Avaricious DragonHow it works & interactions with other cards

Double the Draw, Double the Cost

Avaricious Dragon features two mandatory triggered abilities that change how your turn begins and ends. During your draw step, you draw two cards instead of one, giving you extra fuel for your main phases. However, the catch occurs during your end step, where you must discard every card remaining in your hand, regardless of how many you have.

Step-by-Step Resolution

1. During your Draw Step, the Dragon's first ability triggers and goes on the stack. You draw your normal card for the turn, then the ability resolves and you draw a second card. 2. You proceed through your Main Phases and Combat. 3. As your End Step begins, the second ability triggers. Once this resolves, you must discard all cards currently in your hand. You cannot wait until the cleanup step to discard; it happens during the end step, meaning you cannot cast sorcery-speed spells after the discard occurs.

Common Pitfalls

A frequent mistake is forgetting that the discard happens in the end step, not the cleanup step. If you draw cards using an instant-speed effect after the discard ability has resolved but still within the end step, you will get to keep those cards until the next turn's end step. Also, remember that 'discard your hand' means all cards; even if you have zero cards, the ability still triggers and resolves, it just has no effect.

When to Deploy the Dragon

This creature is best played in aggressive decks that can cast most of their spells quickly. Since you will be discarding your hand every turn, you want to ensure your mana curve is low enough to empty your hand before the end step. It also pairs well with cards that benefit from being in the graveyard or cards that trigger when you draw.

Interaction examples

Accelerating Mana and Cards

Solemn Simulacrum

If you have Avaricious Dragon on the battlefield and cast Solemn Simulacrum, you can use the land you searched for to help cast the extra cards you draw. If the Simulacrum dies during your turn, you draw a card, but you must be careful: if it dies during your end step after the Dragon's discard ability resolves, you actually get to keep that card for your opponent's turn!

The Power of the Throne

Roaming Throne

With Roaming Throne on the battlefield naming 'Dragon', Avaricious Dragon's abilities trigger an additional time. During your draw step, you will draw two additional cards (three total). However, at the beginning of your end step, you will have two discard triggers. The first one will empty your hand, and the second one will simply resolve while your hand is already empty.