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Curve Craft: Aggro with a Dragon Lord

Dragons have long loomed large in Magic’s mythos, and the multi-colored thunderbolt perched on the battlefield by Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund is a masterclass in tempo and power. With a mana cost of {4}{B}{R}{G} and a formidable 7/7 body, this legendary dragon doesn’t just hit hard—he reshapes the battlefield the moment he lands. On entry, you gain control of all Dragons, then untap all Dragons, setting the stage for a brutal, dragon-swarm alpha strike. And because other Dragon creatures you control gain haste, your board can pivot from a patient setup to a roaring attack in a single swing 🧙‍♂️🔥.

The card is a centerpiece of Double Masters’ Masters-style chaos, a mythic from the 2xm era that celebrates precious, hyper-thematic finishes. From a lore perspective, Karrthus embodies the ruthless, wildfire-burst energy of Jund—where red-fire, black-maw, and green-auras fuse into something primal and unstoppable. Artistically, Dave Kendall captures a dragonlord whose presence practically crackles with mana and menace, a perfect icon for players building aggressive dragon archetypes that threaten to melt the podium in a single turn if the stars align 🌋💎.

Why this curve sings for aggro lovers

In a dragon-heavy shell, Karrthus isn’t just another big beater. He becomes a tempo engine that converts pure board presence into a leap forward. The immediate steal-and-untap effect means you can convert a handful of your own pre-summoned dragons into an explosive board wipe of momentum for your opponents. And the haste granted to other dragons ensures that your next combat step is devastating, not just afterthought. This is where the curve premium shines: you’re not waiting a full round to swing again—you swing again, multiple times, almost on a single breath 🧙‍♂️⚔️.

• Early ramp and color access: With a three-color identity (Black, Green, Red), you lean into fast mana and dragon-supporting spells that accelerate toward seven mana by the midgame. Think mana rocks, flexible fetches, and incline-ready green spells that smooth out your turns.
• Precast dragons ready for the ETB swing: If you can drop a few dragons before Karrthus, you set up a dramatic effect when he enters. You’ll still steal all opponent dragons on ETB, untap your army, and push a forceful alpha strike that many boards simply can’t weather.
• Haste-enabled dragons: The on-field haste for other dragons means your board isn’t a single-chance proposition; it’s a flowing tidal wave of aggression that gaps enemy defenses and pushes through damage and pressure on multiple angles.
• Color-synergy and hate-mechanic resistance: The tri-color identity makes you versatile against removal and board wipes—your dragons come online quicker, your threats stay diverse, and your plan remains resilient even when opponents try to polypack against a single color.
• Card-drawing and ramification potential: In a well-tuned dragon shell, you can leverage ramp to set up the inevitability of a late-game dragon surge—Karrthus is the trigger that lets you flip the board state from “installment plan” to “all-out invasion.”

Tip: Since Karrthus’s text brings all dragons under your control, consider threats that benefit from re-use or re-casting, or dragons with strong ETB effects you want to maximize. Holding a few dragons in hand for the moment he ETBs can pay off in a spectacular, turn-lingering way—the mirror of a well-timed tempo swing 🧙‍♂️🎲.

From a design perspective, Karrthus embodies a bold design choice: a high-cost, high-impact payoff that rewards planning and board-state awareness. The question isn’t simply “can I cast him?” but “what dragons do I already have on the battlefield, and which ones should I pull from the bin for a perfect re-entry that tilts the game in my favor?” In decks built around aggressive dragon supremacy, the Double Masters version of this card becomes a centerpiece for collectors and players alike, with foil copies and classic printings adding that extra layer of bragging rights to your LGS table 🧙‍♂️💎.

Flavor and gameplay aside, the practical takeaway is clear: curve into seven mana by midgame, ensure you have dragons ready to mete out damage, and leverage Karrthus’s ETB ability to turn a crowded board into an unstoppable dragon army. The synergy between theft, untapping, and haste creates a tactical avalanche that opponents must preempt—an elegant reminder that sometimes your most conquering moments come from the dragon heart you’ve kept tucked away until the perfect moment 🧨🔥.

As you pilot dragon-centric decks, remember that diversity in your dragon suite matters: keep threats of different molds and mana costs, so you can maximize your on-entering impact while still maintaining board control after the dust settles. The art, the curve, and the raw tempo combine into a memorable, roaring playstyle that’s equal parts nostalgia and modern-day MTG chaos 🎨⚔️.

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