This week I take a look at the powerful Drakkar Skycaptain and why it hasn't pushed the Flying archetype to the top of the meta-game.

Card Spotlight - Drakkar Skycaptain

Card Spotlight returns after the release of the Oversky Expansion. In this series we will investigate how the Oversky has shaped the Faeria landscape. Expect to read about old and new cards and discover what decks they can feature in. Included in every article is a video of these decks in action!

Drakkar Skycaptain

Drakkar Skycaptain has enabled an entire archetype based around the Flying keyword. His ability has created a tribal theme when building around the card. Drakkar has a lot of positives and with no downsides but why doesn’t this card see more play? The card needs more support from other Flying creatures.

Drakkar is a 2/4 Flying creature with an ability that triggers every time you draw a creature with the Flying keyword. A creature at 4 Life is very attractive because it often requires a combination of removal in the early game. On top of that Drakkar can fly, which allows the card to easily move into double collection without lands. You often want to hide Drakkar away from the battle so you can gain value from it’s ability. The longer Drakkar stays alive, the stronger a Flying deck becomes. Another amazing attribute about the Skycaptain is that it only costs one Desert. This means you can play the card on turn one if you have the Explore.

Iona’s Smile has amazing synergy with Drakkar Skycaptain. The Event draws the two top Flying creatures from your deck and it will trigger Drakkar’s ability. This is a guaranteed way to get value and empower your Flying creatures. That’s just with one Skycaptain. Imagine if you have multiple on the board!

I mentioned at the start of the article that the Flying archetype needed more support. These two creatures are the best from the core set. Windborne Emissary can become an absolute power-house while Khalim’s Skyguard has a lot of utility with it’s ability. Skyguard is a great way to push creatures aggressively but also protect your Drakkar if you don’t have any lands around it.

Both these cards were released in the Oversky and have been powerful on their own. They don’t need Drakkar, but the Skycaptain needs them. Manta Rider is a durable creature that has already made a massive impact on the meta-game in Yellow Tempo. Flash Salmon offers removal and card draw and can receive power-ups from Drakkar’s ability. Both of these creatures are fantastic contributions to the Flying archetype.

Why play Drakkar Skycaptain?

The Skycaptain is a fantastic “build around” card. You put Drakkar in your deck and then choose creatures that benefit from it’s ability. There’s a couple of directions you can take this concept.

You could go for a more control style build with Windbourne Champion. Alternatively you could go for a faster build with Demon Wings. You could even get creative and add a splash of Blue for Oversky Towership. I still feel the Flying archetype is missing one or maybe two more powerful creatures to push the deck to the top of the meta.

This is a Flyers list I’ve been playing recently. I like this list because it has a lot of mobility and still gains the benefits from Drakkar Skycaptain. You will notice there are only Flying creatures in the deck and this is to make the deck as consistent as possible.

Conclusion

Drakkar Skycaptain is a strong card that is very close to helping the Flying archetype become a top contender. All we need is a couple more Flying creature options in Yellow to push the archetypes power level further. Flying builds are a lot of fun and I’m excited to see how they evolve in the future.