Table of Contents
We are going for 10 new upgrades for less than £10 for the Temur Roar Commander Deck. This is as much of me trying to [[Rise to the Challenge]] as it is to give affordable upgrades to the commander precon decks.
Magic The Gathering: Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Temur Roar Commander Deck
£44.99
Description Tarkir faces a full-scale draconic assault, pitting clan against clan and all of civilization against a maelstrom of wings, claws, and fire. Choose one of five clans and discover your favourite way to play, then master the fearsome Dragonstorms… read more
So if you pick up a deck, you can give it a little bit more spice and pack a bigger punch without splashing the cash.
The Commanders
https://scryfall.com/card/tdc/3/eshki-temurs-roar
As the face commander we have Eshki, Temur's Roar. So big creatures equals damage.
I will state right here that I am not going to be including any cards that care about counters, such as [[Ozolith, the Shattered Spire]]. I have done enough of these decks and I want to focus on the more unique side of [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]]. These are cards that you should be looking at.
I only have 10 slots, so I want to give some other avenues to look at. Mostly going off the 6+ power and the damage you can get from it.
https://scryfall.com/card/tdc/9/ureni-of-the-unwritten
Ureni of the Unwritten is the alternative commander. A big dragon with a big effect. When you attack with it you can:
“Look at the top eight cards of your library. You may put a Dragon creature card from among them onto the battlefield.”
My problem with it is it’s a 7 mana commander without any form of protection or haste.
With the recent power creep, I am looking for commander that's 4 mana or less. Or ones with protection if it costs 5+.
Removal has just gotten more efficient in recent times, further increasing this need. Being able to deal with your 7 mana commander, making it 9 to recast it, for 1 or 2 mana just feels bad.
But this is the alternative commander and we are going to be focusing on [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]]. So let's get into the upgrades.
Upgrade 1
IN: Chandra's Incinerator
https://scryfall.com/card/m21/136/chandras-incinerator
There is going to be a bit of a running theme in these upgrades. Chandra's Incinerator demonstrates this with its ability to discount spells to get more triggers from [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]].
Chandra's Incinerator does double duty.
First, it has 6 power so you get all the modes from [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]], putting the +1/+1 counter as well as dealing the damage. All for potential 1 mana if you have previously triggered Eshki for enough.
The second part is when Chandra's Incinerator is on the table, dealing damage to target creature/planeswalker, allowing you to turn all the [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]] triggers into removal.
OUT: Breaching Dragonstorm
https://scryfall.com/card/tdm/101/breaching-dragonstorm
Breaching Dragonstorm is my first cut.
This is a fun new card from the new set. It does also fit well into a dragon deck as it returns whenever a dragon enters for you, allowing you to keep recasting it.
My problem is that it's random. Without a way to stack the deck, you are hoping to hit a good card. While this can be a fun idea with how the deck is built, you are overpaying for the card, as the average mana value without lands is a little over 4. So you are more likely to pay 5 mana for a card that costs 4 or less.
Breaching Dragonstorm can count as card advantage, as when it returns to hand it (sort of) counts a card draw. 5 mana to draw a card is too expensive.
Upgrade 2
IN: Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm
https://scryfall.com/card/clb/431/miirym-sentinel-wyrm
We can't do Temur dragons without talking about the Queen herself, Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm.
The tenth most popular Commander according to EdhRec. Also the second most popular dragon deck, only losing out to [[The Ur-Dragon]].
Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm is currently just cheap enough to make it onto this list. I’ve chosen the alternative artwork as it’s the cheapest version.
For 6 mana you get a 6/6 flying, ward {2} dragon, so you will be getting those triggers from [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]]. But that isn't the main reason to play her.
The triggered ability lets you get two dragons every time one enters. Double the dragons, double the firepower.
It can even clone legendary creatures, which is a nice bonus as some of these can be very powerful and have stacking effects.
Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm is the commander for my personal dragon deck. And I am looking forward to all the goodies Tarkir: Dragonstorm is going to bring.
OUT: Hellkite Courser
https://scryfall.com/card/tdc/218/hellkite-courser
Making room for [[Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm]] is Hellkite Courser.
This is a valuable reprint and probably one that is needed. But it didn't seem to fit into the deck. At least with [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]] as the commander.
To bring [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]] onto the battlefield for one turn only isn't great. Unless you can cast other spells alongside Hellkite Courser, it's not worth it.
It's a different case if [[Ureni of the Unwritten]] is your commander, as this would let you get the attack trigger and benefit from a free dragon.
Upgrade 3
IN: Become Immense
https://scryfall.com/card/uma/157/become-immense
So this can’t get you a [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]] trigger, but it does fit my personal theme for cheating mana with Delve.
But the actual reason I have included this is because of the way [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]] is worded:
“Eshki deals damage equal to Eshki's power to each opponent.”
If you pump [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]] with Become Immense you will deal an extra 6 damage, so it will start out with 9 damage as you also get the +1/+1 counter first.
This will end the game swiftly if you have a couple of creatures to chain cast with this.
I did think of adding in [[Hooting Mandrills]], but this only has 4 power so won’t get the full set of triggers.
Also [[Murktide Regent]] doesn’t work either. While it will enter with more power if you exiled Instant or Sorceries, [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]] cares about the power as you cast it.
The only cards that would work are the character define ability cards. The ones with * for its power, for example [[Tarmogoyf]]. This works as it checks the power in any zone. Library, hand and even the stack.
OUT: Taurean Mauler
https://scryfall.com/card/tdc/238/taurean-mauler
Taurean Mauler is a weird inclusion. I get that it's a “dragon” due to the Changeling ability, but it doesn't trigger [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]] properly.
The only benefit I can see is that it can become a scaling threat. But with the amount of powerful dragons, I don't think having a lack of threats is going to be a problem.
It can work with counter synergies, but we don't have any in the deck currently. So I don't see the need to keep Taurean Mauler.
Upgrade 4
IN: Maelstrom Wanderer
https://scryfall.com/card/ema/204/maelstrom-wanderer
Maelstrom Wanderer has two instances of Cascade. So you can get two free spells when you cast this.
As Maelstrom Wanderer costs 8 mana, you can Cascade into almost the entire deck. Maelstrom Wanderer also gives all your creatures Haste. So if you hit some creatures you can attack with them straight away.
Just a quick note on how Cascade works. When you cast a card with Cascade, it will go onto the stack with the Cascade triggers above it. The Cascade trigger will resolve first, while the original card is still on stack. This could let you copy the spell if you hit the right copy spell. You are also casting them, so you will get to trigger [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]] as well.
I did also consider [[Apex Devastator]] for this slot as it has four instances of Cascade. So you would get five spells with it. The first reason I didn't was that it costs 10 mana and I value the haste from Maelstrom Wanderer.
OUT: Stormshriek Feral
https://scryfall.com/card/tdm/124/stormshriek-feral-flush-out
Coming out is a mini haste dragon Stormshriek Feral. The omen side of Flush Out is nice, being able to use it early game if you don't have anything else to do.
My problem is it's not like Adventure. It doesn't go into exile, ready to be cast later on. It shuffles back into the library, so you lose the creature half if you wanted that later.
You don't get two spells in one. You just get a model spell. This is useful, but neither half of Stormshriek Feral is particularly great. So together it doesn't add up to much more.
Upgrade 5/6
IN: Garruk's Uprising + Up the Beanstalk
https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/292/garruks-uprising
https://scryfall.com/card/woe/195/up-the-beanstalk
These next two cards perform a simple yet important role. The 3 best words in Magic. Draw a card.
Up the Beanstalk is the 2 mana version. It replaces itself with a card for 2 mana. It’s similar to Cycling a card, but unlike Cycling, this will continue to give you value, drawing you a card whenever you cast a 5+ mana value card.
Garruk's Uprising costs 3 mana and comes with some caveats. To replace itself with card draw it needs a creature with 4+ power. This is also tied to the card draw, but as we want 4+ and 6+ power creatures to trigger [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]], this isn't much of a downside.
There is a similar card included in the deck, [[Elemental Bond]], which is also nice as this has crept up in price due to lack of reprints.
OUT: Nesting Dragon + Leyline Tyrant
https://scryfall.com/card/tdc/225/nesting-dragon
https://scryfall.com/card/tdc/221/leyline-tyrant
Nesting Dragon is the first being cut. It's a neat card. If it’s power was 6 I would be more inclined to keep it but it is only 5.
It's the Landfall pay off which is what holds it back for me. It doesn't give immediate value. You get a [[Dragon Egg]] which then can turn into a [[Furnace Whelp]]. Not the most impressive.
If this was a Landfall deck or a sacrifice deck I would be more interested. These tokens can be used as blockers and you do get 2 turns worth of blockers. It's just the mana sink the second tokens need to be good.
Leyline Tyrant feels like a trap.
It’s able to store your excess red mana, which is useful. Also if Leyline Tyrant dies you can turn that into damage.
The problem is how the deck is constructed. The deck has over 50% of the pips requiring red. So your mana is going to be taxed.
That's the other problem. You should use all the mana on your turns, not store it. If you have nothing else to do but store the mana, then that works. But you really don’t want to be in that situation.
If you are just generating mana, you're not casting spells. Which means you don't have any cards in hand. Not where you want to be.
Upgrade 7/8
IN: Acolyte of Bahamut + Dragonspeaker Shaman
https://scryfall.com/card/clb/212/acolyte-of-bahamut
https://scryfall.com/card/afc/330/dragonspeaker-shaman
Both of those are big discounters for the dragons.
Acolyte of Bahamut is a Background Enchantment, so it gives the ability to your Commander. This is because there is a subset of Commanders that can have a Background as a paired Commander. But in this case Acolyte of Bahamut is in the 99. Even still it gives a discount of {2} to the first dragon cast.
Dragonspeaker Shaman is my other addition. This also gives the {2} discount, but for all dragons, not just your first. Although it’s a bit more fragile as it's only on a 2/2 creature and not an Enchantment.
There were some other cards that I considered such as [[Krosan Drover]] but it isn't as universal and didn't hit the theme as much.
[[Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma]] and [[Defiler of Vigor]] were a couple of other considerations. Goreclaw because it is also a {2} discount as well as a 4 power body, so you get two parts of [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]] trigger.
[[Defiler of Vigor]] gives you the full trigger from Eshki and gives you the discount, but at the cost of 2 life instead. It also gives our creatures +1/+1 counters, so it's a consideration if you are playing more into that side of the deck.
OUT: Rapacious Dragon + Dragonmaster Outcast
https://scryfall.com/card/tdc/229/rapacious-dragon
https://scryfall.com/card/tdc/211/dragonmaster-outcast
The first card coming out for these discounters is Rapacious Dragon. This sort of has a discount as it makes two [[Treasure]] tokens, but it's a tax back rather than a discount, as you still need the full 5 to cast it before you get the [[Treasure]]. It's not even a good body, being a 3/3. That's why it's being axed from the deck.
Dragonmaster Outcast is the other card removed. This one can be considered an honorary dragon. It does make dragons, but this requires 6 lands and only triggers on your upkeep to make one dragon a turn.
The problem is this is a trigger, not a casting of a dragon. So you don't get [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]] triggers from it. You can't even get any from Dragonmaster Outcast being cast, as it's just a 1/1.
Upgrade 9
IN: Kozilek's Unsealing
https://scryfall.com/card/mh3/65/kozileks-unsealing
Kozilek's Unsealing is another card draw Enchantment, but I didn't include it with the others as that isn’t the only thing it does. The main reason for including this is because it generates [[Eldrazi Spawn]] creature tokens which can be sacrificed for {C}.
This works as additional mana generation, giving 2 colourless mana that is stored for later turns. If you get this down before casting a 4 drop, you would store {C}{C}, allowing you to drop a 7 drop the following turn.
Or you could just keep the Spawn for later and have a big turn of dropping all your cards to keep triggering [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]].
OUT: Keiga, the Tide Star
https://scryfall.com/card/tdc/156/keiga-the-tide-star
Keiga, the Tide Star is coming out. While a useful effect, I think the original Kamigawa dragons are dated.
My main problem is it works on death, NOT on exile. This is what a lot more modern removal has moved to and most of the non exile removal is a board wipe. Keiga, the Tide Star ability doesn’t really work after board wipes as there isn’t anything to steal.
Don’t get me wrong, it's a powerful effect being able to permanently take a creature. It's just that removal has changed, limiting the usefulness of Keiga.
Upgrade 10
IN: Earthquake Dragon
https://scryfall.com/card/clb/228/earthquake-dragon
Oh Lord, the Chonk is coming. Earthquake Dragon has one of the highest mana costs in the game, coming in at a whopping 15 mana. But this does come with a 10/10 Flying Trample body too.
Although that wouldn’t be playable, what makes it good is that it can be cheated onto the board.
As this is {14}{G}, you could cast Earthquake Dragon for a single {G}. An insane rate! Most likely it's going to be for 3 or 4 mana, but that is still great for the stats you get.
The cherry on top is its final ability which lets you sacrifice a land to return this card from the graveyard to your hand for only {2}{G}. Even if your opponent can kill it, you can bring it back for another round.
OUT: Verix Bladewing
https://scryfall.com/card/tdc/243/verix-bladewing
Verix Bladewing is coming out. This is a more flexible dragon compared to Earthquake Dragon. You can either cast it for 4 and get Verix Bladewing, or you can kick it by paying an additional {3} to bring [[Karox Bladewing]] as well.
The reason why I cut this is because of [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]]. Verix Bladewing only has 4 power, so you won’t get the final part of the trigger. To me, that is the important part - being able to deal the extra damage to speed up or close out games.
Final Thoughts
Temur Roar lives up to its name and front of box description: ramping mana and playing dragons.
I like [[Eshki, Temur's Roar]]. While she does work with dragons, she isn’t just limited to them. She cares more about the power of the creatures, unlike a more traditional Dragons deck like [[Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm]] or [[The Ur-Dragon]].
If you are looking to start a dragon deck this is a great pick up. It gives a lot of the key dragons, at least in Temur colours. There is obvious room to expand upon, as with any precon.
It does what a precon is meant to be. Playable out of the box and a starting point to expand on to make the deck your own. It tells its own tale, just like the Temur Shamans.
PS. All the card prices were under budget at the time of writing.
Non-budget Upgrades
Looking for even more upgrades? Try these 10 cards that didn't meet our budget requirement, but synergise with this deck:
https://scryfall.com/card/lci/249/chimil-the-inner-sun
https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/171/animar-soul-of-elements
https://scryfall.com/card/khm/139/goldspan-dragon
https://scryfall.com/card/war/232/kiora-behemoth-beckoner
https://scryfall.com/card/mh3/152/fanatic-of-rhonas
https://scryfall.com/card/mom/149/invasion-of-tarkir-defiant-thundermaw
https://scryfall.com/card/lci/258/roaming-throne
https://scryfall.com/card/m19/154/sarkhan-fireblood
https://scryfall.com/card/rvr/129/utvara-hellkite
https://scryfall.com/card/dtk/154/sarkhans-triumph
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