Magic: The Gathering's Tarkir: Dragonstorm set isn't just about dragons

Obviously the dragons of Tarkir: Dragonstorm will get a lot of attention. They're headliners, show-offs, they got their name in the title. But Magic's next expansion isn't just about fancy firebreathers.

Since the Khans of Tarkir set in 2014, the plane's five clans have also been an important part of its appeal. In Tarkir: Dragonstorm each clan gets their own showcase mechanic to highlight something about their identity. In the case of the jungle-dwelling Sultai, that's renew, as you can see on our preview card below, Lasyd Prowler.

The Sultai transform the fertile jungle of their home into farms, and build cities within its canopy. They also transform their own honored dead into useful members of society via necromancy. They're big on recycling basically, and the renew mechanic symbolizes that. It lets you exile cards from your graveyard in return for counters to put on your creatures—sometimes +1/+1 counters, as is the case with Lasyd Prowler, but sometimes counters giving keywords like flying, deathtouch, or lifelink.

Meanwhile, the nomadic Mardu mobilize, giving them free 1/1 warrior tokens that join the fight when they attack, though only for that turn—riding off into the sunset when the end step comes. The Temur from the frozen north harmonize, representing their belief in the Endless Song, which lets them cast spells from the graveyard. The Abzan have the patience of a large family, and endure lets them choose between gaining +1/+1 counters or summoning spirit creatures. Finally, the Jeskai learn flurry from their monk leaders, which rewards them for casting a second spell each turn—sometimes by bringing that spell back to be cast again later, potentially triggering a second flurry.

Not to be outdone, the dragons get their own supporting mechanics as well. One that sounds like it will be fun to play is behold, which lets you reduce the cost of certain spells by either pointing out a dragon you control or one that's still in your hand. The rules don't say you have to intone "Behold, a dragon!" every time you do, but I can't imagine not doing that.

Given that dragons are usually expensive cards, some of the ones in Dragonstorm can be cast as an omen for a reduced cost, and then cycled back into your deck. It's a little bit of foreshadowing that lets you get some use out of cards that would otherwise cost 5+ mana in the early turns of a match.

Tarkir: Dragonstorm will launch digitally in Arena on April 8 and then physically in stores on April 11. Pre-release events will run from April 4–10.