few changes to hopefully streamline it.

Dragon Arch -> Ascetecism

While I love Dragon Arch, for both flavour and function, I just have to put it down. While the discount it offers is nice, and its ability to throw dragons in at flash speed has come in handy once or twice, it is limited to the multicoloured dragons and to only one dragon per round. Often I've found I run out of dragons to use it with, and almost never need the discount. The deck ramps so well and consistently that I've only once had Arch save me from a loss. For these reasons, it's been cut to make room for Ascetecism. The hexproof shield has done wonders for keeping high value dragons on the field, and when paired with Scalelord Reckoner you practically have run of the board until the next wipe. Placing it on the field right before, or one turn ahead of, The Ur-Dragon or Utvara Hellkite can really lock down a win against tricky control decks.

Rishkar's Expertise -> Zendikar Resurgent

I added Rishker's Expertise|RE onto the deck quickly in hopes of adding more card draw to the deck, but overlooked a serious drawback: nearly all of the dragon's cost six or more. While it was helpful in establishing supporting permanents, its use was limited and the draw engines performed well enough that it hasn't been needed. It's been cut to make room for Zendikar Resurgent for obvious reasons, which acts as not only a one-sided flare but also another card draw engine. Also it fits flavour-fully with the Zendikar full-art lands I'm running, and that makes me happy.

Fearsome Awakening -> Unburial Rites

While Fearsome Awakening is rather flavourful, the two counters don't really have much impact. Having a second used of Unburial Rites, and with flashback (that many people forget about), it's too good to pass up. The change is simple, and doesn't compromise the flavour of the deck to any colossal degree.

Vivid Meadow -> Temple of the False Gods

The vivid lands haven't entirely done me very well, most games I never remove a single counter from them (and having dice on the field does make it difficult to manage lands when time is running short). Temple of the False Gods|Temple provides a little bit of boots in exchange for the difficult vivid lands, and has helped with lategame mana presence for casting big things (like The Ur-Dragon for the third time).

Vivid Marsh -> Homeward Path

Oh boy am I happy to make this swap. For the same reason as above, Marsh is being swapped out for Homeward Path, which will hopefully provide mild protection against control decks, or the random Karrthus that shows up.

Vivid Creek -> Swiftfoot Boots

Same reason with the 'Vivids,' swapping in a pair of flaming boots because Lightning Greaves have been SO helpful at keeping key targets alive and providing haste in the absence of the haste engines. They should provide simply another option for Greaves, giving you twice as much access to them.

Tyrant's Familiar -> Anguished Unmaking

This is probably the hardest change to make, seeing such a good dragon go. But the deck, frankly, needs better removal. I'm going to watch this alteration closely over the next few dozen games, because I'm not entirely sold on it; thoughts would be appreciated. Pulling Familiar for Unmaking is done mostly to make a slot for Unmaking without upsetting the balance. The deck has good ramp, good draw engines, good supporting structure, and a strong meaty base. The meaty base is, the only thing in particular excess. Anguished Unmaking provides a very potent removal spell that simply upgrades the position Tyrant's Familiar was occupying. There have been several times I've put Familiar onto the board wishing it was a true removal spell, and I've never actually gotten to use its ability more than once. It's always just ended the game right there, or been wiped/targeted off the board in an instant. Hopefully this will help provide a bit more removal to put the deck into a better spot at breaking through pillow forts and control, without compromising the deck's strong core.

Mountain -> Dragonmaster Outcast

Finally having access to Dragonmaster Outcast I've been eager to put him in and further embody the Draconian Swarm this deck is designed to be. Sadly, slots are getting harder and harder to find. The primary hesitation with this change comes from removing two lands from the board in one update, and I'll be watching very closely to see how this goes. The decision is justified on the experience of several games in which mana flooding becomes a mid-game problem if one draw engine doesn't pull another before getting removed. While this isn't a consistent problem, it's happened enough for me to take note of it. So I'll see how the deck fairs with two less lands, and hopefully that'll be the end of that.

As always suggestions and feedback are both welcome and encouraged, many of your early suggestions have brought the deck thus-far and I hope even further in the future.

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Date added	6 years
Last updated	4 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	12 - 0 Mythic Rares 41 - 0 Rares 23 - 0 Uncommons 10 - 0 Commons
Cards	99
Avg. CMC	4.74
Tokens	Dragon 1/1 RG, Dragon 4/4 R, Dragon 5/5 R, Dragon 6/6 R, Saproling 1/1 G, Monarch Emblem
Folders	Draconic Domination, Commander 2017 Decks!, EDH, EDH/Commander, Decks I want to own
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