Hey everyone! It’s new set time and I know you are all excited to read about all the crazy shenanigans we’re about to get into in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. I’m ready to start spelunking down into this to figure out what my exploration uncovers.
Per usual, I’ll be grading the entire set for the purpose of limited as well as writing about a million other articles about it. With all that, you’ll be well prepared to crush some serious dreams.
Here’s the usual grading scale:
- 5.0: Disgustingly powerful and basically unbeatable. Either answer it the turn it comes down or just pack up your cards. (Gruff Triplets, Virtue of Persistence, The Eternal Wanderer)
- 4.5: Incredible bomb that still gives your opponent a slim chance. (Virtue of Loyalty, Imodane's Recruiter, Realm-Scorcher Hellkite)
- 4.0: Great rare or the absolute best uncommons and removal. (Faunsbane Troll, Gumdrop Poisoner, Talion's Messenger)
- 3.5: Great role filler or removal that you never cut. (Candy Grapple, Hearth Elemental, Torch the Tower)
- 3.0: Good playable that I’m basically never cutting. (Shrouded Shepherd, Spellscorn Coven, Sharae of Numbing Depths)
- 2.5: Decent playable and the bar I hope nearly every card in my deck to reach. (Evolving Wilds, Archon's Glory, Flick a Coin)
- 2.0: Mediocre filler that normally is your 20-23rd card(s). (Mintstrosity, Ice Out, Grabby Giant)
- 1.5: Replaceable, overall bad filler. Could also be decent sideboard cards. (Titanic Growth, Scarecrow Guide, Territorial Witchstalker)
- 1.0: Bad filler. Gets cut most of the time. (Dark Tutelage, Kindled Heroism, Impact Tremors)
- 0.5: Very unhappy to main deck this, but maybe it has fringe sideboard applications. Cards that “could” be situationally decent, but bad in most situations. (Smothering Tithe, Rhystic Study, Mana Flare)
- 0.0: Unplayable in every possible situation. They rarely print cards this bad these days. (Hew the Entwood, One with Nothing)
Abuelo’s Awakening
Rating: 1.0/5
Wake up grandpa, it’s time to lay some beats! I would be a lot higher on this if it could hit creatures, but there are still a ton of artifacts running around with ETB effects. As long as you have something worth bringing back, then this could be some good value.
While getting a huge flyer back is the dream, it’s pretty expensive to make it happen. There are going to be times you draw this late and crush them with it, but there are also going to be times you’re staring at this in your hand.
Even if you get something back like Chimil, the Inner Sun back, it’s now a creature that’s vulnerable to removal.
Acrobatic Leap
Rating: 1.5/5
We’ve seen this trick multiple times, most recently with Leaping Ambush. It typically falls into the category where you can occasionally get someone with it because people don’t expect it to be played. Unfortunately, Arena tends to rat you out on one mana tricks so it will be better IRL.
It’s a decent sideboard card against red removal or in an aggro mirror where it can flip the tempo or steal a win.
Adaptive Gemguard
Rating: 2.0/5
I don’t have to tell you that no one should be playing a Hill Giant in 2023, but this one can adapt to become so much more.
Not being limited to once a turn means that it can get really big, really quick. You want to be playing cards that make map tokens and other cheap cards that make multiple artifacts such as Tinker's Tote to make it work.
Attentive Sunscribe
Rating: 2.0/5
A bear with the upside of scrying when it taps sounds pretty decent. If you’ve been attentive to the rest of the set then you’ve seen that there are cards that you can tap this for like Adaptive Gemguardso you don’t even need to attack to get some value.
Bat Colony
Rating: 1.5/5
This can be downright batty in the right deck, but it’s going to be very rare that you have enough caves to pull it off. If you are going to be consistently making 2-3 bats with the later counters as just gravy, then this can be really good. If you’re making one, you’re going to be embarrassed that it made the cut. There are also going to be times you don’t draw any caves and this does stone cold nothing.
I’m not going to do the math right now, but if you don’t have at least 5-6 caves, it’s not going to work out. Then the question pops up of how many tap lands are you willing to play. It just asks a lot out of you so I would feel better about picking this up later on after I already have the requirements met.
Clay-Fired Bricks
Rating: 3.0/5
Seven mana (and another artifact, preferably from your graveyard) is an awfully lot, but it is a Glorious Anthem with four power and toughness across two bodies. That’s fine in the late game since it already replaced itself and gave you a couple life.
Cosmium Blast
Rating: 1.5/5
While this will be fine sometimes, it is a bit too limited to play too many of them. A wily opponent will adjust their attacks if it seems like you’re holding this up so you can get stuck stranding your mana every turn while they develop their board.
One trick with this is to put a stop at the end of combat so you can still use this to finish off a big creature after your smaller creature already dealt damage to it. That way you don’t have to worry about them killing your creature in response.
Dauntless Dismantler
Rating: 2.5/5
There are a lot of artifacts floating around this set so this will almost never be a dead card. Granted it is going to cost a ton to kill anything expensive, but it does have the high ceiling of picking off multiple things. The body is decent enough for an early blocker as long as your deck isn’t too aggressive.
Deconstruction Hammer
Rating: 1.5/5
There are plenty of formats where Short Sword is perfectly playable and there are multiple cheap flyers that won’t mind carrying this hammer around. Having the ability to sacrifice itself to pop off an artifact or enchantment is nice and all, but you have to equip this to a creature that can tap to use the ability.
Dusk Rose Reliquary
Rating: 3.0/5
A Bone Splinters that also has an artifact option on both ends sounds nice, but it does give them it back when this dies. Normally you wouldn’t be too worried about that, but I am in this set because I envision plenty of mainboard artifact hate with cards like Dreadmaw's Ire running around.
Envoy of Okinec Ahau
Rating: 2.0/5
Limited has evolved to the point that you don’t really need expensive mana sinks anymore. This is still a Centaur Courser that has some utility later on so it’s not a huge cost to have a decent late game option.
Fabrication Foundry
Rating: 1.0/5
A mana rock that both costs colored mana and has a restriction on what you can spend the mana on is pretty sad in modern limited. The second ability could be relevant, but it seems really clunky. I’m sure this does something in commander though.
Family Reunion
Rating: 1.5/5
While it seems like giving your team hexproof can be a total blowout, it will usually just trade for one removal spell. That’s a good deal, but holding up two mana for this is a lot harder than holding up one for Royal Treatment.
The +1+1 to your team can be nice when things lineup perfectly, but I think people will know this card exists at common and block accordingly when possible. It’s still a reasonable price for a decent set of options if you’re playing a go wide strategy.
Get Lost
Rating: 2.5/5
Strangely enough, Get Lost is what my wife just told me to do when I tried to bother her in the middle of her playing Diablo.
I’m starting out valuing Map Tokens at about half a card so this is going to play vary similarly to Fateful Absence that can also hit enchantments. Removal this efficient doesn’t come along every day in white so it makes the drawback worth it.
Glorifier of Suffering
Rating: 2.5/5
This can put the counter on itself so you only need one other creature and a piece of sacrifice fodder to add a total of five power to the board for only three mana. Map tokens or something that you already got value out of (Tinker's Tote comes to mind) are great ways to glorify the suffering of your opponent.
Guardian of the Great Door
Rating: 3.5/5
If you’re paying full retail for this then you obviously haven’t properly shopped around. The combination convoke/improvise ability to drop this early is a huge boon. If you drop a turn one Spyglass Siren, that’s already two mana towards getting this angel getting out there early.
Another great way to use this is to give it a Helping Hand since its mana cost is technically two.
Helping Hand
Rating: 2.0/5
I like this for the mana cost, but I need a bunch of cheap ETB effects to prioritize this. I also want this if I’m very aggressive because bringing back a three drop you traded off for only one mana is a great way to keep pushing your advantage.
Ironpaw Aspirant
Rating: 2.5/5
A step up from the usual versions of this card like Backup Agent because it can come down as a 2/3 on its own. Leaving a 1/2 behind while pumping up an evasive creature is also significantly better for blocking opposing 1/1s.
Kinjalli’s Dawnrunner
Rating: 3.0/5
You’re either getting a 1/1 double striker that drew a card or a 2/2 double striker with a bit of card selection. While you don’t get to choose the mode, I’m usually happy with either one of those options at three mana.
The usual double strike things apply such as being good with equipment and pump spells. There are also map tokens running around that let you explore tearing into your opponent with this.
Kutzil’s Flanker
Rating: 3.0/5
I feel like if I’m playing a 3/1 flash creature that in a lot of cases I would rather just be jamming Mischievous Pup than any of these modes. Having the option for any of the three is versatile enough that I ranked this a little bit ahead.
The default mode will usually be gain two and scry two, but the other ones certainly aren’t blanks. You have to trade at least a couple of creatures to make the counters really matter, but it will occasionally turn into a Craw Wurm. Exiling graveyards will probably come up a lot more often than you think with craft and descend around.
Malamet War Scribe
Rating: 2.5/5
While Inspired Charge tends to be a borderline playable, this one comes with a decent body attached. That more than makes up for the sorcery speed which makes this a fine top end card for go wide decks.
Market Gnome
Rating: 2.0/5
This is a great sideboard card against an aggressive deck and probably has some decent play in any deck trying to stall to craft something outlandish.
Might of the Ancestors
Rating: 1.5/5
This does basically nothing when you’re on the back foot, but it can help push some serious damage if you’re the beatdown. In that case, it’s sort of like an equipment that you don’t have to pay to equip. It can make your 1/1 tokens an actual threat or speed up the clock on your evasive creatures.
Miner’s Guidewing
Rating: 2.0/5
I’m a fan of cheap evasive flyers in a format with good equipment and decent ways to pump them up. If Diamond Pick-Axe was a common, I would be higher on this. I’ll settle for map tokens and assorted other pumps such as Ironpaw Aspirant.
Getting an explore out of this when it dies is a nice way to cash in your early drop, but make sure you have another creature to target or in the words of Willy Wonka “You get nothing! You lose! Good Day Sir!”
Mischievous Pup
Rating: 2.5/5
Stockpiling Celebrant just showed everyone that picking up your own permanent can be a very powerful ability. This gives up the scry 2 (and a toughness) in exchange for being able to play it at instant speed. That’s a fair tradeoff as it lets you counter a removal spell or drop a surprise combatant.
Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation
Rating: 4.0/5
You’ve seen double tokens, but what about triple tokens? Obviously you need token makers to make this pop off so it is a bit of a build around. With three or more ways to make tokens it probably bumps up to a 4.5.
Even without making tokens, a massive creature that dies into a land that can bring itself back is a very real problem. These gods running around makes exile removal a little bit better.
Oltec Archaeologists
Rating: 1.5/5
Gravedigging back an artifact will tend to be much less impactful than a creature. As we all remember from Imperial Oath a late game Scry three can be a huge difference, but that gave you three bodies while this is merely a 4/4. Fine as a late pick that ends up being card 23, but nothing you want to be grabbing early.
Oltec Cloud Guard
Rating: 3.0/5
The one mana bump up from Preening Champion isn’t quite worth the extra power, but that was an egregious common so this falls into the just really good category. Don’t go overboard because there is a much bigger limit on the number of four drops in your deck than there is on three drops.
Oteclan Landmark
Rating: 1.5/5
Contrary to popular belief, a scry two usually isn’t worth a card even at only one mana. Needing another artifact (even if it can be from the graveyard) and three more mana to get a creature that would be too expensive at four mana isn’t where I want to be.
Petrify
Rating: 3.0/5
It’s the two mana Arrest variant of the set with the bonus of hitting artifacts. I guess I could also say it’s the Planar Disruption variant that doesn’t hit Planeswalkers, but they cut those down to one a set so it’s not as big of a deal.
Quicksand Whirlpool
Rating: 2.5/5
Exile is nice in a format where descend makes the graveyards matter. Six is a bit above the going rate for removal, but the discount when hitting a tapped creature gives you some leeway when you’re being beatdown.
Resplendent Angel
Rating: 4.0/5
A 3/3 flyer for three is totally fine even if it is hard to cast. This is much, much more than that since it is almost game ending if you connect with it after activating the ability. Five points of lifelink with a 4/4 angel thrown in will start a snowball effect if it doesn’t end the game outright.
Ruin-Lurker Bat
Rating: 2.5/5
The lifelink on this is one of those almost incidental life gain that ends up mattering in the long run. It’ll be poking along in the air while getting some additional value out of the end step scrys. Dropping this turn one followed by a Ironpaw Aspirant is going to be very hard to race.
Sanguine Evangelist
Rating: 4.0/5
This may not look super impressive for a rare, but getting 3 bodies for three mana is a great deal even if you have to wait for one of them. Drafting one of these really makes me want to try to pick up Helping Hand to build some obscene board states.
Soaring Sandwing
Rating: 2.5/5
I’m always willing to give the land cycling creatures some leeway of a mana or two for the fallback option of being able to get a land when I am screwed. This falls right into that spot where you’d be fine playing this at five mana. It’s a great way to help stabilize while also being a good evasive attacker. Can’t ask for much more than that.
I do have to note that there is a huge difference between the two mana land cyclers and the one mana ones that we had in Lord of the Rings. This would be at least half a point higher if it only cost one.
Spring-Loaded Sawblades
Rating: 3.5/5
I’m not really a huge fan of the cards that deal damage to a tapped creature, but five damage for two mana is a good rate for it. Potentially getting a 5/5 out of it later on is great even if it is a vehicle. It’s one of those cards where I’m not really interested in either side, but it’s great since you can get both.
Thousand Moons Crackshot
Rating: 1.5/5
Having to attack to use its expensive tap ability usually makes this worse than just the tapping version we had with Frostbridge Guard. You still get to attack with it, but you lose the versatility of the end step tap or being able to use it defensively. If you are an aggressive creature deck that wants a bear that could be more, than you want this. Otherwise, it’s not doing much by today’s standards.
Thousand Moons Infantry
Rating: 1.5/5
This has pseudo vigilance, but you can also use it for some other shenanigans like pumping Adaptive Gemguardwhile still getting to hold this back on defense. It could have some uses, but not every deck is going to be interested in this.
Thousand Moons Smithy
Rating: 4.0/5
The creature you start out with is most likely going to be around or above rate so there isn’t much downside to this. The upside of flipping this and then making another massive monster every time you cast a creature off the backside is huge.
Tinker’s Tote
Rating: 2.5/5
Two 1/1s for three mana is paying a little above the going rate of two mana. It does give you three artifacts out of one card as well as providing a great piece of sacrifice fodder. The tote goes well with craft and descend. It also makes triggering Brazen Blademaster easy. It’s one of those glue cards that always gives you a bit more than face value.
Unstable Glyphbridge
Rating: 4.0/5
While you each get to keep a creature, you get to choose so they’ll be hanging on to their worst small creature while you keep your best little monster. That will most likely also conveniently place an artifact in your graveyard that you can craft with.
I don’t know if you know how annoying a five power flyer that they have to choose between attacking or casting spells each turn will be. It will make them want to flip the virtual table.
Vanguard of the Rose
Rating: 2.5/5
Adanto Vanguard off of Wish. com. It will still be decent because of threat of activation as well as being a cheap sacrifice outlet.
Warden of the Inner Sky
Rating: 3.0/5
This can tap itself and summoning sick creatures as part of its activation so it’s really not as difficult as it seems to get it moving. There are also map tokens and equipment to power this along. It’s also not limited to once a turn so you can just jam multiple activations to get a decent size flyer going.
It has a lot going on for a one drop and that’s the kind of efficiency I’m into.
Wrap Up
White is stacked with cheap efficient creatures and ways to enhance them for combat. For it being White, it has a decent package of removal headlined by Petrify. Overall it looks like a good aggressive color with some artifact synergies floating around to back it up.
Thanks for reading! I’ll be back tomorrow for my limited review of the blue cards of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. Until then, stay classy people!
If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.
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