5 MTG Cards Players Want in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Pirates, Vampires, and Dinosaurs are confirmed to return, but what else do players want to see?

Magic: The Gathering’s winter 2023 Standard set is The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. Releasing globally on November 17th, the return to Ixalan takes players to the underground a year after Phyrexians invaded the plane. Familiar characters like Huatli and Saheeli appear in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, along with plenty of Dinosaurs and surprises.

Wizards of the Coast’s first look at The Lost Caverns of Ixalan introduced players to new cards, including The Skullspore Nexus and Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might. Furthermore, 26 Jurassic World Collection cards are in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. Iconic characters, settings, and Dinosaurs await players who open Set and Collector Boosters.

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Box Toppers also return in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan sealed product. Opening a booster box from the set may reward you with a potent Artifact reprint (Coercive Portal being the only one revealed thus far). Although preview season for The Lost Caverns of Ixalan officially begins on October 24th, players wish to see several cards in the upcoming Standard release.

#5 Mirran Sword Box Toppers 

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Wizards of the Coast hinted that exciting equipment is part of the Box Topper selection for The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. Some of the most beloved MTG equipment is the Mirran Swords. The cycle of ten Mirran Swords is finally complete with the addition of Sword of Once and Future in March of the Machine. However, it has been a while since a few of the Mirran Swords received a reprint.  

2020’s Double Masters featured reprints of five desirable Mirran Swords. Double Masters was the last reprinting of Sword of Fire and Ice, Sword of Body and Mind, and Sword of Light and Shadow. It would be fantastic if Wizards of the Coast slotted the more expensive Mirran Swords (or all of them) as Box Toppers in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan.

#4 Blue and Black Dinosaurs

According to Scryfall, 145 creatures have Dinosaur typing in MTG. Dinosaur creatures represent all five colors in MTG, but few align with Blue or Black. Besides the revealed Indominus Rex, Alpha, only six other Dinosaurs denote Blue or Black. Players want more Dinosaur options to support Indominus Rex, Alpha, and other potential legendary Dinosaurs from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan.

Furthermore, a few Dinosaurs represent two-color combinations, including Blue or Black. Gold-Forged Thopteryx, Labyrinth Raptor, and Keruga, the Macrosage are the only Dinosaurs with Blue or Black color pairings. The Lost Caverns of Ixalan enables Wizards of the Coast to design Dinosaurs in missing color pairings.

#3 Jurassic World Vehicles

Fans of 1993’s Jurassic Park should recall the iconic vehicles of the film. Jeep Wrangler YJ Saharas transported people to and around the park, while driverless Ford Explorers carried visitors on a park tour. It would be excellent for players to relive some of the cinema magic by crewing their own Jurassic Park vehicles in MTG.

Jurassic World may not be the first Universes Beyond set to include vehicle cards, but its vehicles would better embody the 21st century. Licensing roadblocks with Jeep and Ford may prevent Jurassic World vehicles from getting into players’ hands. Crewing a Jurassic Park Ford Explorer with Indominus Rex, Alpha would be fantastic.

#2 Jurassic World Legendary Artifacts

Characters in Jurassic Park use an array of exciting items throughout the movie. Several items would be nostalgic additions to Jurassic World’s card pool. One such item is John Hammond’s Amber Cane. In the film, Hammond extracted Dinosaur DNA from mosquitos trapped in amber, as portrayed at the top of his cane. MTG’s version of John Hammond’s amber cane could provide indestructible to Dinosaurs or create a Dinosaur Egg similar to Nesting Dragon’s ability.

Another unusual item from Jurassic Park is Tim Murphy’s pair of night vision goggles. Murphy uses the goggles to view a Tyrannosaurus Rex enclosure. Goggles are not unique to Jurassic World, as Wizards of the Coast added them to Kaladesh, Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate, and Magic Origins. A wide array of possible abilities exist for night vision goggles from Jurassic Park. A combination of beneficial abilities from Goggles of Night and Inventor’s Goggles may be ideal.

#1 Dinosaur-matters Spells

In the past, Wizards of the Coast printed a handful of instant and sorcery spells that synergize with Dinosaurs. Long-time players may be familiar with cards like Dinosaur Stampede, Commune with Dinosaurs, or Thunderherd Migration. There is an opportunity with The Lost Caverns of Ixalan to provide more spell-related support for Dinosaurs.

Casting cost reduction and added benefits for controlling a Dinosaur are possible abilities of Dinosaur-matters instants and sorceries. Commander players would be ecstatic to have more non-creature spell options for Gishath, Sun’s Avatar, Atla Palani, Nest Tender, or Zacama, Primal Calamity. Wizards of the Coast should also consider adding Dinosaur-matters instants and sorceries across all five colors.