4C Dragons [Budget/Casual]

Modern Budget Casual Control Dragons Flying Jank RGWU

Kazierts

Land (23)

• 1x Alpine Meadow
• 1x Canopy Vista
• 2x Forest
• 4x Haven of the Spirit Dragon
• 5x Mountain
• 1x Plains
• 1x Prairie Stream
• 4x Secluded Courtyard
• 4x Temple of the Dragon Queen

Creature (19)

• 1x Dragonlord Ojutai
• 4x Glorybringer
• 3x Icefall Regent
• 1x Iymrith, Desert Doom
• 1x Kyodai, Soul of Kamigawa
• 1x Rith, Liberated Primeval
• 4x Thunderbreak Regent
• 4x Timeless Dragon

Sorcery (10)

• 4x Explore
• 4x Firespout
• 2x Rip Apart

Instant (3)

• 3x Abrade

Artifact (3)

• 3x Orb of Dragonkind

Battle (2)

• 2x Invasion of Ergamon  ^Flip

---

Sideboard

Artifact (6)

• 2x Amulet of Safekeeping
• 2x Dragon's Claw
• 2x Tormod's Crypt

Enchantment (2)

• 2x Deafening Silence

Creature (4)

• 1x Kairi, the Swirling Sky
• 3x Obsidian Charmaw

Instant (3)

• 3x Summoning Trap

---

Maybeboard

Artifact (1)

• 1x Boros Signet

Creature (1)

• 1x Nadaar, Selfless Paladin

---

Disclaimer: Yes, this idea is really janky, but that's the point. Adventures in the Forgotten Realms introduced a ton of dragons and I wanted to brew something spicy to play with my friends when we finally get together for some kitchen table

Dragons are one of, if not the most, iconic monsters in fantasy media. Unfortunately, they have never been that good in Magic, with the exception from Khans of Tarkir Standard and Commander. Due to this, a lot of players, myself and some friends included, tried for some time to make dragons as playable as they can be.

I had a list in which I tried to pivot more to blue in order to use Silumgar's Scorn as we didn't have literal Counterspell in Modern yet. Then comes Modern Horizons 2 and ruins my fun (but not entirely because I'm thinking about a monoblue version with both counters). Monored seems a bit too boring as it's what most people try when it comes to dragons. All of that changed when Orb of Dragonkind and Temple of the Dragon Queen were spoiled.

With the new toys in mind, I decided to take a page out of the 5C Humans deck in Modern. If the reader doesn't know this deck, it's basically a deck that runs only Aether Vial as its noncreature spells and only Human creatures in order to take advantage from the lands that produce mana of any color but only allow the player to cast crrature spells. Those lands are Cavern of Souls, Ancient Ziggurat and Unclaimed Territory (I think there's one more, but I don't remember). The problem is, Dragons don't have an early game at all. Humans work so well because most of their creatures are very small so the downside of the lands that can only produce mana for creatures isn't relevant. Dragons need noncreature spells to control and maintain control in the early game.

This is definitely going to be a challenge.

What's the Goal? Show

Well, the goal is to play big dragons and smash face with them. Simple as that.

The gameplan is another a completely different thing. Dragons have always been inherently slow in MTG. There are a few exceptions, of course, the likes of Sprite Dragon and, newly released, Nadaar, Selfless Paladin, but they aren't enough to make a faster and more aggressive deck. So I opted to build a slow control deck with sizeable dragons which are either annoying to take out or impact the board as they come in.

Dragons Show

One important thing to mention about them is most of them have 4 or more thoughness, which is something really important. Having 3 or more thoughness enables the flying lizards to dodge Lightning Bolt, Abrade, Rip Apart, Frost Bite and a lot of that I don't remember know. Still, there's something even more important they avoid, damage based boardwipes. With the exception of Icefall Regent, the dragons all avoid the most common and useful boardwipes, such as Anger of the Gods. I'm gonna go more in-depth about this in the Icefall Regent section, just wanted to mention this fact about them.

1x Atarka, World Render {5}{R}{G}

Though very expensive, manawise, Atarka, World Render works as a tool to close the game out of nowhere. Basically, the idea is to already have a a few dragons and drop her to instantly swig a game in your favor. The smallest dragon in the deck has 4 power, and with Atarka, World Render in play it becomes 8 damage in the air. If Atarka, World Render survives with a single other dragon in play, the game is guaranteed to be over

However, it has some pretty interesting interactions with two dragons in this list.

• Dragonlord Ojutai - One this archetype's weaknesses is the lack of card draw/advantage, among others. Dragonlord Ojutai is effectively a card "draw" engine that protects itself, most of the time. Atarka, World Render doubles it.

• Glorybringer - It may not seem like it, but Atarka, World Render has some pretty good synergies with Glorybringer. The most obvious one is with Haste, which means even if she's alone on the field a single topdecked Glorybringer can be lethal. Another interesting synergy is the kinda gives card:Glorybinger the attack it loses after activating its Exert, since it deals its 4 damage it would have dealt anyway because of the Haste plus the 4 from the Double Strike, which compensates for the turn it doesn't untap.

• Also makes the opponent's blocks really problematic as every dragon has at least 4 power. So by effectively doubling the damage, not a lot of things can survive blocking the smallest dragons in the deck.

Overall, it's a decent card. Definitely not something to have more than one, the exception being if the deck is Monored or RG/Gruul. Otherwise, Orb of Dragonkind can help find the single copy and it's not a necessary tool, it's just a possible finisher (in a deck already full of them).

4x Glorybringer {3}{R}{R}

Since this is a control deck that needs to slow the game down in order to stabilise and win the game, what's better than a creature that also works as removal? A creature that works as a removal and has haste.

Sure, paying {3}{R}{R} for a Flame Slash isn't that good. However, when your 4 damage spell also applies pressure and can be found with Orb of Dragonkind and also has synergies with the other creatures, that's a pretty good Flame Slash. The only downside is it has to Exert itself, which can be kinda slow if the board has yet to be stabilized.

Besides its incredible removal ability, it's a pretty average dragon. 4/4 body and flying would make it a normal dragon without its removal. Maybe a bit bad because of its cost.

2x Dragonlord Ojutai {3}{W}{U}

I would like to mention card: Iymrith, Deserto Doom is the best option for this slot, but it's too expensive. Instead, they'll appear at the d"Dragons that didn't make the cut" section

Ojutai's main strengths are his protection and the card slection/advantage he provides. While not constant protection, Hexproof certailny beats Ward and, even though it requires him to be untapped, having hte knowledge you can cast him without instantly losing him to removal, such as Path to Exile, is great. However, it's nhis other ability that lands him a spot on this list

3x Icefall Regent {3}{U}{U}

1x Kyodai, Soul of Kamigawa

4x Thunderbreak Regent {2}{R}{R}

The fastest and one of, if not the single, best {4} CMC dragon. It's in the colors most dragon decks play, which is Red, it doesn't have a lot of colored mana pips, it has a pretty decent body and its pseudo-protection has some interesting synergies with other dragons.

• Dragonlord Ojutai - This one becomes even more annoying to deal with. If it's untapped, it has Hexproof, which protects from a lot of removal spells, such as Heartless Act, Fracture, Path to Exile and a bunch more that would take too much space to include. Thunderbreak Regent makes it sure no removal spells is gonna be risk free. The only way to cleanly remove it without having to wait Dragonlord Ojutai to become tapped or taking 3 damage from Thunderbreak Regent is a boardwipe or Edict effects (effects that make players sacrifice creatures with targeting the creature).

• Glorybringer - This doesn't have a synergies, per say. However, I can see it being annoying as a big hasty flying beater with removal imbued in it and is painful to removal. The "protection" just makes it better.

• Icefall Regent - Very similar to Dragonlord Ojutai. The difference between them is Dragonlord Ojutai has "complete" protection if it's untapped and Icefall Regent always has protection even if it's untapped, but it's more manageable for the opponent.Thunderbreak Regent upgrades that protection and includes "protection" against abilities.

• Timeless Dragon - While not having direct synergies with Thunderbreak Regent, would anyone feel good taking 3 damage to kill Timeless Dragon and having it come back again next turn and needing to take 3 more damage in order to kill it again?

• Thunderbreak Regent - Last but not least, the Regent synergizes pretty well with itself. The more of them in play the more punishing its effect becomes.

If one's goal is to play dragon tribal in a 60 card format, this is pretty close to being the best dragon.

4x Timeless Dragon {3}{W}{W} or Eternalize {2}{W}{W}

It may not seem like it, but this is one of the most important dragons, for a few reasons.

• Plainscycling - With the addition of dual snow lands from Kaldheim, this makes it easier to fix colors. By including Alpine Meadow, Arctic Treeline and Glacial Floodplain in the deck, Plainscycling can make sure I find the missing color, if the color fixing lands aren't doing their job.

• Eternalize - While being fairly costed, this ability allows it to be a very versatile dragon. It can be discarded turn 2 to find the mana needed and turn 4 it's a decent sized body. It also just means it's more resilient to removal, as it needs to be killed twice.

Aside from these, a 5/5 body with flying and upsides is pretty decent for dragons in general. A must-include in any dragon tribal deck in my opinion, even if only the Plainscycling is going to be used.

Instant Show

3x Abrade {1}{R}

As suggested a few times, Lightning Bolt is probably better. However, I want to experiment with a more flexible removal.

Given this is a slow control deck, one of the tools it needs to stabilise is removal.

Sorceries Show

2x Rip Apart {W}{R}

4x Explore {1}{G}

4x Firespout {2}{RG}

Artifacts Show

2x Boros Signet {2}

3x Orb of Dragonkind {1}{R}

Manabase Show

1x Alpine Meadow {T}{W}{S} or {R}{S}

Kaldheim blessed us with some of the most interesting kind of lands, snow duals!

Why is this good in the deck? It's due to a friend I've already mentioned here, which is Timeless Dragon. Since it's a Plains, it can be searched with Plainscycling in order to fix the mana.

Otherwise, maybe if more snow payoffs are printed, and are budget, having snow lands can enable the deck to pivot into a more snow focused strategy.

1x Arctic Treeline {T}{W}{S} or {G}{S}

2x Forest {T}{G}

1x Glacial Floodplain {T}{W}{S} or {U}{S}

4x Haven of the Spirit Dragon {T}{C} or {T}{W}/{U}/{B}/{R}/{G}

5x Mountain {T}{R}

1x Plains {T}{W}{S}

4x Temple of the Dragon Queen {T}?

4x Unclaimed Territory {T}{C} or {T}{W}/{U}/{B}/{R}/{G}

Sideboard Show

2x Amulet of Safekeeping {2}

2x Deafening Silence {W}

2x Dragon's Claw {2}

1x Thundermaw Hellkite {3}{R}{R}

3x Obsidian Charmaw {3}{R}{R}

WOW F*CK TRON

3x Summoning Trap {3}{G}{G} or {0}

This is simply to fight against counterspells. Since dragons are very expensive, having them be countered can be a massive obstacle. While not completely stopping opponents from countering, spinning into another dragon for free is quite good.

The amount of copies may be a bit too much, but I believe having more chances to hit a single copy in a control match can swing the game in my favor. There are plenty of generic removal spells, but some of more budget options might not be able to easily deal with an Atarka, World Render or Dragonlord Ojutai coming into play for free.

2x Tormod's Crypt {0}

Dragons that didn't make the cut Show

Dragons have a lot of members, but not all of them are fit for this kind of deck. A few are pretty strong, but some of those are too expensive, be moneywise or cmcwise. Others are just... bad. Also, I like writing primers, so I'll be talking about dragons more than I should, even about those which are obviously terrible.

Slumbering Dragon {R}

While it looks powerful for a one drop, as soon as one looks at its abilities, it stops looking strong. However, it's one of those rares that seems to demand a deck built around it, as it has such unique text in it that makes it rather difficult to include in any other strategies.

Sidenote: It's also technically not that budget. For some reason, when looking in Scryfall, the lowest price for this card is 3 dollars, probably due to never having been reprinted. Even went to mtgtop8 to see if it has seen any kind of competitive play, but nope.

Dragon Hatchling {1}{R}

Sprite Dragon {U}{R}

Dragon Egg {2}{R}

Dragon Turtle {1}{U}{U}

Gadrak the Crown-Scourge {2}{R}

Nadaar, Selfless Paladin {2}{W}

Sarkhan's Whelp {2}{R}

Arcades, the Strategist {1}{W}{U}{G}

Arcbound Whelp {3}{R}

Archwing Dragon {2}{R}{R}

Avaricious Dragon {2}{R}{R}

Dragon Whelp {2}{R}{R}

Ebondeath, Dracolich {2}{B}{B}

Furnace Whelp {2}{R}{R}

Galazeth Prismari {2}{U}{R}

Hellkite Hatchling {2}{R}{G}

Icingdeath, Frost Tyrant {2}{W}{W}

Immersturm Predator {2}{B}{R}

Jaded Sell-sword {3}{R}

Leyline Tyrant {2}{R}{R}

Loch Dragon {UR}{UR}{UR}{UR}

Moonveil Regent {3}{R}

Nicol Bolas, the Ravager {1}{B}{U}{R}

Opportunistic Dragon {2}{R}{R}

Phantasmal Dragon {2}{U}{U}

Rakdos Pit Dragon {2}{R}{R}

Rathi Dragon {2}{R}{R}

Skyship Stalker {2}{R}{R}

Verix Bladewing {3}{R}

Wandering Troubador {3}{G}

Adult Gold Dragon {3}{W}{R}

Boltwing Marauder {3}{B}{R}

Bone Dragon {3}{B}{B}

Demanding Dragon {3}{R}{R}

Dromoka, the Eternal {3}{W}{G}

Dragon support that didn't make the cut Show

Crucible of the Spirit Dragon {T}{C} or {T}{W}/{U}/{B}/{R}/{G}

Title goes here

Content goes here

I have lots in my mind about this deck. I'm slowly organising my thoughts in order to develop this description. Still, suggestions are always welcome since people may see a route I haven't seen yet and that can help me fix the list.

Top Ranked	Achieved #70 position in Modern 2 years ago Achieved #2 position in Modern RGWU 2 years ago
Date added	2 years
Last updated	5 months
Legality	This deck is Modern legal.
Rarity (main - side)	3 - 1 Mythic Rares 25 - 8 Rares 20 - 6 Uncommons 3 - 0 Commons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	3.51
Tokens	Dragon 4/4 R, Timeless Dragon 4/4 B
Folders	Modern Decks