It’s always exciting to receive a package from the Wizards of the Coast team, and they’ve just sent us a sample of the latest Magic: The Gathering series, Tarkin: Dragonstorm set. With dragons being my favourite mythical creature, I was all too eager to tear into the packaging.

If you’re stuck on gift ideas for Easter, look no further than the Magic: The Gathering Tarkir Dragonstorm Bundle, which comes with everything you need to build your deck and then some. There’s a total of nine Play Booster packs, each containing a random assortment of 14 cards in a variety of rarities. There’s also thirty land cards, divided into fifteen foils and fifteen standard cards, a foil alternative-art card for Temur Battlecrier, and an oversized D20 life counter. To top it off, it comes in a thick card box, detailed with artwork from the release, keeping your unused cards safe from potential damage.

If you want to dive in and play without worrying about building a deck, the pre-made Commander decks are a great starting point, offering a solid foundation for learning the game or building something else. We received the tri-colour Abzan Armor deck, housing spells from Plains, Swamp, and Forest land types, led by Felothar the Steadfast and Betor, Ancestor’s Voice, both of which have some interesting skills.

There’s also a handy deck box, offering some protection to the deck you’re playing with and some extra tokens that will come in handy for Betor’s abilities. Still, if that wasn’t enough, a Collector Booster sample pack gives you a glimpse at what you might find should you pick a couple up.

Speaking of which, we received three of the 15-card Collector Boosters, and these are perfect for people who would prefer to collect the cards rather than play the game. These are typically filled with either foil or alternative-art cards, typically hiding some of the rarer cards available for the series. They also have a higher chance of containing some of the rarest cards available. Although I adore all of the art on Magic: The Gathering cards, the artwork on these is extraordinary – one of my favourites from a previous series was a Japanese alternative art card.

The 14-card Play Boosters are exactly what they sound like they should be – a pack of fourteen randomised cards, mostly focused on cards you would want to play with. However, you still can pull up to four rare or better cards in these, though it is quite a bit lower than the Collector Booster packs. These were all I knew when I played all those years ago, but that doesn’t make them any less exciting to open up. Check out the unboxing video on our YouTube channel if you’re eager to see what you can draw.

Magic: The Gathering Tarkir Dragonstorm is just as amazing as the previous series, if not more so, given it’s focused on dragons. Players will enjoy the powerful new spells, each offering potent synergistic abilities, while collectors will undoubtedly enjoy the incredible and unique artwork. The Bundle is a fantastic gift idea, while the pre-made Commander decks offer a great entry point for new players to learn the game and something that enthusiasts can build from, and, of course, the booster packs, whether it’s the Play Booster or the Collector Booster, are one of the most exciting ways to get your hands on new cards.

Written by: Mathew Lindner