Few Magic: The Gathering blocks have captured the imagination quite like Khans of Tarkir, and at the heart of its appeal lie the five distinct clans, each with their own identity and play style. The set transported players to a world ruled by powerful warlords, each commanding a faction defined by a three-color wedge – a combination that had been relatively unexplored prior to Khans of Tarkir. This created a rich tapestry of cultures, strategies, and iconic characters. This article will delve into the individual Khans of Tarkir clans, exploring their unique mechanics, flavorful lore, and enduring appeal within the Magic: The Gathering community. We’ll journey through the brutal landscape of Tarkir and uncover the essence of the Abzan Houses, the enlightened Jeskai Way, the ruthless Sultai Brood, the swift Mardu Horde, and the savage Temur Frontier.
Abzan Houses: Endurance Through Kinship
The Abzan Houses represent the strength of family and tradition. For the Abzan, lineage is everything. They are a society built on enduring hardship and maintaining their values even in the face of death. Their culture is deeply rooted in the past, respecting ancestors and drawing strength from their history. The Abzan are characterized by their unwavering loyalty to one another and their relentless pursuit of longevity, both for themselves and their lineage. They’ve learned to persevere in the harsh deserts, adapting and building formidable fortresses such as the Sandsteppe Citadel, a symbol of their resilience.
The Outlast mechanic is central to the Abzan identity. It perfectly reflects their long-term strategy and focus on incremental advantage. By investing mana and time, creatures with Outlast become more powerful, representing the growth and strengthening of their lineage. This mechanic is a slow burn, requiring patience and planning, embodying the Abzan philosophy of enduring over the long game.
Key figures within the Abzan Houses include Anafenza, the Foremost, a powerful warrior who rallied her troops and protected their ancestral grounds. Her presence on the battlefield denied the enemy a comfortable grave and showed how much the Abzan revere their dead. Daghatar the Adamant is another key figure, known for his unwavering resolve and strategic mind. Their strength lies in their attrition game, slowly grinding down opponents with resilient creatures and resource advantages. However, the speed of more aggressive clans can sometimes overwhelm the Abzan before they establish a strong board presence.
Jeskai Way: Cunning and Ingenuity
The Jeskai Way values enlightenment and mastery of both mind and body. They are a monastic order that seeks to achieve perfection through martial arts, philosophical study, and strategic thinking. The Jeskai strive to outwit their opponents, using cunning and intelligence to overcome challenges. They rely on agile maneuvers, evasive tactics, and precise strikes to achieve victory.
The Prowess mechanic is the cornerstone of the Jeskai’s combat style. Prowess rewards noncreature spells by boosting creatures with +1/+1 until the end of the turn. The Jeskai are masters of the instant and sorcery, using spells to amplify their own threats and to react to whatever their enemy does. This ability to adapt and strike at the right moment makes them formidable opponents.
The Jeskai value recorded history, learning from the teachings of those that came before them. Narset, Enlightened Master embodies the Jeskai ideals. She is a powerful mage who could share her knowledge to those who needed it most. Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest, exemplifies the Jeskai’s martial prowess, able to strike with incredible speed and precision. The Jeskai are all about finesse, using their spells to maximize the effectiveness of their creatures. Their weakness lies in their reliance on having both spells and creatures to work, and they can struggle against decks that disrupt their game plan.
Sultai Brood: Ruthlessness and Wealth
The Sultai Brood is defined by its insatiable desire for power and its willingness to use any means necessary to achieve its goals. They embrace ruthlessness and utilize death as a resource, commanding hordes of undead servants. The Sultai value wealth above all else, hoarding treasures and exploiting their resources without regard for the consequences.
The Delve mechanic is the perfect representation of the Sultai’s strategic mindset. Delve allows you to exile cards from your graveyard to pay for the mana cost of a spell, meaning more powerful creatures can be cast for cheaper. This ability to sacrifice resources for immediate gain reflects the Sultai’s willingness to do whatever it takes to come out on top. They are opportunistic and pragmatic, using their graveyard as an extension of their hand.
The Sultai are ruled by cunning and cruel naga, who command legions of zombies and other undead creatures. Tasigur, the Golden Fang, is known for his decadence and love of luxury. Sidisi, Brood Tyrant, leads the Sultai horde with necromantic power. The Sultai excel at generating value from their graveyard and overwhelming their opponents with a relentless stream of threats. Their weakness lies in graveyard hate, which can severely disrupt their strategy.
Mardu Horde: Speed and Aggression
The Mardu Horde lives for speed and violence, riding across the steppes in relentless raids. They are a nomadic people who value honor in battle and seek to achieve glory through swift and decisive victories. The Mardu are characterized by their aggression, their ferocity, and their unwavering commitment to the hunt.
The Raid mechanic captures the essence of the Mardu’s playstyle. Raid grants a bonus effect to a creature or spell if you attacked with a creature during the turn. The Mardu are incentivized to be constantly on the offensive, pushing the attack at every opportunity.
The Mardu leadership is a constant struggle to find someone strong and ruthless enough to lead. Zurgo Helmsmasher embodies the Mardu’s brute strength and relentless aggression. Alesha, Who Smiles at Death, inspires her warriors to fight bravely and rise again, even after death. The Mardu are a powerful aggressive force, able to quickly overwhelm opponents with their relentless assault. However, they can be vulnerable to control decks that can stabilize the board and shut down their attacks.
Temur Frontier: Savagery and Adaptability
The Temur Frontier is a clan that embraces the harsh wilderness and values strength, instinct, and adaptability. They are a shamanistic people who respect the power of nature and strive to live in harmony with the environment. The Temur are known for their resilience, their resourcefulness, and their ability to adapt to any challenge.
The Ferocious mechanic reflects the Temur’s reliance on big creatures and brute force. Ferocious grants a bonus effect if you control a creature with power of four or greater. The Temur are incentivized to play powerful creatures that can dominate the battlefield.
The Temur find power in the Dragon Tempest, drawing strength from the storms. Surrak Dragonclaw leads the Temur with a focus on strength. Yasova Dragonclaw takes what she needs for her clan and for herself. The Temur are a powerful midrange strategy that can control the board with big creatures and grind out the opponent with value. Their weakness lies in being vulnerable to aggressive decks that can outpace their big plays.
Impact and Legacy
The Khans of Tarkir block significantly impacted the Magic: The Gathering landscape. Decks built around Delve mechanics dominated the Standard format for a time, while the power of Prowess was quickly realized in many formats. Some clans saw more competitive success than others depending on the format, but all the clans continue to be relevant and beloved to this day.
The enduring popularity of the Khans of Tarkir clans is particularly evident in Commander (EDH). The unique color combinations, flavorful themes, and strategic depth of each clan have made them popular choices for Commander decks. Each clan also provides distinct playstyles, meaning there is a clan for any given EDH player.
The storyline of Khans of Tarkir and the subsequent transformation of the timeline in Dragons of Tarkir only add to the set’s enduring appeal. Seeing the rise of the dragons and the shift in the power dynamic of the plane created a compelling narrative that resonated with many players. Each of the new dragons are loved and have become great additions to Commander Decks.
The use of wedge color combinations, as opposed to allied color pairs, further distinguishes Khans of Tarkir. For the first time many players had a name for a color combination, and these clans were so loved that they have lasted through multiple sets.
Conclusion
Each of the Khans of Tarkir clans offers a unique and compelling gameplay experience. The Abzan Houses embody endurance and long-term strategy, the Jeskai Way values cunning and skillful combat, the Sultai Brood embraces ruthlessness and resource management, the Mardu Horde thrives on speed and aggression, and the Temur Frontier relies on savagery and adaptability.
The Khans of Tarkir clans continue to be relevant in all formats in Magic: The Gathering. They are distinct enough that each of them fills a certain niche for players and are different enough to make the players feel like they are embodying the mechanics that they are playing.
The Khans of Tarkir block remains a high point in Magic: The Gathering’s history, remembered for its innovative mechanics, compelling story, and the five unforgettable clans that brought the world of Tarkir to life. The clans of Tarkir continue to impact the meta in all formats of Magic and are likely to remain relevant for many years to come.
