Demanding Dragon
Creature — Dragon
Flying
When this creature enters, it deals 5 damage to target opponent unless that player sacrifices a creature of their choice.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Starter Commander Decks
- Price
- $0.24
- EDHREC rank
- #7418
Demanding Dragon lands a 5/5 flying trampler and forces an opponent to sacrifice a creature or take 5 to the face — both outcomes advance your board state. Five mana is the right price for that, and in a dragon tribal shell alongside Atarka, World Render, the pressure it generates on entry alone justifies the slot.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Atarka, World Render
Atarka, World Render wants every dragon attack to end the game, and Demanding Dragon's enter-the-battlefield tax clears blockers or drains life before the alpha strike even happens. Nearly half of all Atarka decks run it for exactly that reason.
Lathliss, Dragon Queen
Lathliss, Dragon Queen generates a 5/5 token the moment Demanding Dragon hits the battlefield, immediately doubling the sacrifice pressure on opponents. That token also triggers Lathliss's buff ability, so the whole board grows.
Vrondiss, Rage of Ancients
Demanding Dragon's enter-the-battlefield trigger forces a sacrifice before opponents can stabilize, buying time for Vrondiss, Rage of Ancients to stack enrage triggers and snowball the token engine.
Ganax, Astral Hunter // Acolyte of Bahamut
Ganax, Astral Hunter // Acolyte of Bahamut turns every dragon cast into a Treasure, so Demanding Dragon pays part of its own cost back while still threatening five damage on arrival.
Delina, Wild Mage
Delina, Wild Mage copies attacking creatures, and a Demanding Dragon copy on combat entry means multiple sacrifice-or-take-five triggers hitting opponents in the same turn. The temporary copy still fires the enter-the-battlefield ability.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Demanding Dragon does its real work — in a multiplayer game, the sacrifice-or-take-five clause hits every opponent, so a single cast can drain the table for up to 15 life while clearing three blockers. In Modern and Pioneer it's too slow at five mana for formats where the game is often decided by turn four, and no competitive shell there wants a conditional removal rider stapled to a dragon. Legacy and Vintage are in the same boat — the power ceiling is simply too low for those environments. Demanding Dragon is a Commander card in practice, and it performs best in dragon tribal, where the type line unlocks synergies that compensate for the higher curve.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.24 bulk tier
At $0.24, Demanding Dragon is deep bulk — no barrier to picking up a copy or multiple. The price reflects its narrow home in dragon tribal Commander rather than any lack of playability there, so don't expect it to move significantly in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Atarka, World Render
- Lathliss, Dragon Queen
- Vrondiss, Rage of Ancients
- Ganax, Astral Hunter // Acolyte of Bahamut
- Delina, Wild Mage
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.