First Look at 5 New Cards From Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Magic: The Gathering's Next Set

While Magic: The Gathering’s recent crossovers with franchises like Final Fantasy and Spider-Man have garnered significant attention, the next set, Tarkir: Dragonstorm, is rapidly approaching. This set marks a return to the plane of Tarkir, and we have an exclusive preview of five cards expected to be highly influential in upcoming drafts. (Tarkir: Dragonstorm is available for preorder on Amazon now.)

View the five cards in the gallery below. Following the gallery, you'll find insights from Wizards of the Coast on the design and overall vision for the set.

Magic: The Gathering - Five New Cards from Tarkir: Dragonstorm

6 Images

These five cards form a "cycle," sharing common design elements across Magic's color spectrum. Each is a low-cost, common-rarity creature with an ability linked to one of Tarkir's three-color clans and a secondary ability converting mana into a color from that clan.

"Three-color limited environments require substantial mana fixing across all rarities," explains Adam Prosak, Wizards of the Coast Senior Game Designer. "We aimed to provide ample mana fixing for diverse deck strategies, leading to numerous designs focused on mana solutions. These creatures, in particular, enable simultaneous board presence and mana development—unlike tapped lands, which only produce mana, potentially hindering early-game development."

Preorder MTG Tarkir: Dragonstorm Cards

### Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Play Booster Box

0$164.70 at Amazon### Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Collector Booster Box

0$299.88 at Amazon### Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Collector Booster

0$24.99 at Amazon### Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Commander Deck Bundle - Includes All 5 Decks

0$224.95 at Amazon### Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Deck - Abzan Armor

0$44.99 at Amazon### Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Deck - Jeskai Striker

0$44.99 at Amazon### Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Deck - Sultai Arisen

0$44.99 at Amazon### Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Deck - Mardu Surge

0$44.99 at Amazon### Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Deck - Temur Roar

0$44.99 at Amazon

While the mechanical design of this cycle came first, Lauren Bond, Senior Worldbuilding Designer, notes that common cards often serve as a platform to showcase the set's world—in this case, highlighting the clans' evolution since their previous appearance. "The dynamic Jeskai monks, the Temur's whisper magic, the Sultai Nagas as jungle protectors, the Mardu's military strength, and the Abzan clerics' restorative abilities all contribute to a rich and nuanced portrayal of Tarkir’s clans."

Recent criticism of some Magic sets has centered on overreliance on tropes. Dragonstorm, however, stands out with its straightforward return to Tarkir. Forrest Schehl, Senior Worldbuilding Art Director, emphasizes that this feedback is valuable but that Dragonstorm’s core concept predates and remains unaffected by these criticisms. "Our goal was to blend dragons and clans in a novel way, capitalizing on the Dragonstorms as a defining feature of Tarkir. Lauren and I felt the pressure to create an authentic and substantial next chapter for this beloved plane from the outset."

Tarkir: Dragonstorm is available for preorder now, with a digital and physical release scheduled for April 11th, and in-store prerelease events starting April 4th. A full interview with Adam Prosak, Lauren Bond, and Forrest Schehl follows.