A ton of new information about the Lost Caverns of Ixalan has just recently been announced, and there’s a lot to take in. From new and unique spoilers to pricey reprints with intriguing treatments, this set has a lot to offer. After all, the original Ixalan block was a slam-dunk, and Wizards of the Coast is clearly trying to match that level of energy.
Beyond just spoilers from the main set and box toppers, the MagicCon Las Vegas preview panel also revealed some spoilers from the Jurassic World crossover. Two new Secret Lairs are coming alongside the release of the Lost Caverns of Ixalan, as well as some mechanically unique Jurassic World-themed cards. There will be 20 new MTG Jurassic World cards in the set which will appear in roughly 1 out of every 12 Set booster packs of the Lost Caverns of Ixalan. They will also appear in every single Collector Booster pack. With this in mind, it’s time to look at some of these thrilling cards from the Jurassic World crossover and beyond.
Welcome To… Jurassic Park
Right off the bat, we get a humorous Saga as a welcome to the unique crossover. For three mana, you get an Enchantment with some pretty cool abilities. First, for each opponent, you can turn up to one non-Creature Artifact they control into a 0/4 Wall Artifact Creature with Defender for as long as you control this Saga. This ability may not be the most impactful for traditional Constructed, but it seems excellent for Commander. Mana rocks are everywhere, and getting to affect each opponent in multi-player games is a big bonus.
After that, you get a Hasty 3/3 Dinosaur with Trample as part of chapter II. This may seem awkward in the face of all the 0/4s your opponents now have, but not once you get to chapter III. Chapter III allows you to destroy all Walls, effectively dealing with the Artifacts you chose in chapter I for good. Then, you get to transform the Saga into a Legendary Land known as Jurassic Park.
Jurassic Park can tap to add one green mana for each Dinosaur you control. In addition, all Dinosaurs in your graveyard have Escape, letting you exile three cards from your graveyard and pay the mana cost of a Dinosaur in your graveyard to cast it. Utilizing the “Escape” ability on Jurassic Park is extremely flavorful, and also quite strong in a deck built around Dinosaurs. This card is awesome, and we’re just getting started.
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Dinosaurs and Beyond
If you were looking for a new, strong Dinosaur Commander to pair with the cool Saga, you’re in luck. Indominus Rex, Alpha is a neat legendary Creature with some interesting abilities. As it enters the battlefield, you can discard any number of Creature cards. Depending on the abilities listed on the Creature cards you discard, Indominus Rex, Alpha can enter with a handful of powerful abilities tacked onto its 6/6 frame.
Further, you get to draw a card when it enters the battlefield for each counter on it. This essentially lets you refuel your hand after pitching some Creatures with specific abilities to make Indominus Rex, Alpha more threatening. Indominus Rex is a major antagonist within the Jurassic Park franchise, and the card itself can be quite scary.
Beyond just Dinosaurs, this Jurassic World crossover has even more to showcase. Our final spoiler is none other than Ian Malcolm, Chaotician. Ian Malcolm is a super weird card, and as the name and flavor text suggests, can have a weird effect on the game. You see, every time a player draws their second card each turn, they exile the top card of their library. Additionally, during each player’s turn, they can cast a spell from among cards they don’t own exiled with Ian Malcolm, and they can spend mana of any color to cast them.
Notably, the first ability is symmetrical. While it doesn’t directly punish a player for drawing multiple cards in a turn, it can reward other players by providing them with an opportunity to play a card they don’t own. This card isn’t very powerful on the surface but could be a fun Commander for a chaos-themed EDH deck.
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More Ixalan Goodies
While we have already talked about box topper reprints, there are a couple more reprints to go over from the Lost Caverns of Ixalan. Labeled as “Special Guests,” these cards are new additions to The List that are designed to be found relatively rarely in set boosters and as traditional foils in collector boosters.
The first of these cards is Lord of Atlantis. Lord of Atlantis is an elite Merfolk that buffs other Merfolk and gives them Islandwalk. As a staple in Merfolk typal decks in Modern, Lord of Atlantis is a cool addition to The List, and given the Merfolk theme associated with the original Ixalan block, seeing this card as a special guest isn’t too surprising.
What may be a bit more surprising is the reprint of Mana Crypt. Mana Crypt holds a hefty price tag of over $160 in its cheapest traditional form according to TCGplayer market price. With gorgeous new artwork, this is an extremely cool addition to The List. Producing multiple mana while having a mana value of zero, this is one of the strongest Artifacts ever printed.
Much like with Cavern of Souls, there will be a handful of Cosmium Neon Versions of Mana Crypt. These will only appear in Collector Booster packs. Otherwise, it’s unclear how much rarer these colorful variants will be, but if they are indeed difficult to find, they could end up being worth a huge chunk of money.
Unlike with Cavern of Souls, though, these reprints will not be Standard or Pioneer legal. Given how absurdly strong Mana Crypt is, this shouldn’t be much of surprise. Still, getting to pull such a valuable and beautiful card from a set booster is a nice bonus.
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