The Commander
Flying, vigilance
Whenever a Dragon you control attacks, tap target nonland permanent an opponent controls. That permanent doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.
Guide
Gameplan
Cast a critical mass of Dragons and turn them sideways; every attacking Dragon locks down a key opponent permanent (creatures, mana rocks, planeswalkers) for two turns, soft-locking the table while you fly over for damage. Ojutai itself is a 5/4 flier with vigilance, so it stays back on defense while still attacking. You grind value and control the board until your evasive dragons close the game.
Strengths
- Repeatable, scalable Stax-on-a-stick: every Dragon attack taps and freezes a permanent for two turns
- UW gives the best control toolbox in the format — counters, board wipes, and protection
- Flying/vigilance lets Ojutai attack and defend simultaneously, plus dodge most blockers
- Dragon tribal synergies give built-in evasion and big bodies that pressure life totals fast
Weaknesses
- Ojutai is a 7-mana commander in colors with no native ramp, so it deploys slowly
- The tap ability needs Dragons to actually attack, which requires surviving to combat
- Vulnerable to spot removal and goad/forced-attack effects that wreck your defensive plan
- No card advantage engine baked into the commander itself — you must build for it
- Struggles to close fast against combo decks that ignore the board
Key Cards
- Dragonlord's Servant — Cost reducer that makes your whole Dragon curve dramatically easier in ramp-light colors.
- Crucible of Fire — Pumps every Dragon, turning your tap-down attackers into a lethal evasive clock.
- Skanos Dragonheart — Cheap, recursive Dragon that reliably triggers Ojutai's tap ability each turn.
- Smothering Tithe — Premier white ramp that fixes Ojutai's biggest weakness — getting to seven mana.
- Teferi's Protection — Phases you out to survive the alpha strikes your soft-lock plan invites.
- Dragon Tempest — Gives haste so freshly cast Dragons immediately attack and freeze opposing permanents.
Upgrade Path
Prioritize fast, reliable ramp (Smothering Tithe, Arcane Signet, Sol Ring, Talismans) so Ojutai and your Dragons land on curve. Add haste enablers (Dragon Tempest, Hellkite Charger) and cost reducers (Dragonlord's Servant, Ur-Dragon) to maximize attacks per turn, then sharpen the control shell with premium counterspells, board wipes that spare your fliers, and protection like Teferi's Protection and Heroic Intervention. For higher power, lean into a compact combo finish or Approach of the Second Sun to avoid relying solely on combat.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Beat down with evasive flying Dragons while opponents' defenses stay tapped
- ▸Lock the table out of meaningful permanents and grind to victory
- ▸Pump effects like Crucible of Fire turning a wide Dragon board into a one-turn kill
- ▸Finishers like Approach of the Second Sun or Aetherflux Reservoir under a controlled board
Archetypes
- Dragon Tribal — Ojutai rewards a wide Dragon board since each attacker locks down another permanent.
- Stax/Control — Tapping and freezing key permanents every combat creates a soft prison while UW counters and wraths back it up.
- Aggro-Tempo — Evasive flying Dragons plus tap-down disruption let you race opponents while denying their blockers and mana.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (UW), by popularity.
