Legendary Creature — Human Shaman

Sarkhan, Soul Aflame

Mana value3EDHREC#2,045

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The Commander

Dragon spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.

Whenever a Dragon you control enters, you may have Sarkhan become a copy of it until end of turn, except its name is Sarkhan, Soul Aflame and it's legendary in addition to its other types.

Guide

Gameplan

Ramp into a deck full of Dragons, cast them at a discount, and turn Sarkhan into a copy of each Dragon as it enters for extra ETB triggers and a beefy attacker. You grind board presence with efficient fliers and close games through repeated Dragon damage, copy abuses, and big haymakers like Utvara or Scourge of Valkas.

Strengths

Cost reduction on every Dragon makes the curve absurdly cheap and lets you double-spell often
Copying powerful Dragon ETBs (and bodies) doubles their impact for free
Evasive, hard-hitting Dragon bodies pressure all opponents in the air
Low mana value (3) means Sarkhan comes down early and starts discounting immediately
Strong tribal support package and payoffs available in Izzet

Weaknesses

Heavily commander-dependent; losing Sarkhan removes the discount and copy engine
Vulnerable to board wipes given the deck's high creature count
Dragons are mana-hungry up top despite the discount, so stumbling on ramp hurts
UR lacks reliable creature recursion and struggles against heavy stax or fast combo
The copy is only until end of turn, so it doesn't build permanent board state

Key Cards

Scourge of Valkas — Each Dragon ETB (including Sarkhan copying one) deals damage equal to Dragon count, a real win condition.
Dragon Tempest — Gives haste and pings every opponent or creature when Dragons enter, snowballing the tribal triggers.
Utvara Hellkite — Makes a 6/6 Dragon every time a Dragon attacks, and Sarkhan copying it multiplies the token engine.
Terror of the Peaks — Repeatable ETB damage that Sarkhan can copy and that triggers off every other Dragon you play.
Ancient Brass Dragon — A massive reanimation payoff whose ETB-attached value can be duplicated by Sarkhan's copy ability.
Kindred Discovery — Naming Dragon turns your tribe and Sarkhan's copies into a relentless card-draw engine.
Crucible of Fire — Anthem for Dragons that turns your fliers into immediate lethal threats.

Upgrade Path

Tighten the curve with cheap ramp (Arcane Signet, Talismans, Sol Ring) and tutors like Gamble or Dragonstorm to find your best Dragon. Add fast mana and a reanimation subtheme (Animate Dead, Reanimate) so you can cheat Ancient Brass Dragon or Old Gnawbone early, then lean on Scourge of Valkas plus Dragon Tempest as compact damage-based wins. Protect Sarkhan with Lightning Greaves and counterspells since the deck folds without his engine.

Core Cards

The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.

Win Conditions

▸Damage from Scourge of Valkas / Dragon Tempest triggers as Dragons (and copies) enter
▸Wide aerial assault buffed by Crucible of Fire and Dragonlord anthems
▸Utvara Hellkite token snowball overwhelming the board
▸Repeated Terror of the Peaks pings finishing tables off creature ETBs

Archetypes

Dragon Tribal — Cost reduction and copy synergy make Sarkhan the premier Izzet Dragon payoff.
Clone/Copy Value — Sarkhan duplicating each Dragon's ETB and body rewards stacking strong enters-the-battlefield Dragons.
Spellslinger-Tribal Hybrid — Izzet gives card draw and burn to support a Dragon swarm with reach and interaction.
Reanimator — Cheating expensive Dragons into play and copying their ETBs accelerates the game plan.