Hoard-Smelter Dragon
Creature — Dragon
Flying
: Destroy target artifact. This creature gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is that artifact's mana value.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Commander 2021
- Price
- $0.38
- EDHREC rank
- #9187
Hoard-Smelter Dragon trades artifact destruction for a permanent power boost, turning every removal activation into a bigger threat on the board. Six mana is a real ask, but in any red shell that cares about dragons or artifact hate, it pulls double duty in a way few six-drops do — Atarka, World Render decks in particular run it in nearly half their lists.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Atarka, World Render
Atarka, World Render's double-strike on attacking dragons turns every Hoard-Smelter Dragon activation into a threat multiplier — blow up an artifact, grow the Dragon, then swing for lethal with double damage.
Alena, Kessig Trapper // Gilanra, Caller of Wirewood
Alena, Kessig Trapper generates mana equal to a creature's power at the start of combat, so the power counters Hoard-Smelter Dragon accumulates translate directly into more mana to dump into the pair's game plan.
Lathliss, Dragon Queen
Lathliss, Dragon Queen spawns a Dragon token every time a nontoken Dragon enters, so Hoard-Smelter Dragon adds a flying body to the board and a removal tool that scales the whole army's power as artifacts pile up.
Vrondiss, Rage of Ancients
Vrondiss, Rage of Ancients triggers when it takes damage, pumping out Dragon tokens — and Hoard-Smelter Dragon's activated ability can be looped with enough artifacts on the other side of the table, feeding the token engine repeatedly.
Ganax, Astral Hunter // Acolyte of Bahamut
Ganax, Astral Hunter produces a Treasure whenever a Dragon enters, so Hoard-Smelter Dragon enters, banks a Treasure, and then starts eating opponents' artifacts to grow larger — the Treasure it generates can even fund future activations.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is the natural home for Hoard-Smelter Dragon — artifact-heavy opponents are a given at most tables, and a recurring removal ability that grows the attacker is exactly the kind of value that plays well over a long game. Hoard-Smelter Dragon is technically legal in Legacy, Vintage, and Modern, but six mana for a 5/5 with a slow-burn ability doesn't come close to those formats' power thresholds — it won't show up there outside of casual Dragon of Devastation style brews. Oathbreaker is viable if the signature spell supports a dragon beatdown plan, though the 20-life total makes the six-mana entry point tighter.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.38 bulk tier
At $0.38, Hoard-Smelter Dragon sits firmly in bulk territory — easy to pick up in trade binders or as a cheap singles order. Bulk rares with narrow tribal homes rarely climb, so treat this as a stable penny card rather than a spec.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Atarka, World Render
- Alena, Kessig Trapper // Gilanra, Caller of Wirewood
- Lathliss, Dragon Queen
- Vrondiss, Rage of Ancients
- Ganax, Astral Hunter // Acolyte of Bahamut
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.