Viashivan DragonHow it works & interactions with other cards

Dual Firebreathing

Unlike many creatures that only allow you to pump their power, Viashivan Dragon features two distinct activated abilities. For one red mana, you can increase its power by one, and for one green mana, you can increase its toughness by one. There is no limit to how many times you can activate these abilities each turn, provided you have the mana to pay for them.

Resolution Step-by-Step

When you activate either ability, it goes on the stack as an independent object. Each activation requires a single mana of the appropriate color. As each instance resolves, the Dragon's stats update immediately. Because these are activated abilities that do not require tapping, you can even use them the same turn the Dragon enters the battlefield or during an opponent's turn to surprise them during combat.

Common Pitfalls

A common mistake is forgetting that these stat boosts only last until the end of the current turn. If you pump the Dragon's toughness to survive a spell like Lightning Bolt, those extra points of toughness will vanish during the cleanup step. Additionally, remember that while you can pump its power indefinitely, the Dragon still needs to successfully deal damage to a player or creature to make that investment worthwhile.

Strategic Timing

The best time to use these abilities is after blockers have been declared. If your opponent chooses not to block, you can sink all your red mana into power to maximize damage. If they block with a creature that would normally trade with the Dragon, you can use green mana to boost its toughness just enough to survive the encounter.

Interaction examples

The Drake Fusion

Kyscu DrakeSpitting Drake

If you control both Kyscu Drake and Spitting Drake, you can activate the ability on Kyscu Drake to sacrifice both creatures. This allows you to search your library for Viashivan Dragon and put it directly onto the battlefield. This is a specialized way to bypass the Dragon's high mana cost.

Unending Growth

Seedborn Muse

With Seedborn Muse on the battlefield, all your lands untap during every other player's untap step. This allows you to use your mana to pump Viashivan Dragon's toughness on an opponent's turn to block effectively, and then have all your mana ready again on your own turn to pump its power for a massive flying attack.

Free Casting with Etali

Etali, Primal Storm

When Etali, Primal Storm attacks and exiles Viashivan Dragon from the top of your library, you may cast the Dragon without paying its mana cost. Once it is on the battlefield, you can still use your remaining red and green mana to activate its stat-boosting abilities, as the 'free' aspect only applies to the initial casting cost.