Dragons of Tarkir

Happy Monday MTG peeps,

Wow do we have a load of Magic: the Gathering updates for you today.  Please expect a few posts today as we wade through some rather exciting news and announcements.

For this post, we want to cover off the announcement from the mothersite of the third and final set in the Khans of Tarkir block - Dragons of Tarkir !  This was originally announced during the PAX Australia MTG panel on the weekend in Melbourne.  Here's the official announcement -

Set Name: Dragons of Tarkir
Block: Set 3 of 3 in the Khans of Tarkir block
Number of Cards: 264
Prerelease Events: March 20, 2015
Release Date: March 27, 2015
Launch Weekend: March 27–29, 2015
Game Day: April 18, 2015
Official Three-Letter Code: DTK
Twitter Hashtag: #MTGDKT

Initial Concept and Game Design: Mark L. Gottlieb (lead), Dan Emmons, Graeme Hopkins, Colin Kawakami, Mark Rosewater, Sam Stoddard

Final Game Design and Development: Tom LaPille and David Humpherys (leads), Tim Aten, Colin Kawakami, Erik Lauer, Ken Nagle, Sam Stoddard, Gerry Thompson, With contributions from Matt Tabak

Languages:  English, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish

Available in: Booster Packs, Intro Packs*, Fat Pack*, Event Deck*


WotC also provided an amazing preview art by Jason Chan - check it out !

The first thing that stands out in this lovely illustration is the dragon itself - it looks to have feathered wings.  We're rather certain that this is a key art for the set rather than an individual card but we already want to pre-order every dragon card in this set from MTG Mint Card.
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Finally, we want to communicate a blurb about standard rotation again.  Here's a nice summary from redditor ubernostrum -

Khans block and Magic 2016 -- which will be the final Core Set -- are the transition period, and will switch roles when Magic as a whole switches gears from three-set blocks once a year to two-set blocks twice a year in late 2015.

Before fall 2015:
Standard works on the concept of three-set blocks plus their associated Core Sets. Standard consists of, at any time, a maximum of two full three-set blocks and their associated Core Sets. Standard rotates once a year, in the fall when the first set of a new block is released, and the oldest block and its associated Core Set leave the format.
Over the period fall 2014-fall 2015, Standard consists of the three-set Theros block plus Magic 2015 Core Set, and (as the sets are released) the three-set Khans block plus Magic 2016 Core Set. The three sets of Khans block are Khans of Tarkir, Fate Reforged and Dragons of Tarkir.

Fall 2015:
Now that the final three-set block (Theros) is out, Standard works on the concept of two-set blocks. There are no longer Core Sets. Standard consists of, at any time, a maximum of three full two-set blocks. Standard rotates twice a year. Once late in the year when the first set of a new block is released, and once early in the year when the first set of another new block is released. Each time, the oldest two-set block will leave the format.
At this point Khans block plus its Core Set become two two-set blocks. One of these blocks is Khans of Tarkir and Fate Reforged, and rotates out in early 2016. The other of these blocks is Dragons of Tarkir and Magic 2016, and rotates out in fall 2016.

After Fall 2016

Standard is now transitioned, and consists solely of sets which have only ever been treated as part of a two-set block, since Khans block -- which initially acted like one three-set block and later switched to acting like two two-set blocks -- is now completely out of the format.
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