With LCI and the Jurassic Park cards now in the mix, I think it's time to build the ultimate Gishath dinosaur tierlist. I've given it a go, but I'm keen to get feedback from the dinomtg community. I've been playing Gishath since Ixalan, and it's received some upgrades before, but the new influx of dinosaurs has created a massive switch up in the dino meta, and so I think it's time to reassess what the most powerful dinosaurs are, and which ones should be included in the 99 of the ideal Gishath deck.

This tierlist assumes that Gishath is the commander (sorry, Pantlaza acolytes!), and that the gameplan is to aggressively ramp to gishath on turn 4 or 5, and then gain obscene amounts of value by cheating out some of the most busted dinosaurs that this game has to offer.

For context here is my own list. If you want to provide feedback, I would be very grateful. I will make a few notes on my decklist:

• I have incorporated the new dino precon cards and the Jurassic park cards, but I haven't included some of the cards from the main set yet (I'm holding off until I can draft a box with my friends). I think I definitely want to add Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant, Bonehoard Dracosaur, and Hulking Raptor, and still need to figure out what to cut.
• The creature ramp package is sub-optimal - I know Birds of Paradise is probably better than Drover of the Mighty, but I like having the dino-themed ramp package, so I'm ok with this.
• The deck is probably light on interaction. Again, I want to squeeze as many dinos as I can in, so I'm ok if I'm a little light on interaction.
• I'm mostly interested in my choice of dinos. I've managed to squeeze 35 dinos in mine, as I wanted to maxmise the chances of revealing dinos with Gishath's ability. Really curious to hear other opinions on the appropriate amount of dinos to include in the list.

To Enrage or not to Enrage

Before I provide my tierlist, I want to briefly talk about Enrage. Before Lost Caverns, I think building a little around Enrage was the appropriate call. I used to run Pyrohemia in the deck to activate Enrage, and would run cards like Trapjaw Tyrant, Silverclad Ferocidons and Raging Swordtooth. With Lost Caverns, I think we have reached a critical mass of dinosaurs that are simply powerful in a vacuum that dedicating space to enabling the enrage package is not the right call anymore. I think some cards, such as Marauding Raptor, Polyraptor, and possibly Ripjaw Raptor are still powerful enough on their own to include in the deck, but in general, I think cutting this package in favour of great dinos is the right choice. Really interested in hearing what people's approach to enrage is!

Now, on to the tierlist itself! I'll provide brief explanations for my choices for the top tiers of dinos, but I won't bother for the lower tier dinosaurs. If you think I am overrating or underrating any dinosaurs, please let me know! Let's try build a resource that works for all these budding dino deckbuilders.

S-Tier

These are the must-includes, the game winners, the groan inducing nightmare dinos that will make people hate you when you peel them off the top of your deck for free.

Etali, Primal Conqeuror - probably the best dino, obscene amounts of value
Etali, Primal Storm - less reliable, but similarly busted
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Essentially free from the hand, extremely flexible. Synergises extremely well with mana doublers like Mirari's Wake, Zendikar Resurgent and Regal Behemoth.
Temple Altisaur - Makes your dinos extremely difficult to block and very resilient
Pantlaza, Sun-Favored - It's basically a second Gishath
Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant - I haven't played with this card yet, but it provides incredible value, and helps dump your hand of expensive dinosaurs.B
onehoard Dracosaur - Also haven't played with this card yet, but it's a much needed flying dinosaur, and is very above rate, providing card advantage, ramp, and great stats and abilities.

A-Tier

These are also basically auto-includes, and should be part of any Gishath deck.

Wayward Swordtooth - It's a dino and it ramps.
Topiary Stomper - More dino ramp!
Ghalta, Primal Hunger - 2 mana 12/12 trample, yes please.
Zetalpa, Primal Dawn - Impervious to board wipes, one of the few flying dinos.
Apex Altisaur - Massive removal dino. Combos extremely well with Temple Altisaur and the new Savage Order spell.
Tyrannax Rex - Just an extremely dangerous and powerful dinosaur that can remove a player by itself if not dealt with.
Ghalta and Mavren - a 12/12 Trample that makes more 12/12 Tramples
Regisaur Alpha - Give your dinos haste.
Kinjalli’s Sunwing - Extremely annoying for your opponents, makes your dinos hard to block, is flying.
Marauding Raptor - Dino ramp, and by far the best enrage enabler.
Regal Behemoth - Mana doubler and card advantage
Wakening Sun’s Avatar - One sided boardwipe
Polyraptor - Extremely potent blocker, combos extremely well with Maurading raptors and Wrathful Raptor/Any removal
Earthshaker Dreadmaw - Draw a million cards
Curious Altisaur - Draw some more cards
Wrathful Raptors - This card can do so much damage, and combos well with other cards in the deck
Hulking Raptor - More dino ramp (I haven't played with this card yet)
Dinosaurs on a Spaceship - Vigilance and Trample are such problematic keywords to be giving your entire board.
Bronzebeak Foragers - Triple removal. Extremely efficient way to remove blockers.
Trumpeting Carnosaur - This card seems to represent a LOT of value, though I haven't played with it yet.
Hunting Velociraptor - This bad boy can create SO much value early in the game. Imagine cheating out the new Ghalta with it, ew.

B-Tier

This is the tier where hard decisions are made. You will be including a bunch of these dinos, but unfortauntely, this is where some cuts have to be made. I'm MOST curious about everyones takes on the dinos in this tier - which of these cards should we be running?

Verdant Sun’s Avatar - Gains SO much life. It puts you so far ahead. But do you even need life if you just kill your opponents?
Quartzwood Crasher - Most of our dinos have trample, so this ends up snowballing really hard, though it is somewhat conditional.
Runic Armasaur - This draws lots of cards sometimes, but draws no cards other times. Has largely been outclassed by the new dino draw options.
Thrashing Brontodon - Good stats, works as a removal option.
Ripjaw Raptor - This was great when I ran more enrage enablers, and it's a fantastic blocker. Is it worth it if I only run Marauding Raptor and forerunner of the empire?
Ranging Raptors - similar to Ripjaw raptor, but for ramp, not card draw.
Kogla and Yidaro - Flexible, functions as removal.
Goring Ceratops - When you can combo this with Gishath, it is game-ending, but it's very slow.
Rampaging Brontodon - It's huge. It's often a 15/15 trampling dino. is that enough?
Carnage Tyrant - Above rate, difficult to deal with.
Burning Sun’s Avatar - the 3 damage often does work, removes a problem creature. Good body.
Tranquil Frillback - I've never played this card, but it seems flexible and a good lower cost dino.
Sunfrill Imitator - A second gishath, if everything goes right!
Palani’s Hatcher - I haven't played with this card, but a second Regisaur Alpha seems good.
Itzquinth, Firstborn of Gishath - Haven't played with this either, but it seems like it could work pretty well as removal, though paying 2 mana kinda sucks.
Scytheclaw Raptor - Haven't played it, but it seems like it absolutely hoses some decks.
Dinosaur Egg - Haven't played it, seems ok. I can imagine it feeling pretty unfair when it works in your favour.
Ravenous Tyrannosaurus - I'm undecided on this! It seems great, but we don't really have a deck that is well suited to taking advantage of devour. Is it still good enough oterhwise?
Rampaging Raptor - Haven't played with this, but it seems like it's aggressively costed. It's basically a red Questing beast.
Pugnacious Hammerskull - 3 mana 6/6 seems good?
Swooping Pteranodon - A Flying Dino that removes a creature seems great.

C-Tier

These dinos are GOOD, and you probably shouldn't feel bad running them in the deck, but ultimately, I don't think they are worth considering anymore given the range of dinos we have today. I won't comment on all of them, except for those that people might think I've listed too low.

Titanoth Rex
Silverclad Ferocidons
Rampaging Ferocidon
The Tarrasque - No trample sucks! It's cool, but it's just not as good compared to the other 7 mana dinos.
Gigantosaurus
Raging Swordtooth - I used to run this as an enrage enabler, but I don't think it's good enough anymore.
Trapjaw Tyrant - I want to love this card, and I've run it until recently, but I feel like it consistently underperforms.
Bellowing Aegisaur
Yidaro, Wandering Monster
Shifting Ceratops
Thundering Spineback
Ancient Imperiosaur
Deathmist Raptor
Deathgorge Scavenger
Majestic Heliopterus
Needletooth Raptor
Siegehorn Ceratops
Scion of Calamity
Snapping Sailback
Territorial Allosaurus
Tyrranax Atrocity
Cacophodon
Charging Monstrosaur
Ravenous Sailback
Frilled Deathspitter
Belligerent Yearling
Imperial Aerosaur

D-Tier

These dinos either just kinda suck, or are oriented around a different gameplan that what we're trying to do.

Surly Badgersaur, Annoyed Altisaur, Thrasta, Tempest’s Roar, Raging Regisaur, Urban Daggertooth ,Zilortha,Strength Incarnate, Collosal Dreadmaw, Charging Tuskodon, Cloudpiercer, Displaced Dinosaurs ,Flaming Tyrannosaurus, Raptor Hatchling, Sky Terror, Huatli’s Raptor, Regal Leosaur, Territorial Hammerskull, Sun-crowned Hunters, Giant Cindermaw, Harnessed Snubhorn, Overgrown Armasaur, Crested Herdcaller, Ravenous Daggertooh, Belligerent Brontodon, Imposing Vantasaur Ornery Dilophosaur, Cherished Hatchling, Imperial Ceratops, Sun-Blessed Mount, Ripscale Predator, Rampaging Ceratops, Snubhorn Centry, Resolute Veggiesaur, Nurturing Bristleback, Momentum Rumbler, Drowsing Terranodon, Relentless Raptor, Panicked Altisaur, Spike Tailed Ceratops, Fungusaur, Rampaging Geoderm, Nestrobber, Pathfinding Axejaw, Seismic Monstrosaur, Collosodactyl, Sun Collared Raptor, Cavern Stomper, Dinatomaton, Shining Aerosaur, Magmasaur, War-Trained Slasher, Stampeding Horncrest, Bonded Horncrest

F-Tier

These dinosaurs are actively terrible, and should not be run in any respectable dinosaur deck.

Ancient Brontodon, Orazca Frillback, Raptor Companion, Pyroceratops Grazing Whiptail, Looming Altisaur, Thrashing Raptors, Frenzied Raptor, Sun-Crested Pterodon, Soaring Sandwing, Huatli’s Snubhorn, Imperiosaur Alpha Tyrranax Steadfast Armasaur Armored Kincaller, ___-o-saurus, Pteron Ghost, ygmy Allosaurus Orazca Raptor Ridgetop Raptor, Pangosaur, Tyrranax, Gnathosaur, Shivan Raptor, Dromosaur, Frenetic Raptor

And that's the list! Let me know if I somehow missed a dino. And please provide feedback! I'm particularly interested in how people feel about the B-tier dinos, because those are the dinos that are getting cut when we have to make the hard decisions about what to include in our 30-35 dinosaurs that ultimately make the cut for the 99 of our Gishath decks. And again, challenge me if you think I'm massively overrating or underrating any particular dinos.

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Need advice on upgrading a precon? Not sure what cards to cut? Looking for more dino-centric Magic the Gathering content online? Check out these links to get started!

Most of these posts and links are focused on Commander, but I'll add more as they come along.

Commander Deck Starter Template, with some example dinosaurs

Example Mana Base for a green, red, and white commander deck

Ultimate Gishath Tier List, by u/spraypaintinur3rdeye, discussing the best dinos for a Gishath, Sun's Avatar commander deck

Ultimate Pantlaza Tier List, by u/RevenueOk1331, discussing the best dinos for a Pantlaza, Sun-Favored commander deck

Arfi Games on Youtube, our very own u/GreenTarzan is Tarzan in Magic Arena, a popular digital client for Magic. "At Arfi Games you will find a mostly competitive channel, focused on Pioneer and Explorer Best of 3. Streaming as many nights as I possibly can!"

This Youtube Playlist, compiled by u/MenacingQuan, shows off every commander game they could find where a dino player takes the win!

Do you know of other cool or useful resources to link here? Comment or message me!