Since starting my Magic: The Gathering journey a few months ago with the Lord of the Rings set, I have only fallen deeper and deeper into this hobby. With Wilds of Eldraine, I got knee deep into the different packs and events. This time, instead of fairy tales, we are headed to the depths of Ixalan to see mermaids, pirates, and dinosaurs! Oh, and Jeff Goldblum, of course.
The art and theme
First and foremost are the snazzy new cards. This one is all over the place, in the best possible ways. Going in, I knew about all the dinosaurs, which was a big part of the advertising in no small part because of the Jurassic World tie-in. But The Lost Caverns of Ixalan have so much more awesome to offer.
The coolest thing is the awesome South American style. There are heaps of cool gods, artifacts, and clothing that are inspired by these amazing Aztec and Mayan styles. Between the inspiration and the incredible art, these cards look damn awesome.
Then there are the previously mentioned themes. It’s a nerd’s dream right here. First, we have dinosaurs. I mean, what isn’t there to love about dinosaurs? Then you throw some badass pirates in, and then some merpeople, and you have a seriously awesome set of cards to open and explore.
What about Jurassic World?
So the Jurassic World cards are interesting. They obviously fit with the dinosaur theme, but they don’t fit the rest of the set. But that’s fine, because there’s a Sam Neil and Laura Dern card so my Kiwi fanboyism is kicking in. There is also a Blue card, so the best part of the new trilogy is represented.
To pick these up, you have a one-in-12 chance in a normal set booster and a guaranteed card in a collector booster. The weird caveat here, and the criticism I have seen, is that these cards can also be lands. I’m not going to lie; I actually kind of love the Jurassic World land cards. They are double-sided; one side shows an area like the raptor cage before the escape, and the other side has an image after the escape. I think they are cool as hell!
The different packs
The packs are pretty much what you have come to know. There are Draft boosters, Set Boosters, and Collector Boosters, but no jumpstart boosters. As per usual, there are fewer rares in a Draft Booster, more in the Set Boosters with a chance of a JP card, and the Collector Boosters are filled with fancy, shiny, and rare cards and a guaranteed JP card.
Prerelease packs are good value, coming with six draft boosters, a promo card, and a spin-down die. These are best used for deck-making games, so you should check out an event that uses one of these boxes at your local game store (shameless plug for Bea DnD, who is the amazing LGS I visit). But you could easily grab two and have a homemade deck-making session with a friend. Then there is the Bundle, which is of amazing value, loaded with eight set boosters, a couple of promos (one of which is a JP card), a heap of lands, and a giant spin-down dice. These all come in a great storage box you can keep using.
Then there are the commander decks. This review took a while because stock has been patchy, but fortunately they have started filling up in stores. That means I finally got mine to play with! The commander decks are built around character themes, which is awesome. Want a Dinosaur, Merfolk, vampire, or pirate deck? Grab one of these precons. They all play really well, so that’s a win.
You and a friend want to play? Well grab whichever themed deck you like and smash each other.
New mechanics
Now, when I say new, I mean new to me. So some of these may have existed before, but as a newbie, it’s good to know what you’re in for. First there is the craft mechanic, which has you play a card, and then at some point you can pay another cost and transform it to the other side of the card. It’s pretty damn fun.
Descend and Descended are cool mechanics that rely on how many cards have gone in your graveyard. Some cards’ abilities trigger if you have sent one to your graveyard in the turn; other ones trigger based on how many cards are in your graveyard. It can turn some average creatures into pretty boss creatures.
Discover and Explore have you flicking through your deck for specific card types. These are thematically fun for the desk and can be a godsend, or a pain in the ass, depending on how many cards you have to exile to get what you need.
Should you start with Magic: The Gathering The Lost Caverns of Ixalan?
If you are new to MTG, then this is an easy enough set to start with. The themes are fun, the art is stunning, and the new mechanics are fun. Throw in the awesome Jurassic Park cards, and yeah, this one is a winner.
Like Jurrasic Park? Winning. Like vampires, pirates and merfolk? Winning. The Lost Cavens of Ixalan is awesome!
