Kargan Dragonlord MTG Card

Kargan Dragonlord - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
2010-04-23 - Number 152

Kargan Dragonlord - Mystery Booster (MB1)

Mystery Booster (MB1)
2019-11-07 - Number 987

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number ROE-152

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Mythic
Type	Creature — Human Warrior
Abilities	Flying,Level Up,Trample
Power	2
Toughness	2

Key Takeaways

Kargan Dragonlord transforms into a dominant threat with its flexible level up capability at instant speed.
It demands a significant mana investment, which can be restrictive and may hinder early game strategy.
The card’s potential for power and versatility in aggressive decks makes it a valuable collectible.

Text of card

Level up (: Put a level counter on this. Level up only as a sorcery.) LEVEL 4-7 4/4 Flying LEVEL 8+ 8/8 Flying, trample : Kargan Dragonlord gets +1/+0 until end of turn.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Kargan Dragonlord itself doesn’t draw cards, it compensates by becoming a powerhouse on the battlefield. As it levels up, it transforms into a massive threat, effectively serving as multiple creatures worth of power and toughness packed into a single card. Investing mana into Kargan Dragonlord can equate to outclassing your opponent’s cards one by one.

Resource Acceleration: Although Kargan Dragonlord doesn’t generate additional mana or resources directly, its Level Up ability is a form of investment that accelerates your board presence. By sinking mana into the card over time, you advance its abilities, which can lead to a significant pay-off in the mid to late game. The dragon becomes a monumental force, potentially freeing up other resources as it demands answers from your opponents.

Instant Speed: Kargan Dragonlord’s level up mechanic can be activated at instant speed, giving players the flexibility to upgrade it whenever they have spare mana. This feature enables savvy players to make strategic decisions during their opponent’s turn, thus keeping options open for reacting to threats or advancing their board state without committing resources prematurely.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Kargan Dragonlord itself does not have a discard requirement, gathering enough resources to level up this creature means you could be sacrificing card advantage in the early game. This can be especially punishing if the game state demands more immediate board presence or if you’re pressured by discard-focused strategies from opponents.

Specific Mana Cost: Kargan Dragonlord demands a commitment to red mana with its initial casting cost and subsequent level up costs. This specificity can restrict deckbuilding flexibility and makes it less versatile in decks that aren’t mono-red or heavily weighted towards red.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment to fully utilize Kargan Dragonlord is significant. Its total cost to reach its maximum level is considerably high, and some games may end before you can leverage its full potential. Compared to other creatures or spells in the same mana range, the Dragonlord might either be too slow or too demanding on your mana resources, thereby limiting its effectiveness in fast-paced matches.

Reasons to Include Kargan Dragonlord in Your Collection

Versatility: Kargan Dragonlord is a flexible card, seamlessly fitting into red-based aggressive or midrange decks. Its ability to level up allows it to scale with the game’s progression, making it a persistent threat on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: With the power to become a flying, trample-capable dragon, Kargan Dragonlord can be the linchpin in a combo that seeks to deliver massive damage in a single swing, especially when combined with cards that increase its power or provide additional combat phases.

Meta-Relevance: As creature-heavy strategies often dominate the scene, having a creature like Kargan Dragonlord that can grow beyond the reach of common removal spells makes it a strong contender in various metas, ensuring its relevance in multiple game scenarios.

How to beat

Kargan Dragonlord is a formidable creature in the world of Magic: The Gathering, capable of quickly becoming a powerful flying force on the battlefield. When facing this card, one efficient strategy is to prevent it from leveling up, thus stalling its transformation into a dragon. Control decks with counterspells are particularly effective, as they can interrupt the level up process and keep the Dragonlord in check.

Another approach is to remove Kargan Dragonlord before it becomes a game-ending threat. Instant speed removal spells that can target creatures regardless of their size, like Path to Exile or Fatal Push, work well. Board wipes also serve as a solid answer, clearing the board of all creatures, including a leveled-up Dragonlord.

Ensuring you manage your resources wisely and keep removal options available is key when Kargan Dragonlord hits the board. Always be mindful of the potential for it to grow and respond accordingly, keeping in mind that once it reaches its final form, it can become an arduous task to handle without the right answers in your deck.

Cards like Kargan Dragonlord

Kargan Dragonlord stands out in the arena of level-up creatures within Magic the Gathering. This formidable red creature card offers an engaging level-up mechanic, which shares a common theme with other cards like Lighthouse Chronologist. Both cards harness the power of level-up to transform into potent game-changers. However, Kargan Dragonlord escalates the stakes with its ability to become a flying dragon with not just trample but a scaleable fire-breathing effect tied to red mana.

Alternatively, looking at Echo Mage, players find another level-up card but with a bent towards spell-copying rather than direct damage. Echo Mage offers strategic versatility, allowing more sophisticated play sequences compared to the sheer brute force strategy Kargan Dragonlord promotes. Transcendent Master is another peer, promising an indestructible lifelinking force once leveled-up to zenith, though without the immediate board impact of Kargan Dragonlord’s transformation.

Evaluating these varied and dynamic options, Kargan Dragonlord emerges as a top pick for players enamored with aggressive strategies and the nostalgic charm of red dragons in Magic the Gathering, representing a swift and potent threat once fully leveled.

Lighthouse Chronologist - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Kargan Dragonlord MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi and Mystery Booster, 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 Kargan Dragonlord and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Kargan Dragonlord Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2010-04-23 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Jason Chan.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2010-04-23	Rise of the Eldrazi	ROE	152	2003	Leveler	Black	Jason Chan
2	2019-11-07	Mystery Booster	MB1	987	2003	Leveler	Black	Jason Chan
3	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST	ROE-152	2003	Leveler	Black	Jason Chan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Kargan Dragonlord has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2010-06-15	A creature’s level is based on how many level counters it has on it, not how many times its level up ability has been activated or has resolved. If a leveler gets level counters due to some other effect (such as Clockspinning) or loses level counters for some reason (such as Vampire Hexmage), its level is changed accordingly.
2010-06-15	Effects that modify a leveler’s power or toughness, such as the effects of Giant Growth or Glorious Anthem, will apply to it no matter when they started to take effect. The same is true for counters that change the creature’s power or toughness (such as +1/+1 counters) and effects that switch its power and toughness.
2010-06-15	Effects that set a leveler’s power or toughness to a specific value, including the effects from a level symbol’s ability, apply in timestamp order. The timestamp of each level symbol’s ability is the same as the timestamp of the leveler itself, regardless of when the most recent level counter was put on it.
2010-06-15	If another creature becomes a copy of a leveler, all of the leveler’s printed abilities — including those represented by level symbols — are copied. The current characteristics of the leveler, and the number of level counters on it, are not. The abilities, power, and toughness of the copy will be determined based on how many level counters are on the copy.
2010-06-15	The abilities a leveler grants to itself don’t overwrite any other abilities it may have. In particular, they don’t overwrite the creature’s level up ability; it always has that.