So this is my current take on a dragon tribal deck featuring The Ur-Dragon as the commander.I didn't want to run a Scion deck because honestly, id rather the deck feel like i'm summoning a few big to huge dragons as opposed to just winning voltron-style with Scion's tutoring shenanigans. The overall deck is a ramping stompy deck, minus two pottential pieces i am either waiting on or are going to get soon (gonna have to wait on my Sarkhan Unbroken in the mail), and then I'll figure out where I actually want them in the deck.
Another reason I wanted to try this deck is because of the many powerful and varied effects available to dragon tribal, ranging from card draw to straight up board wipes. As such, I wanted to experiment and try and build a creature toolbox similar to an - Animar, Soul of Elements - deck. Adding white and black means I get to take advantage of some very strong removal as well.
That being said, I'm going to update this description with some card by card reasoning behind why i'm running the current decklist, and will update as I change it, play more games, ect.
The deck has a relatively high creature count, sitting at 40 currently. Of those, 36 are dragons. This is to maximize the benefits of "Dragons Matter" cards and take full advantage of The Ur-Dragon's Eminence passive.
Birds of Paradise - This card is one of the decks ways of fixing mana of any color: as a five color deck, having access to any color needed, especially for color heavy pieces like Dragon Broodmother or Niv Mizzet, is a must. Flying helps it dodge incidental anti-ground sweepers, while the fact that the bird has very little in terms of combat stats leads it to often be ignored by targeted removal. (incidental or board wipes will still probably aim for it though)
Dragonlord's Servant - and - Dragonspeaker Shaman - both fulfill a role similar to Birds: both of these cards make dragons cheaper to cast. Coupled with - The Ur-Dragon -, this makes casting multiple 5 or six drop dragons early in the game a distinct possibility.
Taigam, Ojutai Monk - is the last non-dragon in the deck. Sitting at 4 mana, he isn't expensive, but isn't an early drop either. He has decent states, but his abilities are what make him worthwile in the deck: preventing blue opponents from countering your dragons, instants, and sorceries is tantamount to success and will oftentimes negate about 10-15% of a heavily blue control decks' draws against your main threats. His rebound ability is nice, but its really just icing on the cake. It is strong when you get to double up on some of your land searching spells or an - Utter End -, however, so look for opportunities to punch through for player damage.
Boneyard Scourge - is one of the new cards from the Commander 2017 release and seems a tad unimpressive at most. While sitting at BB2, it is technically a three drop in this deck, and its main purpose comes from its passive. Having a body come onto the field after a board wipe is the first step from recovering from it, and it can do so repeatedly throughout the game as needed, making it useful despite its average stats.
Thunderbreak Regent - this dragon from Tarkir acts as a minor deterrent to single target removal and abilities that attempt to damage / maim / kill / steal your dragons by bolting opponents whenever they make an attempt. However, it's also a cheap body in a very mana intensive deck, and as such provides incremental value over time if opponents decide to pot-shot at your board without taking care of the Regent first.
Dragonlord Ojutai - 1280 years of scholarly work and meditation may have caused Ojutai to lose out on some toughness, but this iteration has built-in protection as long as it is untapped. When you feel like you need to net yourself some card advantage, letting you dig through the top three cards of your deck and drawing one while filtering the rest to the bottom when he attacks. Sitting at 5/4, he isn't too shabby at combat either, and as such plays well offensively, defensively, and as a support.
Dromoka, The Eternal - The younger version of Dromoka is a solid "four" drop on her own, but her bolster 2 effects really begin to add up once you have a few other dragons on the board. Even some of the mana dorks on the lower end of your curve become threatening after a bolster or 2, and repeated triggers help your creatures dodge damaging and - Languish - type removal spells.
Kolaghan, The Storm's Fury - Just as Dromoka plays well as a defensive asset, the original Kolaghan is a lightning-quick offensive threat. By granting all your creatures +1/+0 for EACH attacking dragon, she can lead to some devastatingly powerful attacks, and her dash mechanic lets you both dodge sorcery speed removal and trigger ETB effects on Scourge of Valkas and Dragon Tempest with only one card. Note that the +1/+0 buff affects ALL your creatures, so you can end up with a VERY hard hitting Birds, Taigam, or even incidental saprolings depending on your opponents.
Scalelord Reckoner - This member of Dromoka's brood is another new card from C17, and is essentially - Karmic Justice - on a dragon. Triggering off of the same circumstances of Thunderbreak Regent, this scalelord will retaliate against opponents that attempt to mess with your board state by destroying theirs. A strong deterrent that can be used to snipe off key pieces of any deck that decides to try and disrupt your board state, and downright mean when used in conjunction with Thunderbreak.
Scion of the Ur-Dragon - Scion makes the final cut because of its versatility and its ability to act as a tutor for whatever kind of combat support you might need at the time it attacks. While i wanted to avoid having it as the commander to the deck, it acts fine as a support role that can fish out a Fate Reforged legendary dragon for some nasty effects out of the library, and the amount of graveyard recursion in the current build is usually sufficient to mitigate the otherwise permanent loss of dragons fed to him, and turns him into a pseudo-repeatable tutor in conjunction with Teneb or Palace Siege.
Scourge of Valkas - Repeatable and scaling fireballs on a decently strong dragon body with firebreathing? Sign me up! This piece is nasty in conjunction with Utvara Hellkite and a field full of attacking Dragons, and Dragon Broodmother turns every player's upkeep into another burn / removal spell. Even just incidental, free burns begin to add up. Just be careful of it's relatively average P/T for a dragon at only 4/4.
Spellbound Dragon - Loots whenever it attacks, and gets buffed based on the CMC of what you discarded. A solid base toughness and decent utility on a creature make it a good pick, but I might switch him out for Sarkhan due to their similar mana costs and Sarkhan adding mana and not having to discard. However, Spellbound is still very strong, especially if you dump one of your many high-drop cards, easily hitting for 8-9 damage.
Stormbreath Dragon - This hasty dragon starts out small, but can stop aggressive voltron decks with white commanders in their tracks due to its innate protection (read as: one of your best bets against -Avacyn, Angel of Hope- or -Rafiq of the Many-. It's monstrosity turns it into a pretty big threat, and absolutely kills blue players that want to get cute with massive card draw spells and - Reliquary Tower- or - Thought Vessel -, and threatens to do so at instant speed if you leave the mana up.
Sunscorch Regent - A white - Taurian Mauler - when factoring in Eminence, this initially fragile threat grows stronger with every spell opponents cast, and nets you free life each time to boot! Doesn't even die to - Lightning Bolt - despite his original toughness of 3 due to his ability, and can make players without targeted removal regret casting multiple spells a turn. Also helps pad your life total if you've taken some hits or pinged yourself with city of brass or mana confluence.
Wasitora, Nekoru Queen - Notorious Cat-Dragon of Madara, this flying feline can even destroy indestructible creatures if you manage to connect enough times to force opponents to sac them to her ability. Helps fill out your board when used against creature-light decks or after a player's board has been picked apart, rewarding you with (adorable) tokens instead of sacrifices whenever you connect with a creature-less player. Trample helps ensure she hits as well, making her a pain when left unchecked.
Crosis, The Purger - An absolute monster against mono and dual-colored decks, Crosis has a built-in mana sink that can tear apart an opponents hand whenever he connects. When teamed up with - Silumgar, the Drifting Death - or - Ojutai, Soul of Winter -, he can clear a board and an opponents hand simultaneously, but his ability tends to be harder to use well the more colors a player has. Still, if you know of some threats that you DON'T want to deal with that have been tutored or bounced to their hand, a hit from Crosis will do the trick. Also comes on a very respectable 6/6 body. Just be careful against re-animator decks.
Dragon Broodmother - This card gets ridiculous in multiplayer, providing you with 4 free tokens per round in an average game of 4-player EDH. Combined with the brood-leader's scaling attack effects and Scourge and Tempest, those tokens become massive recurring threats when not dealt with, and if you aren't looking for numbers, you can take advantage of the dragonling's Devour 2 to make them much more respectable. A very versatile token generator, but you have to take note of the strict mana requirements for this creature.
Dragonlord Dromoka - Reaching Elder Dragon status has only made Dromoka tougher, netting her two toughness and a disdain for blue mages. She herself cannot be countered, and she protects your board by acting as a bigger, beefier - silent arbiter -, essentially preventing anything you cast on your turn from being countered. Her innate lifelink is just icing on the cake, and makes trading her with an opponent's creature a net-gain for you (assuming your opponent can muster up a 7 powered creature in time). Very likely to eat sorcery-speed removal when the control player gets sick of her antics.
Dragonlord Kolaghan - Kolaghan got even more fierce as she aged, having gained two power compared to her past self. This Elder Dragon still acts as an offensive support, granting all of your creatures haste. Her second ability is rarely relevant in Commander, but will make any unfortunate - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy - players very limited in their ability to function if you pull her out against them. Probably a cut-able piece, but I like her haste ability alot.
Dragonlord Silumgar - There seems to be something about the blue Elder Dragons on Tarkir in that they seem to get smaller over time. While Ojutai devoted himself to teaching and studies, Silumgar decided to amass a hoard of treasure and undead servants and rule remotely from his throne. His inactive lifestyle has caused him to drop two-points of toughness, and switch out hexproof for deathtouch, but his new ability is strong, in that he takes control of a troublesome creature or plansewalker and keeps them as a trophy as long as he remains on the field. Getting control of something that protects him is a plus, and he can massively disrupt the balance of field when he decides to enter the fray himself. Acts better as a blocker than an attacker due to low power and the threat of deathtouch means any combat attempts to kill him usually end in a one sided or mutual death, regardless of the opponent's toughness. His unique effect is his main pro.
Flameblast Dragon - I'm honestly going to playtest with this one a bit more before deciding if its a keeper or not, but the idea of a repeatable - Fireball - that can clear away a blocker or blast an opponent in the face in a ramp deck sounds appealing enough to try. Good at expediting matters in board stalls, and an excellent mana sink.
Hellkite Charger - Added combats on a dragon body make for a TON of problems for opponents, leading many of your combat damage / attack triggers rip apart entire games in the span of a turn. The mana cost for the additional combats is high, but with enough ramp or when combined with - Savage Ventmaw -, youl be able to declare attackers several times in one turn!
Hellkite Tyrant - Currently up in the air between this and - Hoard-Smelter Dragon -, as both deal with troublesome artifacts on the opposing side. Due to the popularity of mana-rocks and sol rings, Hellkite Tyrant can supplement your own ramping effects while stealing from your opponents, and can act as an alternative win condition. Fun against voltron and people with wonky artifacts like the swords and Panharmonicon, but enemy clone effects can lead to dangerous board states, as Hellkite Tyrant's trample means he can still hit through himself to trigger his thief ability. Makes any Breya or Daretti deck cry.
Intet, the Dreamer - This Temur dragon from the Time Spiral block functions as a way to cheat your cards into play, which is useful in a deck filled with as many high costed threats as this. She does have to punch through to activate her ability, so you should make use of your other tricky dragons such as Ojutai, Soul of Winter, Silumgar, the Drifting Death, and Atarka, World Render. Make sure to keep the necessary mana to activate her ability if you plan on cheating something out that turn.
Niv Mizzet, Dracogenius - He may not be in this list in his usual Fireminding, comboing self, but the bigger body leads him to perform better in a deck not focused on drawing cards. That being said, his mana cost ensures youl have enough mana to activate his mini-"Electrolyze" effect at least twice a turn, and when targeting players it becomes a way to keep up your hand size.
Ramos, Dragon Engine - This card is INSANELY strong, and can act as an alternative general if you prefer utilizing your Commander more proactively. Ramos doesn't just function as a dragon leader, however, so I slotted him into the 99. Considering the volume of multi-colored cards in the list, Ramos gets big very quickly after being cast, and his ability to ten colored mana for the relatively cheap and easy price of five +1/+1 counters means that when he's on the field, - The Ur-Dragon - is very likely to follow in short order. Just be careful: as powerful as Ramos is, his artifact status means he can and will be targeted by the rather common suite of artifact removal in multiplayer EDH.
Savage Ventmaw - Functions as a smaller Ramos that doesn't need to work up its ability to generate mana. When granted haste, this Atarkan dragon will actually pay for itself the turn it comes out, and when combined with - Scourge of the Throne - and - Hellkite Charger -, things can get very fun for you as you get 12 free mana a combat (assuming the Ventmaw doesn't die).
Scourge of the Throne - this deck is slow, so you're very likely to be the target of a few attacks early in the game, and this Dragon will make anyone leading in life regret coming at you early. With a dual benefit for targeting the player with the most life via Dethrone and an additional combat step, this dragon can act as an aggressive political piece due to the fact that lifegain decks tend to be targeted regardless of threat level, and targeting a leading player tends to be seen as a good thing, at least at my tables. Results may vary by meta.
Silumgar, the Drifting Death - Oh geez, Silumgar was a force to be reckoned with in his younger days. His power is a middling 3, so he has the dubious distinction of being tied with his other card for being the only dragons in the deck to not trigger - Temur Ascendancy -. That being said, any deck that likes to go wide is going to be maimed if Silumgar or your other dragons so much as breath in their direction, withering away at opponents' creatures for 1/1 for every dragon attacking them. Multiple combats, Utvara Hellkite, and Dragon Broodmother make the Drifting Death live up to his name, often acting as a board wipe, and he can clear out any nasty spirit or thopter chump blockers that want to try and prevent you from hitting a player's face. Hexproof means that even targeted removal will fail to remove this card, so he's well worth the five mana you'l be paying for him (assuming you don't cheat him out of course.)
Steel Hellkite - This artifact dragon is fantastic, acting as an adjustable board wipe depending on how much mana you want to put into him once he connects. He will wipe any tokens for free, and is one of the decks few ways of taking out enchantments. His colorless casting cost is also a boon, meaning you should have no problems casting him even if you are struggling to get a running color base.
Teneb, the Harvester - The Abzan dragon from the Time Spiral cycle, he comes in as a respectable body that can reclaim your dragons from your graveyard to the battlefield. His ability is also versatile, allowing him to bring back a creature from any graveyard. Very useful if someone kills an important threat from another player and you choose to take advantage of it, or even for bringing in some extra mana dorks from a green deck, or a praetor from a more competitive player. Really, just a good card in general against decks that play creatures, or decks that like killing your creatures.
Atarka, World Render - Grants double strike to all attacking dragons. Doubles up the effects of any combat damage or hitting a player triggers, and absolutely disgusting when paired up with your commander. Pretty much an auto-include regardless of Ur-Dragon build for the ability to one shot players in conjunction with any ability or card that boosts his power by 1. Makes blocking unattractive and often necessary for opponents that don't want to take a monstrous amount of damage. Even on her own, she can still dish out 12 damage a turn, and at 5 toughness she'll evade a lot of damaging or withering board wipes.
Balefire Dragon - A repeatable board wipe on a 6/6 flying body. The damage is contingent on hitting an opponent, so getting past flyers is necessary, but the damage dealt to creatures will also rise with the power behind Balefire's attack. Adding in Silumgar to take out chump blockers, Atarka to double the damage dealt, or Hellkite Charger / Scourge of the Throne to double up on combats will only make the board wipe stronger. Can double as a political move, as the damage only targets the board of the player being hit by Balefire, and multiple combat steps let you take out two player's boards in one go. Indestructible creatures may be a problem for this dragon, but even if they block it it is likely any other attacking dragon will get through, so it can usually net a life advantage when it doesn't give you a board advantage.
Bladewing The Risen - An ETB reanimator dragon with the ability to pump up your other dragons for RB. I'd call it another auto include, because it brings two bodies for the price of one, and a strong support ability with him. His buff even affects himself, so in a pinch you can use it as a combat trick. Let it die and bring it back with a reanimation spell to get two dragons for the price of one.
