Dark Dragon Storm

When reireibarker posted about his storm (https://www.a-space-games.com/storm) combo deck awhile ago, I played with it a bunch. It was super cool and fun when it worked, but very inconsistent. I've been playing it again and this deck is the result of the changes I've made(it is still inconsistent and dies to anything that can attack for lethal by turn 5).

The basic idea is get Calderan Cradle into play, then play a bunch of fast power, a Tamarys, copy the Tamarys, then loop free draw spells, filling the board with dragons. This version of Storm has basically no interaction, and is just focused on comboing off.

Excavate - The main function of this is to act as extra copies of End Of The Barrel, though sometimes you'll get back a dead smuggler or draw spell.

Research Assistant - Fixing, ramp, tribute enabler for End Of The Barrel, plunder target, banner turner on-er, this cheerful friend does it all.

Cull the Deck, Quarry -The main difficulty I had before was fizzling out of draw spells on the combo turn, so I splashed shadow just for these. The influence requirements are FFPPTTS, but you don't need FF til your combo turn(Barrel), and the TT is optional for the monolith in the market, PP is just for wisdom, so hitting influence is almost never a problem.

Plunder - Perfect in this deck, functions as a free draw 2 that triggers Cradle 3 times.

Strategize - if using before the combo turn, the main things you want to tuck back are Xo, excess Tamarys, or excess mirror images.

Mirror Image - Remember it will cost 2 after you play out a Tamarys. It's generally better to use additional ones to copy more Tamarys rather that dragons, so that any End of the Barrels drawn net even more power.

Wisdom of the Elders - If you need to burn a draw spell before the combo turn to dig, this is generally the first choice, as it is actual card advantage(to help smuggle away stuff) and won't be free with double Tamarys when you go off.

Tamarys, the Geomancer - Your opponent can disrupt your combo with fast removal, but this mostly means to try to watch out for equivocate and display of instinct. Non Elysian based decks don't usually have fast removal that affects Tamarys. Avoid running her out there before you're ready if at all possible.

End of the Barrel - Sac Research assistant before playing. When tributed, you can play your first Tamarys before playing the second Barrel/Excavating, because tamarys will make the second Barrel cost 5.

* MARKET*
Calderan Cradle - Always the first thing grabbed

Sudden Schism - Emergency 5th copy of Mirror Image.

Riddle Game - Hand reload. Given the draw density of this version of the deck, you don't necessarily need this, but it feels sweet when it draws like 15. Very hard to have enough power for though.

Etched Monolith - Allows you to OTK with a board full of Charge Dragons.

Equivocate - Emergency Removal


My win rate in Casual with this is maybe 30%. And a portion of this is from people snap conceding after I've played two Tamarys and drawn a few, perhaps not realizing that it is far from certain that I've won.

Have any ideas or questions? Are you playing an Icicle Marksman/Hunters Harpoon version? A more controlling version with hailstorms? Let me know in the comments.