The Ur-Dragon Initiative

Commander / EDH* Derpsofdoom

SCORE: 72 | 74 COMMENTS | 20355 VIEWS | IN 43 FOLDERS


Next Deck update 9/13/2017 —Sept. 13, 2017

Hello everyone. Thank you for all the support that you have given. I hope this deck continues to advance and continues to prove popular among everybody. Anyway now that the thanks are out of the way, lets get into the changes shall we.

O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami ---> Sunscorch Regent: Yup, I have removed the kami and decided to put in a dragon that costed a little less and wasn't as color intensive. Just never found the Kami hitting back and getting his effect off. Most players (Yidris) would remove him before he became a problem. So Sunscorch Regent is getting his time to shine. Plus he will get bigger and heal me as the game goes on, which will then force people to cast some kind of removal on him, even if I did pay 4 mana. Still more use than O-Kagachi.

Dragonlord's Servant ----> Sylvan Caryatid: I know what you are thinking, why did I remove the servant. Well to be honest, the power level is about the same and I would rather have the mana for other spells than just dragons. The caryatid has similar, if not more power than the servant does in the early game. While servant will win out in late game, by that time has happened, he has more than likely been wiped by a board wipe and is useless. At least caryatid has hexproof.

Dragonspeaker Shaman ----> Selvala, Heart of the Wilds: Holy crap, he removed the shaman. That might be also what you are thinking but the reasons are similar to the servant's. At the shamans worst, he is a cost reduction for dragons, while his best is a cost reduction for all dragons that can be played on the same turn if mana permits. While Selvala, Heart of the Wilds is a 3 mana signet at her worst. Her best is a 10 mana rock with The Ur-Dragon on the field. Also, this mana can be used for other things than just creatures.

Vindicate ----> Return to Dust: Vindicate was removed for the fact that being a dragon deck, we really aren't afraid of creatures. There might be a few that do cause problems, but that is few and far. Most things that will threaten us will be artifacts and enchantments that prevents us from doing what we do best. Eat thy enemy.

Herald's Horn ----> Sword of Feast and Famine: Ok, now you can panic. This was a tough cut and I am not sure where else I could have done it. I really wanted to keep the horn because it is a bonus draw effect at times and is a dragon cost reduction, but the sword is so good. I will do my best to try and fit the horn back in, but I want to keep the sword. Get your lands back and make the opponent discard a card can be awesome. Plus that pro green and pro black are not something to scoff at.

Whip of Erebos ----> Scroll Rack: Scroll rack is going to be card that if played correctly, it will save your games and get you so many good cards. Especially with all the shuffle affects in the deck. Scroll rack is just to good to not use here. I also saw no play with the whip and I almost always had something better to play in hand instead of the whip.

These are some of the recent changes. Other changes I want to do is possibly add Dragon Arch and maybe replace Nature's Lore with a Cultivate/Kodama's Reach. Already have Skyshroud Claim digging for two forests, might be good to add some other colors in this department, plus it helps set your next land drop if you don't have one. Thinking of also adding Somberwald Sage but just haven't found what to cut for it yet. Ramos, Dragon Engine was possibly on the chopping block, but decided to keep him for further testing. He is very strong, just gets targeted a lot if not careful.

Another thing I have considered was adding a bunch of signets and then add a Paradox Engine and run that and see how far it goes. I have seen Paradox Engine do a lot of work for people. Anyway that is all for now, if anyone has any suggestions, don't hold back and lets see what we can do to make this deck even better. Have a great day. :D

Pickachu202 says... #1

I would suggest Skyshroud Claim as a potential alternative to tempt with discovery

September 4, 2017 12:39 a.m.

MadDogLai says... #2

My take is to cheat creatures in with Quicksilver Amulet or Dragon Arch while removing Whip of Erebos or O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami

September 5, 2017 4:05 a.m.

Rabid_Wombat says... #3

I'll second MadDogLai's recommendation of Quicksilver Amulet and Dragon Arch...may I suggest that you use both! Dragons at instant speed are great fun and these two artifacts add an extra dimension to the deck.

September 5, 2017 6:57 a.m.

Derpsofdoom says... #4

MadDogLai and Rabid_Wombat. Hey guys, yeah I have been thinking of putting at least one of those cards in this deck. Maybe Belbe's Portal and Dragon Arch instead of Quicksilver Amulet but might all of them. Dragons at instant speed that can't be countered is not a bad deal. However, another deal I have found that I think I am going to have to do, especially since it helps with getting a good hand at just about anytime and with all the fetches, it has a lot of shuffle affects. Scroll Rack is a card that I am really considering of putting in this deck. Send away early game dragons that aren't needed and look for lands/ramp as to not miss land drops or lose on fixing. Plus, it can stack for Lurking Predators. With the amount of cards that can be drawn, it can very well be worth it to dig for answers that could save us in that instant. It can also prevent deck outs, so this seems very advantageous and I am thinking of getting one here really soon.

September 5, 2017 9:36 p.m.

VanHelsing87 says... #5

I have Dragon Arch and Sight of the Scalelords in my commander.

September 6, 2017 8:14 a.m.

DrkNinja says... #6

So... I just built this deck for my best friend, and I have a lot of knowledge if you are willing to listen.

The first thing I want to say, don't play The Ur-Dragon as your commander. I get why you did but less on your dragons isn't worth, having to pay 9 CMC for your commander. With Sion as your commander you get to play it turn 5, and put the Ur-Dragon on the table the next turn for , then you just reanimate it with Teneb, the Harvester or any reanimation tool.

Cards To Add Or Look At:

Cards to take out:

  • Ramos, Dragon Engine: When you play dragons you are under constant bombardment of Wraths because your creatures hit hard and do so much. Ramos will never make it to 5 +1/+1 counters which means he's just a flying body. He needs to be in a deck based around him or using +1/+1 counters.

  • Dragonlord's Servant: I get why it's in here, but again you can cheat dragons out with reanimation and this isn't good enough. Plus Heartless Summoning is harder to deal with because enchantment, and then it gives off so...

  • O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami: the card is WAY too situational, it assumes that you are playing against a deck that wants to attack you and not by other means. My play group is Omnath, Daretti, Mizzix, and Superfriends none of which this card works to help defeat.

  • Dragon Tempest: So you already have Temur Ascendancy which is better than the haste on this card, and Warstorm Surge does more damage per dragon. Ultimately this card relies on you keeping a huge board state which just isn't a reality when you sit down at the table with this deck.

  • Herald’s Horn: Descendants' Path is just better.

If you want some good ideas for the deck just come look at the deck I built for my friend. Its super competitive and honestly has been a threat to our play group.


'Dance Dragon, Dance!'

Commander / EDH* DrkNinja

SCORE: 1 | 8 COMMENTS | 413 VIEWS | IN 3 FOLDERS


September 6, 2017 1:11 p.m.

Rabid_Wombat says... #7

DrkNinja with respect the deck is not called "The Scion Initiative" lol - you did not build "this deck" for a friend. You built a Scion deck...of which there are already plenty of lists on tappedout.

Of course the Scion build you came up with is "super competitive".... they all are. And nearly all of the recommendations you made simply turn this list into another Scion deck, although I agree that Kilnmouth Dragon and Reanimate Dead are both worthy of consideration.

The challenge with The Ur-Dragon lists is the combination of ramp, card draw, removal and beatdown that is required to win. Okay, I admit it takes a lot of effort (and luck!) to win with the Big D as your Commander but when you do succeed with the deck even the most jaded edh veterans in the pod sit up and take notice.

September 6, 2017 10:25 p.m.

Derpsofdoom says... #8

@DrkNinja: Good evening my friend. I thank you for your suggestions and leaving your opinion on making a Scion of the Ur-Dragon over The Ur-Dragon but I will have to decline I am afraid. As Rabid_Wombat has said, this deck is designed to be a competitive The Ur-Dragon deck because The Ur-Dragon is exactly what I want. He is a proper tribal commander that plays for swarms of dragons. Is it tough to make something like this super competitive, yeah it is, but I wouldn't say impossible. I am learning and trying to make a deck that is competitive.

I agree with some of your suggestions like O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami and Ramos, Dragon Engine is not worth running upon my tests today. Ramos is strong but will probably shine much better in his own deck. Works well with the bolster mechanic from Dromoka, the Eternal but that is one other card to combo with it. I am also half tempted to remove Herald’s Horn for maybe an actual rock but these are all things I am thinking about. You are also very right about Dragonlord's Servant and possibly even Dragonspeaker Shaman. Probably will go for some mana dorks to run instead of those so that there is more speed for this deck and mana that is use able for other spells other than just dragons.

I will tell you that you are not ignored and if I ever consider making a Scion of the Ur-Dragon deck, then I will gladly consider many of these cards, but for now and for as long as I can try, this deck will one for The Ur-Dragon. I will also mention that some of the cards that you have mentioned are now some that I am considering for this deck. Debtors' Knell looks awesome and is amazing recursion for any deck.

Thank you for all your time and I hope you did at least enjoy the deck that I made for The Ur-Dragon. Please have a great day and I wish you the best of luck in all your future magic endeavors.

September 6, 2017 11:59 p.m. Edited.

Crav96 says... #9

Super +1 for the deck!! Two things:1. The way you're adding cards (e.g. Scroll Rack) it seems you're moving towards a combo deck, but correct me if Im wrong (just an assumption)2. Why no Sarkhan Unbroken

September 8, 2017 10:57 a.m.

jeffbriem says... #10

I run a Scion of the Ur-Dragon deck, but I like your build with the The Ur-Dragon as a commander. To start, I agree with Crav96, Sarkhan Unbroken is a good call for your deck, particularly because he ramps and fixes. I run him in I also agree with Pickachu202 that Skyshroud Claim is also better ramp than tempt with discovery; you'd need all three opponents in a multi-player game to take the bait or you actually end up down a net land. Skyshroud Claim gives you two untapped forests - or green shocklands.

Regarding my own suggestions, I like Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker better than Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh. God-Pharoah gives you either seven damage or random effects, the original either blows up permanents or steals their commander the turn he comes into play.

I don't love Thought Vessel because the ramp it provides is colorless. You might be better off with a Weathered Wayfarer. Wayfarer doesn't ramp, but it does let you dig out whatever land you need, including utility lands.

Speaking of utlity lands, I like to run a Ghost Quarter or a Strip Mine to deal with cards like Maze of Ith. Otherwise, Vindicate is the only way you have to get rid of a problematic land. Krosan Verge is also a land that ramps and can let you fix colors. Bojuka Bog gets rid of an opponent's reanimator strategy.

Since your commander doesn't tutor, have you thought about Worldly Tutor to get the dragon you need, when you need it? Also, since you're trying to ramp as large as possible, Tooth and Nail may also be a good fit.

Best of luck with the deck!

September 8, 2017 2:56 p.m.

DrkNinja says... #11

I guess if you are challenging yourself to build a Dargon deck with The Ur-Dargon then ok. Ultimately though, Scion is the more efficient and competitive of the decks; I'd go as far as to say that I would ALWAYS beat an Ur-Dargon deck with Scion because it's faster. I get my Ur-Dargon on turn 5 or 6 you get your Ur-Dargon at turn 7 or 8; likely turn 8.

My best friend, has been behind in their competitiveness, so when this deck came out I went in and made a deck that could actually compete. Apologies if I offended.

September 8, 2017 3:57 p.m.

Derpsofdoom says... #12

@Pickachu202: Yeah I agree, Ultimately, I vastly prefer Skyshroud Claim and was just playing with Tempt with Discovery. I have made the adjustment and put skyshroud back in the deck.

@Crav96: I am glad you enjoy the deck. I want it to be noted that I will be making a few adjustments to it really soon. I will be adding the mentioned Scroll Rack and the mighty Sword of Feast and Famine to help with getting Aggravated Assault infinite combat kills.

The removal of Dragonlord's Servant and Dragonspeaker Shaman might be happening as well to put in other dorks that will accelerate other spells instead of just being dragon reduction. Can leave that to the Urza's Incubator as that is its job. Anyway, on to a topic you asked about. Your curiosity towards Scroll Rack and why no Sarkhan Unbroken. The Scroll Rack is not going to be pushing a combo eccentric build. The idea is still the same, smash people in the face really really hard with dragons. There are other ways like scourge and dragon tempest but swinging is the standard procedure.

The Scroll Racks design is for fixing bad hands or sending cards away that aren't needed at that point. Especially since the deck uses quite a few shuffle affects like all the fetches, we can easily trade our hand in for something new and possible hunt for specific cards. One can also imagine the scenario of a starting hand with 1 land, Sol Ring, Scroll Rack, and then the rest dragons or other spells with high costs. This would normally be a very bad hand to start with but the Scroll Rack can open this to be a great start with dropping the land, ring, and rack turn 1. then send everything back to the deck, hit another land, or even better a fetch land, then create what plays you can with the new hand. Now I am not saying this is still a good hand to keep, but it is possible to fix that kind of scenario. It also has the possibility of fetching the other half of your deck if one ends up drawing a lot of cards, which the deck can do. The rack will also put dragons from your hand, back onto the deck so that Lurking Predators can trigger them out. It helps with fixing dead hands so that the deck can continue strong.

Next is Sarkhan Unbroken. I don't run him right now because I do love Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh and Ugin, the Spirit Dragon as my two main planeswalkers and I do not run anymore than the two because of space. Though Sarkhan Unbroken is a great planeswalker, he will more than likely not survive a round at the table to let you ramp into your other spells. He might, but while he is on the field, the target that does get painted on him is incredibly large. I also don't own one, so there is that.

@jeffbriem: Glad you enjoy the deck, and yeah I agree with some of the previous posts so I have made the change to Skyshroud Claim. As for the bolas. I really like the god-pharaoh, but I also really like his standard planeswalker as well. I want to run both of them, but I will not remove Ugin, the Spirit Dragon for him and I really don't see the space for a third walker.

Thought Vessel, while it is a colorless mana ramp card, it is mainly in the deck for the hand size bonus, as the deck can draw a lot of cards and my recursion abilities are small. I would just rather keep cards in my hand than discard them, and since it is on a rock, it does help pay for other spells that aren't dragons.

I also don't own a Strip Mine, otherwise I would be running it and I also forgot about it until I saw it last night being played at my local playgroup. So I am looking at getting that in the deck somehow and possibly the Bojuka Bog. Was killed by a Karador, Ghost Chieftain last night that went infinite because the Yidris player decided it was a good idea to mill the table.

I won't lie, I am thinking about the Tooth and Nail because it is just a strong tutor card. I think I would run it over Worldly Tutor.

I also want to mention, but with the spoilers of Iconic Masters, I am probably going to want and will be trying to get a Ancestral Vision, maybe Mana Drain for the deck. I am also looking for any kind of draw card spells that might fit into this deck so if anyone has suggestions, I am all ears. Thought about Rishkar's Expertise and it was in here and one point, but the amount of mana needed to spend and if it gets countered. Doesn't seem good at that point.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but hey, thanks for all the valuable input. I wish you all the best and thank you for checking out the deck. Have a great day everyone. :D

September 8, 2017 4:09 p.m.