Live Play Data

Ancient Copper Dragon

· Creature — Elder Dragon · Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (CLB)

Live Inclusion

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Times Brought

669

Decks Running

319

Median Cast Turn

6.0

Drawn → Played

74%

Format

Multiplayer 1v1

35% of games where Ancient Copper Dragon resolved ended in a win for its controller, a +12.2 percentage-point lift over the 22% baseline recorded when the Dragon never left the library.

Ancient Copper Dragon lands on the battlefield and wins games. Across 636 tracked multiplayer Commander games on Playgroup Live, decks that resolved this 6-mana Elder Dragon won 35% of the time, compared to 22% when it stayed buried in the library. That +12.2 percentage-point gap is a consistent early signal in our dataset, though both sample sizes should grow before calling it conclusive.

The Dragon sits in 319 of 6292 tracked decks, a focused 5% inclusion rate that reflects its mono-red color identity and high mana cost. Players who draw it cast it 74% of the time. The median first cast lands on turn 6.0, right as the game is shifting into its mid-to-late phase and combat damage starts mattering most. Its d20 Treasure trigger can produce anywhere from 1 to 20 Treasures per hit, making a single connection potentially game-altering.

The commander distribution skews toward big-creature and dragon tribal shells. The Ur-Dragon leads all commanders by deck count, followed by Mr. House, President and CEO, whose Treasure synergies pair naturally with the Dragon's trigger. The data is well-spread across 261 unique players, with the single heaviest contributor accounting for just 3% of all tracked instances, which lends meaningful breadth to these numbers.

At a glance

5% of tracked Commander decks include Ancient Copper Dragon
74% of drawn copies are cast before the game ends
T6.0 median first-cast turn, deep into the mid-game
35% win rate in games where the Dragon resolved
52% battlefield stickiness once cast
261 unique players represented in the tracked dataset

First-cast turn

n=126

15%

11%

60%

T6-9

10%

T10+

Median 6.0 P25 5 · P75 8 · max 16

On curve 55% (32 / 126 cast on T6) Cast same turn as drawn 38%

The "good card" funnel

669 brought · 261 players

Brought to game

669

Ever drawn

171

Reached battlefield

126

Still on board at game end

74%

Of 669 Ancient Copper Dragons brought to games, 171 were drawn, 126 of those were cast, and roughly half stayed on the battlefield through the end of the game.

≥ +3.6pp

Players who cast this card win 35% of the time (n=121) , vs 22% when it never left the library (n=426).

When players drew this card but left it in hand, they won 26% (n=43) — about the same as leaving it in the library. Those players survived long enough to draw it, so the gap above is about the card resolving, not just about surviving.

Observed gap +12.2pp; 95% confidence interval +3.6pp to +20.9pp. Correlational, not causal: powerful payoffs also get cast more often in games you are already winning.

Final zone distribution

198 instances

4.0%

Library

33.3%

Battlefield

30.3%

Graveyard

11.6%

Exile

Most tracked copies of Ancient Copper Dragon end in the graveyard or on the battlefield, reflecting a card that gets cast and interacted with rather than sitting undrawn in the library for the whole game.

Commanders that played this card

in tracked games

The commander spread is wide, led by The Ur-Dragon and Mr. House, but reaching across dragon tribal, Treasure synergy, and mono-red aggro builds, showing Ancient Copper Dragon earns inclusion in multiple distinct archetypes.

Frequently Asked

How often is Ancient Copper Dragon drawn in a Commander game?

In 636 tracked multiplayer games where the Dragon was in the deck, it was drawn 26% of the time. That draw rate is typical for a singleton in a 100-card deck. Of the 171 copies that reached a player's hand, 74% were cast before the game ended. The remainder largely reflects games that ended before the player found a window to attack.

What turn does Ancient Copper Dragon usually get cast?

Median first cast lands on turn 6.0, with the bulk of casts clustered between turns 4 and 8. The card's mana value is 6, so most casts come on or after the curve. However, 55% of casts landed exactly on curve, and a meaningful cluster arrived ahead of schedule through ramp. If you're building around it, fast mana dramatically improves how early it connects in combat.

Does casting Ancient Copper Dragon actually help you win?

The data offers a directional yes. Win rate when the Dragon resolved is 35%, versus 22% when it never left the library. That +12.2 percentage-point gap holds across 121 cast observations and 426 library observations. Both buckets are large enough to treat the signal as meaningful, though Playgroup Live's dataset is still growing and we'd call this consistent rather than definitive.

How sticky is Ancient Copper Dragon once it hits the battlefield?

52% of resolved copies were still on the battlefield at end of game. That stickiness is moderate for a mythic creature at this price. The dragon lacks built-in protection, so removal and board wipes claim a real share. Pairing it with haste enablers or protection spells improves the odds of connecting in combat before opponents react.

Which commanders run Ancient Copper Dragon most often?

The Ur-Dragon leads all commanders in the tracked dataset, which is expected given five-color Dragon tribal's natural fit. Mr. House, President and CEO places second, leaning into the Treasure synergy the d20 trigger provides. Kaalia of the Vast rounds out the top three, where the Dragon can be cheated into play during combat, bypassing its 6-mana cost entirely. Mono-red commanders like Smaug the Magnificent and Jaws, Relentless Predator also appear prominently.

Is Ancient Copper Dragon legal in Commander?

Yes. Ancient Copper Dragon is fully legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, Historic, Timeless, Duel Commander, Brawl, and Oathbreaker. It is not legal in Modern, Pioneer, Standard, Pauper, or Pauper Commander. In Commander, its color identity is mono-red, restricting it to decks whose commander is red or colorless.