Summary
Every set that releases in Magic: The Gathering comes with a healthy number of singles that are worth picking up before prices skyrocket or before availability starts to wane. Lost Caverns of Ixalan has a ton of cards that are either fantastic reprints and original cards that will make great additions to your collection.
Whether you’re looking to pick up a few cards for current Commander decks, are looking to brew up a few new ones and want to get ahead of the game, or just like having the best cards from each set, these singles will make a good investment for your Magic collection.
10Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar
Being Able To Say No Is Nice
For three mana,the uncommon legendary Cat Kutzil, Malamet Exemplarbrings a few powerful abilities to the game. The most important piece of information on Kutzil is the clause that makes it so your opponents can’t cast spells during your turn. There are a few of these effects in Magic now, and it is a vital component of higher-end Commander games.
The second ability lets you draw a card whenever you deal damage to a player with one or more creatures with power higher than its base power, you get to draw a card. This ability only triggers once even if you connect with multiple creatures, but an incidental card draw is always a plus. Since Kutzil is an uncommon, you can easily pick up a few copies of it in its regular printing, foil, and even the Legends of Ixalan variant for cheap.
9Gishath, Sun’s Avatar
So Good It Came Back For Seconds
One of only a few straight reprints from the original Ixalan set is Gishath, Sun’s Avatar. Gishath has only had two main printings, one in the original Ixalan and in Lost Caverns of Ixalan, and one Secret Lair printing.
Even if you don’t plan on playing a Dinosaur-based deck anytime soon, Gishath makes for a good pickup for players looking for trade fodder later on. Since it is one of the premiere Dinosaur commanders, and practically every Dinosaur-based deck is going to want a copy of it, it makes for a solid long-term investment.
8Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant
The Potential To Cheat Some Big Creatures Out
There are always going to be a few chase cards in every expansion that players are going to go after and Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant is just one of many in Lost Caverns of Ixalan. When Ghalta enters the battlefield, you get to take any number of creature cards from your hand and put them directly into play.
There are plenty of ways to cheat it into play; cards like Sneak Attack and Savage Order will put Ghalta from your hand into play, while cards like Reanimate and Animate Dead can bring it back from the graveyard for cheap. No matter which way you go, this beefy Dinosaur can help put you ahead on the battlefield.
7Ripples Of Potential
Each Ripple, A Saved Card
From theExplorers of the Deep preconstruced deckcomes Ripples of Potential, an instant spell that’s quickly becoming a popular multifaceted spell in many commander decks. First, this spell lets you proliferate, picking any number of permanents or players and then adding a counter of each type that’s already there. Then, for all those permanents you picked that had a counter put on them phase out, effectively removing them from the game until your next turn when they phase back in.
While a bit more narrow than most mass protection spells that players are used to, it makes a great addition to any sort of blue counters deck. And without access to white mana, it can be one of the few ways to save most cards you have out on the battlefield.
6Tarrian’s Soulcleaver
Asurprisingly powerful piece of equipment, Terrain’s Soulcleaver turns Treasure Tokens into +1/+1 counters very quickly. Technically, the Soulcleaver puts a +1/+1 counter on the equipped creature any time another artifact or creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, triggering off any creature or artifact that dies, not just your own. Treasures are just an incredibly common token generated in Magic and, over the past few releases, have gotten tons of support.
A lot of players sleep on giving creatures vigilance, but it’s a surprisingly powerful keyword. The fact that Tarrian’s Soulcleaver gives a creature vigilance and also has a cheap equip cost of just two generic mana, means you’re able to load up multiple creatures with +1/+1 counters in a single turn.
5Resplendent Angel
Gaining Life? Might As Well Make An Angel While You’re At It
An incredibly powerful reprint in Lost Caverns of Ixalan, Resplendent Angel is a vital card in many life gain strategies or in any Angel-based deck. At the beginning of each player’s end step, if you gained five or more life during the turn, you get to make a 4/4 Angel token with flying and vigilance. Gaining five life is very easy to do, especially with any card that multiplies the amount of life you will gain.
Resplendent Angel has had only one other printing, all the way back in Core Set 2019, making it a hard card to come across. Since it had such a limited printing, copies of the card are likely to increase in price once Lost Caverns of Ixalan stops being printed and moves out of rotation. Players like playing life gain decks, practically ensuring that this card will be popular for a long time.
4Branching Evolution
All These Branches To Help You Win
A cheap enchantment that doubles the number of +1/+1 counters you’d place on a creature makes Branching Evolution a powerful addition to any deck that focuses on pumping up your creatures. While a little bit narrower than other counter doublers, Branching Evolution only increases your +1/+1 counters. That’s not a problem in the right deck.
Branching Evolution is much like Resplendent Angle and Gishath, Sun’s Avatar, having a very limited printing, which helps inflate its price. Previously, Branching Evolution was only available in the 2020’s Jumpstart set, making it a hard card to find. It’s now available in the Explorers of the Deep Commander deck, along with Ripples of Potential, making the deck a valuable purchase.
3Dauntless Dismantler
Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Makes Tokens
A powerful anti-artifact card, Dauntless Dismantler shuts down or slows down plenty of artifact-based strategies that your opponents might be trying to implement. With Dauntless Diusmantler out, all artifacts your opponents control enter the battlefield tapped.
This includes everying from artifact creatures to any token artifacts, including Clue, Food, and Treasure. If played before a card like Dockside Extortionist, your opponent will have to chill out for a turn before they can make use of all their Treasures. Picking up a few of this uncommon creature can be a great Stax piece for your Commander decks.
2Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation / Temple of Civilization
Tokens! Tokens Galore!
Look, if you think you might ever be in the market to build a creature token-based deck at any point in your Magic career, you’ll want a copy of Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation. This God takes any creature token you would make and triples it, making three times that many tokens instead of just one.
This card sits as one of the more valuable cards in the set, but it is 100% worth picking up at least one copy to throw in a future deck. When it comes to pricey cards like Ojer Taq, make sure you’re checking out variants as well, since there’s a chance that they will be at least a little cheaper than their regular printings.
1Cavern Of Souls
Counter My Commander, I Dare You
Even if you’re not playing a Commander deck based on a specific creature type, picking up a Cavern of Souls or two is a solid choice for your collection. Cavern of Souls lets you pick a creature type when it comes into play, tapping to add mana of any color so long as you’re using that mana to cast a creature spell that matches the type. That spell can’t be countered, which is the most important part.
Being able to cast your commander safely is a vital part of practically every Commander game. Even if you have no other cards that match the creature type of your Commander, it can sometimes be the only way to brute force your Commander into play.
