MTG The Lost Caverns of Ixalan: Commander decks and mechanics

MTG The Lost Caverns of Ixalan is gearing up for release, and we’ll introduce you to each of the four Commander decks and how they’re going to play.

MTG’s latest set – The Lost Caverns of Ixalan – is mere weeks away. Alongside the full set release, four Commander decks focused on Ixalan’s major factions will soon be available for players to collect and clash with.

We’ll walk you through each of the factions represented in these Lost Caverns of Ixalan MTG decks, their Commanders, and the strategies they promote.

MTG Lost Caverns of Ixalan Decks and Commanders

Ahoy Mateys – Admiral Brass, Unsinkable

Wizards of the Coast

Making use of Lost Caverns of Ixalan’s new Finality Counters, Admiral Brass, Unsinkable finally gives MTG’s pirates the boost they deserve.

Previous pirate strategies have utilized a motley collection of effects, often revolving around treasure tokens and card theft. Admiral Brass, Unsinkable will hopefully allow pirate decks to move in a more focused direction.

Admiral Brass allows you to return a pirate card from the graveyard every turn, triggering any ETB effects they may have and granting them haste to serve as an immediate source of damage and pressure.

The Commander’s effect ensures that your pirate forces are never gone for good, and will synergize well with self-mill effects, allowing you to pitch your best pirates to the graveyard and summon them up for free.

Blood Rites – Clavileño, First of the Blessed

Wizards of the Coast

Rather than introducing any of Lost Caverns of Ixalan’s new mechanics, Blood Rites focuses on synergies between two of black mana’s strongest and most iconic creature types. The deck’s Commander is Clavileño, First of the Blessed, and he brings a unique sacrifice strategy to MTG’s vampires.

Marshaling his dedicated forces into battle, only to sacrifice them for greater gain, Clavileño turns Blood Rites into an aggressive deck with an excellent value-regaining ability, converting creature loss into an even more powerful asset.

With The Lost Caverns of Ixalan’s vampire god Aclazotz revealed, there’s space to upgrade this pre-constructed deck by introducing these bloodsucking zealots to their deity.

Explorers of the Deep – Hakbal of the Surging Soul

Wizards of the Coast

Merfolk is a particularly potent creature type in MTG, easily ranking among Ixalan’s strongest. While previous merfolk commanders have focused on straightforward typal boosts, Hakbal of the Surging Soul takes things in a direction more suited to the Lost Caverns set.

Explore is a major returning mechanic in Lost Caverns of Ixalan, and Hakbal deploys it to great effect. In providing board-wide Explore effects to all of your merfolk, Hakbal draws on the +1/+1 counters that have allowed merfolk to succeed in the past, while also providing the option for speedy land ramp.

In focusing on both mana production and +1/+1 Counters, the Explorers of the Deep deck keys into green/blue mana’s strengths, and will very likely be a powerhouse of a deck on launch.

Veloci-RAMP-Tor – Pantlaza, Sun-Favored

Wizards of the Coast

Dinosaurs are a beloved creature type in MTG, and many players will be happy to see their return alongside the Jurrasic World crossover cards.

While there have been many powerful MTG Commanders for dinosaurs in the past, Pantlaza takes things in a new direction. Discover is one of Lost Caverns of Ixalan’s most potent new abilities, and Pantlaza gives you reliable access to it.

Veloci-RAMP-Tor does just what it says on the box, providing a ramp and quickly building up an unstoppable board of Dinos. Using Pantlaza to dig through your deck every turn, unearth powerful cards, and cast them for free will quickly put you ahead of the rest of the table.