This is one big fat Dragon that can get the job
done! Eight is a high casting cost whether you
are talking limited or constructed, but once you
do whatever you have to do to get this bad boy
in play, it is generally worth the effort. There
are only a very small number of creatures that
can be played as an instant, and even fewer
still that can fly, and none of them can help
you instantly win the game better than Bogardan
Hellkite. In limited the Hellkite is a very high
pick, a number one pick most of the time. In
constructed, Hellkite is the star of the popular
Dragonstorm deck that has made so much noise in
Standard constructed tournaments for the past
several months.
Lots of damage. Lots of power. It has flash.
It's everything you'd expect from a Dragon, plus
more. And with Dragonstorm timeshifted, it makes
the perfect win condition. What more is there to
say? Well, its mana cost is pretty high. But so
is every Dragon's, and besides, nobody hardcasts
these things.
A big dragon with big damage attached to it. And
a big mana cost. In constructed formats, the
chances of casting this monstrosity and winning
the game with it are limited. Fortunately, you
don't need to cast it to win. Instead we've got
Dragonstorm. These two cards will be forever
linked in the minds of anyone who played Time
Spiral era standard. As for limited, it's a huge
bomb like nearly every dragon. If you cast this,
you will likely win the game.
A really good creature with lots of uses. Just
in a control deck with red (Izzetron anyone?)
he's very strong, as he's a 5/5 (doesn't die to
a Char or Psionic Blast) with flying (hard to
block), but more importantly he has Flash (which
is very important for the control deck, so you
can save mana for a counter if you need it) and
he either offs something when he comes into play
or sends 5 damage at their head. It does cost 8
mana, but that's not a big deal for the Izzetron
deck. His other main use is in Dragonstorm,
where tutoring 4 of these into play is an insta-win
if they're at 20 or lower.
In casual, it's a good choice for your dragon
deck, as it's a powerful one.
In limited, this is a bomb. The only way I would
not take this is if I had absolutely no red and
it was in the third pack.
