[EDH] Scion of the Ur-Dragon

[Zlatzman]

Ever since I heard about EDH I knew that big bad Dragons was the deck for me, and Scion is the best Dragon general out there. First, the decklist:

General
1 Scion of the Ur-Dragon

Dragons (15]
2 Bladewing the Risen
3 Bogardan Hellkite
4 Dragon Mage
5 Dragon Tyrant
5 Furnace Dragon
6 Hellkite Charger
7 Hellkite Overlord
8 Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund
9 Keiga, the Tide Star
10 Nicol Bolas
11 Ryusei, the Falling Star
12 Scourge of Kher Ridges
13 Teneb, the Harvester
14 Two-Headed Dragon
15 Yosei, the Morning Star

Utility creatures (5)
16 Body Double
17 Dimir Doppelganger
18 Volrath's Shapeshifter
19 Genesis
20 Zirilan of the Claw

Acceleration / mana fix (16)
21 Oracle of Mul Daya
22 Krosan Tusker
23 Sakura-Tribe Elder
24 Yavimaya Elder
25 Wood Elves
26 Fellwar Stone
27 Coalition Relic
28 Darksteel Ingot
29 Nature's Lore
30 Into the North
31 Farseek
32 Rampant Growth
33 Kodama's Reach
34 Explosive Vegetation
35 Skyshroud Claim

Removal (9)
36 Acidic Slime
37 Duplicant
38 Dismantling Blow
39 Putrefy
40 Rout
41 Austere Command
42 Day of Judgment
43 Moat

Other6)
44 Life from the Loam (was Shard Convergence)
45 All Suns' Dawn
46 Restock
47 Regrowth
48 Skeletal Scrying
49 Greater Good
50 Demonic Tutor
51 Lightning Greaves (was Barter in Blood)

Reanimation (8)
52 Animate Dead
53 Diabolic Servitude
54 Makeshift Mannequin
55 Zombify
56 Beacon of Unrest
57 Patriarch's Bidding
58 Twilight's Call
59 Cauldron Dance

Land (41)
60 Mountain
61 Forest
62 Plains
63 Island
64 Swamp
65 Snow-Covered Mountain
66 Snow-Covered Forest
67 Snow-Covered Plains
68 Snow-Covered Island
69 Snow-Covered Swamp

70 Badlands
71 Bayou
72 Plateau
73 Savannah
74 Taiga
75 Tropical Island
76 Tundra
77 Volcanic Island

78 Flooded Strand
79 Misty Rainforest
80 Polluted Delta
81 Windswept Heath
82 Wooded Foothills
83 Marsh Flats (was Vivid Meadow)

84 Boros Garrison
85 Dimir Aqueduct
86 Gruul Turf
87 Rakdos Carnarium

88 Savage Lands
89 Mirrodin's Core
90 Terramorphic Expanse
91 Vivid Crag
92 Vivid Grove

93 Barren Moor
94 Forgotten Cave
95 Tranquil Thicket
96 Horizon Canopy
97 Mouth of Ronom
98 Strip Mine (was Rupture Spire)
99 Phyrexian Tower
100 Temple of the False God


The goal of this deck is to ramp up to five mana by turn 4 or eight mana by turn 5, and then throw down Scion fetching either Nicol Bolas or a creature with Haste, typically Hellkite Overlord, followed by Dragon Tyrant the next turn. Once the initial rush has been stopped, there should be sufficient Dragons in the graveyard to effectively use my recursion to keep up pressure. The deck can also do good stuff with Zirilan of the Claw, especially coupled with a sacrifice outlet.

There are some cards that are most definitively missing from the deck, most notably:
Living Death
Sol Ring
Quicksilver Dragon
Eternal Witness
these are all on my to-get list. Any ideas for other cards that need to go in, and what to remove for them? I have noticed that the curve of the deck is a bit too high, so I might want to cut some expensive spells for cheaper ones. Maybe cut Skeletal Scrying for Rhystic Study? Another card I am not quite sure about is Moat, I fear my opponents might get too annoyed by it, and just single me out. Should it be replaced with Pernicious Deed or some other removal spell?

Section made obsolete with Life from the Loam: As I want all colours of mana as fast as possible I don't run Wasteland, Strip Mine and Tectonic Edge at the moment. I would probably cut the cycling-lands if they are to be included.

Also, I would also appreciate any comments on the balance between the different parts of the deck (creatures, removal, draw, land, acceleration and reanimation).

[AngryTroll]

With 3 cycling lands, 6 fetchlands, Horizon Canopy, and Mouth of Ronom, Life from the Loam might be worth a slot. It'd be better with an Intuition, but there'll probably be things to grab with it when you draw it.

Eternal Dragon is on flavor, but I'm not sure if you run enough white to support it. It does color fix by grabbing Plateau, Savannah, and Scrubland. The late game recursion can be really solid if some of your bombs get countered and you stall. One of the cards to keep in the "Maybe" pile.

Flameblast Dragon might be better than Two-Headed Dragon. How often is Furnace Dragon relevant?

Finally, a Lightning Greaves is great on your general, especially because you REALLY don't want him to end up on the bottom of your library from a Condemn.

[Zlatzman]

Thanks for the reply.

I've removed Barter in Blood for Ligthning Greaves. Barter in Blood, while fairly strong, seems better against my deck than against the horde-decks I often play against.

I have also swapped Shard Convergence for Life from the Loam, in the early game they will often both provide mana fixing, especially if I manage to trade for some more Zendikar fetches, and in the late game Life from the Loam is clearly better.

To complement Life from the Loam I have cut Rupture Spire (my slowest land) for Strip Mine, and I'm considering if cutting something (Restock? Skeletal Scrying?) for Reap and Sow might be a good idea aswell.

As for the dragon's you're suggesting, they both seem solid. Furnace Dragon is a bomb if I manage to get to nine mana and I manage to draw into it, however it is the weakest dragon in the deck and is the first to go to make room for Eternal and Flameblast Dragon. The second dragon to go will probably be Hellkite Charger. Haste is already provided by Hellkite Overlord and Karrthus and by the time I have both the mana to pay for its second ability and enough creatures to make it matter I will usually already be winning. I still need to trade for Flameblast Dragon and Eternal Dragon though.