"Sarkhan,the Dragonspeaker:Enter the Dragon"

"Sarkhan,the Dragonspeaker:Enter the Dragon"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

So we finally get to see Sarkhan Vols home plane of Tarkir. Where Dragons used to roam and where they were worshipped. The focus of the games now focuses on Sarkhan who after arriving in his plane has become a Dragonspeaker. Well the old Dragonspeaker card from Scourge made dragons easier to summon to your side. The new Dragonspeaker in the form of Sarkhan can change into a Dragon himself.A literal dragon!

For one mana less than the traditional dragon(5 mana) you could have a planeswalker who's first ability is to become a Legendary 4/4 Red Dragon creature with Flying , Indestructible and Haste.I find this dragon shifting ability to be very cool and a +1 ability too. 

So what are the implications of Sarkhan in this form? It means that you have a handy creature that could swoop in for the kill or destroy another planeswalker. Chances are most armies will not have creatures that have Reach. And a 4/4 Dragon could do serious damage to opposing planeswalkers if left unchecked. 

"You talking about me?"

Another cool thing being indestructible is that you could solidify your board position by turning Sarkhan into a dragon , blowing all your opponents creatures away with a well timed mass removal(the destroying kind and not the exiling kind) and be left with a guy who could attack unimpeded on the next turns.Ouch.

Now the other ability that Sarkhan has is a -3 ability that could deal 4 damage to a target creature. And with the way things are shaping 4/4 is about the same size as an oppposing dragon. Sarkhan takes care of any creatures with a 4 toughness and along with any advantages that that creature gave your opponent.

Lastly Sarkhan gives you an emblem. An unfair advantage that red has been getting in the last core sets and even in Innistrad. For a -6 on his loyalty counters which you could achieve on the third turn that he has come in , you could draw 2 additional cards during your draw step. A huge advantage in the middle to late game especially when your oppponent has stabilized the board a bit and has managed to survive your attacks. This card draw comes at a price though , at the beginning of your end step you have to discard your hand.So the best thing to do is hope that you do not get 3 lands otherwise those are 2 lands that are wasted. Hopefully you draw spells that could take care of the opposition and allow you to win. Like a couple of direct damage spells to the face.

The emblem might not let you react to an opponents onslaught on the ensuing turn seeing as you do not have a hand but come your turn you would always have 3 draws that could potentially win you the game.

I like the fact that this new version of Sarkhan gives you more ways to win than the other 2. He could be the aggressor himself in his dragon form and he could do it right off the bat , he could take care of a pesky creature for you and then he could give you wonderful card draw to replenish spells and creatures. If I get him in the PR I would be very happy. I could make kung-fu noises while he changes into a dragon and attacks.Sounds like a plan.