Sarkhan the Masterless is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Whenever a creature attacks you or a planeswalker you control, each Dragon you control deals 1 damage to that creature. +1: Until end of turn, each planeswalker you control becomes a 4/4 red Dragon creature and gains flying. −3: Create a 4/4 red Dragon creature token with flying.
Complete guide
Sarkhan the Masterless is a powerhouse for planeswalker-heavy decks, providing both a defensive wall and a sudden offensive sweep. By turning your loyal allies into fire-breathing Dragons, he changes the fundamental rules of how your opponents must interact with your board.
A Draconic Defense
Sarkhan's static ability triggers whenever a creature attacks you or any planeswalker you control. Each Dragon you control deals 1 damage to the attacking creature. This happens during the Declare Attackers step, meaning the damage is dealt before blockers are even declared, potentially destroying small threats before they can connect.
The Transformation Process
When you activate Sarkhan's +1 ability, every planeswalker you control becomes a 4/4 red Dragon creature with flying until end of turn. Crucially, they stop being planeswalkers during this time. This means they cannot be attacked, and damage dealt to them will not result in a loss of loyalty counters. However, if they were just played this turn, they will have summoning sickness and cannot attack.
Timing and Loyalty
Even while your planeswalkers are Dragons, they retain their loyalty counters and all their abilities. You can still activate a loyalty ability of a planeswalker that has turned into a Dragon, provided you haven't already activated one for that permanent during the current turn. Note that because they lose the planeswalker type, they are safe from spells that specifically target planeswalkers until the turn ends.
Strategic Implementation
Use the -3 ability to establish a board presence if you lack protection. Once you have a few Dragons or other planeswalkers, use the +1 to swing for massive aerial damage. The static ability acts as a deterrent; the more Dragons you create, the harder it becomes for your opponent to send small creatures your way without them dying instantly.
Interaction examples
DragonIf you have Sarkhan the Masterless and two Dragon tokens on the battlefield, and your opponent attacks you with a 2/2 creature, Sarkhan's static ability triggers. Each Dragon deals 1 damage, totaling 2 damage, which destroys the attacking creature before it can deal combat damage.
Ugin, the Ineffable
Chandra, Torch of DefianceWith Ugin and Chandra already on the board, you cast Sarkhan and activate his +1 ability. Sarkhan, Ugin, and Chandra all become 4/4 red Dragon creatures with flying. Since Ugin and Chandra were already under your control at the start of the turn, they can attack for a total of 8 damage, while Sarkhan must wait until next turn to attack.
After activating Sarkhan's +1, Chandra, Torch of Defiance is a creature and no longer a planeswalker. If an opponent casts a spell that deals 3 damage to Chandra, she remains on the battlefield with her loyalty counters intact, because damage only causes loyalty loss for permanents that currently have the planeswalker type.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Sarkhan the Masterless
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
A planeswalker that becomes a creature due to Sarkhan’s first loyalty ability can’t attack unless you’ve controlled it continuously since your turn began.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Once Sarkhan’s first loyalty ability has resolved, each planeswalker you control (including Sarkhan) is no longer a planeswalker for the rest of the turn. They don’t lose any loyalty counters or abilities, and you can still activate their loyalty abilities if you haven’t done so yet this turn. They don’t lose loyalty if they’re dealt damage while they’re not planeswalkers.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Related cards and tokens
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Sarkhan the Masterless
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.