Did you know there have been over 20 MTG green Dragons printed since Magic the Gathering’s inception? Green is not a color usually known for an abundant amount of Dragon cards, but ever since the summer of 2021, green Dragons have gotten a lot of support. In fact, there have been over 15 different green Dragons MTG has created since then.
Even though there are not a lot of MTG green Dragons, a few of them are very powerful and excellent deck inclusions. In this article, we will be taking a look at all the green Dragons MTG has printed throughout the years and picking the best of the best and then ranking them. Without doubt, the best of all the green Dragons is Old Gnawbone. But after that, what other green Dragons are good and deck-worthy? Find out here!
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MTG Green Dragons Ranked
Magic the Gathering has been around for a very long time. During most of its lifetime, there has been very little support for green Dragons. In fact, prior to the summer of 2021, there were only five green Dragons MTG ever printed. That all changed with the release of Adventures in the Forgotten Realms (AFR).
The AFR set really started a new trend by introducing multiple new Dragon cards for every color. This trend continued and then exploded with the release of another D&D set, Battle for Baldur’s Gate. Now the MTG green Dragons card-pool has over 20 different members to it!
The Best MTG Green Dragons
The four best MTG green Dragons are, in my opinion, Old Gnawbone, Earthquake Dragon, Jugan Defends the Temple // Remnant of the Rising Star & Ancient Bronze Dragon. Aside from the number one spot, the rest of these green Dragons can be mixed and matched as you see fit. I feel like these rankings fit my play style best, but that may differ with you and your play style. Nonetheless, first up is Old Gnawbone.
1. The Best Green Dragon MTG has Created is Old Gnawbone
Easily the best green Dragon MTG has printed thus far is Old Gnawbone. While it costs quite a bit to cast, coming in at 2 green and 5 generic, it can generate an absolute ton of mana. Even on the turn it enters the battlefield. Old Gnawbone is a 7/7 Legendary Dragon with the following abilities:
- Flying
- Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, create that many Treasure tokens.
The best part about Old Gnawbone is that while generally it will have summoning sickness, its ability still applies to all of your other creatures the turn it enters the battlefield. You’ll want to cast Old Gnawbone during your first main phase so when you attack, you can start using its ability to generate Treasure tokens from your other creatures!
2. Earthquake Dragon
Another one of the best green Dragons MTG has created within the past few years is Earthquake Dragon. Don’t let its casting cost fool you though, as there is a good chance you won’t be paying it in full. If you have enough Dragons on the battlefield, this might even cost as little as 1 green mana to cast. Normally, Earthquake Dragon costs 1 green and an absurd 14 generic to cast and is a 10/10 Dragon with the following abilities:
- This spell costs X less to cast, where X is the total mana value of Dragons you control.
- Flying
- Trample
- Pay 1 green, 2 generic & Sacrifice a land: Return Earthquake Dragon from your graveyard to your hand.
If you have a way to give Earthquake Dragon haste, with say Concordant Crossroads or Lightning Greaves, for example, then your opponents will be staring down a 10/10 flyer with trample the turn it is played.
That is pretty scary! Plus, being in green, you should have access to a ton of lands. That means you can easily use its last ability and sacrifice one of those lands to pull Earthquake Dragon from your graveyard to your hand. Then just recasting it and repeat as much as you’d like, provided you have enough lands to sacrifice.
3. Jugan Defends the Temple // Remnant of the Rising Star
Jugan Defends the Temple // Remnant of the Rising Star is one of the most unique MTG green Dragons. The front side, Jugan Defends the Temple, is a Saga that will eventually turn into the backside, Remnant of the Rising Star, a Dragon creature.
The reason I have this so highly ranked is because it is an all-star in any +1/+1 counter deck. Plus its mana value is only 3, which is very low for all that it gives you. To cast the Saga, it will cost 1 green and 2 generic with the following chapters:
- I – Create a 1/1 green Human Monk creature token with “Tap: Add 1 green”.
- II – Put a +1/+1 counter on each of up to two target creatures.
- III – Exile this Saga, then return it to the battlefield transformed under your control.
The Saga is really good as it ramps you and distributes +1/+1 counters, but the backside is the interesting part. Once you reach chapter 3 you get to flip it over for Remnant of the Rising Star, a 2/2 Enchantment Dragon Creature. It has the following abilities:
- Flying
- Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may pay X. When you do, put X +1/+1 counters on that creature.
- As long as you control five or more modified creatures, Remnant of the Rising Star gets +5/+5 and has trample
In a +1/+1 counters deck, you should have no problems controlling five modified creatures. When you do, Remnant of the Rising Star is a 7/7 flying trampler. Yes, it will take a little bit of time to get this fully cooking, but look at all the value you get, over multiple turns, for just an initial investment of 3 total mana.
The idea is to play this and just let it simmer quietly while you continue to build up your other creatures and resources. Then, all of a sudden, your opponents have a real threat on their hands to deal with.
4. Ancient Bronze Dragon
Piggybacking off of Jugan Defends the Temple, Ancient Bronze Dragon is another one of the best MTG green Dragons for any sort of +1/+1 counters deck. It is a 7/7 Dragon that costs 2 green and 5 generic to cast. It has the following abilities:
- Flying
- Whenever Ancient Bronze Dragon deals combat damage to a player, roll a d20. When you do, put X +1/+1 counters on each of up to two target creatures, where X is the result.
Despite being arguably the weakest among the Baldur’s Gate Mythic Dragons cycle, Ancient Bronze Dragon can be an excellent support piece to bolster up some of your other creatures that have trample and/or evasion with its d20 ability. Also, it is still a 7/7 flyer itself, which is a pretty nasty threat. If you have a way to give this creature haste, its value goes up infinitely.
Very Good MTG Green Dragons
After the top four best MTG green Dragons comes the ones that are not quite as flashy, but ones that I still consider to be very good overall. First up is Kura, the Boundless Sky, followed by Draconic Muralists and Foe-Razer Regent round things out. Price-wise, these cards are very affordable, with Kura, the Boundless Sky being the most expensive at a couple of dollars (USD).
5. Kura, the Boundless Sky
There is a legitimate conversation to be had as to where Kura, the Boundless Sky ranks among all the MTG green Dragons. After all, it is the second most played mono green Dragon in the Commander format.
For me and my play style, I have it ranked a bit lower, but not without appreciating its very strong death triggered ability. For 2 green and 3 generic, you get a 4/4 Legendary Dragon Spirit with the following abilities:
- Flying
- Deathtouch
- When Kura, the Boundless Sky dies, choose one:
- Search your library for up to three land cards, reveal them, put them into your hand, then shuffle.
- Create an X/X green Spirit creature token, where X is the number of lands you control.
The highlight with this card is the first option of its death triggered ability. When it dies, you can go grab any three land cards from your library and bring them to hand. This ability is not limited to only basic lands or only forest cards, but you can search out ANY three land cards.
If you need a way to destroy a problematic land, search for a Strip Mine. If you want to start making Zombie tokens, grab a Field of the Dead. If you have a ton of green devotion and want to start generating a bunch of mana, find yourself a Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx.
6. Draconic Muralists
I think a lot of folks would not consider Draconic Muralists one of the better MTG green Dragons. It is an often forgotten about uncommon card from a highly criticized set. But, under the right circumstances, it can be pretty powerful. Costing 1 green and 3 generic, this 4/3 Dragon Bard has the following single ability:
- When Draconic Muralists dies, you may search your library for a Dragon card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Draconic Muralists‘ ability is what really stands out. It makes for excellent sacrifice fodder or, more likely in green, fight fodder. Casting a fight spell and targeting it to fight an opponent’s creature could end up with killing that creature and also killing Draconic Muralists, allowing you to search your deck for a Dragon card! It having 4 power also means it can handle a fair amount of creatures, too.
7. Foe-Razer Regent
And speaking of fighting, Foe-Razer Regent is one of the MTG green Dragons that pairs very well with any sort of fight spells you cast. Entering the battlefield as a 4/5 Dragon, it costs 2 green and 5 generic and has the following abilities:
- Flying
- When Foe-Razer Regent enters the battlefield, you may have it fight target creature you don’t control.
- Whenever a creature you control fights, put two +1/+1 counters on it at the beginning of the next end step.
If your mono green deck consists of a lot of fight spells, Foe-Razer Regent will be a card you will love. When it enters the battlefield, you may chose to have it fight target creature you don’t control. If it survives to the next end step, it will gain two +1/+1 counters on it. So essentially it is a 6/7 flying Dragon after the first turn it is played. The same thing applies to any other creatures who fight and live to the next end step as well!
Playable MTG Green Dragons
The last section of MTG green Dragons are the ones that I consider to be playable. These green Dragon cards are not on the same level as the ones previously discussed, but that doesn’t mean they should be overlooked. To finish off the best MTG green Dragons we have Scaled Nurturer, Avenging Hunter & Emerald Dragon // Dissonant Wave.
8. Scaled Nurturer
Scaled Nurturer, like Kura, the Boundless Sky is another green Dragon MTG has created that could arguably be ranked higher. Again, this is based on my play style and I tend to not use manadorks in my decks, hence it being lower on my list. Regardless, for 1 green and 1 generic you get a 0/2 Dragon Druid that has the following ability:
- Tap: Add 1 green. When you spend this mana to cast a Dragon creature spell, you gain 2 life.
I will say, the nice part about this creature is that the mana it generates does not have to be used only on Dragon spells. If you do use it on a Dragon spell, you’ll gain 2 life, which is a nice bonus. But you’re not locked in on Dragon-only-spells. If you like using manadorks and are running any sort of Dragon tribal/synergy type decks, this is a good card to include in your deck, since it is a Dragon itself.
9. Emerald Dragon // Dissonant Wave
The reason why Emerald Dragon // Dissonant Wave is considered one of the good MTG green Dragons is because of its adventure spell. On the surface, a 4/4 flying trampler for 6 total mana is nothing special. It is serviceable, at best. The adventure spell, Dissonant Wave, is the fun part. Along with an adventure spell, the Emerald Dragon creature portion has the following abilities:
- Flying
- Trample
Dissonant Wave is a green counter spell. Granted, you can only counter an ability, and only from noncreature sources, but still. Green is not really a counter powerhouse, so having this available to you is nice. Not to mention you can still cast the creature part of this, even if it is not the best creature ever created. Having that sort of flexibility is what makes these two average spells combine together to create one really good card.
10. Avenging Hunter
I really like the initiative. I think it is a fun mechanic that gives you nice bonuses as you traverse the dungeon. Avenging Hunter is a green Dragon card that lets you take the initiative when it enters the battlefield. It is a 5/4 Dragon Ranger that costs 1 green and 4 generic. It has the following abilities:
- Trample
- When Avenging Hunter enters the battlefield, you take the initiative.
Avenging Hunter is an okay card on its own. Being able to take the initiative is why this card is semi-good. Even if you have no other cards in your deck that utilize the initiative or the venture mechanic, it is still a decent inclusion in your deck. Worst case scenario, you only go into the first room of the Undercity which lets you grab a land from your deck. This can help make sure you keep making your land plays or even thin out your deck, albeit ever so slightly.
Final Thoughts
That is a wrap on the best MTG green Dragons! While there are not a ton of green Dragons in Magic the Gathering, there have been quite a few printed since mid-2021. Prior to 2021, hardly any of the MTG green Dragons were playable. With that being said, by far the best green Dragon MTG has ever printed is Old Gnawbone. It is such a powerful card that can turn the tides of any game the turn it is played.
Following that, we discussed the other best green Dragons and then a handful of what I call the very good green Dragon cards. To finish things off, we outlined some green Dragon cards that are not quite as powerful, but still very serviceable and playable. I hope my rankings have made some sense and you enjoyed reading all about the best MTG green Dragons. What would your rankings be? Would you substitute any Dragons in your rankings? Let me know the comments below!
The Foe-Razer Regent artwork was done by Svetlin Velinov from Tarkir Dragonfury Promos.
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