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 been captivating, the next set is already on the horizon. Tarkir: Dragonstorm returns to the plane of Tarkir, and we have an exclusive sneak peek at five cards likely to dominate draft tables next month. (Pre-orders are available now on Amazon.)

View the gallery below to see all five cards, and read on for insights from Wizards of the Coast on their design and the set's overall vision.

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

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These five cards form a "cycle," sharing common design elements across Magic's colors. They are inexpensive, common-rarity creatures. Each possesses an ability linked to one of Tarkir's three-color clans and another that converts mana into a color from that clan.

“Three-color limited environments require significant mana fixing across all rarities,” explains Adam Prosak, Wizards of the Coast Senior Game Designer. “We aimed for diverse deck access to mana fixing, leading to designs addressing mana issues. These creatures allow simultaneous board play 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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While the mechanical design of this cycle came first, common cards often showcase a set's world. Lauren Bond, Senior Worldbuilding Designer, highlights how these clans differ from previous iterations: "The action-oriented Jeskai monks, Temur's whisper magic, Sultai Nagas protecting the jungle, Mardu's military prowess, and Abzan clerics restoring lost kin trees."

Recent criticism of some Magic sets has focused on overreliance on tropes. Dragonstorm’s straightforward return to Tarkir stands out. Forrest Schehl, Senior Worldbuilding Art Director, emphasizes that feedback is valued, but Tarkir’s core concept predates and remained unchanged by subsequent sets.

“Our goal was to uniquely combine Dragons and Clans on Tarkir. Dragonstorms, a defining plane feature, heavily influenced our approach. Lauren and I felt immense pressure from the start to authentically and meaningfully develop this beloved plane’s next chapter.”

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