If you’re an enfranchised Magic: The Gathering player, you’ve probably heard the term “Storm Scale” thrown around. The Storm Scale, created by head MTG designer Mark Rosewater, helps give players a sense of the likelihood that a mechanic will be reprinted in a premier set.
As the name suggests, Mark Rosewater has long considered Storm to be one of MTG’s most broken mechanics. Back in 2023, Mark Rosewater maintained his stance, still giving the mechanic a 10 on the Storm Scale (mechanics are numbered 1 to 10, with 10 being the least likely mechanics to be reprinted). He even went as far as to say that he had no anticipation of the mechanic returning to Standard.
While Ral, Crackling Wit technically features the storm mechanic, it only does so through the emblem generated via its ultimate ability. No Standard card has utilized the storm mechanic in its traditional sense since 2012. That’s all about to change with the release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm in April.
Stormscale Scion
While some players were hoping the card Dragonstorm would receive a reprint in Tarkir: Dragonstorm, the new Stormscale Scion is perhaps an even more flavorful inclusion. First of all, the name literally includes “Stormscale,” and there’s no way that isn’t meant to be a humorous reference given the circumstances.
Of course, Stormscale Scion being a Dragon with Storm is on point for the set, and it rewards you heavily for casting spells before this. What’s nice about Stormscale Scion is that you don’t actually need any other Dragon synergies to make this card a real threat.
This card is extremely reminiscent of Elemental Eruption, except rather than the creatures you create having Prowess, they all buff each other. If you can cast a flurry of spells before casting Stormscale Scion, you should be in decent shape.
All things considered, though, this card looks very fair. Six mana is a lot for this effect. Chances are, if you’re playing a lot of “ritual” effects and cheap spells, you don’t have many other Dragon synergies to take advantage of this. On the flip side, if you have a lot of expensive Dragons that work well alongside Stormscale Scion, it’ll be hard to increase your Storm count in a meaningful manner.
Stormscale Scion is still worth a slot in a dedicated Dragon EDH deck as a “lord” either way. Just don’t expect to be able to completely go off without some help.
Standard Potential
Beyond Commander, there is some potential for this card to show up as a top-end finisher in Standard. Presumably, there will be a handful of cheap Dragons in Tarkir: Dragonstorm that help you curve out. We’ve also already seen Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant spoiled, which does a nice job ramping you to your powerful payoff.
Likely the best path to maximizing Stormscale Scion, however, comes from the power of Mox Jasper. In conjunction with cheap Dragons, Mox Jasper helps you cast Stormscale Scion ahead of schedule. On top of that, as a zero-mana spell, Mox Jasper is the perfect card to help you build out your storm count on the turn you’re looking to cast Stormscale Scion.
In the situation where you draw multiple copies of the legendary artifact, you can save them up for a big storm turn. Throw in a haste enabler, such as Bitter Reunion, and you may be able to attack for lethal right away. There’s a lot to like about Stormscale Scion. If you’re a fan of Dragons, Tarkir: Dragonstorm looks like a blast thus far.