I like how the card says "himself" instead of itself. Maybe you could argue that it deals no damage because it is a card not a person.
HippyRei
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Definitely not the greatest planeswalker... I guess trading in 4 Spawn tokens for 4 5/5 dragons over 4 turns is not too bad.
mdakw576
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(6 votes)
I think RDW is slowly including black I heard they're including cards like blightning. If that's true, this is gonna be pretty good with cards like ball lightning and hellspark elemental, since those guys die anyway. It can also act as removal if you're really desperate (say a baneslayer is kicking your ass). And of course if you have enough dragons, the ultimate (which can be used once it hits the field) ends the game.
Is this really any different than any other time you've played a planeswalker, used his minus to get a beast or draw a card, or chuck a helix at someone, and then he/she immediately eats a bolt to the face?
dacow
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
He's not the greatest planeswalker but overall hes pretty good. Many people are dismissing him right off the bat. He can change your bloodghast for a 5/5 flying dragon and still get your bloodghast back. I wished they gave him a +1 or +2 counter if you revealed a land from your deck for his first ability, if this happened he would have been pretty decent. He might make his way into jund, if they get broodmate dragons and a dragon off of a sarkhan, he becomes very brutal.
While magic has historically made very mediocre b/r gold cards (with the exception of bituminous blast, terminate, and blightning) hes a really neat idea that definatly has its uses, i just really wished they gave him 8 counters or that +1 idea of mine.
statiefreez
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
While I don't really like this card much overall, I have to say that the flavor is perfect and he could be fairly interesting to play. His 0 ability is best used with topdeck control, or when he has 1 counter left anyway. His dragon maker ability? Also interesting.
I'd like to see someone use Sarkhan Vol's ultimate ability to make a bunch of dragons, committing suicide at the same time, and then drop Sarkhan the Mad for his -4.
Now can WotC please stop making weirdly behaving planeswalkers? I actually liked the original format (+1-2, -small, -large)!
SorianSadaskan
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(7 votes)
This card has been underestimated. They actually emphasized him well with his current identity. His first ability really defines how far he's willing to go into madness in search of power and knowledge, despite the harm it will do to him. His second ability, if most of you think about it, not just it can change a few weaklings into 5/5 dragons (not to mention they can FLY), Sarkhan can make the 'mighty' Eldrazi (NOT yours, obviously) downsized, the real objective is to kill off their annihilating instincts been used against you. His ultimatum can be quite devasting if the plan is tactifully executed.
With 7 counters, you may use the 'Dragon-morphic' ability three times, and then use go for the 'MAD for knowledge' for a card since it it does not have a cost for loyalty, since it only state how much damage Sarkhan will be dealt.
Let's face it. The Eldrazi do seem great and powerful, but even they are useless if they can't be put into effect/play, or protect their owners from the last lethal push.
Szyx
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(9 votes)
Well, If I ever get the cards, I'd like to make a "Sarkhan and Friends" deck.
I like SorianSadaskan's idea. Use Sarkhan the Mad to turn an opponents creature into a dragon. Do that however many times you can afford. Play a Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund to gain control of their dragon(s), and voila, advantage = you.
Then do whatever it takes to win. Turn yourself into a dragon to finish them off. Use Sarkhan the Mad's ultimate to decimate somebody, swing with your dragon's, Whatever! JUST GO CRAZY! BWAHAHAHAHAHA--FIRE! FLY FORTH MY BEAUTIFUL DRAGONS! AAHAHAHAHAHAHA!--BURN! DESTROY! DECIMATE!
Belz_
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
So... use Sarkhan Vol's last ability, then play Sarkhan the Mad and use his...
Win.
Oh, someone already said that... :(
MrDoppleganger
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I think Sarkie went mad and moved to Grixis....where he can make amends with Jace, the Mind Sculptor
jlowther
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Red/green deck with a BoPs and some mana conversion with 4x Dragonmaster Outcast could work wonders for Sarky here.
Use Harrows to get lands out there much faster so your Outcasts can start producing 5/5 dragons.
Any time after that, drop StM here for an instant win with his ultimate. Include any number of dragon/direct damage spells to make it easier. Odds are, you've done damage to the opponent at this point so you wouldn't even need to wait until you had 4 tokens out.
Or you could always go with Conspiracy and make everything you control into a dragon...
NeoSin
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(7 votes)
AngelxLegna clearly has no mind of his own, at pre-release decks with Sarkhan were winning more than decks with Gideon : ) Oh, and for others who are still thinking about hating on this card, think of the card advantage this gives to the already card advantage heavy Jund. Turn 5, I drop Sarkhan the Mad. I have a Thrinax on the field, I use his -2. Thrinax hits the graveyard, I got 3 1/1 Saporlings AND a 5/5 flyer out of the deal. Sarkhan the Mad is amazing, pure and simple.
Donovan_Fabian
★★☆☆☆ (2.9/5.0)(5 votes)
I understand this card is very powerful, sac.ing your opponents creatures with mark of mutiny for dragon tokens and so on (slave of bolas doesn't hurt either), but what really bothers me is its a black/red card that only works in certain decks. Nothing wrong with that I suppose, just saying it wont see as much play. Also.. more jund coloration cards? Really? I keep hoping for white/green to make a come back..
I'm happy that at least green is getting a lot this set, I'm not a big fan of black in general.
thornraven
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hmmm, I would find it very interesting if Jund begins to run him competitively. It would be really impressive to see all those card advantage creatures get an... upgrade, so to speak. And then finally get a free draw, or two depending on how many lands are drawn. Generally a good planeswalker, just more subtle.
BattleMagnum
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(5 votes)
I honestly think this is extremely underrated right now, and Gideon Jura is overrated simply because control players are starved to hell. I'm not going to go into magical christmasland with dream scenarios about 20 dragons in play and you use Sarkhan the Mad's final, but he's very useful for taking out Eldrazi and certain 5/5 flying lifelinking first striking angels. At this week's FNM, my opponent was on the play and on his turn 5 he sacced all his spawn tokens and made a Spawnsire of Ulamog.. On my turn I dropped Sarkhan the Mad and converted it into a 5/5 dragon. Needless to say, he was ***ed. Very useful utility card, and I expect him to see a lot of play.
@TheWrathofShane,
Nissa can only be used in Elf decks, Sarkhan 1.0 can only be used well in aggro decks, Jace 1 and 2 can only be used well in control decks, Gideon can only be used well in control\midrange decks, Ajani and Elspeth are only "really" good for mono-white, Sorin can really only be used in control decks because of his high cmc, Tezzeret is only good in artifact decks, etc.
Each Planeswalker has an application in certain decks, you can't just play a certain set of colors and stuff a Planewalker in just because you can, it has to work within the build.
SleetFox
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I opened my first ever pack of Rise of the Eldrazi and found this guy in it. He was also the first Planeswalker me or any of my friends ever got, and the first mythic rare I ever got from a booster pack (most of my good cards I bought as singles). Needless to say I was excited.
Anyway, Sarkhan the Crazy is not the bomb many of his friends are, but I would say he's still somewhat above what you can expect to get for 3BR on average. Under the assumption that your deck is 40% lands, he can draw you 12 cards on average if your deck has a non-land average CMC of 1, 6 cards if it's 2, 4 cards if it's 3 or 3 cards if it's 4. That is, of course, assuming you don't use any of his other abilities or he doesn't get attacked, but if that's the case then he also ate some attacks for you. Adding his other abilities into the mix, and he gets a lot better. His -4 ability is pretty weak unless you play it to end the game, you have a dedicated dragon deck or you use multiple copies of him (not likely, considering his mana cost and the fact that you have to wait for him to abandon you before you can call on him again). His -2, however, is very good. To my knowledge, it can serve three main purposes: pumping up your weak 1/1 who managed to survive the early game, diffusing an opponent's powerhouse, especially if it's indestructible, and taking out a temporarily controlled creature, effectively giving you +2 card advantage. All of them are good, but varying degrees of situational. Unlike Gideon Jura, this isn't a card that you could effectively use in most decks that can play him, but he can still do great things in the right deck.
Also, it's a shame you can't have two of one Planeswalker out. He would have great synergy with his more sane version. You could call 5 dragons and then launch them at your opponent for 20, or even control your opponent's best creature for a turn then feed it to your new 5/5 dragon token. Such a shame you can't do it.
Rumblin-Slumm
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Sarkhan is seriously misrated. I play three in a discard (wierd, I know) but he fixes one of the main problems, my ability to attack, say with a Hypnotic Specter which happens to be my only creature. Now, I need only to attack, blow up my specter, and replace him with an untapped, relatively large creature.
Also, he works wonders with Demigod of Revenge, a$$uming you have two. Play one, smack for 5, destroy for a dragon. Next turn, play the second Demigod, swing with both Demigods and dragon for 15, then use Sarkhans' final to smack for 5 more.
Rollcaster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Super changeling fireball attack! Sarkhan FTW!
True_Smog
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Since when Sarkhan becomes an Emo with suicidal tendencies ?
Hunterr
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Gilder Bairn. Done.
kitsunewarlock
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
First Magic card with a gender-based pronoun in its oracle rule text. "Himself".
They stole that first ability from me :P
Well, not really. But I did design a card on March 8th that did almost the same thing. Except it exiled the card and revealed it and lost loyalty counters instead of doing damage. This is actually much better.
lorendorky
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
use his -2 ability to turn an eldrazi or baneslayer or whatever into a dragon, next drop karrthus, tyrant of jund :)
Yozuk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
really like this guy. I was hoping I would pull one one of these days and I did! A great Defensive and offensive Card. Got rid of nasty Big creatures and gave me some nice little Dragons I can smack people around with. Along with his last ability and my Bogardan Hellkite and Splinter twin combo I can smack some one in the face for 20 damage with just 2 dragons! That is something to like I think. 4/5!
achilleselbow
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(6 votes)
One of the best plays would be to make sure you can get Sarkhan Vol's ultimate off (and let him die), then cast this guy the next turn and use his ultimate immediately. Incidentally, that's exactly 20 damage. Coincidence?
Lunarblade
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
We love you Chippy!
Zoah
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hmm.... Interesting to note, neither of the "Rise of the Eldrazi" planeswalkers have an ultimate ability.
EvilCleavage
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have a pretty funny story about this card, I went to Wal-Mart about a week ago pretty late at night when my local shop was closed, and picked up two boosters while I was there. There was a low amount of Rise left so I stashed four boosters behind some other stuff on the very bottom shelf. I got paid like 4 days ago and went back to Wally World and they were all sold out! I remembered the packs I stashed and grabbed three of them! I was pretty happy, and the rares were pretty decent. Nothing amazing but pretty good. Today, I went back like an hour ago, and they were still out, so I was looking and wasn't sure if I left any more down behind the bottom shelf. I found one booster! I got it and a "value pack" with 30 loose random cards, and a 6-card booster of conflux. Cuz that's all they had. When I got home I opened them up and had a freakin Sarkhan the Mad! Man I am stoked! I don't care if he's not the BEST, he's still good, and it's only the 3rd planeswalker I've ever gotten. I think he's still pretty bad A$$ and I give him a 4.5/5 for flavor, and his usability in the right decks!
anytwofactors
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@TheWrathofShane: It doesn't say -X because that is the cost, thus you wouldn't know the cost until you paid and had the ability resolve, which is impossible.
I'd like him a lot more if his 0 ability also did damage to target player.
sancrosact
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is underrated...clearly not as good as Gideon, as Gideon is probably the 3rd or 4th best planeswalker in mtg history. But this guy can be devastatingly good, and this set made sure there are cards with nasty synergy with STM. Tuktuk the explorer is one of my favorite sarkhan fodder pieces (2 5/5s for sacrificing a 1/1), Mortician beetle should absolutely be run in a sarkhan deck. So many black cards have great going into graveyard abilities. In other sets, broodmate dragon and kokusha can inflict damage quickly w. sarkhan.
Loozar402
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
At first glance, Sarkhan 2.0 doesn't seem all that great. He may not be as versatile as other Planeswalkers, but he's an excellent addition in the right deck. If it weren't for the fact that he costs ~$20 a pop, I'd immediately grab two copies for my B/R control. The mana curve for my deck mostly falls between 0-3, so his first ability might as well read "0/-1/-2/-3: Draw a card". His second ability happens to be the one I like most actually. Swing with my Bloodghast and you don't remove it? Then I'll just turn it into a 5/5 flyer and drop a land during my second main phase to bring it back. I can also turn my chump blocking Gatekeeper of Malakirs into formidable 5/5 flyers. Got some big, shrouded, or indestructible creature on your side? I'll just turn it into a 5/5 flyer and then Terminate it. His last ability is pretty so-so unless you have some tricks up your sleeve. At worst, it's -4 for a Lava Axe. I wish it was "target creature or player" or "divided among any number of targets" though.
yesnomu
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Much, much better than you'd think. Yes, he's unsustainable. That's fine! Magic is a race, and Sarkhan here gives you a huge boost.
My usual plan is to drop him and go -2/-2/-2/0. Just think about that. Assuming you have creatures you don't mind losing (and playing R/B, I think that's safe), that's 3 5/5s and a card over 4 turns. If you imagine him as a slow 5 mana cantrip, you're starting to get it.
On the other hand, if you've been diligent about working your opponent(s) down, you might not even need the other two dragons. -2/-4 could very well win you the game right there. Consider him now a two turn Lava Axe that nets you a dragon to boot--not bad math either.
If you're running Grixis colors, you can make an argument for simply using his 0 every turn, in conjunction with Ponder and the like (Jace, the Mind Sculptor if you're really feeling extravagant) to avoid runnning into your Cruel Ultimatum or something. You could easily get 5+ cards out of him this way, like a personal Howling Mine; compares nicely to Mind Spring in terms of cost.
Basically what I'm saying is, give him a shot. You'll be surprised, I promise.
redcap04
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(12 votes)
"Polymorph to Emrakul!" "How about a dragon instead ?"
Ava_Adore
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
sweet goes great with tyrant of jund, use shields of velis vel, turn all your opponents creatures into changlings and deal a heap of damage to your opponent then attack and finish them off
Tacoguy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I just dont like that his abilities were not expanded a little more. Im not saying i hate him because i dont. Some things need to be changed like allowing him to gain loyalty counters thats all.
benegade
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Crystal Ball. Viscera Seer + Reassembling Skeleton. A lot of fun ways to use this guy that could provide a bunch of extra draws and, as always is the case with planeswalkers, an extra target. 4.5/5 for utility and coolness.
Mafoo
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
I always love nomming my Sprouting Thrinax into a dragon, then nomming the saprolings later on.
pistolsforpandas
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Anyone who thinks this is a bad card because you need to build around him is missing out. Any deck that is built for this guy will still perform very well without him.
I run a Jund deck with him inside. Gives me an insane amount of options as to whether I want to run with direct damage, creature removal, or all the goodies that come with green.
His first ability may seem risky, but Sensei's Divining Top can fix you up proper. When you're not popping out dragons, why not have some card advantage?
As for his second ability, not only can you bump off indestructables, but you can build yourself up fairly well too. Works very well with:
Of course, his last ability is just nasty with Conspiracy or Blades of Velis Vel. If you have two of the latter in your hand, probably it's game over.
Zuxen
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Proliferate this! Turn Memnite's into dragons! Free 5/5´s!! GG
Vorgulremik
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Would love to see a concrete ruling, but to the understanding of myself, and that of a former DCI judge present at our pre-releaseSarkhan the Mad WOULD be able to use his ultimate to deal poison counters to an opponent, since Skithiryx the Blight Dragon is technically the one dealing the damage if you take the printed text veeery litterally, awesome combo, would love to build a deck around those two, paired with Assault strobe and possibly splashing blue for Distortion strike and possibly some extra proliferation, you heard it here first!
Chrome_Coyote
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A pretty interesting Planeswalker. He can win you the game the turn he comes out.
Alrhik
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A fantastic way to kill an opponent. Have 2 Dragons, 5/5 flying, Sarkhan, attack, game. Works wonders in an Eldrazi ramp deck... Just don't crush him with a Hand of Emrakul. Rather tragic how that happened. Ah, well. 5/5
Enemy_Tricolor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hivis of the Scale could be annoying, though I suspect Mr. The Mad is perfectly capable of killing opponents without him.
CJM2
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(20 votes)
SarKHAAAAAAAN!
Clavat99
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(2 votes)
There may be some combo that can make this guy useful, but by himself, hes just plain dumb. Yeah he can get you a 5/5 flyer, but he can only do 5 dammage to an opponent. Unless you have alot of dragons hes just not worth the deck space. Big disapointment that hes the only Standard black/red only multicolored, although i suppose Chaos decks would welcome him.
coyotemoon722
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
Sweet addition to a Dragon EDH deck!
Kamidii
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It would be broken, but a more fitting ultimate would be "You get an emblem with 'your life total becomes 5. at the beginning of your upkeep, this emblem deals 5 damage to target creature or player. Creatures without flying can't attack you.'" AKA form of the dragon.
Toversnol
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Mark of Muten > Attack with your new slave... > Sarkan the Mad! *ohh dragon!*
and you throw your opponent some bones back for his graveyard!
Great endgame card for B/R Vampires. where his first ability comes in at a cheaper cost than most B/R decks.
I like the synergy with this and Act of Treason style cards. Especially with all the other sacrifice engines in B/R, he's the star of my Rakdos madness deck. Well, him and Magus of the Arena. I really could care less about any dragon tribal bull going on with him.
Also, he can't mess with shroud. Probably his only drawback.
Khultar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
all alone, despite being MAD kool,he seems like hes so goddamn linear, -2,-4,then the zero ability, n hes dead. is there any other way? just combos with other cards or proliferation.
fanofmagic
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Helloooo Sarkaan. Here are a few candidates for your best friend! Who will be it? First. Proliferate Second. Ability No. 1 of Venseeer Third. Some private spelllls like journey to nowhere
Hand_Bannana
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i like the way you think achilleselbow. coincidence? I THINK NOT
Spectis
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
XD He's a massively explosive suicide bomber.
Rikiaz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm surprised no one has said this. Dragon Reanimator... Tons of dragons in your graveyard then play Patriarch's Bidding naming Dragons. Next turn play him and use his ultimatum, not to mention attack with all your risen dragons.
dienoob
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I use this card for an instant blast wait it out with dragonmaster outcast and then boom with the -4 ability 20 damage easily. Since this guy has no + abilities if I play him I make sure I win.
1) You can get card even if Sarkhan has low loyalty. i.e., since Sarkhan has no way to gain loyalty, you can still ditch him for a card when he's low. He replaces himself.
2) Sensei's Divining Top and other cards can help you manipulate the top card of your library so you can always fetch a land instead of a card that would damage Sarkhan.
3) Proliferate.
DacenOctavio
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(5 votes)
Give Bloodthorn Taunter to your dragon babies and they'll run as fast as Kenyans! People will see them running and think they're Kenyans! Then there will be a tie and they'll be Journey to Nowhere'd back to Kenyaaa!
Mid-game pump out dragons. Late game win. Any questions? No? FIRE THE CANNON!!
ninjaman98
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
There are some way more powerful planeswalkers, but this guy is pretty sweet
angelheartvial
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(1 vote)
While trying to find a use for Sarkan the Mad, I made a terrible discovery:
TEZZERET, ANGENT OF BOLAS AND SARKAN THE MAD HAVE THE SAME ABILITIES!!!!!!!!!!
planarsibling
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I doubt anyone will get this, but Sarkhan looks like Demon Eyes Kyo in this picture!
ZeroSheep
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(16 votes)
u mad bro?
animatics
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
Tezzeret is very similar to this guy 1: card advantage 2: creature creation 3: burn
I prefer Tezzeret but Sarkhan's ultimate is better
faisjdas
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Was quite good in Jund. Hasn't seen much play since then, but then again we haven't seen any good token decks with his colors.
bfugitive
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Standard Combo time:
Sarkhan the Mad + Bloodghast = 5/5 dragon every turn you can drop a a land. Sarkhan the Mad + Reassembling Skeleton = Slightly less efficient 5/5 dragon every turn.
It makes me laugh that this is the lowest rated planeswalker. And he's still insane!
Although with that statement, please realize Jace, the Mindsculptor is the THIRD LOWEST rated on gatherer.
AppleButter
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
OK well now with Prophileration you can give him one more loyalty counter put 2 dragons on the field and deal 10 damage THIS CARD IS ONE OF MY FAVES NOW!!!
A planeswalker that uses both of my favorite colors? And he works excellently with dragons? This has gotta' be my favorite planeswalker, and on a side note, excellent art by Chippy
Judgemaster_Rolan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy gets no respect. Played in a Dragon deck he can EASILY win you the game the second he's played!
Or you could consider a second option: Conspiracy. Then his ability may as well read: "-4: Each creature you control deals damage equal to its power to target player."
marwinshieldscale
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love this card in goblin decks think about it. that 1/1 1 drop is now a 5/5 dragon with flying, plus his ultimint this card is awsome, well not awsome but good at least, I'm just glad they made a red and black planeswalker.
There are endless possibilities with this guy that 9 times out of 10 will never be exploited I hate when good cards are kicked to the curb by the metagame, I mean this is just as good if not better than tezzeret, the multi colored, but it will never matter now.
Endomarru
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Proliferate! Make this card better!
Zacklar
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Sarkhan the Emo
JFM2796
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(3 votes)
This guy is very underrated. His first ability is probably his best, you don't see card advantage like that in black or red. Not anymore anyway.
is there a way to return a plainswalker to your hand or even better back to the battlefield from your graveyard? I was thinking of a combo with Sarkhan the Mad similar to animate dead+ worldgorger dragon but instead of using the dragon use sarkhan to get infinite damage or something to that effect
Justice1337
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Use with something like Tuktuk the Explorer or even Rukh Egg, then combo with Sensei's Divining Top to draw free lands for as long as your opponent leaves it untouched.
Sarkhan the Mad + Bladewing's Thrall to get a dragon token each turn without losing a creature. Probably my favorite Planeswalker because he doesn't have any OP abilities that make him stronger.
heavyterror
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
lucky land draw from his first ability is great... or the lion's eye diamond you run in that deck with your yawgmoth's will sub-strategy. I like EDH too much. Maybe a star in a really well put together sedris, the traitor king deck.
PastProphet
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
ha - Nicol Bolas + Sarkhan's ultimate :0 for more fun, suit up with Grafted Exoskeleton first... then, Proliferate somehow...
TPmanW
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
Poor Sarkhan he's constantly underrated. Both of his cards are actually pretty good but were swept by the wayside n what should've been their prime.
DarthParallax
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Did you know that Doubling Season sets this guy to 14 loyalty counters? and that 14 - 4 - 4 - 4 is still 2?
In other words, you can make a Dragon token out of anything, then pop his Ultimate 3 times. I'm not saying it's the most efficient. Actually it's probably the least efficient. But going Ultimate with the same Planeswalker 3 turns in a row is just such an awesome thing to imagine, lol.
For the record, Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas AND Sarkhan the Mad both count Steel Hellkite. Which kind of makes me really want to make a deck that somehow makes lots of Steel Hellkite tokens :D
kyle11235813
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I can't believe no one mentioned Zarkhan the Mad from Diablo 1, one of the weird little side quests in the game. Weird.
With the recent addition of Moonveil Dragon, Sarkhan's ultimate just got slightly scarier.
Kryptnyt
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I suspect that Sarkhan will, directly or inadvertently, be the downfall of Bolas... if he ever goes down.
GracefulInferno
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(5 votes)
Sarkhan was a man.... no wait - he was a DRAGON man!
Er....
Maybe he was just a dragon.....
.......but he was still SARKHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!
dlgn
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
0: Sarkhan finds a book and throws it at his face. -2: Dragon within. -4: Sarkhan tosses a dragon at your opponent.
Enelysios
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy gets along with proliferate and Gilder bairn. But what he really benefits from is a good flicker. In fact, if you don't mind four/five colors, he and Venser, The sojourner work so well together its a bit scary.
This guy gets a lot of flack for being bad, but I think he is great in the right deck. Lets face it, planeswalkers are judged on what they can do every turn. If you are playing a planeswalker hoping to just pop its ultimate then you are probably doing it wrong. (Or have Doubling Seasons) What we have here is a planeswalker that can use any of his abilities any time.
Sadly, the cost of 5 is a bit high unless you already have some dragons to work with when you play him. Thats what changeling are for though. ;)
shotoku64
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In truth this guy is very good, it's just because he has one small downside people rate him low. Even if you just use his 0 ability, card draw is very good for red/black, and usually you will just draw a land so that's 0 damage to him. His -2 is even better, especially since you can use it on your own guys like perilous myr. His ultimate is also good, even if you aren't running a ton of dragons.
tl;dr He is really underrated. I would say having a 5/5 and dealing 5 damage for is good.
Proliferate keeps Sarkhan healthy and refreshed =)
TheWallinator74
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Though I do not approve of what Lord Bolas has done to Sarkhan, I shall not question his judgment.
atemu1234
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I like his -2. Target opponent sacrifices Avacyn.
Belliarch
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
With proliferate he is one scary A. S. S.
MindAblaze
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
What once existed here was an account of Sarkhan's quest for retribution, his release of a demon, and the role Ajani Goldmane was to play in it all. But...Gatherer apparently has a 5000 character limit. So...I was trying to cut and paste on my iPhone and it deleted a large portion of it, so now I'm ***ed off and what follows is the decklist my inner Vorthos was trying to convey...
With the fetches and other nonbasics to make it work the connections all made sense...damn you autocorrect!
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I changed my mind, I like him. Turn your Solemn Simulacrum into a 5/5 dragon with flying, then next turn deal 10 damage with your new pet and his ult. Then draw a card or two after your done with him.
Volafortis
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Far better than most people give him credit for. In the right deck, I feel he's far better than Tibalt, Sarkhan Vol, and Chandra Ablaze.
This card is good and I don't see why people say it's bad. Just need something to keep up counters on it and you got a dragon-making machine.
psychichobo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Eh, I'd just be happy to turn my weenies into 5/5 dragons, then have him hire a Dark Confidant and take the punches for me. Who cares about no +1 ability.
EDIT: achilleselbow, I've seen that happen in a game before. Murdered a guy who was dominating rather heavily too.
Lifegainwithbite
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Targetted sacrifice? I think this is the only card that can do that.
LordRandomness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I regret that there is no simple way to give him protection from red or black. It would be amusing to be able to use his first ability indefinitely.
@ achilles. And now, you dont even have to get the first one to die with the new legend and planeswalker rules.
DragonsRCool
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I recently got to play this after using Sarkhan Vol's ultimate.
GrimjawxRULES
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's actually fun how Sarkhan's first ability is worded "to himself" instead of "to itself". Reminds me of Obsidian Fireheart's "continue to burn" wording. Very flavorful, and fitting of a mythic.
EvilDarkVoid
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Very underrated. A 5/5 Dragon is a real threat, usually demanding a removal spell or trading with a bomb. The ability to pump out up to 3 of them by sacrificing inconsequential early drops like Birds of Paradise or tokens like those produced by Bitterblossom or Awakening Zone means that he's actually a strong finisher. Since the 5/5 dragon is such a threat, if they have something which could take out one of them like Dreadbore or Beacon of Destruction, they may be forced to use it on the dragon and not Sarkhan himself since the dragon kills them so quickly. The 0 is useful for when you have nothing left to sacrifice or Vol is at only 1 counter, of if you just need to draw an answer. People forget that it is one of the only card draws available to Red Black that doesn't cost life or force you to discard, which is pretty nifty. His -4 is probably the weakest of his abilities since imo he's better off being a curve topper to some deck filled with a bunch of little creatures and removal than he is in a deck with a bunch of other bombs.
Burningsickle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
all fantasy related games/movies/books/etc. require at least one crazy bastard with the title "The Mad".
Belgarath123
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The only card with "himself" in his text
Flyinpenguin117
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I think the best way to use him is to play the first Sarkhan for his ultimate, getting 5 4/4 Dragons as soon as you can, killing Sarkhan in the process, then play this guy for his -4 and deal 20 damage to them.
DoragonShinzui
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Well, looks like I've found a few new uses for Spread the Sickness, Volt Charge, Tezzeret's Gambit, and the like. Don't worry buddy, those Phyrexians will have you feeling right as rain in no time.
Xenagod
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ermahgerd! The new sarkhan is coming out with khan of takir looks so awesome!
Comments (121)
I think it's better than its current 2.5 rating.
While magic has historically made very mediocre b/r gold cards (with the exception of bituminous blast, terminate, and blightning) hes a really neat idea that definatly has its uses, i just really wished they gave him 8 counters or that +1 idea of mine.
I'd like to see someone use Sarkhan Vol's ultimate ability to make a bunch of dragons, committing suicide at the same time, and then drop Sarkhan the Mad for his -4.
Now can WotC please stop making weirdly behaving planeswalkers? I actually liked the original format (+1-2, -small, -large)!
With 7 counters, you may use the 'Dragon-morphic' ability three times, and then use go for the 'MAD for knowledge' for a card since it it does not have a cost for loyalty, since it only state how much damage Sarkhan will be dealt.
Let's face it. The Eldrazi do seem great and powerful, but even they are useless if they can't be put into effect/play, or protect their owners from the last lethal push.
I like SorianSadaskan's idea. Use Sarkhan the Mad to turn an opponents creature into a dragon. Do that however many times you can afford. Play a Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund to gain control of their dragon(s), and voila, advantage = you.
Then do whatever it takes to win. Turn yourself into a dragon to finish them off. Use Sarkhan the Mad's ultimate to decimate somebody, swing with your dragon's, Whatever! JUST GO CRAZY! BWAHAHAHAHAHA--FIRE! FLY FORTH MY BEAUTIFUL DRAGONS! AAHAHAHAHAHAHA!--BURN! DESTROY! DECIMATE!
Win.
Oh, someone already said that... :(
Use Harrows to get lands out there much faster so your Outcasts can start producing 5/5 dragons.
Any time after that, drop StM here for an instant win with his ultimate. Include any number of dragon/direct damage spells to make it easier. Odds are, you've done damage to the opponent at this point so you wouldn't even need to wait until you had 4 tokens out.
Or you could always go with Conspiracy and make everything you control into a dragon...
I'm happy that at least green is getting a lot this set, I'm not a big fan of black in general.
@TheWrathofShane,
Nissa can only be used in Elf decks, Sarkhan 1.0 can only be used well in aggro decks, Jace 1 and 2 can only be used well in control decks, Gideon can only be used well in control\midrange decks, Ajani and Elspeth are only "really" good for mono-white, Sorin can really only be used in control decks because of his high cmc, Tezzeret is only good in artifact decks, etc.
Each Planeswalker has an application in certain decks, you can't just play a certain set of colors and stuff a Planewalker in just because you can, it has to work within the build.
Anyway, Sarkhan the Crazy is not the bomb many of his friends are, but I would say he's still somewhat above what you can expect to get for 3BR on average. Under the assumption that your deck is 40% lands, he can draw you 12 cards on average if your deck has a non-land average CMC of 1, 6 cards if it's 2, 4 cards if it's 3 or 3 cards if it's 4. That is, of course, assuming you don't use any of his other abilities or he doesn't get attacked, but if that's the case then he also ate some attacks for you. Adding his other abilities into the mix, and he gets a lot better. His -4 ability is pretty weak unless you play it to end the game, you have a dedicated dragon deck or you use multiple copies of him (not likely, considering his mana cost and the fact that you have to wait for him to abandon you before you can call on him again). His -2, however, is very good. To my knowledge, it can serve three main purposes: pumping up your weak 1/1 who managed to survive the early game, diffusing an opponent's powerhouse, especially if it's indestructible, and taking out a temporarily controlled creature, effectively giving you +2 card advantage. All of them are good, but varying degrees of situational. Unlike Gideon Jura, this isn't a card that you could effectively use in most decks that can play him, but he can still do great things in the right deck.
Also, it's a shame you can't have two of one Planeswalker out. He would have great synergy with his more sane version. You could call 5 dragons and then launch them at your opponent for 20, or even control your opponent's best creature for a turn then feed it to your new 5/5 dragon token. Such a shame you can't do it.
Also, he works wonders with Demigod of Revenge, a$$uming you have two. Play one, smack for 5, destroy for a dragon. Next turn, play the second Demigod, swing with both Demigods and dragon for 15, then use Sarkhans' final to smack for 5 more.
They stole that first ability from me :P
Well, not really. But I did design a card on March 8th that did almost the same thing. Except it exiled the card and revealed it and lost loyalty counters instead of doing damage. This is actually much better.
I'd like him a lot more if his 0 ability also did damage to target player.
My usual plan is to drop him and go -2/-2/-2/0. Just think about that. Assuming you have creatures you don't mind losing (and playing R/B, I think that's safe), that's 3 5/5s and a card over 4 turns. If you imagine him as a slow 5 mana cantrip, you're starting to get it.
On the other hand, if you've been diligent about working your opponent(s) down, you might not even need the other two dragons. -2/-4 could very well win you the game right there. Consider him now a two turn Lava Axe that nets you a dragon to boot--not bad math either.
If you're running Grixis colors, you can make an argument for simply using his 0 every turn, in conjunction with Ponder and the like (Jace, the Mind Sculptor if you're really feeling extravagant) to avoid runnning into your Cruel Ultimatum or something. You could easily get 5+ cards out of him this way, like a personal Howling Mine; compares nicely to Mind Spring in terms of cost.
Basically what I'm saying is, give him a shot. You'll be surprised, I promise.
"How about a dragon instead ?"
I run a Jund deck with him inside. Gives me an insane amount of options as to whether I want to run with direct damage, creature removal, or all the goodies that come with green.
His first ability may seem risky, but Sensei's Divining Top can fix you up proper. When you're not popping out dragons, why not have some card advantage?
As for his second ability, not only can you bump off indestructables, but you can build yourself up fairly well too. Works very well with:
Ball Lightning (6/1 beater that turns into a 5/5 dragon? yes please)
Gatekeeper of Malakir (creature advantage)
Reassembling Skeleton (great synergy)
Splinter Twin on a Sprouting Thrainax if you feel like having some Johnny fun.
Conquering Manticore, Act of Treason if you REALLY want to tick someone off.
Of course, his last ability is just nasty with Conspiracy or Blades of Velis Vel. If you have two of the latter in your hand, probably it's game over.
Turn Memnite's into dragons!
Free 5/5´s!!
GG
and you throw your opponent some bones back for his graveyard!
Great endgame card for B/R Vampires. where his first ability comes in at a cheaper cost than most B/R decks.
Chandra Nalaar and Sorin Markov beg to differ.
@EvilCleavage Cool story, bro.
I like the synergy with this and Act of Treason style cards. Especially with all the other sacrifice engines in B/R, he's the star of my Rakdos madness deck. Well, him and Magus of the Arena. I really could care less about any dragon tribal bull going on with him.
Also, he can't mess with shroud. Probably his only drawback.
First. Proliferate
Second. Ability No. 1 of Venseeer
Third. Some private spelllls like journey to nowhere
1) You can get card even if Sarkhan has low loyalty. i.e., since Sarkhan has no way to gain loyalty, you can still ditch him for a card when he's low. He replaces himself.
2) Sensei's Divining Top and other cards can help you manipulate the top card of your library so you can always fetch a land instead of a card that would damage Sarkhan.
3) Proliferate.
Mid-game pump out dragons. Late game win. Any questions? No? FIRE THE CANNON!!
TEZZERET, ANGENT OF BOLAS AND SARKAN THE MAD HAVE THE SAME ABILITIES!!!!!!!!!!
1: card advantage
2: creature creation
3: burn
I prefer Tezzeret but Sarkhan's ultimate is better
Sarkhan the Mad + Bloodghast = 5/5 dragon every turn you can drop a a land.
Sarkhan the Mad + Reassembling Skeleton = Slightly less efficient 5/5 dragon every turn.
Add Furnace Celebration or Mortician Beetle for added cool factor, though not necessarily competitive. Currently running a pretty decent BR Control build where Sarkhan gives added value to my Gatekeeper of Malakir and Goblin Ruinblaster. He's just fun.
Although with that statement, please realize Jace, the Mindsculptor is the THIRD LOWEST rated on gatherer.
Or you could consider a second option: Conspiracy. Then his ability may as well read: "-4: Each creature you control deals damage equal to its power to target player."
There are endless possibilities with this guy that 9 times out of 10 will never be exploited I hate when good cards are kicked to the curb by the metagame, I mean this is just as good if not better than tezzeret, the multi colored, but it will never matter now.
for more fun, suit up with Grafted Exoskeleton first...
then, Proliferate somehow...
In other words, you can make a Dragon token out of anything, then pop his Ultimate 3 times. I'm not saying it's the most efficient. Actually it's probably the least efficient. But going Ultimate with the same Planeswalker 3 turns in a row is just such an awesome thing to imagine, lol.
For the record, Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas AND Sarkhan the Mad both count Steel Hellkite. Which kind of makes me really want to make a deck that somehow makes lots of Steel Hellkite tokens :D
That guy's name was Zhar the Mad.
Sorry, that was terrible, I am so ashamed
Er....
Maybe he was just a dragon.....
.......but he was still SARKHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!
-2: Dragon within.
-4: Sarkhan tosses a dragon at your opponent.
This guy gets a lot of flack for being bad, but I think he is great in the right deck. Lets face it, planeswalkers are judged on what they can do every turn. If you are playing a planeswalker hoping to just pop its ultimate then you are probably doing it wrong. (Or have Doubling Seasons) What we have here is a planeswalker that can use any of his abilities any time.
Sadly, the cost of 5 is a bit high unless you already have some dragons to work with when you play him. Thats what changeling are for though. ;)
tl;dr He is really underrated. I would say having a 5/5 and dealing 5 damage for
Also, I'm surprised nobody mentioned doubling season.
3 - Sarkhan the Mad
1 - Ajani Goldmane
1 - Ajani Vengeant
4 - Lingering Souls
1 - Sword of Feast and Famine
1 - Blade of the Bloodchief
1 - Sword of War and Peace
1 - Elbrus, the Binding Blade
4 - Doomed Traveler
3 - Bloodthrone Vampire
4 - Stoneforge Mystic
3 - Squadron Hawk
3 - Mirran Crusader
1 - Thraben Doomsayer
2 - Act of Aggression
1 - Archon of Justice
1 - Sun Titan
1 - Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
With the fetches and other nonbasics to make it work the connections all made sense...damn you autocorrect!
EDIT: achilleselbow, I've seen that happen in a game before. Murdered a guy who was dominating rather heavily too.
-Gideon