Earlier this week, Wizards of the Coast shared exciting details about the upcoming Magic: The Gathering set, Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Featuring an Asian-inspired theme, competing factions, and a spotlight on the awe-inspiring dragons, the set is generating significant interest, even with other high-profile collaborations like Final Fantasy and Avatar: The Last Airbender coming out later this year. While it’s enjoyable to explore “Universes Beyond,” Tarkir emphasizes a universal truth: Dragons are undeniably cool.
During the Tarkir: Dragonstorm livestream on March 18, developers showcased various dragons along with new Commanders, spells, lands, and fresh gameplay mechanics. GameSpot also had the unique chance to preview two unannounced cards, Disruptive Stormbrood and Whirlwing Stormbrood, speaking with lead art director Forrest Schehl and set design lead Adam Prosak about how these characters will enhance Limited formats and improve drafting experiences. Below is an exclusive glimpse at two of the five independent Stormbroods, along with insights from Schehl and Prosak.
GameSpot: Tarkir is primarily centered around its five clans; how do the Stormbroods integrate into that framework?
Schehl: These two creatures represent a non-clan alignment—they don’t belong to any faction. They are wild dragons born from new, chaotic Dragonstorms that have emerged in Tarkir. During the initial design phase, we allowed artists great freedom in depicting wild dragons creatively, while keeping basic structures in mind, like having at least four limbs and two wings, which define a dragon for us.
Schehl explained how the designs incorporated a mix of different influences; for instance, Whirlwing Stormbrood has a slick skin with fin-like structures and many teeth, yet it is still distinctly a dragon. Disruptive Stormbrood redefines dragon design rules by using a pair of wings for walking, resembling a pterodactyl. The wild dragons feature a broad range of imaginative designs that felt limitless during this creative process.
Prosak: The bigger, more spectacular creatures typically featured in the set inspired a gameplay mechanic that allows players to include numerous dragons in their decks. However, to avoid issues with gameplay, especially regarding mana cost, we developed Omen cards. These cards enable players to use lower-cost instants or sorceries while supporting the ability to cast larger dragons later in the game.
Schehl: Revisiting Tarkir after a decade allows us to re-examine what worked and what didn’t from the original sets. Our goal was to maintain what fans loved while innovating and expanding on the concepts. Throughout the design, both we and the artists aimed to push the limits of dragon designs. Tarkir: Dragonstorm is set to debut on April 11, 2025, with pre-release events starting as early as April 4 at local game shops. Online preorders for booster packs and Commander decks are currently available, with detailed information on cards and mechanics accessible in our comprehensive Tarkir: Dragonstorm explainer.
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