Demanding Dragon MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Dragon
Abilities Flying
Power 5
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Demands immediate resource decisions, giving players an edge on-board with direct life or creature loss.
  2. Precise mana requirements can limit deck flexibility, yet it remains a potent force in red-centered builds.
  3. A 5/5 flying presence, it competes with similar cards but stands out with its unique entry effect.

Text of card

Flying When Demanding Dragon enters the battlefield, it deals 5 damage to target opponent unless that player sacrifices a creature.

A knight's devotion to their steed goes only so far.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Demanding Dragon enters the battlefield with an impact, forcing your opponent to either sacrifice a creature or take 5 damage, which can result in shifting card advantage in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Although it doesn’t directly produce mana or Treasure tokens, the sheer presence of Demanding Dragon can accelerate the game’s pace by pressuring your opponent into unfavorable trades or resource decisions.

Instant Speed: While Demanding Dragon itself is not an instant, its effect can significantly alter the state of the game the moment it lands, similar to the surprise and immediate impact an instant-speed spell provides.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: With the presence of the Demanding Dragon on the field, your opponent must make a tough choice. They are faced with discarding a creature card, which thins their battlefield presence, or taking a significant hit to their life total. This requirement can sometimes backfire if the opponent uses this discard to their advantage with graveyard synergies.

Specific Mana Cost: Summoning the Demanding Dragon demands a specific mana combination, which is exclusively a pair of red and three generic mana. This specificity can be challenging in multicolored decks that might struggle with mana flexibility, making it a potentially cumbersome addition to the mana curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the dragon offers a substantial 5/5 flying body with a tantalizing enter-the-battlefield effect, its five-mana cost is steep. In a meta where efficiency is king, there are other creatures or spells that may provide comparable or better board impact or versatility for the same or lower cost.


Reasons to Include Demanding Dragon in Your Collection

Versatility: Demanding Dragon offers a dynamic choice for deck builders due to its ability to serve as both a flying threat and an immediate damage source upon entering the battlefield. It can easily slide into red dragon-themed decks or any build looking for a resilient finisher.

Combo Potential: This dragon can work in tandem with cards that encourage sacrificing creatures, potentially enabling strategies that benefit from opponents losing their creatures or taking damage if they can’t. The potential for board impact makes it a valuable component in various combo setups.

Meta-Relevance: As a 5/5 flyer that demands an immediate answer, Demanding Dragon can shift the balance in your favor against decks that struggle to deal with sizable flying creatures or against opponents who are low on life. Its relevance can ebb and flow with the meta, making it a useful card to have on hand for adapting to shifts in prevalent deck types.


How to beat

Demanding Dragon presents a thrilling challenge on the battlefield, forcing opponents to make difficult choices. Much like the heated dilemmas found in the aggressive red strategies, this formidable flyer offers a punishing ultimatum – sacrifice a creature or lose 5 life. This direct form of damage reflects the essence of red’s power in Magic: The Gathering, where tempo and pressure are key.

Combatting this draconic force requires a strategy that preserves valuable life points while managing creature resources efficiently. Spot removal spells such as Murder or Doom Blade can dispatch the Dragon before its effect takes toll, favoring players who hold instant responses. Alternately, resilient creatures or those with death triggers mitigate the life-cost dilemma, turning the tables on this intimidating Dragon’s entrance. It’s this blend of tactical foresight and resourceful play that can overcome the fiery demands of the Demanding Dragon and cement a player’s dominance in the game.

In essence, handling creatures like Demanding Dragon calls for a balance between life-preservation and board presence. Understanding the nuances of MTG’s intricate combat mechanics and knowing when to deploy key spells or abilities can be the difference between a swift defeat and a masterful victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG involves more than understanding individual cards; it’s about grasping their potential within the broader game. Demanding Dragon has shown itself to be a force on the battlefield, offering both an immediate impact and a challenging dilemma for your opponent. But remember, its effectiveness can vary with the meta, requiring strategic deck building and foresight. Don’t stop at just one card – continue to explore MTG’s infinite interactions and build a collection that’s not only robust but versatile. Eager to refine your collection and strategies to harness the full power of cards like Demanding Dragon? Dive deeper with us and bring fiery dominance to your MTG confrontations.


Cards like Demanding Dragon

In the vast expanse of creatures in MTG, Demanding Dragon presents as a solid force, drawing close parallels to other fearsome five-mana fliers. It evokes comparisons with Thunderbreak Regent, another dragon offering a 4/4 body. Both serve as threats that demand immediate answers with their impact on the board. Yet, Demanding Dragon forces a tougher choice upon the opponent with its potent entrance ability, either taking a chunk out of their life total or decimating their creatures.

Glorybringer, a staple in many red decks, also shares the battlefield with Demanding Dragon. Though they both boast the ability to exert influence on the board, Glorybringer’s exert ability allows it to take out a creature every other turn. In contrast, Demanding Dragon’s effect is a one-time demand upon landing, which might lack the recurring control provided by Glorybringer but can cause an immediate substantial swing.

Assessing the ambitious impact of Demanding Dragon against its peers, it undoubtedly holds its own within the roster of game-changing dragons. With its pressing entrance effect and considerable air presence, it applies a unique pressure that can tip games in your favor upon casting.

Thunderbreak Regent - MTG Card versions
Glorybringer - MTG Card versions
Thunderbreak Regent - Dragons of Tarkir (DTK)
Glorybringer - Amonkhet Promos (PAKH)

Cards similar to Demanding Dragon by color, type and mana cost

Fire Elemental - MTG Card versions
Earth Elemental - MTG Card versions
Eron the Relentless - MTG Card versions
Balduvian War-Makers - MTG Card versions
Hivis of the Scale - MTG Card versions
Hulking Cyclops - MTG Card versions
Flame Spirit - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Salamander - MTG Card versions
Ma Chao, Western Warrior - MTG Card versions
Covetous Dragon - MTG Card versions
Dwarven Strike Force - MTG Card versions
Volatile Arsonist // Dire-Strain Anarchist - MTG Card versions
Tephraderm - MTG Card versions
Avarax - MTG Card versions
Bonethorn Valesk - MTG Card versions
Frost Ogre - MTG Card versions
Heartless Hidetsugu - MTG Card versions
Shard Phoenix - MTG Card versions
Soul of Magma - MTG Card versions
Hunted Dragon - MTG Card versions
Fire Elemental - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Earth Elemental - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Eron the Relentless - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Balduvian War-Makers - Alliances (ALL)
Hivis of the Scale - Mirage (MIR)
Hulking Cyclops - Visions (VIS)
Flame Spirit - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Flowstone Salamander - Tempest (TMP)
Ma Chao, Western Warrior - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Covetous Dragon - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)
Dwarven Strike Force - Odyssey (ODY)
Volatile Arsonist // Dire-Strain Anarchist - Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW)
Tephraderm - Onslaught (ONS)
Avarax - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Bonethorn Valesk - Scourge (SCG)
Frost Ogre - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Heartless Hidetsugu - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Shard Phoenix - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Soul of Magma - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Hunted Dragon - The List (PLST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Demanding Dragon MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2019 Promos and Core Set 2019 Promos, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Demanding Dragon and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Demanding Dragon Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2018-07-13 and 2021-07-23. Illustrated by Chris Rahn.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12018-07-13Core Set 2019 PromosPM19 135p2015normalblackChris Rahn
22018-07-13Core Set 2019 PromosPM19 135s2015normalblackChris Rahn
32018-07-13Core Set 2019M19 1352015normalblackChris Rahn
42021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 1202015normalblackChris Rahn

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Demanding Dragon has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

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