Sarkhan, Soul Aflame
Legendary Creature — Human Shaman
Dragon spells you cast cost 
less to cast.
Whenever a Dragon you control enters, you may have Sarkhan become a copy of it until end of turn, except its name is Sarkhan, Soul Aflame and it's legendary in addition to its other types.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- RU
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- March of the Machine: The Aftermath
- Price
- $7.74
- EDHREC rank
- #2044
Sarkhan, Soul Aflame turns every Dragon you control into a potential copy of any Dragon on the battlefield — at five mana, that's an immediate board-state threat that scales with your creature count. Shells built around Ureni of the Unwritten or blink engines like Deadeye Navigator extract the most value, but the raw power is there even without support.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ureni of the Unwritten
Sarkhan, Soul Aflame appears in over 87% of Ureni of the Unwritten decks because Ureni's attack trigger slams Dragons into play and Sarkhan immediately lets you copy the best one on the board, turning each combat step into a multiplicative threat.
The Ur-Dragon
The Ur-Dragon already wants every Dragon payoff available, and Sarkhan, Soul Aflame adds a flexible mid-game copy effect that scales as your board grows — fitting seamlessly into the 5-color goodstuff shell The Ur-Dragon rewards.
Firkraag, Cunning Instigator
Firkraag, Cunning Instigator goads opponents into swinging with their creatures, and Sarkhan, Soul Aflame lets you clone whatever Dragon is most dangerous at any given moment, turning Firkraag's chaos into a board-control advantage.
Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm
Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm's whole game plan is doubling Dragon triggers, and Sarkhan, Soul Aflame feeds directly into that — every token Miirym produces is another Dragon that can become a copy of your best threat.
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 Sarkhan, Soul Aflame lives — Dragon tribal is one of the format's most-played archetypes, and five mana is a reasonable ask when the payoff is a copy effect that can clone a Balefire Dragon or Terror of the Peaks at instant speed. In Oathbreaker it's technically legal but the format's smaller game size and tighter resource constraints make it harder to build around. Modern and Pioneer allow it, but Dragon tribal there runs leaner and faster curves; Sarkhan competes with other five-drops that close games more directly, so it rarely makes the cut. Legacy and Vintage have access to it but those formats have no interest in a fair Dragon synergy piece.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Deadeye NavigatorGanax, Astral HunterSarkhan, Soul Aflame
Infinite LTB; Infinite ETB
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
If Sarkhan, Soul Aflame is out of reach, Mimic Vat covers some of the same copy-a-creature-you-want space at a fraction of the price, though it requires a creature to die first and doesn't scale off Dragon count. Delina, Wild Mage is another budget option for Dragon-heavy red decks — she makes temporary copies on attack and costs under a dollar, trading Sarkhan's flexibility for a more aggressive gameplan.
Price Context
Current price
$7.74 mid tier
At $7.74, Sarkhan, Soul Aflame sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel like a deliberate include, cheap enough that it belongs in most Dragon tribal lists without breaking a budget. Given its 87% inclusion rate in Ureni decks and strong numbers across Miirym and The Ur-Dragon, the price reflects genuine demand and is unlikely to feel like a waste.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.