#mavren fein dusk apostle

[motorizedpitchfork]

The product of this morning’s opening of my first Ixalan boosters. Not bad.

[inkytomes]

Getting into Magic The Gathering’s lore after missing out in middle and highschool and I’m loving the range of characters designs. 

Admiral Beckett Brass

Beckett Brass, as captain of the Scourge, earned a formidable reputation for her skills in sword play and enchantment magic. Now Captain Brass has become Admiral Brass, in command of a disciplined, fearsome collection of ships known as the Fathom Fleet.

Tishana Voice Of Thunder

Tishana, the powerful Shaper who claims leadership over every band, can drown a pirate ship or scatter a vampire band with a single word. Her magically amplified voice gives her power that dissuades challengers, but her own people find her a warm and kind elder.

Mavren Fein Dusk Apostle

Mavren Fein is a high-ranking member of Torrezon’s clergy. A powerful man, his voice rings with unshakable authority that makes nobles tremble. Fein seeks Elenda, the guardian of the Immortal Sun, to bring eternal life to his people.

https://magic.wizards.com/en/story/planes/ixalan

[mtgbracket]

Round of 1024 - Batch 2

The second set of 32 matchups is now live for voting!

Today we have two legendary Slivers and two Rat-lovers, Venser, Jhoira, and THRAXIMUNDAR.

Voting is open for one week right HERE.

Full list of matchups:

Sliver Legion vs Trostani Discordant The Mimeoplasm vs Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle Eight-and-a-Half-Tails vs The Haunt of Hightower Alena, Kessig Trapper vs Sliver Hivelord

Sima Yi, Wei Field Marshal vs Brigid, Hero of Kinsbaile Llawan, Cephalid Empress vs Liliana, Heretical Healer Oros, the Avenger vs Erebos, God of the Dead Raksha Golden Cub vs Evra, Halcyon Witness

Alexander Clamilton vs Jacques le Vert Bell Borca, Spectral Sergeant vs Reyav, Master Smith Venser, Shaper Savant vs Agrus Kos, Wojek Veteran Horobi, Death's Wail vs Oviya Pashiri, Sage Lifecrafter

Kenrith, the Returned King vs Kumano, Master Yamabushi Chevill, Bane of Monsters vs Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons Jareth, Leonine Titan vs Riven Turnbull Mishra, Artificer Prodigy vs Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion

Basandra, Battle Seraph vs Anowon, the Ruin Sage Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix vs Haktos the Unscarred Shabraz, the Skyshark vs Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose Vilis, Broker of Blood vs Jhoira of the Ghitu

Ascendant Evincar vs Miara, Thorn of the Glade Thromok the Insatiable vs Patron of the Nezumi Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper vs Drana, the Last Bloodchief Kokusho, the Evening Star vs Marrow-Gnawer

Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin vs Niambi, Esteemed Speaker Triad of Fates vs Rubinia Soulsinger Korlash, Heir to Blackblade vs Dralnu, Lich Lord Grumgully, the Generous vs Yorion, Sky Nomad

Lovisa Coldeyes vs Prava of the Steel Legion Grand Arbiter Augustin IV vs King Macar, the Gold-Cursed Thraximundar vs Timmy, Power Gamer Syr Konrad, the Grim vs Glissa, the Traitor

[abzanascendancy]

In Today’s Magic Story...

The Race, Part 1

Oh shit!  It’s on!  Deathrace to Orazca!  Only who’s Dick Dastardly?

And finally, the Legion of Dusk gets their first full-length story!

“Regular attacks, violent storms, giant dinosaurs, the humidity, a pirate with the head of a bull... after a while all these things just become part of everyday life in Ixalan.” -- Some random Legion of Dusk vampire, probably.

A hierophant, eh?  Well I’m just gonna pretend he looks like Kakyoin.

Also, close but not quite Praise the Sun.

Aren’t blood fasts supposed to be a good thing?  So why is this one weirdo lost to rapture causing all the others to be hesitant?

The human guards dared not open the door.

NO SHIT.  Sure, let’s just open the door to a starving vampire!  I’m sure he won’t drink our blood!

Women can be priests too.  #Feminism

Oh shit, this is Mavren Fein’s backstory!

Mavren Fein actually took the sacrament from Saint Elenda herself -- he knew the first vampire personally.

Just when I thought I wouldn’t make another JJBA reference in this piece, this vampire claws up the side of a wall, with his face like a terrible mask. WRYYYYYYYYYYY!!!

...his teeth could not pierce the armor before the other guards ran forward, kicking him off the ledge.

Blood Fast?  This!  Is!  ADANTO!!!  -kicks-

Side-note, I’m glad we’re getting good art of Inspiring Cleric.  Whomever they are, their lipstick game is on point.  And that gothic script though!

Was Manuel one of the humans serving under the Legion of Dusk for the priest to know of his sins?  Or is sin-reading a vampire trait on Ixalan?

You heard it here first, folks.  Saint Elenda is officially a warrior nun.  Can’t wait for the creature type update!

Pedron the Wicked, a vampire, betrayed his own kind, eh?  Sounds awfully familiar...

Shit, that’s the third JJBA reference!  Kakyoin, DIO, and now pillar men!  Please let Sorin be in this, and please let him still be trapped in stone when he planeswalks!

Saint Elenda is 9 feet tall, raven-wing hair, and lightning nails.  We better get a card for her!

Further connecting Sorin to this plane, a winged beast.  Ugin?

Saint Elenda followed this winged beast to the west, which is how she (presumably) ended up on Ixalan.

Wait a sec.  So she went to Ixalan, returned to teach the vampires immortality... then presumably left again?  Couldn’t even lead the vampires herself?  I’m sure she had her reasons.

Ah, the coppery smell of blood, I can taste it now!

"My apologies for the mess I've made." -- Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle

You call what you have in your artwork a staff?  Buddy, that’s a freaking spear or halberd!

Vona

Woaaaoooaaaoooaaah!  Vona Lisaaaa~!  You’re guaranteed to run this town!   Woaaaoooaaaoooaaah!  Vona Lisaaaa~!  I’d pay to see you frooooooooooown!

Vona of Iedo, Culler of Sinners, Butcher of Magan, the Unburnt, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons....

So becoming a vampire is a spell.  Does this mean anyone can become a vampire provided they know the spell?  Hmm...

Being a vampire grants you proficiency in stealth.

She was never afraid to walk alone at night for the soul of night beat in her heart, coursed through her blood.

I think there should be a comma between “night” and “for”, but oh well.  And I have screenshots of the first version so I can prove I’m not entirely crazy!

Why on earth would the church ever want to stop thirsting for blood?

Factions within factions.  Mavren Fein wants to grant vampires true immortality, but Vona Lisa wants to keep the vampires drinking blood.

And yes, this is another instance of black-aligned characters becoming villains.  Mavren Fein?  By all accounts, a good guy.  Add black mana to white mana?  Vona Lisa of Iedo, Culler of Sinners, Butcher of Magan...

She had become a noble with her own lands, but the territory was poor and rocky, and it became quickly apparent she was not an able administrator. Her ennui lasted a decade. One night, in a fit of boredom, she decided to break the monotony. It was fun, mundane as a child's game, a quick way to pass the time. She stalked each of her human serfs in their beds and in their fields, and over the course of one happy week killed each of them as part of a pleasant game. Vona rejoiced in the sport of it, and abandoned her humble estate.  --- It only worked if she told no one else how little she cared for the rules that bound her. The secret kept it exciting.

I know I was complaining about color alignment just now, but HOW ARE YOU WHITE-ALIGNED?????

The Belligerent, you say?  Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon~

Or perhaps not.  Vona Lisa’s scene seems to take place at the end of Something Else Entirely.

Vona Lisa of Iedo, Culler of Sinners, Butcher of Magan, the Unburnt, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons, Survivor of Shipwrecks...

They mattered in the sense that strangers in a market mattered—they were alive and had their focuses and their purposes and their tasks, but their function was peripheral to hers. Vona's crew was a means to an end. They had reached the shores of Ixalan and had thus achieved their end. But hers? Her purpose was one touched by divinity and delivered by the queen herself.

Again, HOW ARE YOU WHITE-ALIGNED?????

Vampires have saint-senses, so I presume they also have sin-senses.  Good to know.

Vona Lisa changes creature types to become a Barbarian Vampire.

If the rumors are true, then the stranger who bears the compass is her captain. -- Vona, Butcher of Magan

Oh shit.  Jace had the compass last.

If a person should die the death they deserve, Vraska’s going to ensure Vona is vored by dinosaurs.

Jace

So wait, the Legion of Dusk don’t actually get a full-length story all to themselves?  Haha!

Jace remembers how to swim.

Vraska goes back to rescue her crew.  Best captain.

Having just survived a nautical disaster, he had no intention of dying now.

Really good words to live by, in general.

Again, I love how the official name is and forever will be Useless Island.

He felt like he was at the starting gate for a race...

I certainly hope so, otherwise we’re gonna have to rename the story.

His heart caught in his chest. Malcolm. Breeches. Gavven. Amelia. These were the only people he could remember ever knowing.

Yeah, this has added weight considering these are the only people Jace has ever known.  They’re his family.

On a less serious but no less important note, NOT BREECHES!  WE CAN’T LOSE OUR GOBLIN FRIEND!

Panic jolted through Jace's mind, but as instinct overtook him, his perception slowed almost to a standstill.  --- Time resumed. Jace gasped. The vampire in front of him stumbled in the sand and collapsed to the ground, snoring.

Vimpires?  Time-stopping?  DIO!!!

Vraska ex Machina!

Oh good, we only lost a non-essential npc.  BREECHES LIVES!!!

Breeches.  You do not -- do not -- split the party.

Of course Jace is in charge of reuniting the party.  It’s not as if he’s going to fall into some sort of crevice and... oh...

"We're not here to stay. Leave the locals alone," said the gorgon, "but kill every vampire you find."

I’m liking Vraska more and more.

I wonder what the range is in disguising the footprints Jace & Vraska leave behind.  Is it just a passive spell cast to enchant the ground?

Good thing Jace is ripped now, he can do all the rowing.

Once again, Useless Island.

“Yes. But they can take care of themselves," she said. "I'm their captain, not their mother...”

Lies.  You take care of all these rowdy pirate children and they love you.  End of discussion.

Vraska finally decides to tell Jace about planes.  Why now is a good time, I’m not sure.  Perhaps he could die by falling into a crevice and she’d feel guilty about not telling him.

Planeswalking is different for everyone.  Vraska literally fades into the shadows as the world darkens around her.  Epic.

"A dragon taught me how to sail, Jace. Who knows what is possible anymore?" -- The Talented Captain Vraska

"We thought the compass was just pointing to the city, but it points to blooms of powerful magic." He nodded at Vraska's pocket. "Instead of magnetic north, it points to aetheric north, and it also points toward large outliers of similar kinds of magic. That's why it pointed to me when you found me, and that's why it's probably pointing to you now. I tried to tell you on the boat before we crashed."

So the compass points towards powerful magics, such as the one keeping planeswalkers here...

"The barrier must rely on the same magic we use to planeswalk! That's why the compass points there! You figured it out!"

Put on your speculation caps! If the Immortal Sun is a planar portal, what if it was set to Ixalan?  A return-to-sender situation.  People could enter, but once they entered Ixalan, if they tried to leave they’d be redirected to the plane they were just on.

I can already hear the shipping wars starting from this next part...

Saved by the bell.

The Dread Pirate Angrath still lives!  As does that Dastardly Traitor Kumena.

Huatli

You really think the merfolk are gonna help you, Huatli?  They’ve spent decades preventing the Sun Empire from finding Orazca -- hell, they don’t even know where it is!  Apart from possibly Tishana...

Huatli was deeply practical. Her mounts were not her children or pets. They were tools to be treated with respect, an extension of her warrior-self.

A lot of white-aligned characters using people as tools.  Huh.

Also we get info on dinosaur raising & bonding.

What are the colors of the Brazen Coalition?  Why don’t we see any pirate flags???

-insert Metal Gear Solid alert sound here-

She turned to Teyeuh. "Return to the city and summon our forces to deter the survivors."

For those keeping track at home, this is now a Battle of Three Armies.

Also, still no info on Teyeuh.

Tishana’s down, but she’s not out!

Also, even while unconscious, jade armor floats around merfolk.  That is some high-quality jewelry.

Huatli opts for diplomacy.

Face-fins pull back sharply in surprise.  A note for y’all with Ixalan Merfolk fan-characters.  Like me!

...her gut told her that negotiating with this one may be like asking one of the Sun Empire shamans for advice on what food to eat that day. No answer would be straightforward.

Is this a thing?  Asking shamans what food to eat today?

On that note, to any shamans reading this, what food should I eat today?

I think Huatli failed her diplomacy check.  One does not simply tell a River Herald “I want to go to Orazca.”

Huatli chose her words carefully, "I wielded a strange magic, and I saw a golden city." Tishana gave a deadpan look. "You saw a golden city." "Yes."

God, I love it!  Every single time!  This is never gonna get old!

"Something within me made me see the city. I am certain it is proof that my mission is crucial to the survival of both Sun Empire and the River Heralds alike. We are not each other's enemy."

Now that is a nat 20 diplomacy roll worthy of a Warrior Poet.

The merfolk's pupils thinned. "I know only that the surface of our world is impassible from underneath. Some can fall in, but once submerged, cannot leap out."

Tishana is woke.

The merfolk knelt and looked Huatli in the eye. "If you say you saw a city when you skimmed the edges of our world, then I believe you."

They both know Huatli didn’t see Orazca.

Tishana sees your petty dinosaur mount and raises you one badass elemental.  Granny can cross the street by herself, thanks!

Why do I feel like Inti is going to die, or else bring the rest of the Sun Empire to Orazca?

Watch your language when you talk about Vraska’s crew, Huatli.

Granny Tishana can see through your bullshit.

"I've been casting illusions longer than you've been alive." -- Granny Tishana

To her knowledge, no River Herald had ever willingly worked with a Sun Empire warrior.

Well this wouldn’t be the first plane where a peoples’ history was erased and kept hidden from them, now would it?

"You don't know where it is . . . at all?" The merfolk glared back. "We know its general location."

This is just a good exchange.

Quick!  We must have the McGuffin!

Whoo, what a story!  Talk about races, I feel like I just finished a marathon writing this!  Vampires!  Music!  Breeches!  Planeswalking!  Elementals!  Shipwrecks!  Excitement!  I am so pumped for The Race Part 2!  But will Vraska and Jace keep the compass out of enemy hands?  Will Huatli and Tishana remain allies?  What will Kumena do with his head start?  Is Angrath going to reach the city first in a surprise upset?  And will I stop calling her Vona Lisa?  Stay tuned!

[vorthosjay]

Ixalan Hype Week: Day 2

Ixalan Hype Week Day 2 is here. While there haven’t been any substantial updates, I still have new stuff to say! You can find Day 1 here. If you follow my twitter, you’ve probably already seen some of this from today.

Vanquisher's Banner by Milivoj Ćeran

Symbols of Ixalan

With more detail on Vanquisher’s Banner, we can see the flag in front is of the Sun Empire, and given the Conquistador-style helm in the background, we can assume the flag in the back is the Legion of Dusk. Although we don’t see it in tremendous detail, it appears to be two crescent moons crossed by a pair of fangs. Which seems on point for a Vampire army devoted to a religion about nightfall.

The Empire of the Sun Symbols

Gishath, Sun’s Avatar by Zack Stella

The Empire of the Sun symbol is three concentric broken circles ('U's), and it only just occurs to me that they each represent a phase of the sun: Wakening (Kinjalli), Verdant (Ixalli), and Burning (Tilonalli). Each phase has its own avatar, but what’s interesting is that they’re both distinct and unified, as with Gishath, we see that the sun overall has an avatar of its own.

The colors of each ring must not be particularly important, because they show up in different colors. 

The Brazen Coalition Symbols

Admiral Becket Brass by Jason Rainville

The set symbols for Ixalan and those favored by the pirate tribe are the same: half a ship’s wheel. You can see it on Admiral Becket Brass’ hat and elsewhere. It’s by far the most common symbol for the pirates.

The Legion of Dusk Symbols

The vampire symbol (lower left corner of Vanquisher’s Banner) is a pair of fangs and what appears to be two crescent moons (or perhaps one in different phases).

So then what does this vampire symbolize? It's all over the vampire's clothes. It looks like a flower of some kind. My guess would be that the flag is the standard for the Legion of Dusk, while this flower-like insignia is the symbol of their faith.

The River Heralds Symbol

The merfolk symbol is way easier. Same basic idea as the Simic. Tree imagery fused with wave imagery. you see similar designs all over.

Ixalan Vampire Characteristics

Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle by Daarken

Thanks to some high quality art today, we can say a few things about Ixalan’s vampires. First, we know they all have bat-like ears (potentially elf-like, but bat-like is way more likely - and already something we see in Sengir vampires).

Deathless Ancient by Nils Hamm

They can apparently be brought back to life by coalescing their dust? Here we see an ancient vampire being brought back in a rite by three younger vampires.

Sanguine Sacrament by Bastien L. Deharme

When an Ixalan vampire is white-aligned, their sclera are white and their eyes appear human. This might be from the Blood Fast, resisting the urge to feed might result in this state.

Bloodcrazed Paladin by Daarken

But when they do feed, their sclera go black and their eyes glow, not unlike an Innistradi vampire. I think their distinct enough from the Innistradi to not cause confusion - the ears, the different style of dress, and the ears all serve as markers for differentiating them.

Oh, and see that sword? It’s got that flower symbol again.

[edh-a-to-z]

Ixalan - Commanders and ‘Walkers

Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle

1 of the 99: Lackluster

When it comes to making bodies, one 1/1 vamp LL per attack phase for free is, while nice, a small boon. Even with token doublers and other support, there are more impactful options.

Commander: Even more lackluster

White commanders that are decent in limited and standard do not scale well to EDH. Mavren doesn’t support tribal vamps well, isn’t a great voltron option, has no combo potential.

Plus, mono-colored. Bad.

Remarks: Don’t use Mavren anywhere. He doesn’t bring a lot to the table, and doesn’t have the chops for EDH. Don’t get it. 

Kopala, Warden of the Waves

1 of the 99: Solid

A serious asset in any merfolk deck. It may not stop incoming removal, but it’ll slow things down. The defense against abilities is especially nice.

Of course, Kopala has a big ol’ bullseye on him, so protect him.

Commander: Lackluster

A commander build around protection is underwhelming but serviceable, but Kopala doesn’t actually stop anything, and as such is not great.

Plus, mono-colored. Bad.

Remarks: Kopala is a serious contender for Tribal Merfolk decks as part of the 99. Taxing effects are more rare on Blue permanents than they are on White, so when they come along, they’re invaluable. Grab/trade for Kopala as a medium-priority card if you already have a merfolk deck or are building one.

Captain Lannery Storm

1 of the 99: Solid

Revel in Riches and Admiral Beckett Brass appreciate the Captain.

The Revels deck loves another source of much needed treasure, and the Admiral needs pirates to command.

Commander: Lackluster

Like a lot of smaller red legendaries, Lannery doesn’t scale well to EDH. Given that her firebreathing is tied to consuming treasure, which she and only a handful of new red cards create, is limiting. 

Plus, mono-colored. Bad.

Remarks: Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!

Lannery is a support card, and cuttable for pirates. She’s also a way to get Treasure for Revels. So if you have a Revels or Pirate tribal deck planned, she’s high priority.

Admiral Beckett Brass

1 of the 99: Hard to fit

With such a tribal ability, she’s hard to fit in any given Grixis deck not already built around her.

Commander: Tribal

The only real option for Pirate Tribal, which imo has enough critical mass to be a notch above a gimmick deck with the Admiral at the helm.

Changelings, pirates, and clones are all to be considered when padding out her deck, as well as unblockable options.

Remarks: Amazing

One of the two must-have cards I want from this set. The center of the pirate tribal of Ixalan. 

Additionally, she’s the first commander I’ve alphabetically passed (being added to MtG after I’ve gotten past her alphabetical point), so look forward to a future deck tech.

Gishath, Sun’s Avatar

1 of the 99: Notch above lackluster

With at least a handful of Dinos in a naya deck, this might be okay to run as a fatty. The word salad of abilities is pretty nice on its own.

Commander: Tribal

Like Brass, the main viable dino commander. With Gishath, even tribal fodder becomes acceptable. A deck full of dinos that goes off? You’ll get anything from 2 to 7 dinos on the board. Sweet

Remarks: A must get for dino tribal players. For those uninterested, pass ‘em by. With Gisath, you can run draft leftovers and make it work.

Tishana, Voice of Thunder

1 of the 99: Solid. 

UR decks can do a decent job of having creatures and card draw, and ramp up to this 7 drop. Green also has trample a lot, so she works it.

Commander: Solid

@dimir-guildmage recommends a “go-wide” Zegana, and I’m inclined to agree.

Remarks: Thanks to some others I forced myself to take another look at this commander.

Tishana is powerful. But it also has a nasty CMC (in colors with good ramp), no inherent protection (in colors with access to counterspells and hexproof instants/enchantments) and dependent on board presence and draw (which is UR viable). So my original hang-ups are unwarranted.

Still wish there was tribal synergy. @dimir-guildmage and @umblabla, your opinions were invaluable.

Vona, Butcher of Magan

1 of the 99: Great

Works in Vamp tribal, Orzhov lifgain. Oloro is sitting on his throne, chuckling as he looks at this.

Commander: Solid

I’m immediately reminded of Karlov, because they both need lifegain to do their work. Vona likes the volume of lifegain, Karlov likes increments. Because of this, they can’t really swap out for each other - the deck should be optimized one way or the other.

Remarks: Me gusta.

I’ll definitely try it out in the Edgar Markov deck. Vamps, Orzhov, or any deck that has solid lifegain (or needs some removal) can use Vona. 

Vigilance and LL also work well with the main ability, and 4/4 for 5CMC isn’t bad considering the rest.

Jace, Cunning Castaway

Remarks:

Looting is nice, but it’s limited to one draw, one discard per combat phase. Some defensive options is nice, but we’re here for the ult. Cloning!

Endless series of cloning with Doubling Season, get an arbitrarily large number of Jaces, have them makes Illusions, give them all haste, and swing for the win.

Jace, Ingenious Mind-Mage

Remarks:

Stealing creatures is a nice ult, especially doing it T1 with Doubling Season. Drawing a single card is lame, but being able to gain loyalty by untapping your creatures is pretty good.

Hualti, Warrior Poet

Remarks:

Dino synergy without being forced into it.

[commandtower]

Ixalan Card Analysis for Commander

Welcome to a new Commander Set Analysis article, this time for Ixalan! I haven't done one of these in a while, but I'm really excited about Ixalan and I've decided that it deserves a solid look. As with the previous times I've done this, I'll be looking at all the rares and mythics as well as any cards in lower rarities that specifically catch my attention. I'll briefly touch on their basic strengths and weaknesses and talk about examples of deck types that might like to make use of them.

As always, please remember that these thoughts are my personal opinion and are based only on first impressions of the cards. I've had only the barest minimum of time with the set as a whole and have not yet had a chance to play with the majority of these cards in Commander games. My thoughts on these cards will likely change as time goes on, and even if I don't personally have high praise for a specific card, that doesn't mean it won't be useful in a specific deck. Your mileage with these cards will inevitably vary from mine, and something I don't have a use for might be the perfect inclusion in your deck, so don't let my opinion stop you from experimenting with anything that catches your eye.

But that's enough of that, because it's time to start digging for treasure! Let's dive right in to Ixalan.

Ashes of the Abhorrent: This first rare in the set has been tailored specifically to deal with a single strategy in the game. I tend to find that cards like this one not worth the include unless your metagame is completely dominated by decks that the card will deal with. A card like this is extremely narrow and when deck slots are at a premium as they are in Commander, this feels like a dud include for most games. I can't think of anything that I'd personally want to take out of a deck to slot this in. I'm sure it will have its uses at specific tables, but it's not something that I think warrants too long a look.

Axis of Mortality: This card is pretty cutesy but it doesn't feel like it packs enough power to warrant an include in most decks. It is worth noting that having your life total set to a certain amount counts as gaining or losing the difference, and there are a dedicated subset of lifegain builds that do exist. I've never really been a fan of the dedicated lifegain strategy unless it's used to power out other abilities, so I'm lukewarm on this card. One place I think it might be funny is in an Archenemy variant deck where you can slide the opposing team's life around and pick off the easy targets, but that's a specific subset of decks and not really a central deck type.

Bishop of Rebirth: There are a few cards in this set that call back to the Titan cycle of M11 fame, and Bishop of Rebirth is doing a fairly decent Sun Titan impression. It has a substantially smaller body and only triggers on attack, and for only one less mana than the Titan it's not a great tradeoff. Sun Titan has had multiple reprints through things like promotional runs and a headlining spot in a Duel Deck, so they're not exactly hard to find either. Still, there is something to be said for redundancy in a singleton format and there are certainly decks that will be happy to see what essentially amounts to Sun Titan number two.

Goring Ceratops: Seven mana for a 3/3 body is a rough trade. The power this creature grants on a swing is definitely impressive, but the small stats are a pretty grim offset. White is pretty decent at protecting its creatures once they're on the field, though, and the fact that the Ceratops has double strike at all times does put a mark in its favor. Overall this is a risky card to play but there are lists that want it, and not just the Dinosaur deck either. Aggressive decks that want a large number of bodies out and swinging can get benefit from a card like this as long as they can protect the investment. If you can get it out there and keep it alive, it'll return the favor very quickly.

Ixalan's Binding: At only a single mana more than similar cards like Oblivion Ring or Banishing Light, the added effect makes this a very desirable upgrade for multiplayer-focused playgroups. This is an example of a card that performs entirely differently in Commander than it does in sixty-card formats. Exiling something as simple as a Sol Ring or a Gilded Lotus will have a profound effect across the entire table. Stapling a Meddling Mage to a Banishing Light would have been pretty good in its own right, but the fact that it only stops your opponents' casts turns this into an all-star of the set. This card is great and will definitely be worth including.

Kinjalli's Sunwing: One of the cheaper and leaner Dinosaurs in the set, the Sunwing is another card that's adding a redundancy option for decks that need multiple copies of the same effect. Dedicated lists that are built on the denying of resources will be happy for another card that causes permanents to enter tapped. The fact that it's also a Dinosaur is a big deal for people that want to dip into that tribe, though -- because so much of that deck will revolve around punching in for huge damage, having a viable utility card like this in the tribe makes for a solid early addition to the deck as it's still in its nascent stages.

Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle: One of a good number of Legendary Creatures appearing in Ixalan, Mavren Fein is a decent card but not specifically outstanding. The fact that his controller only gets a single Vampire token from his trigger no matter how many creatures they attack with makes him an awkward card to get behind, and in mono-White he's hard to build into as he misses out on the vast majority of Vampires in the game. He's likely better suited to a place inside the ninety-nine, standing in support of a Commander like Edgar Markov that wants to get in and start swinging right away. There will likely be lists brewed for him but he's definitely not my favorite Legend in the set.

Priest of the Wakening Sun: It's no secret that I'm excited for Dinosaurs, but I don't think cards like this are really worth it. The trigger is essentially poop text in Commander; two life is an absolute pittance in a format that starts its players with 40. The second ability is the only thing to even consider this card for, and it's nothing outstanding either. While this card could hypothetically be used to tutor up a specific Dinosaur in a non-tribal build, there are better and more generalized creature tutors that could be included. Beyond that, a dedicated Dinosaur deck has better things to use its card slots on. Really, I don't think Gishath wants to run any creatures that aren't Dinosaurs anyway, as it just dilutes his potential.

Sanguine Sacrament: There is a lot more lifegain in this set than I initially realized, and as far as dedicated lifegain spells go, there are certainly worse ones overall. Probably the most interesting thing about Sanguine Sacrament is that it’s an instant, giving it some flexibility as a safety net. I've said it before, but lifegain is best utilized as a fuel for other results. Having a high life total doesn't win you the game under usual circumstances. To further that thought, though, If you're building an engine that runs on life, you're likely to have Black among your deck's colors. Draining life from your opponents using tools in Black's arsenal is usually more satisfying than just making it appear with cards like this. Overall I think this is a lackluster card for most decks, even builds that want to gain a lot of life.

Settle the Wreckage: This is a very neat card and not something that we see very often. Weirdly enough, this reads most similarly to certain Blue cards like Aetherize or Illusionist's Gambit in that they're all instant-speed attack disruptions at four mana. The closest thing in White is probably Angel of the Dire Hour, which sits well above this card in mana cost. Of course, the value of the lean cost is offset by the Path to Exile rider, turning the creatures it exiles into lands. Some people have looked at this as a sort of "White ramp spell for yourself," turning the player's own creatures into lands to boost mana production. This works but it's not something I can see being terribly viable in most cases. Even if the creatures you're swapping for lands are disposable tokens, having enough creatures out to ramp yourself in any meaningful way would mean you're already doing pretty well in the game. This reads better as a mid-to-late-game mass combat trick, working best when the player you use it on has already established themselves and the extra lands don't add too much in value. It's a fine, strong card that will see play, but I think its use is more straightforward than people are trying to make it.

Tocatli Honor Guard: Overall this is a fairly straightforward card, and another that adds redundancy options similarly to how Kinjalli's Sunwing did. This card offers an additional effect in the vein of Hushwing Gryff and Torpor Orb, both of which have seen their share of play in Commander. Creatures with additional value form the backbone of many decks in the format, as each card in a deck needs to add a certain level of value to warrant the use of the card slot. Shutting off cards like Eternal Witness and Rune-Scarred Demon makes this a powerful include, and beyond that it also stops things like Purphoros and Aura Shards that trigger when creatures come in beside them. As a creature its stats are fairly lean for the format, but effects like this are strong and that means this card will see play.

Wakening Sun's Avatar: The first of the Dinosaur Avatars in the set, Wakening Sun's Avatar is a powerful addition to the Dinosaur tribal build. At eight mana to cast, it's not exactly light on the mana pool, but the 7/7 body and the ability to blow up the board except for Dinosaurs is huge. The Dinosaur deck is going to be about punching at the end of the day, and a card like this that just slams into play and completely clears the path for its tribe is a welcome inclusion. Even though this card's trigger only works when it enters from hand and thus not off of being flipped up with Gishath, it happily goes into that deck anyway just as a bit of extra muscle. Even non-Dinosaur decks might want this as a huge body that clears the way for itself, but it really shines when it stands next to others of its kind.

Arcane Adaptation: The ability to modify your creatures' types en masse was originally in Black when it appeared on the card Conspiracy, and when it moved to Blue on Xenograft it only changed the type of creatures currently on the battlefield. With the printing of this card, Blue now has access to modify creatures that aren't in play as well, which is a massive benefit for decks that want to manipulate their creatures this way. Arcane Adaptation is also decidedly cheaper in mana cost than previous cards like it, which is definitely welcome. Any deck that was previously running Xenograft will be happy to see this, and the ability to use this card to affect things like type-specific tutors adds a ton of extra value. This will definitely be a useful tool for the decks that want it.

Daring Saboteur: I don't think this card will be very useful in most situations. Any value it could give is basically erased by the format's deckbuilding restrictions. The slot this would take is better used by a card like Bident of Thassa or Deepfathom Skulker that offers up similar abilities to its controller's entire team. Specific Pirate builds might want to include this just because it does gain some value when surrounded by others of its type; a deck centered around Admiral Beckett Brass is probably okay with cards like this since she wants multiple Pirates to hit her opponents so she can steal from them. As it is, it's not terrible, but its value is essentially eclipsed by cards we already have. Unless you specifically need the maximum number of Pirates, I'd look elsewhere.

Deadeye Quartermaster: This card is pretty interesting to me. At first blush this card seems like it belongs more in White, as the ability to tutor Equipment cards out of the deck seems more in line with cards like Stoneforge Mystic. Blue is able to find artifacts as well, though, and this card might be better compared to something like Treasure Mage with a different spin on the tutor restriction. Picking up Vehicles as well as Equipment gives this card a bit of added value and makes it read pretty differently from anything else. It's a decent utility creature for the kind of deck that will want it.

Dreamcaller Siren: I’m not really into this one. The tapping of permanents can be relevant but I feel that more prevalent options like Frost Titan or Icefall Regent offer more as a total package. Having on-card flash is a nice boost for this and makes it a bit more useful as a surprise combat trick, but locking the ability behind the need to control additional Pirates undoes whatever benefit this might offer. This seems like it’s going to be an instant-speed Cloud Elemental more often than not. I feel like this is another example of a card that loses value because of the format’s deckbuilding rules. If the Pirate deck gets off the ground, this might be worth another look, but as it is there are just better choices.

Entrancing Melody: I can't see a reason to run this over cards that already exist, like Control Magic or Volition Reins. If you're considering this card but you're not already running at least one of those, I'd point you to those other cards first. This isn't terrible, though -- it's just not ideal. If you're already running those cards and are still looking for additional options to steal other players' cards, this is a decent piece if a little expensive in total. It's fairly straightforward overall, and there's not much to say beyond that.

Fleet Swallower: Mill is a rough strategy when the libraries in the format are ninety-nine stories tall, but it is possible to pull it off with the right suite of cards. This card is solidly large for Blue and although it doesn't have any kind of evasion, it's big enough that average combat math is in its favor. Beyond that, the trigger occurs on attacking, not damage, so it's not required to actually hit the opponent to mill their deck. Even more interesting, the player that mills doesn't have to be the one that was attacked, making for an opportunity to smack one opponent for damage and another for cards, or even mill yourself to set up specific play options for a graveyard-based deck. There's definitely value in this card for certain decks, and I know of a few players that were pretty excited to see this when it was first officially revealed. If your deck functions in a way that can utilize a card like this, it's probably worth testing.

Herald of Secret Streams: Speaking as someone who has a deck that very heavily relies on +1/+1 counter manipulation to win, I think this card looks better than it actually is. It doesn't actively create or otherwise manipulate the counters it needs to function, instead relying on other cards to make it work. Needing additional cards to function doesn't inherently keep a card from being good in this format -- one could technically make the same argument about Doubling Season, which is a card that functions well in the same strategy that the Herald is trying to fit into. Passive-type cards need to have a strong impact on the board when they're played to offset having to sit in hand until the opportune moment, though, and I think the Herald's not ideal in that regard. Plus, the card is sitting at a critical point on the mana curve at four mana, which is already fairly well-stocked with cards in this format. While it's not bad overall and could definitely be playable in the right list, I do think it's a sub-optimal choice for decks that want to play to the +1/+1 counter strategy.

Jace, Cunning Castaway: This card was officially revealed alongside the announcement of the rules change for Planeswalkers, and it makes sense considering this card requires those rules changes to function. This is an interesting take on the suite of abilities Jace is known for as it highlights his abilities as a creator of illusions. Overall I feel this Jace is somewhat lackluster; he was the subject of some hype when it was realized that he can go infinite with Doubling Season, but there are a lot of Planeswalkers that love that card, so that's nothing too crazy in my opinion. In a vacuum I think he's probably the weakest Planeswalker in the set, and his only real highlight is the gimmick of his ultimate which was included to highlight the rules change. There are better uses for the card slot this will take up, in my opinion.

Kopala, Warden of Waves: The second of the monocolor Legends in the set, Kopala follows Mavren Fein in that he's likely to be more useful as a member of the deck than as the headliner. Merfolk as a tribe have a fair number of possible Commander choices in a number of color combinations, which means that Kopala's monocolored identity will be restricting compared to other options. He is the most tribal-oriented among his Legendary peers, but his abilities have an upward limit to their viability in a format where mass removal tends to be the preferred method to deal with creatures. I think he does have a position in a Merfolk tribal build, but it's probably better not to choose him to lead the deck.

Overflowing Insight: Drawing cards is always a good thing, and drawing multiple cards is even better. Let it not be said that cards that do nothing but draw more cards aren't useful in Commander. That said, a card like this feels too clunky to get a lot of use out of. Comparing the effect against the mana cost, the value is good at one card for each mana spent, but the initial investment of seven is still very high for a card draw spell. Requiring seven mana to cast means that this will eat up the bulk of the player's mana on an average turn, and draw spells tend to function better when they leave some room to allow the casting of the drawn cards. Later turns will allow for this, but that makes this card effectively say "Draw seven, then move to end step" until about turn ten or twelve, and that's not ideal. I think it's generally a better idea to go a little leaner on the dedicated draw spells, or else use cards with variable costs like Pull from Tomorrow which allow you to tailor your play to your available mana. Overflowing Insight also reads "target player draws," which could equally be a good or bad thing depending on your playgroup -- it might assist you in killing that player who cycles through their deck really quickly, but it might also be a good Swerve target for your opponent when you're just trying to get back into the game. Overall I think this is less than ideal.

River's Rebuke: I think this card is actually more viable than it might seem. This might look worse at first glance than cards like Cyclonic Rift or Evacuation, as it deals with only a single opponent's field instead of the whole board, and is a sorcery instead of an instant. Truthfully, I think the fact that it targets only a single player actually puts this in a class of its own instead of directly being comparable to other mass-bounce cards. This card allows a way to deal with an individual player’s board before they develop too far and it doesn't cost its caster their own board to play. It could theoretically also be combined with another color's boardwipes to preemptively rescue your own field from destruction, although as a sorcery it's kind of a red flag to cast on yourself. I think the best use for this card is as a political statement during a multiplayer game, as you can use it to quickly shift the balance of a table in the direction you want. It's not going to become a Blue auto-include, but it's something that certain decks might want to try.

Spell Swindle: I find it a bit funny that Ixalan includes this obvious riff on Mana Drain when you consider the upcoming reprint of Mana Drain itself in Iconic Masters. There are actually quite a few cards in this set that are based on previous cards, this card being one of them. That said, this card is pretty good in its own right and I do expect to see it show up at the Commander table. Five mana is on the expensive side for a counterspell, but the return on the investment is definitely a plus when you consider that the Treasure tokens hang around until they’re needed. I think this will be worth trying.

Bloodcrazed Paladin: I dismissed this card as trivial when I first read it, but upon further reflection I think I actually do like it. The addition of flash can make this a viable option for a few different strategies, and the potential for good value is high considering this card costs a very decent two mana. This card might be a decently threatening body for a deck that likes to make large numbers of tokens and then sacrifice them for effects. It can also serve to quickly get a player back into the game after a board wipe, which is difficult for some decks to accomplish. The capacity for a big return is the main draw of this card, and I think it'll see a fair amount play in Commander.

Boneyard Parley: This is a very cool and unique take on the classic Fact or Fiction formula. The ability to grab creatures from any graveyard is always relevant in multiplayer games. I do think that this card is expensive enough that it won't be viable in just any deck, but there is potential for good return on the mana investment if it's played at the right time. A bit of work will be required to get the best value out of this effect, and a card like this is a bit more thought-intensive than the average reanimation spell. It'll take some testing to find out if it's worth the slot, but for decks that can make proper use of it I think it'll be quite valuable.

Deadeye Tracker: This is an example of a very good use for the Explore keyword in a color that can get a good amount of use out if it.  Having the Explore action happen as part of the ability's resolution is a great addition for Black, as it helps to ensure land drops and can also add cards to the graveyard. Manipulating specific cards in an opponent’s graveyard is a very useful addition to a deck’s toolbox as Commander has a number of strategy archetypes that involve use of the graveyard. I've seen people forget that Explore can pitch the card it reveals, but throwing cards into the bin can be beneficial in a color like Black that often wants a large pile to sift through. It can help with Delirium, add reanimation targets, or just offer a quick and dirty way to manipulate the top of the deck. There's a lot of value in this card, and it'll definitely be worth trying.

Dire Fleet Ravager: This is a very straightforwardly aggressive card that plays in a somewhat unique space. As of this writing, there are only two cards in the game that deal out life loss by one-third, and this card is one of them. This is a powerful card for combat-based strategies as it quickly reduces the damage that needs to be dealt to win, but it's also a viable piece for control variants that strive for resource deprivation, as it further reduces the options available to opponents. This is a card that's good in different decks for different reasons, and I'd expect to see it at multiplayer tables very quickly.

Fathom Fleet Captain: I'm still not sure what to make of tribal Pirates as a deck. The tribe looks like it has some decent potential, mostly because it has access to a lot of the very good creatures from this set that just happen to also be Pirates. If that deck starts to take off then I can definitely see this card holding a spot there. As it is right now, Pirates looks like it's going to be primarily built around swinging in with multiple low-cost evasive creatures like this one. The ability to create disposable bodies to minimize the loss of the deck's more central creatures is a nice addition to a deck that wants to go wide like this. Outside of Pirate tribal, though, I think this is too parasitic to be of any real value.

Revel in Riches: This card makes an immediate and blatant comparison to Black Market and it might seem at first blush to be worse. Black Market definitely has much more explosive potential in terms of mana production, but the fact that the Treasure tokens from this card stick around until they're needed is a fair exchange in my opinion. The alternate win condition on this card is interesting but I don't think it'll be a realistic goal to work towards in most games; it's better to consider the win trigger as a bit of extra gravy and treat the mana production of the Treasure tokens as the meat and potatoes of the card. A card like this requires a specific list to be good, preferably a black-centered board control list with a number of boardwipes. A hypothetical dedicated Treasure list that really wants to push for the alternate win might have to wait until Rivals of Ixalan, so we can see how the Treasure mechanic evolves.

Sanctum Seeker: At first I was not incredibly excited about this card. I thought it was fine and playable, but nothing incredibly terrifying. My opinion of it has changed since I saw it being tested in a dedicated Edgar Markov list, and now I am a much bigger fan. With Edgar consistently doubling up the number of Vampires from the safety of the command zone, this card has the potential to be extremely scary if it comes in at the right time. The relatively low mana cost of four mana makes this easily playable in a big-mana format like this, and the four points of toughness means it's a solid body to play during the early-to-mid point of the game. I do think that this card's value diminishes quite a bit if there's not a steady, ongoing source of Vampire creatures, so outside of Edgar this might not be the best use of the slot. A card like this one requires specific pieces around it to be worthwhile, but it will certainly shine in the right list.

Sword-Point Diplomacy: There are two very major marks against this card in this format. The first is obviously the increased starting life total which means that most players won't have a problem dropping life into the effect. The second is that multiplayer games are a default state of the format, with three or four players being a common number to sit down at the table. A card like this essentially invites opponents to team up against you, ensuring whatever value you get out of this card is minimized to the point of uselessness. This card is of much better use in other formats, where 3 life is a more serious fraction against the total and there are less opponents to pay the tax. If you’re looking for something that functions similarly to this but with a better return, consider a card like Moonlight Bargain, which lets you pay life for the specific cards you want instead of relying on other players at the table.

Vraska's Contempt: This straightforward variant of Hero's Downfall causes the target to be exiled instead of destroyed for an additional generic mana. It also spits out two life for the extra cost, but I think that addition is mostly superfluous. The value of exiling the target instead of destroying it is absolutely what you're paying for here and it's very much worth the extra single mana in the cost. While spot removal does lose some value over mass boardwipes in this format, I am solidly of the opinion that there's still a need for ways to deal with specific threats, and because this hits multiple card types it's a fine piece to include. Hero's Downfall is still the number one choice at the intersection of playability and cost, but the fact that this is an instant means it probably wins out against the sorcery-speed Ruinous Path in most lists. I'll be playing with it to see how it feels, but I'm pretty optimistic.

Angrath's Marauders: There's more to unpackage with this card than there might seem. Seven mana for a 4/4 is definitely on the more expensive side, but when that four power is stapled to a Gratuitous Violence, it gains some value back for certain. While this card is obviously not at the power level of the comparably-costed Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, the fact that the Marauders has only Red in its color identity makes it available to additional decks. While we do already have a fair number of cards that offer effects like this in mono-Red, it's rare to see it on a body that can make use of the effect itself. Being a creature does make this more easily dealt with, though, and that's a trade of that'll need to be considered.

Burning Sun's Avatar: This Red member of the Dinosaur Avatar subgroup is trying its best to do an impression of Inferno Titan, and while it's not exactly succeeding, there's still a decent card to be had here. Most cards like this one that target a player and a creature usually restrict the creature choice to those controlled by the player that's being hit. Burning Sun's Avatar doesn't have that restriction, though, likely in an effort to expand the synergies between it and other members of its tribe. The Avatar's entry trigger can be used to deal damage to one of your own Dinosaurs with the Enrage mechanic, allowing for additional options and flexibility. Beyond that, it's decent spot removal for utility creatures with small-to-mid sized bodies and is also an impressive attacker at 6/6. It might not quite be at Inferno Titan's level, but it's a fine card and I expect it'll see play beyond its tribal option.

Captain Lannery Storm: I like the idea behind this card, a Pirate with a sort of "Treasure Prowess" that boosts its stats as you spend the loot you have in reserves. Captain Storm's biggest problem right now is that she doesn't really fit anywhere. As a Commander, the fact that she wants to swing in to claim more Treasure makes her base 2/2 stats a bit on the low side. This is helped a bit by her innate haste, but I don't think there's currently enough Treasure support in mono-Red to make her worthwhile as a headliner. Her next best option is to join up with the fleet, but that's not without its own problems. The Pirate tribal list under Admiral Beckett Brass is still fairly shaky since the tribe doesn't currently have a coherent theme to use as a deckbuilding throughline. As with a number of other Pirate cards in the set, I think we need to see what Rivals of Ixalan brings to the table before we can really figure out where to take Captain Storm. I like her in theory, but putting a list together is less than feasible right now.

Captivating Crew: There have been a number of cards over the years that play in the space of temporarily taking control of other permanents, but Captivating Crew is unique in that it's the first mono-Red creature that does it as an activated ability. While other cards such as Zealous Conscripts have better potential for combo exploitation through their passive triggers, this card is most interesting in its reliability, offering an easily repeatable way to get value out of opponents' creatures on the table. Having a repeatable mana sink like this is useful for Red since it's the color most likely to run itself out of options, and a mana sink that steals resources from opponents is definitely a welcome tool for a number of decks. As an aside, I love the fact that this card shares its art cues so blatantly with Magic Origins uncommon Enthralling Victor, and that both were illustrated by the same artist. While obviously intentional, it's great nonetheless, and I hope that artist Winona Nelson has further opportunities to explore this theme in the future.  

Rampaging Ferocidon: This smaller-bodied Dinosaur might not be as physically imposing as some of its kin, but it offers one of the more powerful and unique abilities within the tribe right now. The immediate comparison here is to Sulfuric Vortex, and while it's not a perfect resemblance, there's still an obvious parallel to draw. Anyone who plans to use a lifegain-based strategy to pay for abilities will have to tread around either of these cards carefully. Similarly, players of token-based decks will need to deal with the Ferocidon immediately or else be completely shut off from the theme they've built their deck towards. As a creature, the Ferocidon is vulnerable to cards in each of the five colors, but the fact that it so blatantly requires an answer means that it will have value for as long as it can remain on the board. This Dinosaur has undeniable value even beyond the tribal build, and I can see it finding a home in a number of decks that want to aggressively disrupt the flow of play for their opponents. This is absolutely a card to keep an eye out for.

Repeating Barrage: Continuing this set's growing trend of cards based on previously printed ones, Repeating Barrage is a fairly clear callback to Hammer of Bogardan. First printed way back in Mirage, the Hammer is a well-known card to longtime Magic players and was one of the earliest reusable burn spells, offering a solid mana sink to Red decks of the era that would often run out of gas. While it didn't win the game by itself, Hammer of Bogardan gave Red players something to do if things didn't go to plan. That said, the current era of Magic is a very different environment from the time when Hammer went for ten or fifteen bucks, and Commander is even further removed from what the game was then. There are better cards to use as repeatable mana sinks, and Repeating Barrage's best claim to fame now is as a nostalgic nod for the players -- such as myself -- that have been around the block since the Hammer's days.

Rowdy Crew: I'm not generally a fan of cards like this. Some randomization is obviously unavoidable in a game that begins with its players shuffling their game pieces into a massive, uniform stack, but it's usually best to minimize it once the match actually starts. There are lists that want cards like this, and the potential for a 5/5 with trample for four mana is certainly present. Lists that are built around the act of discarding cards for additional value might experiment with this as well. In a vacuum, though, this is not a great use for a card slot.

Star of Extinction: I really like that this set includes a board wipe that's based on damage, so that it triggers the Enrage mechanic on the set's various Dinosaurs. Comparing this to similar options like Blasphemous Act, the things that really set this apart are the fact that it targets and destroys a land and that its damage is dealt to both creatures and Planeswalkers. These are interesting changes but they shouldn't affect too much in an average game. It is important to note that if the land that Star of Extinction targets becomes an illegal target before the spell resolves, the whole thing is countered and the damage isn't dealt. Blasphemous Act is probably the better card overall, but it's nice to have additional options.

Sunbird's Invocation: I'm not as big a fan of this card as some of the other people at my local store, although it does definitely have the potential to be powerful. If you've constructed your deck to take good advantage of it, it basically grants every spell you cast a Cascade analogue, which has the potential to swing the game in your favor pretty far. As an effect, there's no denying that turning every one spell you cast into two is a fine way to make value back on your investment quickly. I think the overall value of this card will depend heavily on what the rest of the deck looks like; a card like this limits the use of things like reactive instants as well as spells with X in their cost. Sunbird's Invocation does have the potential to be powerful in a list built to support it, but I'd need time to experiment with building and playing that list to really get a feel for it.

Tilonalli's Skinshifter: This is a really rough sell for me. The fact that this card is a 0/1 any time except when it's attacking alongside another creature makes this essentially a useless card in all but a few situations. In a format where only one of each card is allowed, a card needs to have lasting long-term value to work well in an average list. Some specific deckbuilding style might have a plan for a card like this, but in most normal situations this card will just not be useful in Commander.

Carnage Tyrant: This card is one of the most expensive cards in Ixalan as of this writing. It's a great no-nonsense facepuncher, a card that’s all about swinging in all day. The card is definitely good and is going to see play but I would expect its value to fall once the set has settled a bit, so if you're looking for one you might want to watch it for a bit to see if it slides into a more affordable price bracket. Its best value in Commander is inside the Dinosaur tribal list headed by Gishath, as outside of that list it finds itself in a rather bloated mana cost range that's filled with a number of other playables.

Deathgorge Scavenger: This is a nice utility piece for the Dinosaur tribe, but in a more generalized list it's hard to get a feel for it. It's definitely not as good as something like Scavenging Ooze when it comes to dealing with cards in graveyards, and having to swing in to trigger the ability can be rough when it’s sitting at 2 toughness. Still, utilizing the graveyard as a resource is a popular strategy in Commander and having more cards that can deal with that zone directly is a good thing. I'd say it's worth trying this one out to see how it performs at your local tables.

Deeproot Champion: I do like this card, but it's definitely outside of Green's normal comfort zone. Cards in this color are normally all about creature spells and interactions with creatures, and giving a Green creature an ability that's basically "super Prowess" feels a little weird to me. That said, I can definitely see a use for it; I've already seen a few Temur Spells lists at tables and they'll enjoy a card like this. Because it's inexpensive and has an ongoing way to add value to itself, I think it's worth trying. It's definitely non-traditional, but there's ways to make it work.

Emperor's Vanguard: Green is probably the color helped the least by the Explore mechanic. The land-finding aspect is minimized by Green's already-superior ability to ramp, and while there is some use for the graveyard in the color, it's less direct than a color like Black and generally only puts cards back in hand to be played again. This isn't a terrible card, but Explore's limited range in this color and the fact that there's only minimal support for it as a mechanic make me less than excited to play a card like this.

Old-Growth Dryads: This card is not for Commander, plain and simple. In a format where only one copy of each card can be run in a deck, this will almost never appear early enough in the game for it to be relevant compared to the card's obvious downside. This adds nothing of value to the deck of the person playing it and actively harms them in the long run. Ramp is exceedingly important in this format, and a card like this that just happily hands your opponents the most valuable resource in the game is of little use. An argument could be made for this card's political value, but I don't think that's a valid line of reasoning to include something like this. It’s best to look elsewhere.

Ranging Raptors: This card's ability is probably one of the best Enrage triggers in the game so far. The fact that the Raptor's body is big enough to survive multiple instances of damage each turn means that the right suite of cards can net multiple lands over and over, which is a big deal for the dedicated Dinosaur deck that's going to have a high mana curve by its very nature. I think there's potential for this card to shine in multiple lists other than just the Dinosaur deck, though, as it's a unique and repeatable way to ramp multiple times. There's a lot to think about with this one but I can definitely see a future for it.

Ripjaw Raptor: Speaking of amazing Enrage triggers, Ripjaw Raptor is another huge mark in the mechanic's favor. There's not really a lot of subtlety or out-of-box thinking in the Dinosaur tribe, and a card like this one is probably the most cerebral the creature type is really going to get, but I think that's fine. There's a lot of value in cards like this that trigger off of a normal aspect of gameplay, and drawing cards is probably one of the best things that something like this can do. It'll be interesting to see how this mechanic develops in Rivals of Ixalan, but as it is right now we have the start of something really strong.

Verdant Sun's Avatar: As I'm sure longtime followers of my blog know by now, I'm not a fan of lifegain just for the sake of gaining life. Decks that run lifegain cards should also be able to use that life to power other cards' abilities and expand the options available to them -- just blindly gaining life doesn't win the game on its own. That said, I'm not opposed to a card like this in the Dinosaur deck. The tribe has a higher-than-average mana curve and it might take some time to start firing properly, and having access to a card like this one allows the deck to take a few lumps in the early game and still stabilize itself in later turns. As a bonus, this card actually runs nicely alongside cards with the Enrage mechanic, as many damage-based boardwipes such as Earthquake and Molten Disaster hit players as well as creatures. Those types of cards are viable in the Dinosaur deck as they trigger all of the Enrage mechanics on the board, and running this card offers a bit of a safety bubble to keep the player from taking too much heat from their own spells. This isn't the most amazing of the new Dinosaurs but it's a decent enough addition in its own right, and with the creature pool still fairly shallow for the tribe, it's a fine inclusion.

Waker of the Wilds: This card feels a bit like a design held over from the Battle for Zendikar era. Its activated ability seems a fairly obvious play on the Awaken keyword featured in that block, which put +1/+1 counters on lands and then turned them into creatures. There were obviously cards that brought lands to life as creatures before the BFZ block, but the way this card uses counters to animate the land makes it feel very connected to that time. I wasn’t personally excited by the Awaken ability as it appeared on cards from the Battle block; I have used cards with the ability in decks, but it's never been a deciding factor in whether a card sees play as far as I'm concerned. As such, I'm not really moved by this card. The fact that this is a space that's already been so thoroughly explored means that it's not really that amazing to me. It's fine, there's nothing specifically bad about it, but it's not something I'm going to be running out to get my hands on.

Admiral Beckett Brass: This is a hard one to read. Tribal Commanders with a static lord ability are nice enough in their own right, so the Admiral will probably see play as a Commander just because she's the best choice for the Pirate tribe at the moment. The end-of-turn trigger is pretty good when it connects but the fact that an opponent has to be hit with three Pirates to actually have it happen is a little rough. Currently, the Pirate tribe have low-to-average combat stats overall and often require other options to help them really push through. There are a decent number of Pirates with some type of evasion, so that's a mark in the Admiral's favor, but I feel like there will be some work involved to help solidify the deck's gameplan. If she's backed up properly, I think there is potential for her in the format, but it's tough to call right now. Just like with a number of other cards in the tribe, I think it'll take the release of the next set to really get an idea of what this card can do.

Gishath, Sun's Avatar: If you've been following my blog in the months leading up to Ixalan's release, you'll know that I've been pretty excited for Dinosaurs for a while now. It's exciting to see my young childhood intersect with a hobby I’ve cultivated through my later youth and into my adulthood. It’s great to watch the tribe starts to establish itself, and a powerful Legendary creature is a welcome inclusion in the first rush of cards. Gishath is a great example of what this tribe is going for and a perfect choice to headline the deck if you're looking to build Dinosaurs for yourself. Because he's so centered in support of his tribe, he's really an all-or-nothing type of card, and his value drops off very quickly as creatures other than Dinosaurs start showing up in the deck around him. Similarly, there's little reason to use a different creature to headline a Dinosaur-centric deck as creatures like Mayael the Anima already have established lines that they can follow and converting them to Dinosaur tribal dilutes what they can already do. Still, Gishath is good at what he does and I've already seen him at a table more than once as of this article's writing. Gishath is confirmed awesome.

Hostage Taker: This card was hit with clarification errata before it became available publicly. Hostage Taker is unable to take itself hostage, despite how the text might read. Even without the potential to lock the game into a draw, though, this is a very strong piece for the average Dimir control shell. The capacity to function as a sort of Faceless Butcher for both artifacts and creatures is good in its own right, but stapling on the Gonti, Lord of Luxury ability to cast the exiled card just makes this a huge presence at the table when it comes down. I honestly think this card has the potential to become an auto-include in decks that have access to Blue and Black, as it offers a ton of value for the card slot it takes. This is just a very good card.

Huatli, Warrior Poet: Huatli's suite of abilities is a little strange on the first read. Her zero-loyalty ability is probably the most interesting in that it creates a token outside of her color identity. This isn't unheard of but is generally unusual. Her plus and minus abilities are connected to each other pretty strongly; Huatli essentially has no "ultimate" ability, and the capacity to repeatedly activate the minus-X ability is the main reason to tick up her loyalty. The ability to gain life is interesting here mostly because it allows the player to chain into damage-based boardwipes like Molten Disaster, which is the Dinosaur deck's preference because it allows their Enrage triggers to happen even on the way to the graveyard. Huatli also offers her own interesting way to trigger the Dinosaur tribe's Enrage abilities through the use of her minus-X, which can be used to target your own creatures for added value. Huatli was obviously made to benefit the Dinosaur tribe and her synergies with those cards does show through, but she's strong in her own right and I think she's worth trying in any aggressive list that includes Red and White and wants options that offer a bit more staying power.

Regisaur Alpha: This is another card that's only real value is as an inclusion in the new Dinosaur deck, but will do a ton of work in that specific build. Dinosaurs seem a bit of an exclusive club in that they want only their own kind at the party to really maximize themselves. Dinosaur tribal as a deck is pretty rough right now and a lot of cards are seeing an inclusion just because they have the right creature type, but this feels like a card that will be relevant to the deck even after more options become available. As a card, this is pretty straightforward, but I think it will have a fairly dedicated slot in Gishath's hunting pack for a long while. Definitely worth the inclusion if you're walking the Dinosaur.

Tishana, Voice of Thunder: The immediate comparison for this card is to Prime Speaker Zegana, another Legendary Green-Blue Merfolk creature that can draw cards and set its stats based on other creatures you have in play. Instead of caring about your one largest creature like Zegana, though, Tishana counts your total number of creatures, making her better suited for things like token decks or other swarm mentality builds like Elves. The initial investment of seven mana is a little high but Tishana will make it worthwhile as long as you have a healthy board. I think there's potential for a card like this both as a Commander or as part of the deck. It'll be exciting to see a deck come together for her.

Vona, Butcher of Magan: I went back and forth on the viability of this card for a bit when I first saw it, but as of now I think Vona is quite good. Five mana for a 4/4 with vigilance and lifelink is already above the baseline by itself, and the capacity to pay life for what's essentially a repeatable Vindicate is certainly a useful ability. Seven life can be a bit high as the game goes on, but this card is in the two colors most likely to regain life either through passive gain effects or draining it from opponents, so that cost should be easily handled. This is a good example of a card that offers the means to an end for lifegain effects, as it's a very straightforward and valuable way to spend that life you're gaining. Vona can be quite powerful if the right suite of tools are present, and I think we'll see multiple lists for her in the near future.

Vraska, Relic Seeker: Of the three Planeswalkers in the set, Vraska is the most openly aggressive. Her plus-2 ability creates a creature with menace, a powerful offensive keyword, and her minus-3 snipes active threats on the board and turns them into disposable mana stones for her controller. Her ultimate is flashy but likely won't see a lot of use, as repeated shots with the second ability seems a better way to spend her loyalty. Still, the ultimate is easy to reach from the starting point, and with two or three menacing Pirates out it does have potential to be a finisher. Six mana is very manageable in Commander and the fact that she comes into play with as much loyalty as the mana she costs is nice. Overall I think she's quite good and will serve well as a versatile removal piece for Golgari decks.

Fell Flagship: There's not a lot to say about this one, really. Giving a vehicle the classical Specter ability is kind of interesting, and I like the idea of a ship that's a Pirate lord. A 3/3 vehicle with crew 3 seems small though, and I'm not sure if Pirate tribal is strong enough yet to be worthwhile. The tribe definitely needs lords like this to make it work, though, so this is definitely a step in the right direction. As with so many other cards in the Pirate camp, I think that this card's worth will be solidified with the reveal of the next set, when we can get a better idea of how the tribe will fit together.

Shadowed Caravel: A card like this that is extremely parasitic to other cards within its own set is usually not very good, and Explore in and of itself is already a hard sell. The Explore mechanic's value is really dependent on the color of the card it appears on. Green cards with it aren't as valuable in my opinion because they already have better options for picking up lands, but in a color like Black that has limited ramp capacity and also wants a full graveyard, Explore is a lot better. Even in that instance, though, there's not enough depth to the mechanic to make a deck centered around it. When a card is locked to a mechanic like this it tends to not be very good because it's a dead end if you draw it without mechanical support already in place. If Explore picks up steam in Rivals of Ixalan this might be worth a second look, but honestly I think it's just a better idea to include something a little more dependable.

Sorcerous Spyglass: This is an interesting take on the Pithing Needle formula that allows players a bit of foresight into the card that they name. The fact that it doesn't specifically lock you to a card that it sees when you look at an opponent's hand means no value is lost in playing this. Hypothetically, you could even look through one player's hand, then choose something that's on another player's board once you're sure the player whose hand you looked at is not a present threat. In terms of Commander, this card might actually be more useful than its predecessor. This is because it offers a distinct upgrade for just a single mana that carries its value further into the late game, but its still-low cost means that there's no substantial loss of playability in the early turns. This type of static effect is a useful and dependable way to deal with specific problems, so I would not be surprised to see this gain some traction at the Commander table.

Vanquisher's Banner: With the most recent set of Commander decks adding multiple tribal options to the format, and the heavy tribal themes present in Ixalan, a card like this is very enticing to a lot of people. While the tribal boost isn't on the level of a card like Coat of Arms, there's still solid value in a static anthem effect for a tribe of the player's choice. Beyond that, the card draw ability is very relevant as it can help to keep the deck fueled up. There's potential to chain together multiple plays using this card by drawing into other creatures of the chosen type, which can be extremely beneficial for decks that would otherwise run out of steam. Obviously this card requires a healthy creature base to be properly successful but there is definitely a lot to like about this if you're building to a tribal theme.

Legion's Landing / Adanto, the First Fort: This card is pretty candid in its abilities, but just because it's straightforward doesn't mean it's not playable. The front side of the card follows a small trend of enchantments that create tokens as they enter, with the most obvious recent example probably being Oath of Gideon. Similarly, the transformation trigger plays on cards like Kytheon, Hero of Akros and Windbrisk Heights, and the reverse side is a reworked take on the classic land card Kjeldoran Outpost. It's a solid, functional tool for token decks that want a consistent source of disposable bodies, and while its ability suite is not exactly earth-shattering to read, I think there is value to be had here.

Search for Azcanta / Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin: After the public reveal of Growing Rites of Itlimoc, I had at least one friend at my local game store who was upset that this card wasn't a Tolarian Academy on its reverse side. Despite that, though, I think the card we got is pretty good in its own right. The front side is interesting in that it can fill the graveyard while also manipulating the top of the library. It's fairly innocuous on its own, but it might be helpful if paired with cards like Jace, Vryn's Prodigy or cards with Threshold or Delirium. The back side is a great utility piece for a number of decks as a repeatable way to pull out cards turn after turn. I like this as an option for artifact-based decks as it allows them to gather up useful permanents, but a deck focused on spell-based control can also get some good value out of this. I think it’s quite good.

Arguel's Blood Fast / Temple of Aclazotz: The Black member of the transforming enchantments cycle is mechanically pretty neat. The front side is a Greed variant and the back face is a take on Diamond Valley, which are interesting cards to connect together like this. The result, though, is too hazardous on the player's life total to be of much use. While it’s true that a player's life total is a resource that can be used and I'm fine with paying life to activate abilities, the fact that this card requires you to be at five life to change into its back face is almost ridiculous in its demand. Not only is that number extremely low, but in a format that starts its players at 40 life, it's also going to take a lot of work to get there. If you're really intent on running lands that allow you to sacrifice creatures, consider cards like Miren, the Moaning Well or High Market instead.

Vance's Blasting Cannons / Spitfire Bastion: I'm not quite sure how to look at this card. The front side is essentially a locked Khans choice for Outpost Siege, which is a fine ability if you're looking for it. Red has been getting a number of cards with the Elkin Bottle ability in recent years so this is more or less expected. The reverse face is a repeatable source of damage that feels like an intersection between Shivan Gorge and Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle. Activating a land and tapping three others for the Bastion ability feels a little expensive since you're essentially tying up four mana sources for three damage, but repeatable sources of damage on permanents is nice for fast Red lists since it gives them a way to ensure they have damage output as turns pass. Like some of the other double-faced cards in Ixalan, the trigger to transform this card is optional, which is a nice benefit for a card like this since both sides offer distinct benefits. Overall I think there is value to be had here, but not every deck will be able to use it.

Growing Rites of Itlimoc / Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun: Without a doubt, this is the Transform card in the set that turned the most heads when it was revealed. This design is a take on the classic land Gaea's Cradle, and it offers possibly the best value among its peers. Because the transformation trigger happens at the end of the turn instead of the upkeep, this card doesn't have to survive through a full round at the table to become the land side, which is a huge benefit for the card’s controller. Plus, unlike Gaea's Cradle, the transformed Itlimoc can always tap for mana, even if there are no creatures on the field. This is a gigantic card for the format, and it's likely going to become a mainstay in nearly all mono-Green decks and many multicolored creature-based lists that utilize Green as a central color.

Conqueror's Galleon / Conqueror's Foothold: Of all the transform cards in the set, this one is probably the least mechanically connected between its two faces. In terms of flavor, it's a cool idea to have a ship that floats up to a new continent and becomes the first landed settlement there, but I'm honestly less interested in this one as a card just because there's no real intersection of flavor and mechanics compared to the others. Some people are comparing this card’s back face to Trading Post, but I'm not sure if that comparison is entirely apt. I do think it’s a decent draw engine, though, and the fact that you can essentially improve how it functions by giving it more mana is a neat card design. The front is pretty lackluster overall but it's fairly easy to transform, so it's going to come down to whether or not playing the back half is worth including the front. Might be worth a test run, in any event.

Dowsing Dagger / Lost Vale: The Dagger is the only member of the transforming artifacts in this set that's an Equipment, which gives it a bit of a different feel compared to some of the others. I really enjoy the flavor of having to hack through the underbrush to find your way to the land on the other side, even though this is mechanically minimized in multiplayer games by attacking a different player than the one you gave the Plant tokens. Still, it's a cool idea. The land on the reverse side is a callback to Lotus Vale, itself a variant on arguably the most famous Magic card ever, Black Lotus. Three mana from one permanent is always beneficial and welcome in this format where mana costs can run high, and I think this is worth testing out in any deck that wants to swing in but has limited access to mana ramp.

Primal Amulet / Primal Wellspring: This is an amazing card for spell-based decks that want to win outside of combat. Reactive control decks that run a high number of counterspells or other manipulative spell cards will see an immediate return with a card like this one, and aggressive spell-based decks will appreciate the capacity to double down on each spell they cast. The back face plays as a sort of Pyromancer's Goggles analogue but works for any instant or sorcery, making it an upgrade on that card for decks that run more than one color. The transformation trigger is also optional on this card, which is great as it allows players to choose how they want to utilize it. In the earlier parts of the game, the Jace's Sanctum-style cost reduction is more useful, while the reverse side is functionally a finisher in some lists and better suited to the later turns. Giving the player control of when the card transforms allows this to be exactly the card it needs to be as it’s needed. I think this card will see a lot of play as time goes on.

Thaumatic Compass / Spires of Orazca: The front side of this card is a nice piece for decks that don't have a lot of access to land acceleration, essentially acting as a repeatable Expedition Map for basics. It's not terribly exciting, but it's a useful activation that a number of decks will be able to make use of. The land half is a renovated version of Maze of Ith that only works on opponents' creatures. These two cards have little to really do with each other in a mechanical sense, but there is a bit of flavor here in that you have to use the compass to find your way through other places to get to the land on the reverse side. I like to think of these cards similarly to things like modal spells and split cards in that they offer multiple types of value without taking up extra card slots. This card is probably the best example of that thinking. Truthfully, I think the front side is just more useful than the back in most situations, but the fact that it turns into something that has value in the late game earns it points. Overall I think it's quite good.

Treasure Map / Treasure Cove: This is an interesting piece and one of only a handful of transform cards in Ixalan that don’t feel specifically tied to cards from previous sets. In this instance, though, it may be because this is one of the set’s  mechanical highlight cards, exemplifying the Treasure token mechanic. The activated ability of the front side is quite useful for a number of decks, and once it flips into the land it offers an alternate way to spend Treasure tokens, which is nice. This is another card that I think will gain more benefit when Rivals of Ixalan releases and additional Treasure-making cards are added to the game. As it is right now, one of the best ways to use this card is in a deck that can flicker or bounce permanents, allowing you to rebuild the Treasure tokens once you've exhausted them. There’s definitely value there but it’ll be interesting to see how this card evolves once there’s more opportunity to find Treasure.

Checkland Reprints: These are great lands that are certainly useful in any deck that can run them, and are often my personal first "go-to" when I start working on a multicolor land base. When building a new deck from scratch, these are an ideal place to start a land suite, and they’re an inexpensive and readily available way to upgrade the land base of a preconstructed deck once changes start being made. There's not much to say about them otherwise, but it's nice to have them that much more available with a new printing.

And that’s Ixalan! Thanks for reading this article. If you have any additional thoughts about any of these cards and want to make your voice heard, feel free to post a comment or send me a message. I hope that this huge, amorphous mass of words helps your deckbuilding endeavors in the future.

[gathering-magic]

Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle by Daarken

[parivar-alters-blog]

[Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle]

Without further ado, another vampire … but this time in white! Building a mono white vampire-tribal edh-token-deck around [this card]? Seems interesting …

Feel free to ask questions and for a commission! :)

[aburningrose]

Last week at Friday Night Magic I got my first two wins playing Commander and earlier tonight I got two more wins and my Vampire deck is becoming more and more enjoyable to play as I continue to upgrade it. :D

Here is my decklist as of now, if anyone is interested! It’s not perfect and it can kinda feel like it’s all over the place at times but when it works, it works wonderfully and I have quite a bit of fun with it!

Commander

Edgar Markov

Creatures

Mathas, Fiend Seeker

Kheru Mind-Eater

Patron of the Vein

Anowon, the Ruin Sage

Bloodlord of Vaasgoth

Blood Baron of Vizkopa

Butcher of Malakir

Captivating Vampire

Dark Impostor

Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief

Malakir Bloodwitch

Sangromancer

Vein Drinker

Bloodline Necromancer

Blood Artist

Falkenrath Noble

Vampire Nighthawk

Rakish Heir

Stromkirk Captain

Tithe Drinker

Bloodhusk Ritualist

Sanctum Seeker

Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle

Bishop of Rebirth

Yahenni, Undying Partisan

Vicious Conquistador

Bloodghast

Adanto Vanguard

Instants

Teferi's Protection

Crackling Doom

Return to Dust

Swords to Plowshares

Go for the Throat

Mortify

Scorcery

New Blood

Disrupt Decorum

Kindred Charge

Fell the Mighty

Blood Tribute

Consuming Vapors

Merciless Eviction

Ambition's Cost

Read the Bones

Syphon Mind

Never to Return

Artifacts

Door of Destinies 

Vanquisher’s Banner

Well of Lost Dreams

Boros Signet

Orzhov Signet

Rakdos Signet

Sol Ring

Worn Powerstone

Conqueror’s Galleon

Mindcrank

Enchantments

Kindred Boon

Blind Obedience

Sanguine Bond

Underworld Connections

Legion’s Landing

Raider’s Wake

Sunbird’s Invocation

Ashes of the Abhorrent

Lands

8 Swamps

3 Mountains

3 Plains

Unclaimed Territory

Path of Ancestry

Akoum Refuge

Bloodfell Caves

Bojuka Bog

Boros Garrison

Boros Guildgate

Cinder Barrens

Command Tower

Evolving Wilds

Forsaken Sanctuary

Kabira Crossroads

Nomad Outpost

Opal Palace

Orzhov Basilica

Orzhov Guildgate

Rakdos Carnarium

Rakdos Guildgate

Scoured Barrens

Stone Quarry

Terramorphic Expanse

Urborg Volcano

Wind-Scarred Crag

I really wanna add Vona, Butcher of Magan, and then I think my deck will be more or less complete, at least for now. :P

[housebeleren]

Ixalan Box Opening

I LOVE CRACKING PACKS! 

Sorry, it was release night on Friday, and that always make me a little giddy. I mean, just look at this beautiful sight:

Doesn’t get much better than that. I’m going to go through my box opening and see how we did. The cards we’re really looking for are Carnage Tyrant, most of the Dual-Faced Lands, and any of the Planeswalkers. At least from a value perspective. There are tons of other cards that I want for casual playability or just to have, as a collector. In the end, I’ll total up about how much value I opened, using TCG Player Average price as my basis. 

Also, is this not the perfect shirt to wear for an Ixalan box opening?!?! I thought so.

So let’s get started!

Well that seems good! First pack of the night started off with a bang. Literally my highest value pull of the night right off the bat. Growing rites is nearly $15, but I’m for sure keeping it because:

That’s just gorgeous. And I wants it for EDH.

From there, things progressed relatively without too much fuss. I opened my first mythic, Admiral Beckett Brass, fairly early, but it was slow going for a while. I opened one foil Rare:

Though that isn’t worth very much. 

From there, things progressed slowly. My mythics were mostly busts, as Overflowing Insight and Wakening Sun’s Avatar aren’t particularly high value pulls, and cards I’m not exactly looking to jam in EDH decks. 

I did open several more Dual-Faced Cards, which all add their little bit of incremental value:

And they’re also just pretty! 

But finally... I opened my last mythic of the night. The card I was hoping for... the card that changed everything... my boy Jace:

Unnnnnnghhhhh.

Sorry. I’m done.

No seriously, that was basically it for my box opening.

Here were my mythics:

And my total pull of Rares, Mythics, and Foils:

Sorry, it’s hard to see. But that’s foils, by rarity in the top-left. Mythics top-right. Generic rares by color in the middle, Dual-Faced Cards on the right, and my Check Lands (and one artifact) on the bottom. I didn’t pull out any of the money Uncommons or Commons, but I got a few of each. So let’s total it up:

Mythics

Jace, Cunning Castaway - $14.86

Admiral Beckett Brass - $3.00

Wakening Sun’s Avatar - $2.14

Overflowing Insight - $1.55

Total Mythic Value: $21.55

This seems low, but is totally in-line with the MTG Goldfish Expected Value article. I was glad to get one real value mythic, since other than the Planeswalkers & Carnage tyrant, they’re basically all low value.

Rares

Growing Rites of Itlimoc/Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun - $14.49

Ripjaw Raptor - $10.00

Regisaur Alpha - $7.44

Search for Azcanta/Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin - $5.00

Dowsing Dagger/Lost Vale - $3.89

Drowned Catacomb - $3.67

Sword-Point Diplomacy (Foil) - $3.06

Shapers’ Sanctuary - $3.00

Glacial Fortress - $2.98

Settle the Wreckage - $2.94

Legion’s Landing/Adanto, The First Fort - $2.75

Sunpetal Grove - $2.45

Ruin Raider - $2.31

Primal Amulet/Primal Wellspring - $2.25

Spell Swindle - $1.84

Deadeye Tracker - $1.53

Tocatli Honor Guard - $1.47

Bloodcrazed Paladin - $1.35

Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle - $1.25

Fathom Fleet Captain - $1.25

Sanctum Seeker - $0.99

11x Bulk Rares - $.50 apiece

Total Rare Value: $81.41

I did really well on the rares, nabbing one copy each of the 5 most expensive rares in the set. It didn’t really feel like I was doing that well as I opened them, but there you go.

Uncommons & Commons

1x Kumena’s Speaker (Foil) - $3.00

1x Unclaimed Territory - $2.46

4x Opt - $0.61 = $2.44

2x Siren Stormcaller - $1.21 = $2.42

2x Chart a Course - $0.49 = $0.98

1x Walk the Plank - $0.94

2x Otepec Huntmaster - $0.41 = $0.88

2x Merfolk Branchwalker - $0.41 = $0.88

1x Field of Ruin - $0.75

Total Uncommon Value: $14.75

I did pretty well on the uncommons, grabbing at least one of each that’s worth anything, and two of several. I really want more copies of Field of Ruin for EDH, but I’ll start with one and go from there.

Total Box Value: $117.71

So, given that I paid $90 plus tax for the box, I feel like I did okay. Even if I do the MTG Goldfish method of chopping of 15% for shipping/fees if I tried to sell the cards, that brings me to about $100 even, which is still more than I put into the box. That said, prices of many of these cards will drop dramatically in a few weeks once the supply ramps up significantly, so the actual value I will realize altogether is probably noticeably less. Still, a decent box, despite my lack of good mythics. I’m still pretty pleased.

Buy a Box Promo Pack

So, in addition to the box itself, this set Wizards did fun stuff with the Buy a Box promo, making it a mini booster pack similar to the Standard Showdown packs that contain some fun foil cards and rares. My clear best pull in this pack was a foil Earthshaker Khenra:

Which is about $6 right now, thank you Ramunap Red.

Here was my total pack:

So let’s total it up! It’s a little hard to figure the value of the foil Rebecca Guay lands. They’re listed for around $6 on eBay, but retail on most foil promo lands is closer to $2, so I’m going to use that as the baseline. None of my other rares are worth too much, other than perhaps the W/G Cycle Land (of which is my 6th or 7th, yet I’ve never pulled the B/U one). But let’s see.

Earthshaker Khenra (Foil) - $5.99

Burning Sun’s Avatar (Promo Foil) - $2.83

Scattered Groves - $2.12

Island (Promo Foil) - $2.00

Plains (Promo Foil) - $2.00

Verdant Sun’s Avatar - $0.49

Abandoned Sarcophagus - $0.40

Ironclad Revolutionary (Foil) - $0.36

Glyph Keeper - $0.34

Total Buy a Box Booster Value: $16.53

Honestly, that’s pretty sweet. And considering I actually got two Burning Sun’s Avatar promos, it’s closer to $19. Which, added to the box value, gives me a total value of $137.07. I really hope they do the Buy a Box Booster pack thing going forward. It makes it a lot more interesting than just getting a single promo card.

So that’s it. How did everyone else do with their Ixalan boxes? Way better than me? Way worse? Either way, hope everyone is having fun cracking packs this weekend!

[chiyukiakasuna]

So now that Wizards has officially previewed some cards (and said something about the leaks, Source Here) , I can talk about Ixalan lore and Vorthos stuff owo

under cut in case ppl haven’t seen it yet

There seem to be four(ish) factions:

The Sun Empire, the Mesoamerican-themed society that is the advanced society in Ixalan. Human-based, uses dinosaurs as mounts and as weapons. Red, Green, White.

Vampires - White-centered (WB), Paladin/chivalrous culture. Has a ritual called “Blood Fast”; presumably vampires will fast from blood for some reason, possibly purity or religious. One card, Bloodcrazed Paladin, describes what happens to those who break fast. “When a paladin undertaking the Blood Fast finally gives in to hunger, the violence is sudden, explosive, and complete.”

Pirates - non-aligned, Red, Black, Blue. Follow no rules but their own. Vraska has aligned herself with them for some reason (more on that later).

Merfolk - Green/Blue, nature guardians, don’t tolerate trespassers in their wilds. Take the role that elves do on many other planes. Secretive.

We also have two story cards: 2/5 - Vraska’s Contempt (2BB, Instant, Exile target creature or planeswalker. You gain 2 life.) “It wasn’t long before the taverns of High and Dry were full of whispers about the new captain who could turn a person to stone with a glance.” 3/5 - River’s Rebuke (4UU, Sorcery, Return all nonland permanents target player controls to their owner’s hand.) “Carefully following the thaumatic compass Bolas had given her, Vraska blundered straight into the River Heralds’ trap.”

- Vraska is the key player in Ixalan. We already knew this. But now it seems Bolas is involved too, distracting Vraska to get her to do his bidding. Now there’s reason (sorta) for the Gatewatch to get involved (Jace will likely track Vraska b/c both Gatewatch and Ravnica duties,( I expect he’s keeping tabs on Ravnican ‘walkers, if not he should be; also that thing with Mazirek owo). Possible Jace vs Ral stuff. ) - Bolas is involved, so therefore the GW is too.

Ixalan non-GW plot:

- A planeswalker called Angrath is trapped on Ixalan. (flavor text, Angrath’s Marauders: “Captain Angrath cares less about treasure than mayhem. If he can’t leave Ixalan, he’ll burn the place down.”). Very reminiscent of Ob Nixilis and Zendikar.

- The Sun is a key figure, and there is a “search for the Immortal Sun” (flavor text, Star of Extinction: “’The visions haunt me. I see the end of the world, brought on by the search for the Immortal Sun.’ - Shaper Pashona” The sun shapes life on Ixalan - a kingdom reveres it, while the vampires revere the night instead. Dusk is a big thing for them (Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle, Sanguine Sacrament’s flavor text “As the sun sets to make way for dawn, so we turn to darkness to bring about the coming salvation.”

- The sun takes many forms. Gishath, Sun’s Avatar; Verdant Sun’s Avatar, “Ixalli”, Burning Sun’s Avatar, “Tilonalli”. There is a dualty - life and destruction, two sides of a coin (or a cycle, idk). All are also Dinosaur Avatars.

-Something in the wilds - Vraska led into a trap in the wilds, Deeproot Champion “No good will come from what you seek. Turn back now or suffer an ignoble death far from your home.”, all sorts of exploration-that-turns-bad themes. Perhaps brings about the destruction prophesized in Star of Extinction?

- War between the humans of Pachatupa/the Sun Empire and the vampires. Unknown if the vampires have a central city as well. Sun vs dusk, light vs dark, each claims their aspect to be salvation.

-Possible “you messed with it now you’re dead” with the whole Star of Extinction and secretive “turn back now” merfolk.

Legendary Creatures: Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle - Monowhite Vampire Cleric. Religious aspects of the vampire paladins, has completed the Blood Fast (”In the rapture of his Blood Fast, he destroyed the navigator’s tools and steered the ship to shore by faith alone”. I love him.

Kopala, Warden of Waves - Monoblue Merfolk Wizard. He protects other Merfolk, mechanically. Protector of the secrets of Ixalan. “I know these waters better than you know yourselves.”

Captain Lannery Storm - Monored Human Pirate. She’s got a bit of treasure tribal. Unknown lore. Just another pirate captain?

Admiral Beckett Brass - UBR Human Pirate. Pirate tribal. “You and your ship will make a fine addition to my fleet.” Also not much lore.

Gishath, Sun’s Avatar - RGW Dinosaur Avatar. Just. Giant freaking sun dinosaur. Summons other dinosaurs. Doesn’t need lore, but as a Sun’s Avatar they’ll probably play a heavy role in the non-Gatewatch story of Ixalan.

Tishana, Voice of Thunder - GU Merfolk Shaman. Cards-in-hand tribal. No lore, but like the other merfolk, probably more secretive Ixalan stuff.

Probable Planeswalkers: Definitely Vraska. Duh. Jace Angarth - I hope he gets a card, he’s already in lore and we already know he’s a ‘walker. Maybe at least a Legendary card, like as a sparkless walker, like Ob Nixilis was. A native ‘walker??

[mtgbracket]

Round of 1024 - Batch 2 results

Our second batch is closed - here are the winners and losers.  You can see the visual results here and track all the results so far here.

Here’s the full listing:

Jareth, Leonine Titan defeats Riven Turnbull with 85.1% of the vote The Mimeoplasm defeats Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle with 84.2% of the vote Brigid, Hero of Kinsbaile defeats Sima Yi, Wei Field Marshal with 83.8% of the vote Venser, Shaper Savant defeats Agrus Kos, Wojek Veteran with 81.7% of the vote

Erebos, God of the Dead defeats Oros, the Avenger with 79.4% of the vote Lovisa Coldeyes defeats Prava of the Steel Legion with 78.2% of the vote Liliana, Heretical Healer defeats Llawan, Cephalid Empress with 77.2% of the vote Eight-and-a-Half-Tails defeats The Haunt of Hightower with 74.4% of the vote

Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin defeats Niambi, Esteemed Speaker with 72.1% of the vote Jhoira of the Ghitu defeats Vilis, Broker of Blood with 71.3% of the vote Kenrith, the Returned King defeats Kumano, Master Yamabushi with 70.9% of the vote Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons defeats Chevill, Bane of Monsters with 69.5% of the vote

Thromok the Insatiable defeats Patron of the Nezumi with 68.3% of the vote Sliver Hivelord defeats Alena, Kessig Trapper with 67.1% of the vote Thraximundar defeats Timmy, Power Gamer with 66.7% of the vote Drana, the Last Bloodchief defeats Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper with 64.4% of the vote

Rubinia Soulsinger defeats Triad of Fates with 64.3% of the vote Ascendant Evincar defeats Miara, Thorn of the Glade with 63.2% of the vote Alexander Clamilton defeats Jacques le Vert with 62.9% of the vote Evra, Halcyon Witness defeats Raksha Golden Cub with 62.1% of the vote

Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose defeats Shabraz, the Skyshark with 59.0% of the vote Mishra, Artificer Prodigy defeats Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion with 58.4% of the vote Bell Borca, Spectral Sergeant defeats Reyav, Master Smith with 58.0% of the vote Horobi, Death's Wail defeats Oviya Pashiri, Sage Lifecrafter with 56.7% of the vote

Sliver Legion defeats Trostani Discordant with 56.0% of the vote Haktos the Unscarred defeats Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix with 55.9% of the vote Kokusho, the Evening Star defeats Marrow-Gnawer with 55.2% of the vote Grand Arbiter Augustin IV defeats King Macar, the Gold-Cursed with 53.4% of the vote

Glissa, the Traitor defeats Syr Konrad, the Grim with 52.2% of the vote Dralnu, Lich Lord defeats Korlash, Heir to Blackblade with 51.3% of the vote Grumgully, the Generous defeats Yorion, Sky Nomad with 50.8% of the vote Anowon, the Ruin Sage defeats Basandra, Battle Seraph with 50.8% of the vote

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle

In the rapture of his Blood Fast, he destroyed the navigator's tools and steered the ship to shore by faith alone.

Artist: Daarken TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link