Following the recent ban announcement, one major talking point within the MTG community is the fact that no changes were made to Standard. While the format does showcase some diversity, some may classify it as stale or uninteresting.
Furthermore, red aggro decks heavily restrict the styles of decks you can play. If you’re going to play a deck with beefy but clunky threats, you’d better have access to some high quality, super efficient removal spells to compensate.
Luckily, for those hoping to build around the exciting new Dragons in Tarkir: Dragonstorm, one removal spell in particular from the set is one of the best we’ve seen in a long time. It does require some deckbuilding restrictions to maximize it, but the reward is very enticing.
Caustic Exhale is a Sigh of Relief
The removal spell we’re discussing is Caustic Exhale. Caustic Exhale is quite the card for decks with a high density of Dragons. In fact, if you can reliably behold a Dragon, Caustic Exhale becomes a significant improvement over Cut Down against red decks.
As good as Cut Down is, it drops off quickly even in the mono-red matchup. The biggest issue with Cut Down that Caustic Exhale solves is that you won’t get blown out by Monstrous Rage. If the opponent has a 1/1 Heartfire Hero and one red mana untapped, Cut Down becomes a liability, since Monstrous Rage in response to Cut Down can fizzle the removal spell.
By comparison, not only is Caustic Exhale a solid one-mana answer, by giving -3/-3, you’ll take way less damage when Heartfire Hero dies. Every life point counts, and Caustic Exhale delivers.
On top of that, Caustic Exhale answers a wide array of more expensive creatures for only one mana. Most notably, Screaming Nemesis. Outside of the mono-red matchup, dealing with Enduring Curiosity on the cheap is a big deal, even if you leave the enchantment behind. Caustic Exhale truly has a ton of upside.
Building Around Caustic Exhale
Obviously, while casting Caustic Exhale for two mana isn’t the end of the world, you really want to be able to play it for one mana most of the time. As such, it’s really only a consideration for decks that have at least a handful of Dragons in the mix.
Most of the Dragons in Tarkir: Dragonstorm don’t seem like the strongest for competitive play, but there are some Dragons in Standard that strong at face value. In red, Stormscale Scion is a solid payoff to build towards. Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant can help you ramp to it, and Mox Jasper can increase your Storm count and let you hold up Caustic Exhale, even if all of your lands are tapped.
In black, Scavenger Regent is a decent body that doubles as a mass removal spell that comes in handy versus Boros Convoke or Self-bounce strategies. There are other Dragons like Twinmaw Stormbrood that you could play primarily for the Omen portion but that still help when it comes to beholding a Dragon.
Going beyond Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Decadent Dragon and Phyrexian Dragon Engine are both solid threats that get a lot better when you can use Caustic Exhale to buy time. Digging Deeper, perhaps a Jund Smuggler’s Surprise deck with Terror of the Peaks could use Caustic Exhale to help bridge the gap between the early game and the deck’s elite top-end.
This seems like a bit of a stretch given the mana currently in Standard, but Caustic Exhale opens up the door for some sweet brews that otherwise might not be possible. If you’re looking to build something unique this Standard season, consider crafting around Caustic Exhale and seeing where that leads you.
