Ixalan Set Review - Red

Hey guys, welcome back to Ixalan Set Review week and take a gander at all of these red cards. Maybe some cards will get your creative deckbuilding juices flowing so without any delay...

Angarth's Marauders

It's Furnace Of Wrath on legs, it does cost twice as much but you get a 4/4 in addition to doubling your damage. The other good thing about Angarth's Marauders is that you get to deal double damage to planeswalkers whereas Furnace Of Wrath only hit creatures or players. A bomb in limited that will just win you the game if not dealt with sharpish, nothing for constructed because it's to slow and to costly.

Bonded Horncrest

In a limited environment like this one, with all the tribes it has, I'm sure you're not going to struggle to find other creatures to pair with Bonded Horncrest. Hitting this on turn four already gives you a blocker that your opponent would be a fool to reckon with, provided you have another creature from the first three turns to block with as well. Following that up with being able to attack with Bonded Horncrest and a friend the next turn could give you so much board advantage if you opponent blocks as they will probably have to double block to kill it or it takes a quarter of there life away. If you can keep up creatures for Bonded Horncrest to attack and block with then it could be what wins you the game in limited, if you're a slower deck then you probably don't want to bother.

Brazen Buccaneers

I think the Explore mechanic is going be a very powerful mechanic and creatures like this are why. It may look like nothing as a four mana 2/2 with Haste but the Explore part of this card really shines; if you hit a land then it's a 2/2 Haste that drew you a card, you hit a non land and then it's a 3/3 with Haste that fixes your next draw step. What's not to like? Obviously it's just limited playable but as four drops go it's going to be hard to cut Brazen Buccaneers.

Burning Sun's Avatar

A big, splashy dinosaur reminiscent of Inferno Titan. Obviously it's nowhere near as good because it only triggers when it comes into play and not when it attacks but a 6/6 for six that removes a creature and Bolts your opponent is still very powerful and playable all the time in limited. I could see this in a ramp deck in constructed and will definitely be trying it out.

Captain Lannery Storm

You want value? This is value in a quick, aggressive package. Treasures will be a plenty in Ixalan limited which makes Captain Lannery Storm a very big threat, if you can get a Treasure in play before you attack with Captain Lannery Storm you are suddenly attacking with a possible 4/2 on turn three at least. Even if you don't crack the Treasure tokens when you attack, just attacking with the Captain takes you from three mana to five, but imagine this; you manage to get a Treasure into play on then two, then play Captain Lannery Storm and attack, sacrifice both Treasures and Abrade a possible blocker. You've gotten so much value so early out of your cards being able to hit for four and one for one a creature early which could have been one of few, resulting in more value out of the Captain and the Treasure tokens. A limited bomb for sure and definitely one to watch in constructed.

Captivating Crew

Wow. Creatures have been getting so much better of the recent years but this guy is nuts. So a four mana 4/3 is always playable, will trade up and deal some damage. One that steals creature is even better taking one of your opponents potential blockers and turning it into part of your offense, but being able to do that possibly multiple times in the same turn is ridiculous. Say it's the late game and you have eight mana, your opponent has two creatures, all of a sudden you have a free attack that in all likelihood will win you the game. A limited bomb, Captivating Crew will do so much work for you if given the chance and I'm sure will steal at least one creature during its time serving with you, I'm not sure how it would fair in constructed as it is a bit mana intensive and could be a bit clunky in a more refined format, though I would like to try it for the potential power.

Charging Monstrosaur

Five mana for five power is a slam dunk and the fact that it's easy to splash just sweetens the deal. This is the type of creature that if hit on curve can win you the game on the spot and even if you don't want to attack with Charging Monstrosaur it blocks well and can go toe to toe with a lot of creatures in this set. Limited bomb and probably goes no further but it's so powerful that you will play this whenever you can.

Demolish

Look it's Demolish. I'm not going to linger because it's pretty straight forward; land destruction is bad and you sideboard this in in limited to deal with a pesky artifact, done.

Dinosaur Stampede

There's one of these in every set, sometimes white of sometimes red, in this case it's red. Dinosaur Stampede is bad in a low creature count deck but great at those points where you find yourself attacking with three or four creatures and giving your dinosaurs trample is a nice edge to have when attacking into multiple blockers. In a pinch it can also be used on the defensive to ensure some trade offs. Great in limited but not for constructed as I don't think there will be a dinosaur tribal deck and you really want to get maximum value out of Dinosaur Stampede if you're playing it in constructed.

Dual Shot

Having a spell that can target two different creatures with the potential to kill them seems pretty good right? Well while there are a few creatures in Ixalan with one toughness that you could get a nice two for one with Dual Shot, a neat thing I can see being done with it is being able to take out an opposing creature and trigger Enrage on one of your creatures. You may even be able to slow roll it and trigger two different Enrage creatures which would be the dream I think, I'm intrigued to see how effective Dual Shot is in limited, as that's where it's staying, whether it is more removal spell or utility spell.

Fathom Fleet Firebrand

Bear with upside, an aggressive upside with the potential to do some damage at that. You may have to sink a bit of mana into Fathom Fleet Firebrand to be able to trade up but at that point you have only used your land resource and not additional cards for a similar effect, and when you can do it to get those last few points of damage through it will all be worth it.

Fiery Cannonade

In the past there have been a Pyroclasm effects that have missed certain card types like Whipflare. Being able to deal with an early opposing board position for three mana isn't the worst, although it may seem a little much for two damage when you have cards like Sweltering Suns in constructed, but in a position where you have a couple of Pirates in play suddenly Fiery Cannonade can swing the board in your favour. Another card I'm keeping my eye on for possible constructed playability but definitely limited playable especially in your pirate tribal deck.

Fire Shrine Keeper

Out of the "Keeper" cycle in Ixalan, Fire Shrine Keeper is probably the best in my opinion. All of them cost eight mana to use play you have to sacrifice them and the benefits all seem a bit meh, except for this one. Most of the time you will be removing two creatures which for eight mana at instant speed isn't bad, yes there are better things but it being on a creature does condense those card choices down somewhat. The body isn't nothing either, a 1/1 for one is ok and when it have Menace you can almost guarantee that it will get through for a couple of points in the early game. I would play Fire Shrine Keeper all the time and multiples are fine, even if you don't always get to eight mana, if you could find a way to pump it when it goes unblocked or keep your opponent off of two creatures then this could do a nice chunk of damage.

Firecannon Blast

Three damage to a creature for three mana at sorcery speed, doesn't sound the best but sometimes you have to make the best of a bad situation. The upside of Firecannon Blast is when you trigger the Raid, at which point it essentially becomes destroy target creature. I kid a little; with all the massive dinosaurs running around that may not always be the case but most of the time it probably will be and for that reason I think Firecannon Blast is limited playable.

Frenzied Raptor

Do you need aggressive creatures? Well look no further than Frenzied Raptor. Hitting this on curve is so good, it may trade down with an opposing creature but if left unblocked can do so much damage. It's good on defense as well as it can easily trade up, either way your opponent will need to find a way to deal with this aggressive creature.

Headstrong Brute

I'm not a fan of Headstrong Brute, it has the drawback of not being able to block and on a three mana 3/3 I would have expected more power with that drawback. It does get slightly better if you have another pirate but I think you can find better creatures for your three drop a lot in limited.

Hijack

You need to steal your opponents massive bomb dinosaur and use it against them? Hijack is happy to oblige and for three mana you're going to be getting a nice discount on that creature mana cost for the turn. You don't have to wait for their huge creature though, you can just take there only blocker and swing in with the team, putting them in a very awkward position next turn. I don't like more than one in limited unless you really have to but having one in the board, or maybe main if you need another spell, can be really useful.

Lightning Strike

The premium burn spell of Ixalan comes to us from Magic 2015, a recent edition of the Core Set idea set to make return next year. Red has gotten some awesome cards over the last year; Chandra, Torch Of Defiance, Glorybringer, Abrade. They have all found a comrade in Lightning Strike, the power of this card almost overshadows Abrade as the go-to two mana red spell. The red decks are already jamming in four now having another burn spell to fling at your opponent to make the game fly by even quicker, being able to attack at early as two turn with an Earthshaker Khenra, throwing in some Ahn-Crop Crashers and possibly a Glorybringer, sometimes you need that little bit of reach and up until now you've had to rely on Shock. But what if two damage isn't enough? What if it's three or maybe even five? Two Shocks can deal five, but two Lightning Strikes can. Play it all the time in limited, splash it if you have to. Obviously another premium spell in constructed.

Lightning-Rig Crew

If you end up with a good amount of playable Pirates then Lightning-Rig Crew is going to really over perform. It comes down early and can deal those last points of damage needed to win the game and even with just one Pirate a turn it already gives you extra value, the best part is that it blocks so well that you can just use its ability to ping your opponent for one then play another Pirate to untap it enabling a massive wall that your opponent will have a bit of trouble attacking through. The power level could bring it into constructed but it may be a tad too slow.

Makeshift Munitions

Sometimes you may end up with a lot of Treasure tokens and you may not want or need to use them for mana. Makeshift Munitions gives you a great way to utilise any left of Treasures by flinging them at your opponent or any creatures they have. One damage may not seem like a lot but there will be times where it's enough to finish off a creature or even your opponent plus being an enchantment makes it slightly more difficult for your opponent to deal with than say a creature. In the right deck it can give you a lot of power but you can't really jam a card like this into any deck, you need to consistently be able to produce Treasures in order to get maximum value out of Makeshift Munitions.

Nest Robber

A fragile yet fast two drop that will probably get two damage in straight away. You want Nest Robber in your fast, aggressive deck in limited, dropping it early and being on the front foot, I'm sure you'll be happy to have it.

Otepec Huntmaster

If Dinosaur tribal does become a thing, this is the card it wants early. Otepec Huntmaster is like an extra mana for your dinosaurs and can also give them Haste to make the threat even more real. Even just as a two mana 1/2 it's still limited playable.

Rampaging Ferocidon

Wow, what an aggressive creature. Rampaging Ferocidon has the potential to deal so much damage, primarily through attacking as it's difficult to block anyway, but also just through your opponent playing the game and casting creatures. The dilemma for your opponent is this; if I play a creature I lose a life but I still have a creature or I could not play a creature and not lose life. A simple question for the fist couple of triggers but if left unchecked those triggers add up, and obviously multiples is ridiculous. A straight up bomb in limited and a definitely aggro staple in constructed to come.

Raptor Hatchling

At first glance Raptor Hatchling might look a bit meh, but don't think about it as a two mana 1/1 that could be a 3/3 with Trample later just think about it as a two mana 3/3 with Trample. It's not exactly what you want in your two drop slot in limited but it'll do in a pinch and being able to drop it early can allow you to Fog an attacking creature and then get an on curve 3/3 that can trade up. One thing to note is that Raptor Hatchling doesn't trigger when it does but when it's dealt damage via Enrage, so if you can pump it's toughness then you could get multiple 3/3s out of it and that's just super value.

Repeating Barrage

Just because those red burn decks didn't have enough removal/burn spells to throw at your opponent or creatures they may have, Repeating Barrage is here to fill that unnecessary void. This card is insane, you could get so much mileage out of it and even if you don't manage to return it thanks to its Raid trigger it's still three damage for three mana, despite being an instant you still play this in both limited and constructed because the potential power level is through the roof.

Rigging Runner

The one mana cost on this creature is a small trap, you don't really want it on turn one at all because then it's just an above average one drop. Not to say that a 1/1 with First Strike isn't good enough to play because it obviously is, but being able to drop another one drop on turn one then attack with it on turn two to then drop a one mana 2/2 with First Strike is much more effective. That being said, you play this in limited and I can see it in constructed as well now that Village Messenger is leaving us. Imagine having two of these on turn two after attacking, your board position is going to be very powerful and hard to attack through or block profitably.

Rile

A great card to trigger Enrage creatures, Rile hits something for one which could be used as a removal spell in the early game but could also bet you some advantage from an Enrage creature and it also replaces itself all for one mana. You play it in limited but probably not in constructed.

Rowdy Crew

I like this Mythic, it's aggressive, card advantageous and a good threat. Four mana isn't a bad casting cost for a 3/3 though there are better creatures with those stats for less. Trample adds to the value when attacking but the real bonus is when it comes into play it draws you three cards, it does then force you to discard two of them and if they share a type then Rowdy Crew becomes a 5/5 Trampler but the main part is that it nets you a card. A four mana 3/3 draw a card is playable and if it's a 5/5 you're going to be very happy, it's a limited bomb and will go toe to toe with a lot of creatures. I could see it in constructed for the times when you get maximum power/toughness out of it and it becomes a four turn clock.

Rummaging Goblin

This goblin does exactly what it says on the tin, rummages. If you're not familiar with rummaging it's kind of like looting, except instead of drawing and then discard like you do when you loot, you discard first and then draw a card. Other than that Rummaging Goblin isn't anything special, it's a three mana 1/1 that will probably die in combat or from a Dual Shot but hopefully you'll get some use out of it even if that is just one card.

Star Of Extinction

A very thematic card, representing the dinosaurs being wiped out, Star Of Extinction is a Wrath for everything. Seven mana and it takes out a land, all non indestructible creatures and planeswalkers. Seven mana might be a bit much for constructed and you don't really need to go above five damage, which we have Hour Of Devastation for right now. You play it in limited because it's a Wrath effect and even though it's very mana intensive it could keep you in a game.

Storm Fleet Arsonist

I love this creature; it's a threat, it's easy to splash and gets a permanent when it comes into play. All you need to do to destroy a permanent is attack which is easy to do, if you can get the full value out of Storm Fleet Arsonist it will do a lot of work for you in play as a 4/4 and returning it to you hand can make things very difficult for your opponent. Play this all the time in limited and make sure to play it post combat because that's when it wants to be played. I can see this in constructed maybe in a sideboard to be able to get planeswalkers, Vehicles or even a creature.

Storm Fleet Pyromancer

So we all know that attacking is good right? Attacking triggers Raid and Raid usually means nice additional value and that's exactly what you get with Storm Fleet Pyromancer. Drop this guy post combat and you get a nice shock on legs, it could be enough to finish off a blocker or even your opponent. Other than that the body is real, it probably won't trade up and may seem a bit below curve but it still gets in for three damage and sometimes those creatures are the ones that win you the game.

Sun-crowned Hunters

A nice top end for your red decks in limited and also a great Enrage creature to trigger multiple times if possible. Attacking with Sun-Crowned Hunters puts your opponent in a bit of a predicament; take five or block and take three. Best case scenario is they block and take three and manage to kill the Sun-Crowned Hunters, but if they can't then you stand a chance to get your opponent for at least six. That's already enough to make this playable in limited and in multiples can take over a game and create a ground stall.

Sunbird's Invocation

This is such a Johnny card, one that you really want to do unfair things with. For six mana you get an enchantment that doesn't actively do anything until you play your next spell, at which point you could get a free spell out of Sunbird's Invocation. Casting a three mana spell lets you look at the top three cards and cast one with mana three or less for free for example. It will take a while to get to cast it but getting a card out of it will probably be value enough to justify playing it. Sunbird's Invocation feels like a casual/Commander card but at a push it could be playable in limited if you can almost guarantee you can trigger it.

Sure Strike

A great combat trick for limited, it's cheap, easily splashable and will probably win the targeted creature most skirmishes it gets into thanks to the First Strike. It could also provide those extra points while attacking to put you over the edge.

Swashbuckling

I love some of the names of cards in Ixalan and this is one of them. An aura that grants your creature +2/+2 and Haste isn't bad but I feel they may have wasted this name on this sub par card, you're going to play it but auras aren't that good as they set your opponent up for a sweet two for one in their favour.

Thrash Of Raptors

There are plenty of dinosaurs in Ixalan for Thrash Of Raptors to be. Threat in limited. Being able to attack and block with a 5/3 Trampler is something your opponent has to deal with or that's just lights out, at four mana it could come at a time where they have enough power to comfortably block but it's still going to take a couple of creatures with it.

Tilonalli's Knight

A pretty standard two mana 2/2 with upside, obviously in a set that's providing you a lot of dinosaurs it would make sense to give you creatures that play well with dinosaurs. Tilonalli's Knight plays very well with dinosaurs when attacking becoming a 3/3, enabling it to trade up or just take a chunk of life from your opponent. Even without a lot of dinosaurs you still play Tilonalli's Knight because it's on curve and a good early creature to have in an aggressive deck.

Tilonalli's Skinshifter

This is a very interesting creature, one that could turn out to be very versatile in a few decks. At worst Tilonalli's Skinshifter could just copy the 2/2 Bear you played on turn two and get in for an additional two damage, at best it could copy a creature that triggers when it deals damage or even has a post combat trigger. Personally I could see this in a tribal deck helping to trigger possible pirates or vampire though I think it's hard to properly evaluate it at this current point when the meta is going to go through some changes but whatever deck this ends up in, there is definitely potential for Tilonalli's Skinshifter to be incredibly powerful.

Trove Of Temptation

A bit of an odd one this, forcing your opponent to attack you or a planeswalker can be profitable for you if you can block taking care of it for good. However if you can't then what you're doing is letting them do what they would anyway and you've just wasted four mana on this do nothing enchantment, though it does give you a Treasure at the end of your turn for your troubles allowing you to ramp and fix your mana, but it's at the end of your turn so you can even really use it proactively. I don't think I like Trove Of Temptation because it's really slow and clunky, I could see it played in limited if you can really abuse the Treasures it produces but other than that I think you should give this a miss.

Unfriendly Fire

First of all, I love the name of this card, to me it invokes reckless use of fire and complete disregard for comrades which sounds both very Dinosaur and Pirate. Second of all this is a great removal spell to have in limited, it's super easy to splash and it's a common which increases your chances of finding multiples in your pool. It won't go any further than limited but Lava Axe was really powerful in limited and this is the same cost for one less damage and more versatility so you do the maths.

Vance's Blasting Cannons

This four mana enchantment gives you some nice extra value by giving you an additional card each turn, it's not free to play but it is another option which is always useful. If you don't play the exiled card in that turn then it is exiled forever which could be quite bad if you reveal your bomb for example but them's the brakes. The best things happen when you're able to flip Vance's Blasting Cannons into Spitfire Bastion because that's when you can start really punishing your opponent for the dealing with this enchanting threat. Having an extra mana is good, it ramps you a turn ahead, but when you can shoot them or a creature for three each turn that's when things can get silly. If your opponent doesn't have an established board position when this flips they have to make a quick push for one or you can just start gunning down their creatures and then move onto them. This is obviously a limited bomb and will easily make it into constructed as an addition game ended, they are legendary but once it's flipped it's hard to deal with.

Wily Goblin

I'm honestly not sure what to think of Wily Goblin, I love ramp but there are better things that are easier to cast and do more. It probably doesn't want to be in a fast burn deck either as there are two drops, and even one drops, that do more than Wily Goblin and the additional mana isn't really going to matter when all of your spells cost one or two mana anyway. One thing to say is that it does fix your mana but when you've spent the first two turns assembling double red mana for a 1/1 that fixes your mana then maybe you should just reevaluate your deck choice. In limited it's fine as it can allow you to play more colours abs can ramp your from two to four nicely but it won't do much in combat and I could see cutting this for another, more aggressive creature.

That's the Red cards thoroughly reviewed and tomorrow we'll be on to the Green cards, but it doesn't stop there as over this weekend all of the multicoloured, artifact and land cards will be making an appearance. Thanks for reading and if you want more gaming news and updates, keep checking back to Game Changers.