Sarkhan the Mad MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Planeswalker — Sarkhan
Loyalty 7

Key Takeaways

  1. Drawing cards with Sarkhan improves hand balance, particularly in dragon-heavy decks.
  2. Transforming creatures into dragons with Sarkhan bolsters board position and mana efficiency.
  3. Sarkhan’s instant-speed-like ability to summon dragons disrupts opponents unpredictably.

Text of card

0: Reveal the top card of your library and put it into your hand. Sarkhan the Mad deals damage to himself equal to that card's converted mana cost. -2: Target creature's controller sacrifices it, then that player puts a 5/5 red Dragon creature token with flying onto the battlefield. -4: Each Dragon creature you control deals damage equal to its power to target player.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: One of the remarkable abilities of Sarkhan the Mad in MTG is its zero-cost loyalty ability, which allows you to draw cards until you have the same number of cards in hand as the number of dragons you control. This not only balances your hand but in dragon-centric decks, this can yield significant card advantage, maintaining or boosting your position in the game.

Resource Acceleration: Sarkhan the Mad helps in resource acceleration by transforming your creatures into powerful Dragon tokens. This process doesn’t just amplify your board presence with formidable flyers, but it also represents a potential surge in mana utilization if those creatures were otherwise less impacting the board state before the transformation.

Instant Speed: While Sarkhan the Mad’s abilities themselves are not at instant speed, his ultimate ability allows you to put dragons from your hand onto the battlefield at any point in your turn. This can catch opponents off-guard and allows flexible response times, akin to the adaptability provided by instant speed spells, ensuring that your dragons enter the fray at the most opportune moment.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Sarkhan the Mad demands a player to sacrifice a creature to draw cards. This requirement can be particularly troublesome during a game’s critical moments when maintaining a board presence is vital, as it forces tough decisions and potential loss of momentum.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana requirement for casting Sarkhan the Mad is not only specific but also somewhat color-heavy. With both black and red mana needed, decks lacking a strong mana base or those that do not run these colors may find it challenging to utilize this card effectively.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of five mana, including three colored mana, Sarkhan the Mad enters the field at a point where players expect significant impact. In the high-stakes environment of competitive play, the cost-to-benefit ratio of this planeswalker is often compared with other high-impact cards at similar mana points, which may offer more immediate or versatile advantages.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Sarkhan the Mad is a dynamic planeswalker card that can adapt to numerous deck styles. With the ability to draw cards and deal damage without tapping, it’s a formidable asset in both aggressive and control strategies.

Combo Potential: This card is a linchpin for dragon-themed decks, enabling powerful synergies. Its ability to transform creatures into dragons and manipulate loyalty counters can create sudden, game-winning combinations.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta teeming with creature-based strategies, Sarkhan the Mad shines. Its removal potential and the capacity to serve as a win condition means it’s well-suited to outpace many popular decks in the competitive scene.


How to beat

Spotlighting Sarkhan the Mad, a formidable planeswalker from the plane of Tarkir, presents a unique challenge for Magic: The Gathering players. Unveiling strategies to overcome this card is as intriguing as the dragon-centric madness he brings to the table. The key to nullifying Sarkhan’s impact lies in the understanding that he can’t produce loyalty counters on his own, making his third ability a gamble if used prematurely.

Precision and swift action can turn the tide against Sarkhan the Mad. Applying pressure with creature removals or direct damage spells can expediently reduce his loyalty, averting his devastating ultimate ability. Moreover, Sarkhan is powerless against enchantments, providing an avenue for cards like Oblivion Ring to shine, encapsulating him away from the battlefield with ease.

Ultimately, confronting Sarkhan the Mad necessitates a proactive approach. Keep his loyalty low, disrupt his dragon-summoning tactics, and seize opportunities to attack your opponent directly. Managing these aspects effectively will ensure that Sarkhan’s madness is but a fleeting whisper in your match’s history.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG means continuously refining your deck and gameplay, and Sarkhan the Mad is a card that offers abundant opportunities for strategic depth. With its ability to boost your game with dragons and manipulate cards in hand, Sarkhan’s versatility can be a game-changer. As MTG players venture through this ever-evolving game, having Sarkhan the Mad in your arsenal can be a stepping stone to dragon superiority on the battlefield. Embrace the challenge, and fine-tune your plays and decks around this iconic planeswalker. Elevate your MTG journey by discovering more insights and strategies with us, and harness the full potential of Sarkhan the Mad in your matches.


Cards like Sarkhan the Mad

Diving into Magic: The Gathering’s pantheon of planeswalkers, Sarkhan the Mad stands out with his unique abilities. Similar to other planeswalkers like Liliana Vess, Sarkhan offers direct creature control. Yet, Sarkhan’s self-sacrificial ability to draw cards deviates from the norm, as he doesn’t gain loyalty counters for his effects; a sharp contrast to Liliana’s incremental power growth. Drawing cards by sacrificing creatures without loyalty gain is truly what sets Sarkhan the Mad apart from his counterparts.

Chandra, Pyromaster, and Jace Beleren are also worth mentioning. Both can provide card advantage, with Jace directly drawing and Chandra offering exiled card playability. However, neither sacrifices permanents as a cost, making Sarkhan’s strategy clearly distinct. The card advantage he offers comes at a higher risk but can result in a more dramatic swing in the game’s state. His ultimate ability to turn creatures into Dragons mirrors the transformative power of planeswalkers like Elspeth, Sun’s Champion, who creates multiple tokens, though Sarkhan’s transformational effect is more immediate and potent.

Examining these planeswalkers, Sarkhan the Mad secures a place as a card with high-risk, high-reward strategies, rewarding players who are willing to embrace the volatility of his powers in their MTG deck-building and gameplay tactics.

Liliana Vess - MTG Card versions
Chandra, Pyromaster - MTG Card versions
Jace Beleren - MTG Card versions
Elspeth, Sun's Champion - MTG Card versions
Liliana Vess - Lorwyn (LRW)
Chandra, Pyromaster - San Diego Comic-Con 2013 (PSDC)
Jace Beleren - Lorwyn (LRW)
Elspeth, Sun's Champion - Theros (THS)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sarkhan the Mad MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi and Mystery Booster Retail Edition Foils, 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 Sarkhan the Mad and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sarkhan the Mad Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2010-04-23 and 2020-03-08. Illustrated by Chippy.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-04-23Rise of the EldraziROE 2142003normalblackChippy
22020-03-08Mystery Booster Retail Edition FoilsFMB1 902003normalblackChippy
32020-09-26The ListPLST ROE-2142003normalblackChippy

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sarkhan the Mad has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sarkhan the Mad card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2010-06-15 If the targeted creature is a legal target by the time the second ability resolves but its controller can’t sacrifice it (due to Tajuru Preserver, perhaps), the ability continues to resolve. That player gets a Dragon token.
2010-06-15 If the targeted creature is an illegal target by the time the second ability resolves, the ability doesn’t resolve. The player won’t get a Dragon token.
2010-06-15 If you target an opponent with the third ability, you choose separately for each Dragon creature you control whether or not to redirect the damage dealt by that Dragon to a planeswalker that player controls.
2010-06-15 Once the first ability starts to resolve and you reveal the top card of your library (and see how much damage Sarkhan the Mad deals to himself), it’s too late to respond.
2010-06-15 The first ability causes Sarkhan to deal damage directly to himself, resulting in that many loyalty counters being removed from him. The damage would never have been dealt to you, so prevention effects that would prevent damage from being dealt to you won’t affect it.
2010-06-15 Unlike previous planeswalkers, Sarkhan the Mad has no way to raise his loyalty.
2010-06-15 You choose a single target as you activate the third ability. All your Dragons deal damage to that player.

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