Welcome back readers today's card of the day is
Shivan Dragon the original iconic dragon, in
light of Dragons of Tarkir now is a perfect time
to revisit some of the most influential dragon
cards. Unfortunately this card has not aged
well. In any competitive format its too slow and
very mana intensive, creatures have simply
gotten better over the years. In casual and
multiplayer this is underwhelming in anything
but mono red but still their exists a plethora
of more powerful dragons relegating this to a
nostalgia act. In limited however this card is
still the real deal, an evasive flying creature
with the potential for big damage I don't think
this card will ever stop being powerful in draft
or sealed environments. While there is not much
to be said about Shivian Dragon its historical,
its the epitome of Dragons and one of the most
important cards ever printed.
Shivan Dragon was one of the first two dragons
in all of Magic, and despite not being the most
spectacular in the game any more, its legacy has
shaped all of Magic. This was the card that
taught us how much fun it is to summon a dragon,
and without which Dragons of Tarkir could not
have existed. And even in 2015, there are still
many worse things to do with a lot of red mana -
with the right support, it can still kill in one
hit, which is something that even most of the
recent pushed-for-constructed dragons can't say.
It's Dragon Week at COTD here, and how better to
start it than with a classic? Magic may have
come a long way since this red menace has been
printed, but the fact is that it's still...
maybe not tournament-caliber, but definitely
still relevant. Flying is a very valuable
ability on a creature, and the higher a flying
creature's power, the more valuable it is. Even
a 4-power flyer demands immediate response, so
even if all you have to bring to the table is 5
power and flying, that counts for a lot. The
firebreathing is also a nice addition, as
flavorful as it is potentially game-ending. Most
players these days would rather aggro rush and
end the game before they hit six mana, or play
control and drop a win condition that's much
harder to answer, the Shivan Dragon may still
find victory in a U/R tempo deck that can find
the right opening to drop him.
Today's card of the day is Shivan Dragon which
is a six mana 5/5 Red with Flying and
Firebreathing for one. This is the
original big Red dragon from Alpha and is still
Standard legal with the latest printing in 2015.
It has held up fairly well over the years, but
other dragons are far more likely to be played
as they can offer Haste, Trample, or in Moonveil
Dragon's case an almost strictly better design.
Overall this is a classic and holds a nostalgic
value and can sometimes be the top evasive
threat in a block for Red, but usually other
more compelling options will take deck slots.
In Limited this is a bomb and easy first pick in
Booster that can provide a large evasive threat
which can be increased with excess mana.
This is a card that wins games and should not be
passed in nearly any situation. For Sealed
it depends on the pool a bit more as a heavily
Red deck is best to take advantage of the power
increase, though even a bit more than a splash
is enough to play this as a 5/5 evasive for six
is efficient by itself.
In honor of the upcoming Dragons of Tarkir set,
we are reviewing dragons and dragon-related
cards this week. One of the classic icons of
Magic, Shivan Dragon was once THE powerhouse of
the skies. Pay your six mana, and next turn,
pump all your red mana into her and fly over for
10+ damage.
But, this is over 20 years later. Where does the
Shivan stand today? Unquestionably, it’s a
limited bomb if red is one of your main colors.
How about constructed? There are a lot of good
dragons out there, and some of them are better
than Shivan Dragon, but she’s still a reasonable
choice, especially in a mono-red deck where she
could end the game in 2 swings.
Maybe it’s at least partially because of
nostalgia, much like in sports how people keep
voting the big name players to all-star games,
even when they are well past their prime, but
Shivan Dragon still gets good marks in my book.
