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Ranking The Lost Caverns of Ixalan's Commanders

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Hello, everyone! I'm Levi from The Thought Vessel Show, and today we're diving into Wizards of the Coast's return to Ixalan with The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. This set is packed with legendary creatures perfect for Commander pods. We'll be reviewing each new legendary creature and placing them on our Commander tier list. As with most tier lists, E-tier is the weakest, while S-tier represents the cream of the crop. Let's get started!

E Tier: Barely Usable in Commander

Kellan, Daring Traveler

Akawalli, the Seething Tower

This card just doesn't do enough. For three mana and eight cards in the graveyard, you get a 7/7 Trample creature. However, it's not hard to find blockers bigger than that in this format, and Akawalli doesn't come with any natural protection. Plus, asking a Voltron or aggro deck to also dedicate slots to fill the graveyard early enough just isn't practical.

Itzquinth, Firstborn of Gishath

For four total mana, you can have one of your dinosaurs fight another creature in a color pair that already has access to cards like Beast Within, Chaos Warp, and many fight spells. Unless you're building a dinosaur deck like Gishath, Sun's Avatar, this one can stay in the binder.

Kellan, Daring Traveler

We've had plenty of Kellan cards this year, but this one is by far the most underwhelming. While the Adventure is decent, the actual creature's ceiling is attacking and either drawing or milling a card. Selesnya has far better options.

Uchbenbak, the Great Mistake

For five and then six mana, you get two shots with Uchbenbak, a 6/4 Vigilance Menace creature. In the worst color pair for an aggro strategy, this just won't cut it.

D Tier: Decent, But Nothing Special

Nicanzil, Current Conductor
Breeches, Eager Pillager

Nicanzil, Current Conductor

An explore mechanic commander is nice, but the precon from this set already gave us a better version in Hakbal of the Surging Soul, making this card feel more suited to the 99.

Breeches, Eager Pillager

Mono-Red Pirates can potentially work, but it's much easier to dip into Izzet, Rakdos, or even Grixis and still include Breeches in the 99. As a commander, the payoff just isn't enough.

Akal Pakal, First Among Equals

Drawing cards and filling your graveyard is nice, but the lack of additional colors holds this card back. It's probably better suited for the 99.

Caparocti Sunborn

A free spellcaster in Boros? We've seen a few of these recently. While Caparocti is solid in the 99, better options exist for this type of strategy.

Zoyowa Lava-Tongue

Giving opponents the option to sacrifice something they want in their graveyard or discard a card makes this card's three-damage payoff too risky.

C Tier: Cool, But With Drawbacks

Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal
Inti, Seneschal of the Sun

Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal

Producing bats is cool, but making your opponents discard consistently will likely make you a target early in the game.

Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel

Malcolm thrives in a bit of a "magical Christmas land" scenario, needing counters for free spellcasting. But if any color can pull it off, it's mono-Blue.

Amalia Benavides Aguirre

This commander is intriguing, as you can board wipe and swing with a 20-power creature. Though difficult to build up, it's a fun challenge. One proliferate or pump spell could make Amalia a lethal one-hit attacker, which is exciting.

Abuelo, Ancestral Echo

As an Azorius and blink fan, this one caught my eye. Essentially another blink commander like Brago, Yorion, or Emiel the Blessed, but at a weaker scale. It's fine, just not as strong as the others.

Inti, Seneschal of the Sun

This commander might find more success in 60-card formats or Duel Commander, where the life total is lower, but it's still interesting.

B Tier: Solid, But Missing Something

Vito, Fanatic of Aclazotz

Vito, Fanatic of Aclazotz

In the world of Aristocrats and treasure tokens, Vito's three abilities are easy to activate. This could be a sweet engine for Aristocrats decks.

Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon

A glow-up for Krenko, Tin-Street Kingpin! This trades goblin synergies for a new color, and works well as a commander or in the 99 of +1/+1 counter decks.

Ojer Pakpatiq, Deepest Epoch

Giving your instants rebound is great, but it's even better when they're uncounterable, like with Taigam, Ojutai Master. Ojer still has a place, but it's not quite top-tier.

The Ancient One

A do-it-all commander for Dimir, offering mill, self-mill, and a potential 8/8 attacker for two mana.

Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation

Making three tokens at once is powerful, but being in mono-White can be a drawback.

Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar

Already seeing cEDH play, Kutzil is a solid commander. Drawing up to three cards per turn in Selesnya is strong, especially since your opponents can't interfere during your turn.

A Tier: Fun, Interesting Designs

Saheeli, the Sun's Brilliance
Huatli, Poet of Unity

Bartolome del Presidio

Though not the flashiest, having a two-mana artifact and creature sac outlet in the command zone is incredibly efficient and can lead to high power.

Saheeli, the Sun's Brilliance

For two mana, this commander can deal impressive damage by copying creatures or artifacts. A solid choice.

Huatli, Poet of Unity

Building around strong creature types like dragons, vampires, or zombies can sometimes benefit from a less powerful commander to balance the table. Huatli fits this role nicely.

Captain Storm, Cosmium Raider

Another commander that brings the power level down for lower-power pods without sacrificing too much potential.

The Mycotyrant

This deck can fill a graveyard with startling efficiency and build a massive board. While it has a power cap, it's incredibly fun.

Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant

Why cast creatures when you can dump your entire hand? The only thing holding this card back is its eight-mana price tag.

S Tier: Trendsetters in Their Archetypes

Sovereign Okinec Ahau
Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might
Ojer Kaslem, Deepest Growth

Sovereign Okinec Ahau

With Ward 2 and the ability to build creatures quickly, this is a beginner-friendly commander that will be popular for years.

Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might

In a world of pingers and burn spells, Ojer Axonil takes things to a new level. This gets even scarier if you can boost its power.

Ojer Kaslem, Deepest Growth

A Timmy dream card, this is a straightforward powerhouse. Its ability to flip into a land and back again adds flexibility for reckless attacking.

And there you have it! This set offers tons of promise, and it's been a pleasure going through it all. Until next time, happy gaming!

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