#talrand

Last week I missed the Budget Picks drop, which means this week you get a double helping. Today we’re talking about a flexible spells-matter commander from an old core set whose been feared in commander pods for years. As usual, our list won’t include any cards above $5, and no more than three above $2.

Art by John Severin Brassell

What is a Drake (flavorfully)?

In the real world, with generic terminology, Drake either means a male duck or a dragon. There is no historical difference between a Dragon and a Drake. That said, Magic: the Gathering includes a clear separation.

Drakes are winged reptiles with blue, green, white, and/or brown scales. They have batlike wings and feet similar to a raptor’s. Unlike dragons, Drakes do not possess a second set of legs. Drakes have only bestial intelligence, acting primarily as great birds of prey.

Drake habitats can be found on most planes, though they are most problematic on Ravnica where the city expanded into Drake territories millenia ago. Now, Drakes live atop skyscrapers and prey upon civilians throughout the city. Amonkhet, before the Hour of Devastation, had a strong Drake population as well, but these Drakes were mostly domesticated.

What is a Drake (mechanically)?

Drakes are small blue fliers, usually with 2 or 3 power. Though early Magic had a number of red Drakes, those are a thing of the past. Drakes occasionally appear in black, but for the most part are all Blue or Blue/X.

Can I make a Drake deck?

With no Drake rewards, no drake support other than a few token makers, no Legendary Drakes, and very few Drakes that are of any quality in constructed at all, you absolutely can.

Meet Talrand, Sky Summoner.

Talrand, Sky Summoner is a commander designed for control decks who, when combined with cantrips, counterspells, and other cheap blue instants and sorceries pumps out so many Drakes that a single Favorable Winds or Obelisk of Urd becomes completely terrifying. He’s a slow deck, and it’ll take more than a few “choose a creature type” cards to make playing many other Drakes worthwhile, but Talrand can fill the sky on his own, making anything that benefits Drakes an entirely solid option.

That said, value Drakes highly in limited. Drakes are almost always great in limited.

Is Drake a good creature type?

Drake’s primary strength as a creature type is a clear mechanical identity. A Drake is a blue creature with 2 or 3 power that flies. While this isn’t hard and fast, it’s one of the strongest mechanical identities in the game, even with all the other blue fliers around. Its primary weakness is a weak flavor identity. “Small and Stupid Dragon” falls apart when many sets include small and stupid dragons, and large drakes occasionally see play.  Further, the fact that a Drake is, by common parlance, a Dragon means that the difference between the two is not inherently clear.

Overall, I think it was a mistake making Drakes to begin with, as their mere presence makes Dragons less cool, but a strong mechanical split means it’s entirely acceptable that Drakes are a separate type than Dragons. Were I making the game from the ground up, those midrange fliers would be elementals or birds or something else to that effect. As Drakes stand now, they’re in an awkward spot. More Drake support would continue to diminish the sheer coolness factor of Dragons, and though their identity is clear, it’s not unique or well-owned. Another important note about Drakes is that though they show up frequently, they’re almost always at common or uncommon. A rare drake that has power worth noting inherently clashes against the difference between a Drake and a Dragon. Our only rare Drake in recent years, Nephalia Moondrakes, simply doesn’t feel like a Drake. It feels like a Dragon.

What I’d like to see with further Drake developments would be more appearances of the 2/2 flying Drake token. Rare cards that produce Drakes can be a lot splashier than rare Drakes, and any card that produces multiples can function well with “choose a creature type” cards. Further, a rare Drake, or even a proper Drake Lord would feel a lot more Drake-like if it were a 2/2 flier and two 2/2 Flying Tokens than if it were a 6/6 Flier.