Tarkir: Dragonstorm (TDM) Limited Introduction — Blue

Note: This article was translated from Chinese by AI and may contain errors. Read the original Chinese version.

Tarkir: Dragonstorm (TDM) will hold its prerelease events on April 4, 2025, and be officially released a week later on April 11, 2025. Want to know more about how individual cards rate in Limited, with recommendations? Then check out this series of TDM Limited introductions!

• For a mechanics breakdown, see this article: Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Mechanics Breakdown

Rating Scale

5.0: Unconditional must-pick, brings a near-winning advantage
4.5: Unconditional must-pick if in the right colors, brings a huge advantage
4.0: First-pick value, extremely synergistic with the color pair’s theme, can be the deciding card for splashing/switching colors or entering a color pair
3.5: Top uncommons and commons of the set and other cards of sufficient power, synergize well with the color pair’s theme, can be a key card for entering a color pair
3.0: Important cards for the color pair’s theme and other above-average cards, you’d want them in your final deck
2.5: Average level, usually a decent curve filler
2.01.0: Below average, basically leaning toward not playing; can be used as filler if necessary, but not too many
0.50.0: Unplayable, basically don’t play it, playing it will only help you lose

Ratings

This time the blue ratings take the clan themes into account: Jeskai (blueredwhite), Temur (greenbluered), and Sultai (blackgreenblue).

Score: 2.5
Comment: Although it’s a creature with a weak body, it passes as long as it can trigger a counter-growth once, and it’s relatively hard to kill. It can also pair with leave-the-graveyard abilities for extra effects.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Since it puts two +1/+1 counters, the Renew ability can both grow a body and trigger the leave-the-graveyard effect. It’s a decent creature in both Sultai and Temur.

Score: 3.5
Comment: Most of the time it’s just a wall that’s very hard to remove, and when necessary, casting it to draw three cards is also decent. By the way, this set has a Synchronized Charge that can give it vigilance once, which is like getting a free extra hit without having to tap. Trading six stun counters for six cards looks like a pretty good deal.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Although it’s an instant that draws cards and has a chance at a 3-for-1, six mana is a bit too clunky.

Score: 3.0
Comment: It stuns an opponent’s creature twice and the body isn’t bad, and it can enable abilities that check for a creature with power 4 or greater. A decent creature for clearing the way.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Early on it’s just a two-mana draw a card, a fairly good spell and creature in Jeskai and Temur. Also, it’s a Dragon and can be revealed for Behold.

Score: 2.0
Comment: If you have Dragons to Behold, early on it’s basically a plain Counterspell.

Score: 2.0
Comment: When it enters it will likely net you a card, and if it reveals a Dragon, the opponent can hardly deal with that Dragon without spending removal on it.

Score: 1.0
Comment: One mana to enter, two mana to find the ball, three mana to play the ball, and late game to find a Dragon. It looks smooth but doesn’t affect the game much, so there’s no need to force this three-card combination.

Score: 1.5
Comment: Three mana to surveil one each turn is a bit poor in value. It’s only stronger in a Sultai build that can reliably get things out of the graveyard.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A decent filtering tool in Jeskai, great for triggering Flurry.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Close to a permanent -5/-0, and losing all abilities may be key in some situations.

Score: 2.5
Comment: A fairly important creature in Flurry decks.

Score: 2.0
Comment: A low-cost creature that’s quite good for triggering Flurry.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Very strong for bouncing a creature covered in all kinds of counters, though the body is a bit small.

Score: 3.0
Comment: It also works on creatures on a normal three-mana curve. Note that since it’s a two-part trigger, you don’t need an instant or sorcery in the graveyard as a target; on entering you can choose to exile a creature from your own graveyard.

Score: 4.0
Comment: Filters early and bounces two to clear the way late. A very high-quality individual creature.

Score: 3.5
Comment: The point is the Renew effect, which has a chance to turn your whole team into big monsters and knock the opponent over in one wave.

Score: 3.5
Comment: A very good tap aura for triggering Flurry. Although the opponent can untap late in the game, it effectively locks up the opponent’s mana.

Score: 2.0
Comment: Although it has two modes, four mana is a bit too high for countering noncreature spells. Countering an Omen might give a bit more value.

Score: 3.5
Comment: Two mana to draw two and discard one isn’t a loss, and if you can reuse it, it’s like a ghost.

Score: 3.0
Comment: The body is a bit weak, so just treat it as filtering a card on entering plus a small Zombie.

Score: 2.5
Comment: On the opponent’s turn it’s an excellent blocker, and on your own turn it can enable abilities that check for power 4 or greater. Late in the game it can also serve as an end piece. A very strong common creature.

Score: 1.5
Comment: A rather special Stubborn Denial. If you see the opponent with one blue mana left but creatures on the battlefield, you may still need to be careful.

Score: 0.5
Comment: Self-mill decks probably wouldn’t dare to include this card; consider bringing it in if the opponent is playing a mill deck.

Score: 4.0
Comment: If your deck can reliably trigger Flurry, this card is a big bomb that generates unlimited extra resources.

An extra note on its interaction with Omen cards: when you cast an Omen card as the second spell to trigger the copy and suspend it, the copy is a copy of the Omen’s spell, and after suspend counters run out, you may choose to cast either the Omen side or the creature itself, choosing one.

Score: 2.5
Comment: A defender with an excellent body, and it’s quite nice that using it for color fixing doesn’t require tapping.

Score: 2.5
Comment: The first use is great for triggering Flurry, and the second just taps a creature with power 4, which is about the same as a Divination.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Bouncing twice is a really annoying card.

Score: 3.5
Comment: If you get a chance to grow it, it’s very lethal, and with vigilance plus being unblockable, it can keep defending too. A very nice creature.

Score: 2.5
Comment: In an environment full of flying dragons, making 1/1 Birds probably can’t get through, so it might be better suited to defense.

Score: 3.0
Comment: It can bounce repeatedly, a low-cost spell for Flurry, and the aura effect granting evasion is quite good.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A stronger Divination that can also be done twice with creatures. This card pulls ahead in no time.

Conclusion

Many of the blue cards in this set have relatively low costs, which is great for triggering Flurry and extremely key in the Jeskai color pair. Temur has five creatures that can trigger Ferocious. Sultai has relatively fewer cards related to the graveyard, but can rely on Harmonize to trigger leave-the-graveyard effects.

This is a pretty good three-color environment, and Limited should be quite fun to play. I also look forward to some cards entering Constructed and affecting the format.