As is pretty much a given with decks like this, the mana curve is a little top heavy. Also, due to the fact that I am getting married this year, I do not have the budget for a full set of fetches/ shocks/ checks to help speed things up. On the plus side, I play in a fairly casual meta, so this should not be too much of an issue.
Are there any other changes that you would recommend? do you think that Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker and Cruel Ultimatum are worth their weight? or should they be traded in for some early game defense?
Recursion
One thing that you know for sure when playing Scion is that there will be dragons in your graveyard. Reanimate is a great card, not just for resurrecting creatures from your own graveyard, but also stealing from your opponent's graveyards too. Bladewing the Risen is a must have for this deck, aside from the fact that it can go infinite with a clone card, it is so great to play from the hand to bring back tutored dragons that can cause long term problems for your opponents like Utvara Hellkite and Atarka, World Render. Grim Return can be used with Scion of the Ur-Dragon to tutor any dragon in your deck onto the battlefield permanently for 5 mana. Teneb, the Harvester speaks for itself, as does The Mimeoplasm.
I included Palace Siege from the new set over Oversold Cemetery for some unconditional grindy reanimation.
I have also included Elixir of Immortality to dodge Rakdos Charm style graveyard hate.
I also included Wreath of Geists to chuck on Scion, as every time he uses his ability he will get bigger.
I have been testing out a similar deck since Fate Reforged came out, here are a few cards you may want to consider (Suggesting only the budget friendly ones as I noticed your update about that):
- Belbe's Portal: A colorless and relatively cheap way to cheat dragons into play.
- Elvish Piper: Like the above but not colorless.
- Reito Lantern / Soldevi Digger: Use these as a way of putting the better dragons from the grave back into your deck for more uses with Scion.
- Vorosh, the Hunter: I would suggest this guy over Kilnmouth Dragon. You can use it very effectively with Scion if you can get an attack on a player to go unblocked, pay 2 to make scion into this guy then pay 3 to get the counters quickly and easily. Use with Reito lantern/Soldevi digger as above to rinse and repeat for fast GD deaths.
- Patriarch's Bidding: An absolute must for this deck. Very few revived types can stand up to an army of dragons.
Note: The Kamigawa dragons can be interesting when your general is about to be killed, you can quickly switch it to Yosei, the morning star for example and apply that effect as a surprise. You would have to let Scion hit the graveyard though so should only be applied if you have some revival handy or Gift of Immortality on it.
So the new legendary dragon cycle from fate reforged made me finally pull the trigger and create a rainbow dragon tribal deck.
The following is my first crack at a decklist:
1x Scion of the Ur-Dragon
Planeswalker (1)
1x Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
Creature (24)
1x Atarka, World Render
1x Birds of Paradise
1x Bladewing the Risen
1x Burnished Hart
1x Clever Impersonator
1x Crosis, the Purger
1x Dragonmaster Outcast
1x Dromoka, the Eternal
1x Eternal Dragon
1x Hellkite Tyrant
1x Intet, the Dreamer
1x Kilnmouth Dragon
1x Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury
1x Nicol Bolas
1x Ojutai, Soul of Winter
1x Prophet of Kruphix
1x Quicksilver Dragon
1x Silumgar, the Drifting Death
1x Steel Hellkite
1x Stormbreath Dragon
1x Teneb, the Harvester
1x The Mimeoplasm
1x Utvara Hellkite
1x Wall of Denial
Enchantment (8)
1x Crucible of Fire
1x Gift of Immortality
1x Journey to Nowhere
1x Maelstrom Nexus
1x Mana Bloom
1x Palace Siege
1x Warstorm Surge
1x Wreath of Geists
1x Chromatic Lantern
1x Coalition Relic
1x Commander's Sphere
1x Darksteel Ingot
1x Elixir of Immortality
1x Expedition Map
1x Sol Ring
1x Spectral Searchlight
1x Swiftfoot Boots
1x Whispersilk Cloak
Sorcery (9)
1x Cruel Ultimatum
1x Cultivate
1x Dreadbore
1x Explosive Vegetation
1x Ponder
1x Reanimate
1x Rite of Replication
1x Slave of Bolas
1x Unexpected Results
Instant (7)
1x Ajani's Presence
1x Boros Charm
1x Brainstorm
1x Cloudshift
1x Counterspell
1x Grim Return
1x Swords to Plowshares
Land (40)
1x Arcane Sanctum
1x City of Brass
1x Command Tower
1x Crucible of the Spirit Dragon
1x Crumbling Necropolis
1x Crystal Quarry
1x Evolving Wilds
3x Forest
1x Frontier Bivouac
3x Island
1x Jungle Shrine
4x Mountain
1x Mystic Monastery
1x Nomad Outpost
1x Opal Palace
1x Opulent Palace
3x Plains
1x Rupture Spire
1x Sandsteppe Citadel
1x Savage Lands
1x Seaside Citadel
3x Swamp
1x Terramorphic Expanse
1x Transguild Promenade
1x Vivid Crag
1x Vivid Creek
1x Vivid Grove
1x Vivid Marsh
1x Vivid Meadow
As is pretty much a given with decks like this, the mana curve is a little top heavy. Also, due to the fact that I am getting married this year, I do not have the budget for a full set of fetches/ shocks/ checks to help speed things up. On the plus side, I play in a fairly casual meta, so this should not be too much of an issue.
There are a few obvious omissions, such as Balefire Dragon and Dragon Tyrant, I also think that Living Death could be a fun late game blowout.
Are there any other changes that you would recommend? do you think that Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker and Cruel Ultimatum are worth their weight? or should they be traded in for some early game defense?
Protection
Scion is going to be a key part of my deck, and also a huge target.
Quicksilver Dragon and Stormbreath Dragon are there to be called upon using Scion's ability to dodge kill/ exile/ Arrest effects.
Cloudshift and Counterspell are there as backup, should I exhaust the above 2 options, or if the worst happens and I draw them into my hand.
Whispersilk Cloak, Swiftfoot Boots and Gift of Immortality are there to protect Scion and the other big targets (Prophet of Kruphix and Dragonmaster Outcast) that I need to stay on the board for maximum efficiency.
Recursion
One thing that you know for sure when playing Scion is that there will be dragons in your graveyard.
Reanimate is a great card, not just for resurrecting creatures from your own graveyard, but also stealing from your opponent's graveyards too.
Bladewing the Risen is a must have for this deck, aside from the fact that it can go infinite with a clone card, it is so great to play from the hand to bring back tutored dragons that can cause long term problems for your opponents like Utvara Hellkite and Atarka, World Render.
Grim Return can be used with Scion of the Ur-Dragon to tutor any dragon in your deck onto the battlefield permanently for 5 mana.
Teneb, the Harvester speaks for itself, as does The Mimeoplasm.
I included Palace Siege from the new set over Oversold Cemetery for some unconditional grindy reanimation.
I have also included Elixir of Immortality to dodge Rakdos Charm style graveyard hate.
I also included Wreath of Geists to chuck on Scion, as every time he uses his ability he will get bigger.
- Belbe's Portal: A colorless and relatively cheap way to cheat dragons into play.
- Elvish Piper: Like the above but not colorless.
- Reito Lantern / Soldevi Digger: Use these as a way of putting the better dragons from the grave back into your deck for more uses with Scion.
- Vorosh, the Hunter: I would suggest this guy over Kilnmouth Dragon. You can use it very effectively with Scion if you can get an attack on a player to go unblocked, pay 2 to make scion into this guy then pay 3 to get the counters quickly and easily. Use with Reito lantern/Soldevi digger as above to rinse and repeat for fast GD deaths.
- Patriarch's Bidding: An absolute must for this deck. Very few revived types can stand up to an army of dragons.
Note: The Kamigawa dragons can be interesting when your general is about to be killed, you can quickly switch it to Yosei, the morning star for example and apply that effect as a surprise. You would have to let Scion hit the graveyard though so should only be applied if you have some revival handy or Gift of Immortality on it.
You cannot outrun the beast within.