Following an unusual premise of dinosaurs vs. pirates vs. vampires set in a Mesoamerican plane, Ixalan quickly became a fan favorite world. While the sets that spawned the world - Ixalan and Rivals of Ixalan were duds in terms of overall playability, there was enough draw for players to want to see more. It's no surprise, then, that this exact thing happened in 2023 with the release of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan.

This underground world setting allowed players to see the world of Ixalan in a new light. Not only did it provide a fresh look at the plane, but it gave us a richer representation of Latin American culture in a MTG setting. Much of this was reflected in the incredible batch of mythic rares the set had to offer, which were by and large fantastic. Today, I'm going to rank them all!

Let's dive in and start ranking!

• 22. Vito, Fanatic of Aclazotz
• 21. Huatli, Poet of Unity // Roar of the Fifth People
• 20. The Ancient One
• 19. The Mycotyrant
• 18. Saheeli, the Sun's Brilliance
• 17. Ojer Pakpatiq, Deepest Epoch // Temple of Cyclical Time
• 16. Ojer Kaslem, Deepest Growth // Temple of Cultivation
• 15. The Enigma Jewel // Locus of Enlightenment
• 14. The Millennium Calendar
• 13. Sovereign Okinec Ahau
• 12. The Skullspore Nexus
• 11. Chimil, the Inner Sun

10. Gishath, Sun's Avatar

Whoa, a reprint cracked the top ten of this list?! That's something wild in and of itself, but what's even more wild is that it's only the first of three! Casual players everywhere love a good dinosaur deck and Gishath has proven to be one of the best ways to build it. The card had also been spiking quite a bit in anticipation of this set, making the reprint all the more timely as it ensured Commander fans everywhere could acquire copies.

9. Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant

Hey, remember what I said about players loving dinosaurs? Here's another great example! Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant is a Timmy/Tammy player's dream, allowing them to dump their entire hand with ease. It's not hard to spam multiple 6+ mana threats onto the board with just this one card, allowing you to end games quickly. It's also seen a touch of Constructed play thanks to a Pioneer combo deck utilizing Rakdos Joins Up, though it's fairly fringe.

8. Bonehoard Dracosaur

Oh look, more dinosaurs! This one also has the benefit of being a dragon as well, just to make sure you really appeal to the casual crowd! More importantly, though, is the fact that this card had some respectable competitive heat on it right out of the gate. While it never reached the heights of several other cards on this list, it certainly saw some modicum of play in Standard. That's in addition to being a Limited bomb and an easy casual favorite.

7. Cavern of Souls

The second reprint on this list is one that could probably be higher if it hadn't already seen several reprints already! Cavern of Souls is a casual and competitive darling, making it difficult to counter important threats. While it was a surprise to see it show up in Standard again, it had already seen reprints in three Masters sets, as a Zendikar Rising Expedition, as a Lord of the Rings box topper, and was included in The List. There were quite a few copies to go around, but more were always welcome, especially since this printing also made the card Pioneer legal.

6. Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might // Temple of Power

Players love to increase damage output, especially Red players. Ojer Axonil caught many a Red mage's eye for just how much it can increase damage output, but it can be hard to find ways to dish out the damage. Consider the fact it only pumps a Lightning Bolt (or similar) by one point of damage, and only if it hits players. That's not a huge bump! When you combine it with something like Magebane Lizard and Razorkin Needlehead, though, now you've got a stew cooking. This led to it eventually becoming a mainstay of Standard Mono-Red Aggro lists, even though it took a bit of time for it to really shine in the supercharged format.

5. Resplendent Angel

The last reprint on this list was surprisingly the most important by quite a bit. Selesnya Angels had been coming and going as a viable strategy in Pioneer, but it had one important choke point: Resplendent Angel. This card had only a single printing in Core Set 2019, which given the low sales usually attributed to core sets meant it reached a $30 price tag. This reprint brought it down to earth while giving it some sweet new flavor in the process.

4. Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation // Temple of Civilization

I've covered token doublers quite a bit on these mythic ranking articles in the past. They're always popular and beloved by Commander players who love doing all kinds of token-based nonsense. Well, what about a token tripler?! That's what really sets Ojer Taq apart and puts it in the upper echelons of mythics for this set. Is it a bit derivative? Absolutely, but this is taking an already beloved mechanic and taking it to 11. That alone counts for a ton - especially given how difficult it is to ultimately get rid of.

3. Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead

It's almost weird that we don't see Aclazotz much these days when it comes to Standard because for a time he was everywhere! Esper Midrange decks played copies of this mighty legend as a top end and some Slogurk decks would play it as well. That's to say nothing of the various other Black-based Midrange decks of the time. Couple this with being an easy casual and Cube favorite and you've got one of the best cards in the set.

2. Quintorius Kand

It's not always the case when new cards spawn entire archetypes, but such was the case with Quintorius Kand. This sweet planeswalker turned out to be a powerful combo piece when paired with clones - particularly ones named Spark Double. While this deck wouldn't be the most powerful deck in Pioneer, it was certainly one of the coolest and showed that even remade into something like discover, cascade could still get up to some hilariously busted things.

1. Bloodletter of Aclazotz

Bloodletter of Aclazotz is the real one-two punch. Right away, it became popular among casual Commander fans for its life loss doubling effect. However, almost a year after the release of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan came Duskmourn: House of Horror bringing even more powerful synergies. The biggest of these was the fact that it created a one-shot combo with Unstoppable Slasher. While this combo would eventually fall out of favor, it still established a major archetype of the format that's still a top competitor to this day while continuing to see play in a variety of other formats as well.

Paige Smith

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