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Ranking The Lost Caverns of Ixalan's Legends As Commanders

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Hello awesome folks and happy days to you! Today I've got something fun. I want rank the legendary creatures from Lost Caverns of Ixalan as Commanders. I'll be splitting them up into tiers from S to E. Ready? Let's do it to it!

S Tier

Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead
Saheeli, the Sun's Brilliance
Vito, Fanatic of Aclazotz

Let's start with the best of the best, S Tier! The God Cycle is all here. They cost a solid amount of mana and have a strong size and keyword, and then a massive ability. When they die, they transform into a land that taps for their color of mana and can transform back into their creature side with a tap when a condition has been met. My favorite is the Green one I built around here (Commanding Ojer Kaslem | Article by Abe Sargent (coolstuffinc.com)). Stephen built around one too (Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might in Commander | Article by Stephen Johnson (coolstuffinc.com). Then we have Saheeli, the Sun's Brilliance! This 2-drop 2/2 on curve Bear taps for Izzet mana to make a token of another permanent artifact or dork for the turn with haste that's also an artifact. Vito, Fanatic of Aclazotz costs four for a 4/4 with flying that has a sacrifice trigger that grows over time like overpowered Omnath, Locus of Creation with landfall. He's in the color combo of beloved sacrifice matters Orzhov Aristocrats.

A Tier

Amalia Benavides Aguirre
Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar
Sovereign Okinec Ahau

Now let's turn to my trio of A tiers! Amalia Benavides Aguirre costs two for a 2/2 Bear with ward 3 life to protect her. When you gain life, she explores, and then you destroy all other dorks if her power is 20. Life gain is a beloved archetype in Commander and she adds explore to it. Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar is our highest scoring uncommon often designed for draft not Commandering. This three-drop 3/3 shuts down opposing casts in your turn, which is a nasty way to answer cards like Counterspell. Then when a dork with power greater than its base punches face, you'll draw a card! The last one was built with Stephen as well (Sovereign Okinec Ahau Goes Wide AND Tall in Commander | Article by Stephen Johnson (coolstuffinc.com)) and then has ward 2, for mana this time, and when it attacks for each dork you control with power greater than it's base gets an amount of +1/+1 counters equal to the difference!

B Tier

Akal Pakal, First Among Equals
Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon
Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant

Now let's move to my dense B Tier! Akal Pakal, First Among Equals benefits the beloved artifacts matter archetype. But she's just one color. Anim Pakal costs three and when you swing with a non-Gnome you toss a +1/+1 counter here and then make attacking Gnomes equal to the +1/+1 counters here. The beloved +1/+1 counter archetype hasn't really been in red before but now it's here! I built around it here (Counters Matter with Anim Pakal in Commander | Article by Abe Sargent (coolstuffinc.com)). Ghalta is my 2nd favorite legendary dork from the set but for the 99. For a massive 8 mana you'll get a trampling 12/12 dork and then when it Enters-The-Battlefield you can drop any number of dorks from your hand to the battlefield for free!

The Ancient One
The Mycotyrant
Zoyowa Lava-Tongue

Now let's turn to this trio. The Ancient One costs two mana for a big 8/8 that cannot attack or block unless you have 8 permanents in your graveyard. Paige built around it here (Descending into The Lost Caverns of Ixalan with The Ancient One | Article by Paige Smith (coolstuffinc.com). Then the Golgari colored 3-drop The Mycotyrant is size based on your Fungus/Saproling count, with trample, and then loves the new descend ability, which was built around here by Stephen (The Mycotyrant in Commander | Article by Stephen Johnson (coolstuffinc.com)). The uncommon 2-drop Zoyowa was built by me in a Budget Commander deck around Group Slug. It's a descend EOT trigger to make your foes discard, sacrifice or get shot for three damage.

Huatli, Poet of Unity // Roar of the Fifth People

Let's finish with this flip enchantment! She costs three for a 2/3 that ETBs a land to your hand and then for five mana becomes the Saga. That makes 3/3 Dinosaurs, your dorks can tap for mana, you can tutor for a Dinosaur and then your Dinos get double strike and trample to win in one punch. She clearly wants to lead a Dinosaur Naya deck from a different angle!

C Tier

Abuelo, Ancestral Echo
Caparocti Sunborn
Gishath, Sun's Avatar

Now let's turn to C Tier stuff! Abuelo, Ancestral Echo is a 3-drop 2/2 ward 2 flyer with a Blink effect for three mana and blink is beloved, but he's Azorius which already has Brago, King Eternal that's much better. The 4-drop 4/4 uncommon Caparocti Sunborn is next and when he swings you can tap two untapped artifacts or creatures to discover 3! Getting a free discover is great, and it's better than cascade, but here you have to tap two and then only when you swing, so it's a C Tier. Gishath, Sun's Avatar is a reprinted eight-mana Naya colored 7/6 beater with vigilance, trample and haste, and it is in the colors of mass Treasure making and ramping. Then when you deal combat damage you dig and drop free Dinosaurs from your library for free, so this is another Dinosaur enabler, but pricey and then I'd rather run Huatli as a new enabler instead in these colors.

Kellan, Daring Traveler
Nicanzil, Current Conductor

Kellan, Daring Traveler is an Adventure for three total mana to make Map tokens and then an attack trigger to reveal and if it's a cheap creature to draw it for free. It's C Tier since that's a pretty minor effect for the format. Then the Simic colored 2-drop uncommon 2/3 is an explore Commander. But who wants that?

D Tier

Akawalli, the Seething Tower
Breeches, Eager Pillager
Captain Storm, Cosmium Raider

Now let's turn to D Tier! Akawalli, the Seething Tower gets bigger and gains trample at descend 4 and bigger with evasion at descend 8. That's pretty minor. Paige built around it for Pauper Commander here (Descending into Pauper Commander with Akawalli | Article by Paige Smith (coolstuffinc.com)). Then we have two Pirate matter leaders in red and Izzet. The red one is in the wrong color but you can make a Treasure, make something not able to block, and then get impulsive card draw when you attack with a hoard of Pirates, but there aren't enough of those in one color. The Izzet one (Paige here too - Pauper Pirates Commander with Captain Storm, Cosmium Raider | Article by Paige Smith (coolstuffinc.com)) does have the blue pirates, but her ability is weak. Pretty underwhelming.

Inti, Seneschal of the Sun
Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel

Let's finish D tier with a 2-drop rare pair! Inti, Seneschal of the Sun has an attack trigger to discard and then put a +1/+1 counter on a an attacker, it gains trample too and then when you discard you can impulse draw the top card of your library. Discard matters is rough and in just one color and just for attackers? Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel is a 2/1 flash flying body for combat tricks and then it has a combat damage trigger to draw, discard, and then after the fourth time, you can the discarded thing for free!

E Tier

Bartolome del Presidio
Itzquinth, Firstborn of Gishath
Uchbenbak, the Great Mistake

Let's finish with the E Tier. This trio just isn't great. Bartolome del Presidio has a sacrifice trigger for free in the right colors, but just to toss a +1/+1 counter here. I could see him in the 99 of a Vito deck, but I don't see him leading with that weak ability. Itzquinth, Firstborn of Gishath has haste to swing, and then when it ETBs, you can spend two to shoot a dork equal to one of your Dinosaur's power. Dinosaurs matter is rough without white. It's good in the 99, but I'd rather run any other Dinosaur enabler over this. The Dimir 5-drop has a great 6/4 body with vigilance and menace! But with that descend to come back from your graveyard to your battlefield for six mana is rough and doesn't play well with Command Zone stuff.

There we are! What did you think of my Tier List? What would be yours?

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