This is the fourth in a series of profiles of the planeswalkers appearing in War of the Spark. In this article, we’ll examine the story of Sarkhan Vol, a dragon-obsessed warrior who has served both Nicol Bolas and his rival Ugin.
Disciple of Dragons
Sarkhan was born on the plane of Tarkir, in a timeline where the plane’s dragons had gone extinct centuries before. He became fascinated with stories of the ancient dragons and traveled the Multiverse searching for a Dragonlord to serve. On Alara, Sarkhan pledged himself to Nicol Bolas and gained the ability to turn into a dragon himself. As Bolas’ minion, he helped trigger the Conflux on Alara and release the Eldrazi titans from their prison on Zendikar.
But Sarkhan eventually realized that Bolas’s plans ran counter to his own. Bolas wanted Sarkhan to help manipulate and kill other dragons in the Multiverse. Sarkhan began to doubt his purpose in life and to look for a way to escape from Bolas’ control.
Fate Reforged
After returning to Tarkir in search for answers, Sarkhan was sent back in time over a thousand years to discover what had driven the plane’s dragons to extinction. He learned that Nicol Bolas had killed Ugin and, in doing so, disrupting the magical connection between the dragons and the plane. Sarkhan was able to save Ugin using a hedron he had stolen from Zendikar, but his actions changed Tarkir’s history irrevocably. In the new timeline, Tarkir’s dragons never died out, and Ugin survived long enough to prevent Bolas from taking over the Multiverse.
Sarkhan returned to Tarkir’s new, dragon-filled present, where he befriended Narset, another planeswalker from Tarkir. At the time of War of the Spark, he is working with Ugin, and has played a major role in the plan to resurrect Niv-Mizzet.
The Toothiest Timeline
This decklist is all about what Sarkhan likes best: powerful dragons that set your enemies on fire and steal their treasure.
Creatures
4 Dragon Hatchling
4 Demanding Dragon
2 Lathliss, Dragon Queen
4 Sarkhan’s Whelp
2 Scourge of Valkas
4 Skyship Stalker
Noncreature Spells
2 Crucible of Fire
4 Draconic Roar
4 Dragon’s Hoard
2 Sarkhan, Fireblood
2 Sarkhan the Masterless
2 Sarkhan Vol
Lands
3 Rootbound Crag
21 Mountain
Alex is an Azorius bureaucrat who dreams of joining the Selesnya Conclave. Their favorite color of mana is green, and they love brewing for Commander variants.