Dakkon, Shadow Slayer MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 9 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Planeswalker — Dakkon
Abilities Surveil
Loyalty 0

Key Takeaways

  1. Dakkon accelerates mana and offers consistent land drops for strategic advantage in games.
  2. Tri-color mana cost limits deck flexibility, but ensures a strong Esper identity.
  3. High loyalty and versatility make Dakkon a powerful asset in various playstyles.

Text of card

Dakkon, Shadow Slayer enters the battlefield with a number of loyalty counters on him equal to the number of lands you control.
+1: Surveil 2.
-3: Exile target creature.
-6: You may put an artifact card from your hand or graveyard onto the battlefield.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dakkon, Shadow Slayer provides multiple ways to generate card advantage, including abilities that allow you to search your library for a land card ensuring a consistent land drop or drawing cards equal to the number of lands you control, which can significantly outpace your opponent in resources.

Resource Acceleration: With his +1 loyalty ability, Dakkon can smoothly ramp you into higher mana availability by fetching a land from your library straight onto the battlefield, effectively speeding up your capacity to play high-cost spells or activate demanding abilities earlier in the game.

Instant Speed: Though Dakkon himself doesn’t operate at instant speed, his versatility in a deck can enable you to play more cards at instant speed. By ensuring your land drops with Dakkon’s abilities, you maximize mana efficiency each turn, allowing you to hold up mana for instant speed interactions with confidence.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Dakkon, Shadow Slayer arrives with a number of loyalty counters equal to the number of lands you control, enabling his abilities, he does not inherently change the game’s state upon entering the battlefield. This can be a drawback in scenarios where immediate impact is necessary, especially if you’re sacrificing other plans to cast him.

Specific Mana Cost: Dakkon demands a precise mix of white, black, and blue mana for casting. This tri-color requirement may complicate deck building, primarily limiting him to Esper decks and reducing the flexibility to include him in various strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At three specific mana plus additional investment to maximize his loyalty, there are situations where Dakkon’s cost-to-impact ratio might not compete with other planeswalkers or threats at a similar cost. Such a mana investment early in the game could hinder your ability to respond to an opponent’s plays effectively.


Reasons to Include Dakkon, Shadow Slayer in Your Collection

Versatility: Dakkon, Shadow Slayer showcases a wide range of abilities that make him adaptable to multiple playstyles. His ability to provide card advantage, act as removal, and scale his power and toughness based on the number of lands you control allows him to be a significant player in both aggressive and control-oriented decks.

Combo Potential: With the versatile loyalty abilities Dakkon offers, he opens up numerous combo avenues, particularly in decks that manipulate land count or benefit from planeswalker synergies. Whether you’re enhancing his land-tied power for a one-turn kill or using his ultimate to find the perfect piece to complete your game-winning puzzle, he can be a lynchpin in a carefully crafted combo.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where planeswalkers are prized for their immediate impact and long-term value, Dakkon, Shadow Slayer remains a valuable addition. His utility in answering threats and providing a scaling presence on the board gives him a place in the ever-shifting landscape of competitive play, ensuring that your investment in him can withstand the test of time and meta shifts.


How to beat Dakkon, Shadow Slayer

Dakkon, Shadow Slayer emerges as a potent planeswalker card in Magic: The Gathering, arriving on the battlefield not only with a number of loyalty counters equal to the number of lands you control but also with a suite of abilities that grant card advantage, creature removal, and even self-library search. To counter this tripartite threat, players need to focus on strategies that reduce the effectiveness of his abilities or remove him from the board swiftly.

One clear tactic is to keep your land count low if Dakkon is a known component in your opponent’s deck. This minimizes the number of loyalty counters Dakkon has when he enters battle, making him easier to defeat. Aggressive decks can apply pressure early on, forcing your opponent to use Dakkon defensively. If removal is the plan, direct damage spells or cards that can target planeswalkers are key—incinerating Dakkon before his loyalty can be used to the fullest. Additionally, consider disruption techniques such as hand attack spells to prevent Dakkon from ever making it onto the field.

Ultimately, preparing for Dakkon’s arrival beforehand and having a clear strategy for his removal can prevent him from upsetting the balance of the game. Even in the shadow of his power, strategic forethought and keen deck-building can ensure your victory against Dakkon, Shadow Slayer.


Cards like Dakkon, Shadow Slayer

Dakkon, Shadow Slayer enters the landscape of planeswalkers in MTG with a unique twist on loyalty abilities. Dakkon’s ability to power up based on the number of lands you control bears resemblance to Sorin, Grim Nemesis. Sorin adds loyalty for each card in your opponent’s hand, a similarly scaling benefit. Dakkon, however, shines with more direct control over his power increase, as lands are a resource you can more reliably manage.

When evaluating other counterparts, Tamiyo, Field Researcher stands out. Tamiyo offers a versatile plus one ability, but doesn’t inherently increase her loyalty counters proportional to in-game dynamics like Dakkon. Yet Tamiyo’s colorful mana cost can be restrictive compared to Dakkon’s Esper allegiance. Liliana, the Last Hope is also akin to Dakkon with her minus ability affecting creature removal, but Dakkon’s scalable loyalty and multi-target removal provides a broader range of strategic options on the battlefield.

Assessing Dakkon, Shadow Slayer among his peers, it’s clear his unique relationship with land presence and versatile loyalty abilities carves out a distinctive niche for him among planeswalker cards, making him particularly appealing to players who favor control and ramp strategies in their MTG decks.

Sorin, Grim Nemesis - MTG Card versions
Tamiyo, Field Researcher - MTG Card versions
Liliana, the Last Hope - MTG Card versions
Sorin, Grim Nemesis - Shadows over Innistrad Promos (PSOI)
Tamiyo, Field Researcher - Eldritch Moon Promos (PEMN)
Liliana, the Last Hope - Eldritch Moon (EMN)

Cards similar to Dakkon, Shadow Slayer by color, type and mana cost

Aminatou, the Fateshifter - MTG Card versions
Aminatou, the Fateshifter - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dakkon, Shadow Slayer MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Modern Horizons 2 Art Series, 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 Dakkon, Shadow Slayer and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dakkon, Shadow Slayer Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2021-06-18 and 2021-06-19. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 913232015normalblackJake Murray
22021-06-18Modern Horizons 2 Art SeriesAMH2 492015art_seriesborderlessJake Murray
32021-06-18Modern Horizons 2 Art SeriesAMH2 48s2015art_seriesborderlessRichard Kane Ferguson
42021-06-18Modern Horizons 2 Art SeriesAMH2 482015art_seriesborderlessRichard Kane Ferguson
52021-06-18Modern Horizons 2 Art SeriesAMH2 49s2015art_seriesborderlessJake Murray
62021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 3042015normalborderlessJake Murray
72021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 1922015normalblackRichard Kane Ferguson
82021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 3632015normalblackRichard Kane Ferguson
92021-06-19Modern Horizons 2 PromosPMH2 192s2015normalblackRichard Kane Ferguson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dakkon, Shadow Slayer has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

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