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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!

Shivan Dragon
Image from Wizards.com

 Shivan Dragon
- Alpha/Beta > M15

Reviewed March 16, 2015

Constructed: 2.60
Casual: 3.70
Limited: 4.20
Multiplayer: 3.00

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale:
1 - Horrible  3 - Average.  5 - Awesome

Click here to see all of our 
Card of the Day Reviews 


Paul

Welcome back readers today's card of the day is Shivan Dragon the original iconic dragon, in light of Dragons of Tarkir now is a perfect time to revisit some of the most influential dragon cards. Unfortunately this card has not aged well. In any competitive format its too slow and very mana intensive, creatures have simply gotten better over the years. In casual and multiplayer this is underwhelming in anything but mono red but still their exists a plethora of more powerful dragons relegating this to a nostalgia act. In limited however this card is still the real deal, an evasive flying creature with the potential for big damage I don't think this card will ever stop being powerful in draft or sealed environments. While there is not much to be said about Shivian Dragon its historical, its the epitome of Dragons and one of the most important cards ever printed.
 
Constructed :1.5
Casual: 2.5
Limited: 3.0
Muyltiplayer: 2.0

David Fanany

Player since 1995

Shivan Dragon
 
Shivan Dragon was one of the first two dragons in all of Magic, and despite not being the most spectacular in the game any more, its legacy has shaped all of Magic. This was the card that taught us how much fun it is to summon a dragon, and without which Dragons of Tarkir could not have existed. And even in 2015, there are still many worse things to do with a lot of red mana - with the right support, it can still kill in one hit, which is something that even most of the recent pushed-for-constructed dragons can't say.
 
Constructed: 2/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 5/5
Multiplayer: 3/5

BMoor

Deck Garage

Shivan Dragon

It's Dragon Week at COTD here, and how better to start it than with a classic? Magic may have come a long way since this red menace has been printed, but the fact is that it's still... maybe not tournament-caliber, but definitely still relevant. Flying is a very valuable ability on a creature, and the higher a flying creature's power, the more valuable it is. Even a 4-power flyer demands immediate response, so even if all you have to bring to the table is 5 power and flying, that counts for a lot. The firebreathing is also a nice addition, as flavorful as it is potentially game-ending. Most players these days would rather aggro rush and end the game before they hit six mana, or play control and drop a win condition that's much harder to answer, the Shivan Dragon may still find victory in a U/R tempo deck that can find the right opening to drop him.

Constructed- 2.5
Casual- 4
Limited- 4
Multiplayer- 3

Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Shivan Dragon which is a six mana 5/5 Red with Flying and Firebreathing for one.  This is the original big Red dragon from Alpha and is still Standard legal with the latest printing in 2015.  It has held up fairly well over the years, but other dragons are far more likely to be played as they can offer Haste, Trample, or in Moonveil Dragon's case an almost strictly better design.  Overall this is a classic and holds a nostalgic value and can sometimes be the top evasive threat in a block for Red, but usually other more compelling options will take deck slots.
 
In Limited this is a bomb and easy first pick in Booster that can provide a large evasive threat which can be increased with excess mana. 
This is a card that wins games and should not be passed in nearly any situation.  For Sealed it depends on the pool a bit more as a heavily Red deck is best to take advantage of the power increase, though even a bit more than a splash is enough to play this as a 5/5 evasive for six is efficient by itself.
 
Constructed: 3.0
Casual: 3.0
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 3.0

Mattedesa

Deck Garage

Shivan Dragon
 
In honor of the upcoming Dragons of Tarkir set, we are reviewing dragons and dragon-related cards this week. One of the classic icons of Magic, Shivan Dragon was once THE powerhouse of the skies. Pay your six mana, and next turn, pump all your red mana into her and fly over for 10+ damage. 
 
But, this is over 20 years later. Where does the Shivan stand today? Unquestionably, it’s a limited bomb if red is one of your main colors. How about constructed? There are a lot of good dragons out there, and some of them are better than Shivan Dragon, but she’s still a reasonable choice, especially in a mono-red deck where she could end the game in 2 swings. 
 
Maybe it’s at least partially because of nostalgia, much like in sports how people keep voting the big name players to all-star games, even when they are well past their prime, but Shivan Dragon still gets good marks in my book.
 
Constructed: 4.0
Casual: It’s a dragon. 5.0
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 4.0


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