Ixalan Set Review - White

Welcome to Ixalan set review week. All this week I'm going to be taking a look through all of the cards appearing in Ixalan colour by colour rounding out the week with all the multicoloured, artifact and lands. I hope you're ready for a packed week of Magic cards so let's get started.

Adanto Vanguard

This aggressive two mana creature could be invaluable in limited. It starts as a 1/1 which is below curve but as soon as it attacks Adanto Vanguard turns into a 3/1, which could then trade up. Couple that with its second ability to give itself Indestructible for the payment of four life and suddenly you have an proactive threatening creature ten after turn. I will say that it's a little fragile with its one toughness and poor blocking ability, and after you've payed the four life to make Adanto Vanguard Indestructible two or three times you are playing fast and loose with your life as a resource but having a way to gain life can circumvent that somewhat. I think it's going to turn out that Adanto Vanguard will be a limited all star and definitely pull its weight, I don't think it will make it into constructed though unless Modern Death's Shadow needs another two drop.

Ashes of the Abhorrent

Graveyard hate is always a nice thing especially if you know what Dredge is. When Ixalan comes in it does push out four sets, and while it may hit a couple of things in those sets this is mainly for Embalm, Eternalise and Aftermath cards in standard. It doesn't look like Ixalan is going to have much playing from the graveyard but the second part of the card is still nice even if that's the case, gaining life is a good thing, though it shouldn't be what you base your deck around, it could buy you some time in limited to get to where you need to be. In standard Ashes of the Abhorrent will probably see play in some sideboards but I think the amount of graveyard play in standard is negligible when relative to this card, in modern it might be better than rest in peace as it stops Dredge in its tracks, though it does still come with the downside for you an the gain life ability might not be as relevant.

Axis Of Immortality

This is the type of card that you want to do some unfair things with, like tank your own life total to draw a tonne of cards and then switch your life total with your opponents. In the grand scheme of things however that probably won't be the case for a couple of reasons; 1) it triggers in your upkeep, so you have to be able to dwindle away you're life total in your opponent's turn or at the end of their turn which does then give them the opportunity to take advantage of your low life. 2) it costs six mana and has no immediate impact on the game, so most of the time it will be a blank card either sitting in your hand or in play. The best place for Axis Of Immortality is in Commander or casual constructed, a place where you have the time and resources to really utilise a card like this.

Bellowing Aegisaur

This six mana dinosaur is probably not going to make any Pro Tour or GP winning lists outside of limited as it's mana cost and lack of immediate impact kinda rules it out for constructed. However, it's limited potential is pretty high; it's easily splashable, clogs up the ground well and can aid your other creatures immensely. Six may seem high for limited but I think that's the way this format is going, slow and big just like most dinosaurs. Having a repeatable Anthem effect could get out of hand and be hard for your opponent to deal with, maybe pinging your own Bellowing Aegisaur a couple of times to get the +1/+1 counters could be the best case scenario. Then again there is always the chance of it just being destroyed and you getting no counters from it which is the worst case scenario but you've still had a 3/5 and made them use a removal spell so it's not all bad.

Bishop Of Rebirth

Bishop of rebirth is like a fixed Sun Titan in a way. It's cheaper, smaller, only hits creatures with 3 or less cmc (Converted Mana Cost) and doesn't trigger when it enters the battlefield but the essence is there and the fact that it costs five instead of six pushes up its playability, not that Sun Titan at six wasn't playable. Bishop is a nice top end in your limited deck and can easily overwhelm your opponent given a couple of attacks and the vigilance isn't nothing, it gains you so much board advantage in one attack giving you at least two untapped creatures that it's very hard to ignore. Standard could see this but the lack of enter the battlefield trigger does lessen that possibility, I think the value is great but no immediate impact so In a slower metagame it's great.

Bishop's Soldier

Straight forward, a two mana 2/2 is playable all the time in limited and one that has Lifelink is doubly playable. Bishop's Soldier will do a lot of work for you and having multiples is just going to feel unfair if you can drop them turn three and four. They throw off life total maths and with a pump spell can be a massive problem, play them all the time.

Bright Reprisal

White's removal tends to stick to either combat orientated spells or enchantment based, this is the former and while we've had this type of spell before from cards such as Immolating Glare and Kill Shot, they don't tend to have card draw attached. Five mana is a lot but for a removal spell and card draw I think it's just about worth it, you are relying on this incredibly reactive spell but there will be times when Bright Reprisal can get your opponents big bomby Dinosaur. It's limited playable but a tad mana intensive and as far as constructed goes, I don't think so.

Demystify

We haven't seen Demystify since Rise Of The Eldrazi but this one mana enchantment removal spell could see some consistent sideboard play. It's cheap, fast and deals with any enchantment super efficiently. Demystify will see play both in limited and constructed without a shadow of a doubt.

Duskborne Skymarcher

Believe it or not Flying Men was an actual card back in the day, it seems super basic now to have a 1/1 flyer for one mana but back then it was something. Here we have Duskborne Skymarcher, a one mana 1/1 flyer with an ability so already a strict upgrade to Flying Men. The ability on this little vampire is one to give an attacking vampire +1/+1 until end of turn and when you could be attacking with a Lifelinking vampire the extra point could make all the difference. At worst Duskborne Skymarcher is a one drop vampire and in Ixalan, where vampire tribal is going to be a big thing, that could be a great way to start your curve off in limited.

Emissary Of Sunrise

This is going to be a limited all start in my opinion, even just as a three mana  first striking 2/1 that draws you a card that's super playable but it could be so much more. If you are lucky enough to reveal a non land card then Emissary Of Sunrise is a 3/2 first striker that lets you kinda Scry, being bigger gives it the opportunity to really control the ground in combat and the option of keeping or ditching the revealed card has a lot of potential. Emissary is easy to splash and doesn't rely on anything else to help it along its way and for that reason I will be playing this as much as I possibly can in limited. I could see an application for it in constructed as well in a weenie deck giving it both access to an early threat and small amount of card manipulation.

Encampment Keeper

Having a one mana 1/1 with First Strike is enough to justify playing Encampment Keeper, in a deck that had the ability to go wide however it becomes a good late game threat. If you can amass an army of critters then having Encampment Keeper as an Anthem effect could be what allows you to go big and win the game, it does cost eight mana to activate though and that's a lot of mana especially if it doesn't pay off. I would play this in limited as a decent one drop but wouldn't hinge my strategy on being able to sacrifice it for the +2/+2, probably just resign to playing it as a one mana 1/1 with First Strike.

Glorifier Of Dusk

Glorifier Of Dusk is a great creature to have in both a proactive stance and a defensive one. It plays a lot better when you're on the front foot with the Vigilance but it's fine to have a flying blocker on defensive, you are investing a lot of life for all of this added value though which is something to consider when playing Glorifier Of Dusk. If you could circumvent the life loss by gaining some amount each turn then the power level of this creature is immense, giving it lifelink is just insane when you'd be able to fly over with a vigilant 4/4 and lose no life, granted you won't gain any either but breaking even isn't a bad thing. Glorifier could be a limited all start if you can play it right which isn't to say you shouldn't play it if you don't have a way to abuse its abilities, you play this in your white deck all the time because it's a big threat with flying and Vigilance. It won't play in constructed though because it's a bit costly and a big life investment.

Goring Ceratops

Dinosaurs are big and scary things, Goring Ceratops is one of them and it turns all your other attacking creatures into big scary creatures as well. This in your top end white creature in limited and if you get to untap with it you can be pretty sure of winning the game. It does take a while to get to seven mana but I think Ixalan limited is shaping up to be a bit more "battle cruiser magic" making Goring Ceratops a great end game but it's a little too expensive for constructed.

Imperial Aerosaur

The dinosaurs in Ixalan are a bit of a mixed bag; you expect them to be big, stompy, powerful things to be feared and run away from but you may forget about the smaller more agile dinosaurs, like Imperial Aerosaur. A four mana 3/3 flyer is definitely playable in limited, a creature with evasion as simple as flying could end up being the fly in your opponent's soup if you will, but one that can give another creature you control flying so it can go over the top and smash in could win you the game then and there. Imagine playing Imperial Aerosaur late game when you already have a big dinosaur without flying, all of a sudden you have a huge threat in the air plus a flying attacker for next turn just in case your big dinosaur couldn't get the job done. Playing this on curve can be pretty brutal as well, you hit your one, two and three drops attacking along the way and then on turn four when you drop Imperial Aerosaur and give a creature flying and +1/+1 the tempo can shift drastically in your favour if they have no reply. The value this card can produce is good enough to run it in limited or even splash it, and like I said a flying 3/3 for four mana can still do a lot of damage.

Imperial Lancer

This card may look intriguing but let me tell you, it's not. A one mana 1/1 is fine and the possibility of Double Strike is appealing but it probably won't do as much in the long run as you want it to. It could get. 2/2 and trade up and best case scenario you have a pump spell or two to really get your mileage out of Imperial Lancer, but with it at uncommon you have a good chance of only seeing one which makes Imperial Lancer much worse off and because of that I can see cutting it for something slightly more playable. With a fair few dinosaurs I could see playing this but you want to abuse the Double Strike.

Inspiring Cleric

This is a great tempo creature in limited and depending on how fast the format turns out to be I could see this playing in constructed. For three mana Inspiring Cleric gives you four life and a 3/2 body along with it which at common is really good. You're probably going to pick up a couple of these in limited and I think you should play them if you get them, for three mana being able to offset your life and have a good blocking option and an even better attacking option is so valuable. Time will tell about Inspiring Clerics playability in constructed but with only one white mana in its cost, I could see it being splashed for or maybe sideboarded.

Ixalan's Binding

Ixalan's Binding is a great removal spell for white to have. It gets the Oblivion Ring ability fairly often but they don't come with the second part of this card that stops the playing of any cards with the same name. In limited it's going to be one of the premium removal spells in white that most of the time will hit creatures, but it can be the make or break point of a game against an opponent with a planeswalker or bomb artifact or enchantment. I think Ixalan's Binding is a no brainier for constructed because it deals with everything you need to deal with, bar lands like Ramunap Ruins, for four mana which may seem a little high but we've already got Cast Out that sees play and even though that may have flash, being in a position to stop any future Hazorets or Glorybringers I feel is much more valuable.

Kinjalli's Caller

With all these dinosaurs running around, being all splashy and temptingly playable as they are, you're going to want a way to "cheat" them into play in a way. Kinjalli's Caller loves to help out in those situations and at one mana it could give you a pretty good edge especially dropping it early game and in multiples those dinosaurs are just going to be cascading out of your hand. Even if you don't have many dinosaurs in your deck Kinjalli's Caller still gums up the ground well for a couple of turns which could be what you need in order to play your non-dinosaur bombs, and you can also be safe in the knowledge that with three toughness and no massive impact on the game your opponent won't want to waste a removal spell on Kinjalli's Caller, if they do that's just gravy.  I would say it's only limited playable but honestly I could see a Dinosaur tribal deck running four of these essentially as a ramp spell.

Kinjalli's Sunwing

Thalia is a good card; three mana for a First striking 3/2 that taps any creature or nonbasic lands that your opponent may have ideas of playing. The only problem is that all of that for three mana might be a bit costly in the current metagame hence why she doesn't see as much play in standard. Kinjalli's Sunwing isn't as aggressive as Thalia and doesn't hit nonbasic lands but as far as three mana flyers go, this one is pretty good. It's going to see play in limited and I think will sneak into a couple of constructed sideboards just in case aggressive creature decks become more of a thing and it can block fairly efficiently as well.

Legion Conquistador

I love this card because it's card advantage with a 2/2 body attached. Back in the day there was a creature called Squadron Hawk which was a two mana 1/2 version of Legion Conquistador with flying. It turned out to be very powerful partly because you could gain a lot of card advantage by searching your deck for the others and partly because of a certain planeswalker that could abuse that card advantage and the search ability. Unfortunately we don't have a planeswalker like that currently in standard but that doesn't take away from the power that Legion Conquistador can provide for you, it may not break into constructed like Squadron Hawk but if you can pick up multiples in limited then the card and board advantage is worth playing this three drop.

Legion's Judgement

Whites removal over the years has been fairly conservative; it tends to be sorcery speed or very conditional, like an attacking or blocking creature, in this case it's both. We've seen cards like Legion's Judgement in the past with cards like Reprisal and Skywhaler's Shot but both have been at instant speed making them infinitely better which isn't to say you shouldn't play Legion's Judgement as  a white removal spell in limited because out of the options it could be one of the better ones, but picking your moment is definitely key.

Legion's Landing

  

Essentially, Legion's Landing is a 1/1 vampire token with Lifelink but having a one drop with upside is good to have especially if you can get some life out of it. The second part of Legion's Landing/the flip side is what you're really playing it for. It's not hard to attack with three creatures and if you can achieve that then Adanto, The First Fort gives you some options. It ramps you ahead a turn or, for the low price of three mana, gives you another 1/1 Lifelinking vampire token, both of which can be very important in limited giving you better mana or a better board position. You want Legion's Landing on turn one but it still performs well after that as you could just drop it for a mana and flip it straight away in the late game, it's going to see play in constructed because of the potential value in the early game.

Looming Altisaur

Not much to say about this guy; it's a four mana 1/7, it won't be doing much attacking but blocking is Looming Altisaur's wheelhouse and it will do a lot of work in that respect. It gums up the ground really well and your opponent will probably have to waste a removal spell on it which they won't be happy about at all. You play Looming Altisaur in limited but it gets no where near constructed.

Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle

This guy could lead to a nice go wide black white tokens deck. Imagine this, turn one Concealed Courtyard, turn two Swamp into Gifted Aetherborn, turn three drop another land play Mavren Fein and then attack with your Gifted Aertherborn, gaining you two life and netting you a 1/1 with Lifelink. Couple this with the other vampire from Kaladesh, Yahenni, and suddenly you have a constantly indestructible vampire to attack with every turn and net a token to then sacrifice to Yahenni and continue the indestructible cycle. I think Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle could end up in a midrange token deck or maybe even vampire focused black white control deck and in limited he could be bonkers giving you an army of Lifelinkers to decimate your opponent with, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this card as I think it could do great things.

Paladin Of The Bloodstained

Straight forward with this one. Four mana for four power is fine, split over two bodies is even better because it spreads your blocking options. You're going to play Paladin Of The Bloodstained in limited because it's cheap and it provides you with a token with Lifelink which even if it blocks or attacks and hits offsets your life total which can be a make of break part of the game in the long run. It's nothing special but you're going to play it.

Pious Intervention

Another card we've seen iterations of in the past but in this case in a little down on Pious Intervention. Maybe I've been spoiled by cards like Faith's Fetters but I remember when four mana could get you four life as opposed to two, in Faith's Fetters case you could enchant non creatures in addition and stop any abilities not just stop a creature from attacking or blocking. Again Pious Intervention is a card you play in limited because it acts as removal and life gain but all in all there is probably more efficiently costed cards.

Priest Of The Wakening Sun

A 1/1 for one with upside is always worth looking at, in this case the upside is life gain and the ability to tutor for a dinosaur of your choice. There may well be some sort of combo or control deck that could use Priest Of The Wakening Sun to find a big dinosaur to win the game with but at first glance it seems a bit weak. The life gain might be a thing but I think the focus will be more on the tutor ability and you're not getting to that until turn five at least, provided you don't have any mana ramp and you dropped Priest on turn one. In limited Priest will be fine as it acts as an early drop, life gain and a way to find your bomb dinosaur but in constructed I think it's going to need a bit more work with the increase of removal spells and because of that it's probably not going to be making waves.

Pteredon Knight

It's a four mana 3/3 that most likely will have flying at some point, it's great to have on curve and even if you don't control a dinosaur to give it flying Pteredon Knight will still hold the ground well and could get in for some damage.

Queen's Commission

I would love this card if it was an instant, maybe it would make it to strong but Midnight Haunting was an instant and that wasn't played that much, granted because Lingering Souls was a thing and super over powered but still. You're paying three mana for two power with Lifelink which is fine, it's split over two creatures which makes it better for blocking and attacking. It's limited playable but I don't think stretches to constructed, maybe a couple in a token deck but I feel there are better options, though having two creatures on turn three isn't anything to turn your nose up at.

Rallying Roar

This is your Anthem instant in Ixalan limited, it works best when you can go wide but is still good if you have a couple of creatures to attack or block with. You would be getting maximum value off Rallying Roar by using it to untap your creatures before blocking, but that's best case scenario and in all honesty it's going to provide the same upside even without any tapped creatures. It works well for a limited alpha strike and a good combat trick to get your opponent with but at three mana it may be a bit costly for constructed.

Raptor Companion

It's been a human, a spirit, a fox and most famously a cat. Whichever way you cut it, the two mana 3/1 is always going to be around and be whites aggressive common creature, you're going to play Raptor Companion in limited and it will trade up even if it is a tad fragile.

Ritual Of Rejuvenation

Life gain spells are a bit of a trap, you can spend you mana to stay alive and fight another turn or you could play more proactive cards and just not lose. Easier said than done right? Well gaining life often is just prolonging the inevitable, in Ritual Of Rejuvenation's case though you are drawing a card, so it gains you life and replaces itself. Essentially what you have here is three mana to do nothing. You can play this in limited if you really need a twenty third card or you could just play an additional creature and it would probably serve you better.

Sanguine Sacrament

I love this card for a control deck, it's fairly simple to splash double white and it can dig you out of a deep hole late in the game and give you enough time to get back on your feet and find your win conditions. It's a bomb in limited because it can put you way out of range for most decks to be able to deal enough damage plus it goes on the bottom after it resolves, so if you can shuffle your library there is a good chance you'll get it back to do it again. It may appear as a one of in constructed as you probably won't need more than one unless you're aim is a big life total but with cards like this and Pull From Tomorrow in standard a blue white control deck could easily make its way into the metagame.

Settle The Wreckage

Path To Exile is arguably one of the best removal spells of all time and while Settle The Wreckage costs four times as much and you don't get to target a specific creature an instant speed Wrath Of God for attacking creatures is still really powerful. Note that the targeted player does get to find a load of basic lands to ramp them for next turn but that doesn't always have to be your opponent, you could target yourself for the extra lands which I'm sure we'll see in the coming months in some fashion. In limited it's going to be used as an immensely powerful mass removal spell and you'll be happy with that but like I said, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some tricksy plays with Settle The Wreckage resulting in tonnes of lands in play.

Sheltering Light

Combat trick or not, I think Sheltering Light is bad. Yes there will be times when you can keep a creature because of it and maybe get more value by taking out an opposing creature but like in Ritual Of Rejuvenation's case, it feels like a do nothing card and the Scry is just gravy on a card that needs a kicker to be noticed.

Shining Aerosaur

What can you say about a five mana 3/4 flyer? Well that I guess. It's pretty straight forward, you'll play it in limited as a top endish card, if that's the case then your pool must have been terrible and for that I'm sorry, but it won't go further than that.

Skyblade Of The Legion

I'm not quite sure about this card, it blocks ok in the air but it won't do much offensive work. A little weak over all but with the vampire theme running through Ixalan having this two mana vampire

Slash Of Talons

I love Slash Of Talons, it's like white Shock. It's a good cheap removal spell and even though it's conditional, targeting an attacking or blocking creature, it's good enough to main deck in limited and maybe even sideboardable in constructed. There will be a lot of creatures both in limited and constructed with two or less toughness that Slash Of Talons will happily deal with and because of that I think this could be one of whites premium removal spells.

Steadfast Armasaur

This is going to be a massive all star baller in limited. Being able to hit for two damage while keeping back a blocker up that doubles as a removal spell is going to win you many games if played correctly. The four casting cost is a bit under curve for a 2/3 but on the whole Steadfast Armasaur is a limited bomb and if you can pick up multiples then you're limited deck will be very hard to beat.

Sunrise Seeker

This card seems a bit middle of the road to me; either a five mana 4/4 with vigilance or a five mana 3/3 that draws you a card. You're not going to be scrambling to play Sunrise Seeker but it will do if you need a top end creature.

Territorial Hammerskull

Another good tempo creature for white in limited. The body is fine, not particularly aggressive, but being able to tap a blocker when Territorial Hammerskull attackers is pretty good especially when it's their only blocker. Best case scenario, you hit your creature drops on curve for the first couple of turns and can tap their only blocker with the Hammerskull putting a big life gap between you and your opponent. Worst case scenario you have a three mana 2/3 blocker which is still alright in limited as it will survive a lot of early damage.

Tocatli Honor Guard

Standard hate bears could be a thing between this, Kinjalli's Sunwing and Aven Mindcensor, cheap creatures that make it difficult for your opponent to interact efficiently. As a two mana 1/3 Tocatli Honor Guard comes down early and blocks well while also hindering any enter the battlefield triggers your opponent may have, it does stop yours but if you haven't built your deck in a way that skirts around that problem then you're doing it wrong. In limited, Tocatli Honor Guard will be a decent creature to hold the ground with in the early game and you may stop a couple of triggers with it but it's not going to be that exciting, constructed is where this shines and given the chance could ruin your opponents game plan full of Gearhulks and mono red creatures.

Vampire's Zeal

You need combat tricks in limited, they will always be good and can sometimes give you those extra couple of points to get the job done. Vampire's Zeal can pump any creature but gives you a little extra when used with a vampire and with the vampire theme running through Ixalan you won't struggle to find some to use it on.

Wakening Sun's Avatar

You want a big Dinosaur? How about an eight mana 7/7 Wrath Of God on legs. What more do I need to say really, it's a huge bomb in limited and will win you the game upon casting it and as far as constructed goes, it could see play but you can't cheat it out and still get the effect so getting to eight is going to be hard enough without fear of it getting countered or removed from your hand before you can cast it. I like the idea of Wakening Sun's Avatar as a big top end bomb but it's not made for competitive constructed, commander maybe.

So that's brought us to the end of the white cards from Ixalan, hopefully this has given you a look at how some of these new cards work and maybe even given you some ideas for future decklists. Check back tomorrow for a look through the blue cards and all this week.

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