Best Cards in MTG The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

With MTG’s The Lost Caverns of Ixalan gearing up for full release, spoiler season has revealed all of the cards in the upcoming set.

Now that we’ve had the chance to compare all the new MTG additions from Ixalan, we’ll be ranking the best overall cards in the set.

With our help, you’ll know what to look out for and which pulls to be excited about when The Lost Caverns of Ixalan releases on November 17th, as well as its pre-release from November 10th onwards.

The Lost Caverns of Ixalan: Best cards

#10: Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant

The only thing stopping Ghalta from being higher on this list is its lack of true solo game-ending potential. While Ghalta can easily allow you to flood your board and set up for the win, it usually requires outside support from haste or trample to be truly effective. While you can set yourself up for victory shortly after casting this card, it’s entirely possible to be hit with a boardwipe if unable to attack right away.

Still, with the right combo pieces set up, Ghalta can be the finishing touch in a winning game.

#9: Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation

Ojer Taq’s only flaw is that its prohibitive cost makes it something of a win-more card. Spending six mana for a lack of immediate effect can paint a target on your back very quickly.

If you can pull off Ojer Taq’s token tripling, you’ll pull ahead of your opponents in no time at all. Just be sure to set up some protection to give you time to attack with the hefty board of tokens the Ojer conjures.

#8: Bloodletter of Aclazotz

A card with a similar ‘win more’ effect to Ojer Taq, the Bloodletter of Aclazotz is a first-of-its-kind doubler that massively speeds up your opponents’ rate of life loss.

Bloodletter of Aclazotz’s ability is incredibly powerful, especially for four mana, and will instantly make itself the biggest target at the table for removal. With the potential to have a huge impact on the game on the turn it is cast, Bloodletter of Aclazotz is well worth protecting until you can reap its benefits.

#7: The Skullspore Nexus

If you’re playing green, chances are extremely high that you’re investing in big creatures, especially with this set’s powerful dinosaurs. As a result, The Skullspore Nexus is likely to be able to reduce its own cost down to almost nothing.

Working as an exceptional buff for dinosaur creatures, The Skullspore Nexus can help minimize your losses and double the power of your strongest creatures, enabling hugely impactful turns for relatively little investment.

#6: Tishana’s Tidebinder

This merfolk is a 3/2 flash creature that functions as a three-mana ability-based counterspell. Tishana can greatly surprise an opponent when it drops, stopping an ability in its tracks and turning the offending creature into a vanilla until Tishana’s Tidebinder leaves the field.

An unexpected and powerful negation tool, Tishana’s Tidebinder can trip other players up and shut down their best plays.

#5: Charismatic Conqueror

An exceptional and cheap new vampire creature, Charismatic Conqueror can slow down your opponents’ pace and speed up your own.

One of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan’s best cards to get out early in a game, Charismatic Conqueror will either provide you with a multitude of creature tokens or force your opponents’ creatures and artifacts to come in tapped.

Such a huge amount of value cannot be overstated, making this one of the most versatile picks in the whole Lost Caverns set, especially for Vampire typal decks.

#4: Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might

Of all the Ixalan gods, Ojer Axonil has the most straightforward potential. For a relatively low cost of four, Ojer Axonil can provide a tremendous boost to your burn damage.

Comboing with Commanders like Ghyson Starn and Imodaine, the Pyrohammer, Ojer Axonil quickly converts chip-damage strategies into hugely potent blasts that can burn your opponents down in an instant.

#3: Terror Tide

Terror Tide brings to mind terrifying variable boardwipes of sets last like The Meathook Massacre.

Making the best use of Lost Caverns’ new Descend mechanic, Terror Tide deals field-wide damage based on the number of permanents in your graveyard. As a mono-black card, it’s incredibly easy for Terror Tide to be loaded up with exactly as many permanents as you need to remove your opponents’ most powerful creatures.

#2: Hulking Raptor

With a huge 5/3 power and toughness for 2GG, inherent protection, and ramp, this creature instantly stands apart from the pack.

Hulking Raptor may not be the most glamorous card in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, but it’s hard to deny its straightforward effectiveness, playing with the best of what green mana has to offer.

#1: The Ancient One

From the moment it was revealed, there has been considerable buzz around The Ancient One. As an 8/8, this card is easily the most powerful 2-mana card ever printed in MTG, at least stats-wise.

The Ancient One makes excellent use of The Lost Caverns’ graveyard strategies, handily negating its own downsides once enough cards are piled in the grave. This is a card that is easily worth building a deck around, and players have already begun to figure out how to explore its powerful draw and mill effect for lightning-fast wins

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