Primer: Dragon combo

Here is part 2 of the Dragon primer. There is one more section to go, which I will add shortly. All comments and feedback are greatly appreciated.

VI. Match-ups

The Dragon combo deck, like most combo decks, does very well against most deck types with the exception of counterspell-based control decks. Nevertheless, the Dragon deck is full of resources and uses a lot of flexible cards, so it has all of the tools to beat control-based strategies. This means that you do not auto lose just because you face a control deck, unlike many other combo decks being played in T1. The Dragon deck gives you the option of trying to win early through sheer speed, or set yourself up for one big turn so that you are able to overwhelm your opponent with cheap threats or disruption.

The Dragon match-ups are discussed below, with the focus being on the 5-color version of Dragon in the analysis. An example of SB decisions for games two and three are also made, and each match-up is assessed as either being favorable, average, or unfavorable. Such assessments might not necessarily apply to all Dragon builds - it might depend on what resources you have available, how quickly the deck can go off, how vulnerable you are to various strategies, how much disruption you choose to run etc. Use your judgement with this section as guide if you plan on running on a different build than the one presented in this primer.

1. Aggro decks

All aggro decks are generally considered very favorable match-ups for Dragon due to its sheer speed. While the fastest Dragon build can go off on turn three on average, it will take aggro a couple more turns on average to kill you. The aggro decks may get lucky from time to time and kill you on turn 3, but that is very rare. A more realistic shot for these aggro decks is to use whatever little disruption they might be running, and hope that it is enough to stop you.

Stupid Red Burn – SRB (sometimes referred to as Sligh) is one of the fastest aggro decks, sharing this distinction with Stompy. Game 1 is all about the speed of the kill for both decks. Just ignore what they are doing, and try to combo them as fast as possible. Having counterspell-based disruption will help you immensely here, as you can buy yourself a turn or two if you have trouble going off quickly. SRB’s biggest threats against you are Strip Mine, Wasteland, and Gorilla Shaman, especially in multiples. Price of Progress can also kill you quickly if you’re not careful, so don’t play more lands than what you need. Also, watch out for Lightning Bolt + Fireblast destroying your Dragon if you are using Animate Dead – try to go off with Dance of the Dead instead if you can.

SB:

+4 Powder Keg
+2 Verdant Force
+1 Read the Runes

-3 Defense Grid OR –3 Leaks
-1 Scrying Glass
-1 Abeyance
-2 Cunning Wish

Games two and three, bring in Powder Kegs to deal with their SB cards against Dragon: Tormod’s Crypt and Ankh of Mishra (or the weaker Obstinate Familiar/Goblin Sharpshooter). Kegs also help to destroy their creatures and buy you time to set yourself up. Chances are that SRB will be much slower in game 2, since they will most likely bring in a full complement of REBs as well and end up removing either creatures or burn in the process. To counter this you might want to leave the Defense Grids in and take out the Mana Leaks instead. Two Wishes are removed because they are a little too slow, while a Read the Runes is brought in along with two Verdant Forces to give you another two card combo, as Verdant is usually an auto-win. The one problem card could be Blood Moon; if you know that this card is used in your metagame, it might be a good idea to run a U/B version with lots of basic lands, as the other colors do not contribute significantly to this match-up. If Ankh is a popular Sligh choice in your area, with builds even running them main-deck, then running Necromancy to get around Ankh might also be a wise idea. Match-up: favorable

Stompy – This match-up also comes down to sheer speed. Stompy is much less frightening than Sligh, because of the lack of disruption that could attack your mana base. However, Stompy has one hope: Elvish Lyrist. If they get this card down early and it becomes active, it will force you to either hunt down the main-deck Abeyance, or use a Cunning Wish to fetch either Abeyance or Rushing River. The last option is to go off twice, with two Animate cards and a land in hand: use the first Animate enchantment and have it removed by the Lyrist in response to the Dragon’s come-into-play ability being put on the stack. Float one mana, play your land, and go off with the second Animate card.

SB:

+4 Powder Keg

–3 Mana Leak
-1 Scrying Glass

optional:

+2 Verdant Force
+1 Read the Runes

-3 Buried Alive

Games two and three, Powder Kegs are the death knell for Stompy. They will probably bring in instant enchantment removal, so one Defense Grid will solve that issue easily. Any Tormod’s Crypts are handled by Kegs as well – just be cautious when using your Buried Alive. Verdant Force is not necessarily as good as in the Sligh match-up, because they would be more vulnerable to enchantment removal as Grids will not protect them. If you DO decide to bring in Verdant Force, leave in your Mana Leaks and remove Defense Grids instead. This match-up gets much easier after SB. Match-up: favorable

White Weenie/Tommy Gun – Any form of white weenie will have excellent disruption against you in the form of Swords to Plowshares and Seal of Cleansing/Disenchant. However, white-weenie is very slow, so you have ample opportunity to track down either your main-deck Abeyance or wish for one. Just hold back on a white mana source, because they might target it with Strip Mine/Wasteland. Your other option is to use Buried Alive for both Dragons and your Caravan, drop a Defense Grid, and go off. This will not work only if they have two StP in hand – however, they would need to keep two white mana open at all times, so they are prevented from playing more threats and thus you have even more time to find what you need.

SB:

+4 Powder Keg

-3 Defense Grid
-1 Scrying Glass

Post SB, you once again bring in Kegs to handle Tormod’s Crypt as well as their weenies. Watch out for their SB Orim’s Chants though – if they play it in response to Animate Dead, you will not be able to win – the game is a draw. However, as long as you win game 1, you are happy to just draw the next two games and win the match. If they side in Null Rods, then at least you can take comfort in knowing that you won’t need your Kegs to handle Tormod’s Crypt. Match-up: favorable

Gay/Curious Fish – This deck type combines fast blue weenies with free counterspells and Curiosity for card drawing. The fish deck is slow, so you have plenty of time to set up; however, it might be important to get an early Defense Grid down to get past their counterspells. The Rootwater Thief might be problematic if dropped early, but you have so much redundancy that it cannot possibly remove your combo pieces in a reasonable amount of time. Their best hope usually will be to counter your attempts to bury a Dragon in the graveyard, and remove the Dragons with the Thief. However, the earliest that they can start removing cards from your deck is turn three, barring a first turn Mox Sapphire or Lotus, so you would still have a bit of time to get yourself going before the Thief becomes a serious problem.

SB:

+4 Powder Keg
+3 Red Elemental Blast
+1 Defense Grid
+2 Verdant Force

-1 Scrying Glass
-3 Buried Alive
-1 Mystical Tutor
-1 Vampiric Tutor
-1 Timetwister
-1 Wheel of Fortune
-1 Cunning Wish
-1 Mana Leak

Post SB, you not only bring in your Kegs, but REBs and Defense Grid as well. Verdants are also good, as your opponent will not have much in the way of enchantment removal outside of a Rushing River or Capsize. Match-up: favorable

TnT – First game, unless TnT is running main-deck Blood Moons, they will have no way to stop you outside of their lone Elvish Lyrist. By the time they can set up their Survival and fetch the Lyrist, or have the mana to get Anger first, then the Lyrist, it will most likely be too late for them. Their best strategy is to just race you with their 4/4 or 5/3 creatures, although it will take them 4-5 turns to kill you. This is plenty of time for the Dragon deck.

SB

No change, OR +3 Powder Keg/-3 Defense Grid

The only decent chance TnT has is post SB. It can bring in three possible cards against you: Blood Moon, Naturalize, or Tormod’s Crypt. A fourth possibility is Jester’s Cap, although it can be slow and not very effective if you can protect your Dragons by fishing one out of your library. Crypts in TnT SBs are rare, so it might be better to leave the Grids in the main deck to combat their Naturalizes. You cannot do much against Blood Moon except to try and counter it; the Moon is much more deadly in this deck compared to Sligh, as TnT runs Moxes and Lotus for mana acceleration. If you draw a Vampiric or Demonic Tutor, it might be a good idea to quickly fetch yourself a Mox Jet or Lotus to ensure that you can at least tie the game with a Worldgorger Dragon after Blood Moon enters play. Your other option is to come prepared with a U/B version of Dragon (which can pack a number of basic lands) if TnT with Blood Moons are prevalent in your area. This match-up is not so hopeless for TnT as some might think as long as TnT fills their SB with the abovementioned cards. Match-up: favorable

Other – The match-ups against all other aggro decks will likely be similar to those listed above. Most, if not all, should be in your favor.

2. Aggro-control

Suicide Black – This deck is pretty much a brutal match up for any non-aggro deck. The games will usually completely revolve around their starting hand and early game – it they get a very strong disruption hand, you’re going to have a very hard time. The good news is that Suicide will not be putting pressure on you until they have maximally disrupted you first, so you will have a number of turns to top-deck your way into victory. The key to this match-up will often revolve around maintaining enough mana on the table, and casting your Wheel of Fortune or Timetwister. Mystical and Vampiric Tutors will also be key cards, as they are able to hide spells on top of the library. First game is a complete toss up, and could go either way. If you get the chance, you can generally go off without fear, as the majority of Suicide builds do not use main deck Diabolic Edicts.

SB:

+ 2 Verdant Force
+1 Read the Runes
+2 Powder Keg

-3 Defense Grid
-1 Scrying Glass
-1 Abeyance

They will bring in Planar Void against you games two and three, and there is little you can do about it. They might side in Edicts as well. The only good news is they have to take something out, so they might be siding out some of their creatures. That means that you might have a bit more time to find the answers you need. The 5-color deck is not designed to fight Suicide; the only trick it has is to go for a quick Verdant Force before Planar Void comes down, and hope that it doesn’t get Edicted in time. Your other hope is that Suicide will probably be siding in only 2-3 Voids, and without much Tutoring power, there is a chance that they might not draw them. If they do get Void into play early, you still have a way out: Wishing for a Rushing River. If you wish to improve your match-up against Suicide, you can consider putting Pernicious Deeds and/or the slightly slower Nevinyrral’s Disks. The problem with Disks is that they are stopped by Null Rods, which are usually main-decked by Suicide to begin with. The other option is to play main deck (or SB) Necromancy, which allows you to get around Planar Void by casting it on their turn. However, this only works if you can get a Dragon into the graveyard first, so the Verdant Force strategy might be a better option by comparison. If Suicide is very prevalent in your area, you might even consider running CoP:Black or Abyss in the side. The Abyss is something they can never get rid of (unless they start running Nevinyrral's Disks) so it would buy you all the time in the world to go off eventually. Match-up: average

Nether Void Black – This match-up is very similar to Suicide, but with one major difference: it trades in the potential to get significant early pressure from creatures in exchange for trying to lock things up under Nether Void. You will have to build up at least 5 mana to be able to go off under the Void, which might be a tall order. The final nail in your coffin might be the fact that the deck is probably going to run Edicts main. You’re in for a very tough time.

SB

+ 2 Verdant Force
+1 Read the Runes
+2 Powder Keg

-3 Defense Grid
-1 Scrying Glass
-1 Abeyance

It doesn’t get any better post SB, as the Nether Void deck will also bring in Planar Void, along with a full complement of Diabolic Edicts. Your strategy is similar to the Suicide Black match-up. Go for the quick Verdant Force kill. Otherwise, there is probably very little hope. Match-up: unfavorable

PT Funk – This B/g deck is similar to Nether Void (lots of disruption backed by a small number of creatures) with the notable exception of running Pernicious Deed instead of Nether Void. This makes things a bit easier relative to the Void match-up, as it is more important to have mana available versus worrying about a Deed on the table. Nevertheless, the Deed presents a significant problem, so the Dragon deck will have to set-up and Abeyance before going off. Easier said than done, of course, but at least you have more time because of the lack of too many early threats.

SB

+2 Verdant Force
+1 Read the Runes
+1 Powder Keg

-3 Defense Grid
-1 Scrying Glass

The SB strategy is the same as in the previous two match-ups, since PT Funk will also most likely bring in Planar Void. The problem is that Funk runs regenerating creatures, so you will have to rely on Verdant tokens to squeeze out a win. At least Planar Void has terrible synergy with Deed. Another difficult match-up. Match-up: unfavorable-average

3. Control

Mono-U – Control is usually the bane of combo decks, and mono-U is often considered an auto-win against most of them. However, Dragon decks have a fairly decent chance because of two factors: threat overload due to redundancy of combo pieces, and very cheap mass card advantage cards (Scrying Glass and Defense Grid). Dragon also has access to REBs via its Cunning Wishes, which help out a lot game 1 and increase the total amount of disruption. Having said that, the version of mono-U that you are playing matters a great deal. If it is running Ophidians and Back to Basics main, you might be in a heap of trouble. Without Ophidians, you actually have a very decent chance of overwhelming your opponent before Back to Basics hit play. Without Back to Basics you still have a decent chance even if the mid-game is reached. Here are the basics of the match-up:

The early game can be spent trying to overwhelm the control deck with threats. You can attempt to animate your Dragon if and when it reaches the graveyard with impunity, as there is little danger of having the Dragon bounced via Capsize (most mono-U decks run just one). You have Leaks and REBs (via Cunning Wishes) as back up. The Defense Grids and the Scrying Glass are huge threats by themselves, and are usually must counters unless the mono-U player wishes to take a risk and wait to build up his Powder Keg to destroy them. It is even to your advantage to have them FoW early just to whittle down their cards. This type of war of attrition will create a situation where you will be in top-deck mode; at this point, if they don’t draw an answer to your threat, you will win. If you’re playing against the Ophidian version, you might have your opportunity to overwhelm them if they are tempted to tap out for an Ophidian with Force of Will back-up.

The mid-game is spend by accumulating your threat cards and waiting for an opening. If the mono-U player is tempted to go for a threat (Ophidian or Morphling) you can use the opportunity to overwhelm him. If he smells a rat and sits tight, then you might be in trouble if you don’t have enough mana or threats to break through his counter wall. If he’s playing the Ophidian version and holds off on casting the Ophidians, there is a chance that you might get a mana advantage on him – those versions tend to run only 22 permanent mana sources with 3-4 Impulses.

SB

+3 Powder Keg
+2 Verdant Force
+3 REB
+1 Defense Grid
+1 Scrying Glass
+1 Read the Runes

-3 Buried Alive
-1 Vampiric Tutor
-1 Mystical Tutor
-1 Timetwister
-1 Wheel of Fortune
-1 Abeyance
-2 Cunning Wish

Post SB, mono-U will be bringing in Tormod’s Crypt and the “weak” Blue Elemental Blasts, as well as Back to Basics if they didn’t already have them main deck. Your plan is to maximize your disruption, remove all of the card disadvantage tutors and symmetric cards like Twister and Wheel (you don’t want to replenish their hands), take out the 3 cc Sorcery Buried Alives, and put in your Verdant Forces. Your plan now is to either combo them out with Worldgorger, or go for Verdant Force beat-down, making their side boarded BEBs look foolish. The latter plan could potentially be very effective if you overload them with your cheap disruption. Your chances improve post SB, but the match-up remains very tough nonetheless. To improve the match-up, Necromancy and Mana Short would be very effective cards to start massive counter wars on their turn, so consider them for the SB if there are a lot of mono-U in your metagame. Match-up: unfavorable-average

Keeper/OSE/rOSE – These decks are similar to mono-U, but do not pack as many counterspells, don’t usually use Ophidians, and don’t run Back to Basics. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they run creature and/or enchantment removal, albeit in very small quantities. The plan is still very similar as in the mono-U match-up – try to overwhelm them early, or set your hand up for a mid-game combo backed up with disruption. This match-up will often come down to who can establish card advantage early, and Dragon has an excellent chance if it can get an early Grid or Scrying Glass.

SB

+2 Powder Keg
+1 Scrying Glass
+1 Defense Grid
+2 REB
(+2 Verdant Force)
(+1 Read the Runes)
-3 Buried Alive
-1 Vampiric Tutor
-1 Mystical Tutor
-1 Timetwister
-1 Wheel of Fortune
(-2 Cunning Wish)

Post SB, the plan is similar to the plan against mono-U. Maximize your cheap disruption, bring in Kegs against Tormod’s Crypt, and possibly go with Verdant Forces. The Verdants are not as good against Keeper if they increase their Swords to Plowshares count post SB, but they are excellent against OSE and rOSE. Since these decks tend to not play Powder Kegs, your Defense Grids are more powerful than in the mono-U match-up. You have a really good chance to win these match-ups with quick threat overload. Match-up: average

Emerald Alice - This match-up is very similar to mono-U, except that Emerald Alice runs many more potentially dead cards (Dryads, Werebears, Misdirections, Diverts etc.). As a consequence, it's much easier to crash through by overloading Alice with your threats. Just make sure you are not killing with Stroke of Genius until you've drawn your whole library first - use Cunning Wish to fetch a Read the Runes, not Stroke, to get around Misdirection.

SB

+4 Keg
+3 REB
+1 Defense Grid

-2 Buried Alive
-1 Abeyance
-1 Mystical Tutor
-1 Vampiric Tutor
-1 Wheel of Fortune
-1 Ancestral Recall
-1 Timetwister

The SB plan is similar to the plan against mono-U. The Kegs are even stronger here as they can take out Tormod's Crypts, Dryads, or even Ophidians. They might side in Emerald Charms or Naturalize against you, so Defense Grid is very strong. Just watch out for the bad synergy between Kegs and Grids if you plan to destroy the Dryads. Removing Ancestral Recall is a tough call, but given their large numbers of Misdirections and/or Divert, it might be a wise decision. You should win this match-up, although it's never going to be easy. Match-up: average

Parfait/Enchantress – Non-counterspell control decks are usually a breeze, provided that you have the right tools to win the match-up. Parfait is more problematic here than Enchantress, but even that is not saying very much. Because these decks put no pressure on you whatsoever, you have practically all the time in the world to set yourself up. The dangerous cards Parfait runs are Swords to Plowshares, Aura of Silence and Orim’s Chant, along with one Tormod's Crypt in the main deck. An effective strategy for winning quickly is to build up your mana, hunt down your Abeyance, Drop a Defense Grid, and go off after casting Abeyance. Just make sure that they cannot Chant you in response if they have 4 mana on the table (by dropping more Grids or having a Leak for back-up). Having Mana Leaks instead of pro-active disruption such as Duress also helps, especially in stopping their Auras from hitting play. If any problematic enchantments miraculously hit the table (like Aura Fracture, Humility or Ivory Mask), you always have your Rushing River in case of emergency. Finally, be catious with using your creature "burier" too early, as their Tormods Crypt could end the game on the spot. If you decide to cast Buried Alive, it might be a good idea to only bury a single Dragon. Enchantress, on the other hand, doesn't run many of the problematic cards in their main deck, so there are even less threats to worry about from this deck.

SB

+2 Powder Keg

-2 Buried Alive

You really don’t have to bring in very much, as they have no really effective cards to SB against you. Parfait may have Blood Moon, although it has a lot of trouble casting it consistently with few sources of R mana. The Kegs are for Tormod’s Crypt, although Abeyance shuts down Crypts all by itself. For non-5-color versions which don’t run Abeyance, Mana Short is an absolute must to keep this match-up very favorable. In fact, Mana Short can be slightly more effective because you don’t need to stop their Chants (since you short them on their turn), but if they have an untapped Mox Pearl or Black Lotus in play you will need a Mana Leak to back up your combo. Match-up: favorable

4. Other combo decks

Popular combo decks include the following:

Academy
Turboland/Turbonevyn
Army of Squirrels
Trix
Dragon (mirror)

There are others, but are less frequently seen. Dragon tends to have favorable match-ups with just about every combo deck, due to its sheer speed and amount of cheap disruption. Academy and Turboland have the least chance against Dragon, since they both use critical symmetric cards that could significantly help the Dragon deck (Helm of Awakening and Horn of Greed). AoS and Trix play more like control than combo against Dragon, but they are slower and will most likely lose to Defense Grid. The general SB strategy for Dragon would look like the following:

+3 REB
(+1 Defense Grid – vs AoS/Trix)
(+4 Powder Keg – vs Academy)

-1 Mystical Tutor
-1 Wheel of Fortune
-1 Timetwister
(-1 Cunning Wish - if you need to make room, this is often the first to go)
(-3 Defense Grid – vs Academy/Turboland)

For the mirror, just make sure you don’t tap out for Buried Alive or Wheel of Fortune/Timetwister. Also, remember that Abeyance in response to your opponent’s Animate card is only a draw, so fetching an early Abeyance with your Cunning Wish is not the most effective play. Finally, try not to bury your Dragon if you cannot go off immediately, as your opponent can use it to go off himself. This match-up can be improved tremendously by running Necromancy to steal Dragons from opposing graveyards in response to your opponent going off. Also, whoever runs more disruption in the form of counterspells and pro-active disruption such as Duress will typically have the edge. Otherwise, it will usually just come down to luck.

VII. Playing the Dragon deck – tips and tricks

Coming soon…