MTG Best Cards from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan for Constructed

As we saw with the release of Wilds of Eldraine, premier sets can feature a lot of powerful cards and multi-format staples. We may be at a time in MTG where sets like Modern Horizons II and Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth have a high percentage of format warping cards, but that doesn’t mean that premier sets can’t be impactful. Additions like Sleight of Hand Sleight of Hand Look at the top two cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the other on the bottom of your library. and Monstrous Rage Monstrous Rage Target creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Create a Monster Role token attached to it. (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has trample.) to Pioneer as well as Virtue of Loyalty Virtue of Loyalty At the beginning of your end step, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control. Untap those creatures. and Mosswood Dreadknight Mosswood Dreadknight Trample
When this creature dies, you may cast it from your graveyard as an Adventure until the end of your next turn. to Standard helped shape the metagames of both formats.

Meanwhile, combo pieces like Agatha’s Soul Cauldron Agatha’s Soul Cauldron You may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to activate abilities of creatures you control.
Creatures you control with +1/+1 counters on them have all activated abilities of all creature cards exiled with Agatha's Soul Cauldron.
{T}: Exile target card from a graveyard. When a creature card is exiled this way, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control. and Beseech the Mirror Beseech the Mirror Bargain (You may sacrifice an artifact, enchantment, or token as you cast this spell.)
Search your library for a card, exile it face down, then shuffle. If this spell was bargained, you may cast the exiled card without paying its mana cost if that spell's mana value is 4 or less. Put the exiled card into your hand if it wasn't cast this way. continue to see play in Modern and Legacy, showcasing that even cards from premier sets can have immense impact on formats with deeper card pools. The question is, will The Lost Caverns of Ixalan deliver in a similar manner? Only time will tell if The Lost Caverns of Ixalan holds up the same way, but there definitely appears to be some strong cards for Constructed play.

Today, we are going to be going over what we believe to be the best cards for Constructed play in the set. With all spoilers having finally been revealed, it’s time to get a glimpse of what the most powerful cards in the set are. Keep in mind that this list is speculative, but we will continue to update our rankings as players get a chance to make use of all the cards this set has to offer. With that in mind, here are the top 10 MTG best cards from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan for Constructed.

#10 Restless Lands

The cycle of Restless Lands has now been completed, and in similar fashion, we expect these cards to see at least some play, though mostly in Standard.

Man-Lands have historically been pretty powerful. Cards like Shambling Vent Shambling Vent This land enters tapped.
{T}: Add {W} or {B}.
{1}{W}{B}: Until end of turn, this land becomes a 2/3 white and black Elemental creature with lifelink. It's still a land. were all-stars back in the day in Standard. Unfortunately, for formats beyond Standard, there’s a big emphasis on Lands being able to enter the battlefield untapped.

As the card pool widens and cards become more powerful and efficient, it often becomes increasingly important to interact on the early turns when necessary. There’s a reason that man-Lands like Hall of Storm Giants Hall of Storm Giants If you control two or more other lands, this land enters tapped.
{T}: Add {U}.
{5}{U}: Until end of turn, this land becomes a 7/7 blue Giant creature with ward {3}. It's still a land. (Whenever it becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays {3}.) and Den of the Bugbear Den of the Bugbear If you control two or more other lands, this land enters tapped.
{T}: Add {R}.
{3}{R}: Until end of turn, this land becomes a 3/2 red Goblin creature with "Whenever this creature attacks, create a 1/1 red Goblin creature token that's tapped and attacking." It's still a land. have had immense success in Pioneer compared to the Restless Lands. Additionally, in Standard, the most popular multi-color control deck makes better use of tri-color Lands with basic Land types, such as Spara’s Headquarters Spara’s Headquarters ({T}: Add {G}, {W}, or {U}.)
This land enters tapped.
Cycling {3} ({3}, Discard this card: Draw a card.) . This helps make Leyline Binding Leyline Binding Flash
Domain — This spell costs {1} less to cast for each basic land type among lands you control.
When this enchantment enters, exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls until this enchantment leaves the battlefield. a reliable and cheap removal spell.

Still, Standard midrange decks like Golgari midrange that are in the market for man-Lands and can afford to play some tapped Lands do make use of the Restless cycle. As such, it’s quite likely that at least some of these Lands see consistent Standard play, though none in particular stands head and shoulders above the others. As a result, we are grouping them here on the list.

#9 Cenote Scout

Cenote Scout is a rather unassuming card, but its sheer efficiency coupled with its relevant Creature type gives it a solid chance to see Constructed play. In both Standard and Pioneer, the Merfolk archetype has fallen short. In Standard, there simply weren’t enough pieces. However, there were some standout Merfolk such as Vodalian Hexcatcher Vodalian Hexcatcher Flash
Other Merfolk you control get +1/+1.
Sacrifice a Merfolk: Counter target noncreature spell unless its controller pays {1}. that showed up in earlier sets.

With the release of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan and the emphasis on Merfolk in the set, there’s a reasonable chance that Merfolk will be a solid choice in the format. If so, Cenote Scout will almost certainly be a huge part of the deck. One-drops are super important alongside Merfolk “Lords” and Cenote Scout is a strong one to boot. If you reveal a non-Land card with Explore, you essentially end up with a one-mana 2/2 plus some card selection, which is a great deal. If you reveal a Land, you end up with a one-mana 1/1 that drew you a card, which is also great.

In Pioneer, this can be played alongside Kumena’s Speaker Kumena’s Speaker This creature gets +1/+1 as long as you control another Merfolk or an Island. for some high-powered one-drop density. It’s possible Merfolk still won’t have what it takes to be a top tier Pioneer deck, but Cenote Scout is a large upgrade, nonetheless. Cenote Scout’s potential to revitalize the Merfolk archetype in Standard and/or Pioneer earns it a spot on the list.

#8 Helping Hand

Helping Hand is a solid addition to Standard, Pioneer, and Pauper alike. While the card is certainly worse than Unearth Unearth Unearth Return target creature card with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Cycling {2} ({2}, Discard this card: Draw a card.) at what it does, having this effect in white is huge. Not to mention, Unearth is not legal in Standard or Pioneer, giving Helping Hand additional opportunities to shine.

In Standard, Helping Hand seems like a solid addition to decks like mono-white aggro that have a high density of elite three-drops. Getting to return Adeline, Resplendent Cathar Adeline, Resplendent Cathar Vigilance
Adeline's power is equal to the number of creatures you control.
Whenever you attack, for each opponent, create a 1/1 white Human creature token that's tapped and attacking that player or a planeswalker they control. or Extraction Specialist Extraction Specialist Lifelink
When this creature enters, return target creature card with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. That creature can't attack or block for as long as you control this creature. can be quite strong. Getting to make that play for only one mana and cast multiple spells on the same turn can be backbreaking for the opponent. Similarly, returning Raffine, Scheming Seer Raffine, Scheming Seer Flying, ward {1}
Whenever you attack, target attacking creature connives X, where X is the number of attacking creatures. (Draw X cards, then discard X cards. Put a +1/+1 counter on that creature for each nonland card discarded this way.) can help close a game for Esper midrange decks.

In Pioneer, Greasefang, Okiba Boss Greasefang, Okiba Boss At the beginning of combat on your turn, return target Vehicle card from your graveyard to the battlefield. It gains haste. Return it to its owner's hand at the beginning of your next end step. is a prime target to return, helping the powerful yet somewhat fragile combo deck have an easier time beating cards like Rending Volley Rending Volley This spell can't be countered.
Rending Volley deals 4 damage to target white or blue creature. . In Pauper, there are already white-based Squadron Hawk Squadron Hawk Flying
When this creature enters, you may search your library for up to three cards named Squadron Hawk, reveal them, put them into your hand, then shuffle. decks that utilize Recommission Recommission Return target artifact or creature card with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. If a creature enters this way, it enters with an additional +1/+1 counter on it. , and the upgrade from two mana to one mana in that slot is substantial. Helping Hand isn’t the flashiest card in the world, but it does its job well and for cheap, earning it a spot on this list.

#7 Subterranean Schooner

Subterranean Schooner is blue, not colorless, but the resemblance to Smuggler’s Copter Smuggler’s Copter Flying
Whenever this Vehicle attacks or blocks, you may draw a card. If you do, discard a card.
Crew 1 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 1 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.) is uncanny, nonetheless. Both cards are three-power Vehicles that cost two mana, have Crew 1, and provide value when they attack. Being blue and not having Flying definitely restricts the range of homes the card can show up in, hence why it isn’t higher on the list. Still, the power level is there, especially for Standard.

Currently, the primary removal spell in Standard is Go for the Throat Go for the Throat Destroy target nonartifact creature. , which notably can’t hit Artifacts. A 3/4 on turn two is extremely difficult to block profitably, and getting to Explore is a solid bonus. Crew 1 is easy to accomplish, and getting to potentially grow the Creature that Crewed it can help that Creature get into the red zone on subsequent turns. In Pioneer, the existence of Fatal Push Fatal Push Destroy target creature if it has mana value 2 or less.
Revolt — Destroy that creature if it has mana value 4 or less instead if a permanent left the battlefield under your control this turn. and Portable Hole Portable Hole When this artifact enters, exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls with mana value 2 or less until this artifact leaves the battlefield. makes this a tough card to maximize. As long as a blue Creature-centric deck exists in Standard, though, there’s a good chance Subterranean Schooner is a big part of it.

#6 Trumpeting Carnosaur

Trumpeting Carnosaur is a classic example of a card whose playability is increased by its versatility. At six mana, the card is an absolute beating when it hits the board. A 7/6 with Trample is something the opponent is forced to deal with, and thanks to the Discover 5 ability, you could easily end up with even more power on board. The issue is, six mana cards are hard to come by, even in Standard. Cards like Etali, Primal Conqueror Etali, Primal Conqueror Trample
When Etali enters, each player exiles cards from the top of their library until they exile a nonland card. You may cast any number of spells from among the nonland cards exiled this way without paying their mana costs.
{9}{G/P}: Transform Etali. Activate only as a sorcery. have an even bigger impact on the game for only one more mana.

The difference, though, is that Trumpeting Carnosaur isn’t just a six-drop. You can use it as a removal spell earlier when necessary. This greatly increases its opportunity to see play in Standard. This ability also gives it a unique chance to show up in Legacy Mississippi River decks.

Mississippi River utilizes Creative Technique Creative Technique Demonstrate (When you cast this spell, you may copy it. If you do, choose an opponent to also copy it.)
Shuffle your library, then reveal cards from the top of it until you reveal a nonland card. Exile that card and put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. You may cast the exiled card without paying its mana cost. and a bunch of cards with Cascade that cost six or more mana. The goal is, in conjunction with Lands that can tap for multiple mana at a time, to Cascade into Creative Technique and ideally win the game on the same turn.

The strategy is effective, but a bit fragile. Cards like Archon of Emeria Archon of Emeria Flying
Each player can't cast more than one spell each turn.
Nonbasic lands your opponents control enter tapped. that limit the number of spells you can play in a turn can be devastating. Well, Trumpeting Carnosaur helps solve that problem, since you can pay three mana and discard it to kill Archon. The downside is that Trumpeting Carnosaur is worse against Force of Will Force of Will You may pay 1 life and exile a blue card from your hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Counter target spell. , since it needs to enter the battlefield for the Discover ability to happen. Regardless, it could easily see play at least out of the sideboard along with Mirrorshell Crab Mirrorshell Crab Ward {3} (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays {3}.)
Channel — {2}{U}, Discard this card: Counter target spell or ability unless its controller pays {3}. , and the value it generates in Standard is undeniable.

#5 Amalia Benavides Aguirre

Amalia Benavides Aguirre is a strong card for multiple reasons. First, the card is simply good on rate, especially in a Standard environment. A two-mana 2/2 that can grow and forces an opponent to pay three life if they want to kill it is quite the aggressive beater. The key is having ways to gain life to allow Amalia Benavides Aguirre to grow and generate value. Luckily, there are solid ways in Standard to make this happen. We already see some Azorius Soldiers lists utilizing Lunarch Veteran Lunarch Veteran Whenever another creature you control enters, you gain 1 life.
Disturb {1}{W} (You may cast this card from your graveyard transformed for its disturb cost.) , which synergizes extremely well here.

There may also be a decent Vampires deck in Standard, making use of cards like Markov Baron Markov Baron Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for {1} or one mana of that creature's color.)
Lifelink
Other Vampires you control get +1/+1.
Madness {2}{B} (If you discard this card, discard it into exile. When you do, cast it for its madness cost or put it into your graveyard.) . If that weren’t enough, Amalia Benavides Aguirre also combos exceptionally well with Wildgrowth Walker Wildgrowth Walker Whenever a creature you control explores, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature and you gain 3 life. . If you have any way to gain life or Explore, you will start a chain reaction. When you Explore, you gain life from Wildgrowth Walker, causing Amalia to Explore, and so on. Once Amalia reaches 20 power this way, you can destroy all other Creatures and attack for lethal. This combo is definitely worth trying in Pioneer and getting to use Lurrus of the Dream-Den Lurrus of the Dream-Den Companion — Each permanent card in your starting deck has mana value 2 or less. (If this card is your chosen companion, you may put it into your hand from outside the game for {3} as a sorcery.)
Lifelink
Once during each of your turns, you may cast a permanent spell with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard. in Historic is a nice bonus.

#4 Molten Collapse

Molten Collapse is an extremely strong removal spell. Right off the bat, the card does what Dreadbore Dreadbore Destroy target creature or planeswalker. does, at minimum. However, you are also given the option to destroy cheap non-Creature, non-Land permanents. This is great for decks like Rakdos midrange in Pioneer that have historically had rough times dealing with Rakdos Sacrifice. Having the option to blow up Witch’s Oven Witch’s Oven {T}, Sacrifice a creature: Create a Food token. If the sacrificed creature's toughness was 4 or greater, create two Food tokens instead. (They're artifacts with "{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life.") to break up Cauldron Familiar Cauldron Familiar When this creature enters, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
Sacrifice a Food: Return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield. loops is great.

Not only that, but if you Descend, you can actually choose both, letting you also kill a problematic Mayhem Devil Mayhem Devil Whenever a player sacrifices a permanent, this creature deals 1 damage to any target. or Fable of the Mirror-Breaker Fable of the Mirror-Breaker (As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter.)
I — Create a 2/2 red Goblin Shaman creature token with "Whenever this token attacks, create a Treasure token."
II — You may discard up to two cards. If you do, draw that many cards.
III — Exile this Saga, then return it to the battlefield transformed under your control. token. Descending is notably easier for Rakdos sacrifice than Rakdos midrange, thanks to the likes of Witch’s Oven and Deadly Dispute Deadly Dispute As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice an artifact or creature.
Draw two cards and create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.") . It is still possible for Rakdos midrange to trigger Descend without going to combat with cards like Bloodtithe Harvester Bloodtithe Harvester When this creature enters, create a Blood token. (It's an artifact with "{1}, {T}, Discard a card, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
{T}, Sacrifice this creature: Target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn, where X is twice the number of Blood tokens you control. Activate only as a sorcery. and Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger When Kroxa enters, sacrifice it unless it escaped.
Whenever Kroxa enters or attacks, each opponent discards a card, then each opponent who didn't discard a nonland card this way loses 3 life.
Escape—{B}{B}{R}{R}, Exile five other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its escape cost.) .

In Modern, Fetchlands make Descending trivial. Molten Collapse will have to compete with Terminate Terminate Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated. for Rakdos decks in Modern, but the versatility of Molten Collapse is no joke. Molten Collapse is a great upgrade and should see extensive Constructed play.

#3 Get Lost

Cards like Fateful Absence Fateful Absence Destroy target creature or planeswalker. Its controller investigates. (Create a Clue token. It's an artifact with "{2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.") and Destroy Evil Destroy Evil Choose one —
• Destroy target creature with toughness 4 or greater.
• Destroy target enchantment. have seen reasonable amounts of Pioneer play, and Get Lost is a great upgrade over both. Generally, giving an opponent two Map tokens is worse for them than giving the opponent a Clue token in many instances. This is especially true for decks like Azorius control that can limit the opponent’s ability to stick Creatures.

Additionally, like Destroy Evil, this card can hit Enchantments, too. Being able to answer otherwise problematic cards like Enigmatic Incarnation Enigmatic Incarnation At the beginning of your end step, you may sacrifice another enchantment. If you do, search your library for a creature card with mana value equal to 1 plus the sacrificed enchantment's mana value, put that card onto the battlefield, then shuffle. for two mana is great. Two mana is also perfect in conjunction with Teferi, Hero of Dominaria Teferi, Hero of Dominaria +1: Draw a card. At the beginning of the next end step, untap up to two lands.
−3: Put target nonland permanent into its owner's library third from the top.
−8: You get an emblem with "Whenever you draw a card, exile target permanent an opponent controls." , which lets you untap two Lands when you use its +1 ability.

In Standard, Destroy Evil sees lots of play given the dominance of four-toughness Creatures and Enchantments like Wedding Announcement Wedding Announcement At the beginning of your end step, put an invitation counter on this enchantment. If you attacked with two or more creatures this turn, draw a card. Otherwise, create a 1/1 white Human creature token. Then if this enchantment has three or more invitation counters on it, transform it. . I expect Get Lost to play a role here as well, especially for control decks to cleanly answer opposing copies of The Wandering Emperor The Wandering Emperor Flash
As long as The Wandering Emperor entered this turn, you may activate her loyalty abilities any time you could cast an instant.
+1: Put a +1/+1 counter on up to one target creature. It gains first strike until end of turn.
−1: Create a 2/2 white Samurai creature token with vigilance.
−2: Exile target tapped creature. You gain 2 life. .

#2 Tishana’s Tidebinder

Tishana’s Tidebinder is one of the few cards on this list with significant potential in Modern. This card seems like a slam dunk for Modern Merfolk decks, and likely will make a splash in Izzet Wizards alongside Flame of Anor Flame of Anor Choose one. If you control a Wizard as you cast this spell, you may choose two instead.
• Target player draws two cards.
• Destroy target artifact.
• Flame of Anor deals 5 damage to target creature. . This card functions similarly to Nimble Obstructionist Nimble Obstructionist Flash
Flying
Cycling {2}{U} ({2}{U}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle this card, counter target activated or triggered ability you don't control. , allowing you to counter activated or triggered abilities, except the ability comes stapled to a 3/2 body as an enters-the-battlefield effect.

In a format like Modern that is so dominated by Cascade triggers and Evoke Elementals like Fury Fury Fury Double strike
When this creature enters, it deals 4 damage divided as you choose among any number of target creatures and/or planeswalkers.
Evoke—Exile a red card from your hand. with insane enters-the-battlefield effects, Tishana’s Tidebinder seems priced to find a home. In addition, once you counter an activated or triggered ability of an Artifact, Creature, or Planeswalker, that card loses all abilities for as long as Tidebinder stays in play. This means that you can effectively shut off The One Ring The One Ring Indestructible
When The One Ring enters, if you cast it, you gain protection from everything until your next turn.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life for each burden counter on The One Ring.
{T}: Put a burden counter on The One Ring, then draw a card for each burden counter on The One Ring. by countering the “Protection from everything” ability, then preventing the opponent from putting burden counters on it to draw cards.

Similarly, you can respond to activations of Planeswalkers like Karn, the Great Creator Karn, the Great Creator Activated abilities of artifacts your opponents control can't be activated.
+1: Until your next turn, up to one target noncreature artifact becomes an artifact creature with power and toughness each equal to its mana value.
−2: You may reveal an artifact card you own from outside the game or choose a face-up artifact card you own in exile. Put that card into your hand. , rendering them useless. Tidebinder may show up in Standard and Pioneer as well, helping against cards like Leyline Binding. Tishana’s Tidebinder has multi-format potential, earning it a spot high up on this list.

#1 Cavern of Souls

Cavern of Souls is not a new card to MTG. It has had quite a major impact on Modern and Legacy, giving typal decks a big advantage against Counterspells. Decks like five-color Humans in Modern and Goblins in Legacy have made great use of this card. Even Amulet Titan often runs some number of Cavern of Souls to help make sure Primeval Titan Primeval Titan Trample
Whenever this creature enters or attacks, you may search your library for up to two land cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. can hit the table. The reason that Cavern of Souls is on this list, despite being a reprint, is that it is now legal in Standard and Pioneer and is now on Arena.

Any typal deck in Standard or Pioneer is going to utilize this card. Getting to slam Adeline, Resplendent Cathar in the face of Make Disappear Make Disappear Casualty 1 (As you cast this spell, you may sacrifice a creature with power 1 or greater. When you do, copy this spell and you may choose a new target for the copy.)
Counter target spell unless its controller pays {2}. with no fear can be game-breaking. Cavern of Souls also fixes colors for typal decks, meaning archetypes like Azorius Spirits in Pioneer can easily cast both Mausoleum Wanderer Mausoleum Wanderer Flying
Whenever another Spirit you control enters, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Sacrifice this creature: Counter target instant or sorcery spell unless its controller pays {X}, where X is this creature's power. and Skyclave Apparition Skyclave Apparition When this creature enters, exile up to one target nonland, nontoken permanent you don't control with mana value 4 or less.
When this creature leaves the battlefield, the exiled card's owner creates an X/X blue Illusion creature token, where X is the mana value of the exiled card. when necessary. Cavern of Souls is an exceptional upgrade to the likes of Unclaimed Territory Unclaimed Territory As this land enters, choose a creature type.
{T}: Add {C}.
{T}: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast a creature spell of the chosen type. from original Ixalan block. It should see lots and lots of play in Standard, Pioneer, and Historic throughout its existence, earning it the top spot on the list.