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Hello, everyone! I'm Levi from The Thought Vessel Show, and today we're diving into Wizards of the Coast's return to Ixalan with The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. This set is packed with legendary creatures perfect for Commander pods. We'll be reviewing each new legendary creature and placing them on our Commander tier list. As with most tier lists, E-tier is the weakest, while S-tier represents the cream of the crop. Let's get started!
E Tier: Barely Usable in Commander
This card just doesn't do enough. For three mana and eight cards in the graveyard, you get a 7/7 Trample creature. However, it's not hard to find blockers bigger than that in this format, and Akawalli doesn't come with any natural protection. Plus, asking a Voltron or aggro deck to also dedicate slots to fill the graveyard early enough just isn't practical.
Itzquinth, Firstborn of Gishath
For four total mana, you can have one of your dinosaurs fight another creature in a color pair that already has access to cards like Beast Within, Chaos Warp, and many fight spells. Unless you're building a dinosaur deck like Gishath, Sun's Avatar, this one can stay in the binder.
We've had plenty of Kellan cards this year, but this one is by far the most underwhelming. While the Adventure is decent, the actual creature's ceiling is attacking and either drawing or milling a card. Selesnya has far better options.
For five and then six mana, you get two shots with Uchbenbak, a 6/4 Vigilance Menace creature. In the worst color pair for an aggro strategy, this just won't cut it.
D Tier: Decent, But Nothing Special
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An explore mechanic commander is nice, but the precon from this set already gave us a better version in Hakbal of the Surging Soul, making this card feel more suited to the 99.
Mono-Red Pirates can potentially work, but it's much easier to dip into Izzet, Rakdos, or even Grixis and still include Breeches in the 99. As a commander, the payoff just isn't enough.
Akal Pakal, First Among Equals
Drawing cards and filling your graveyard is nice, but the lack of additional colors holds this card back. It's probably better suited for the 99.
A free spellcaster in Boros? We've seen a few of these recently. While Caparocti is solid in the 99, better options exist for this type of strategy.
Giving opponents the option to sacrifice something they want in their graveyard or discard a card makes this card's three-damage payoff too risky.
C Tier: Cool, But With Drawbacks
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Producing bats is cool, but making your opponents discard consistently will likely make you a target early in the game.
Malcolm thrives in a bit of a "magical Christmas land" scenario, needing counters for free spellcasting. But if any color can pull it off, it's mono-Blue.
This commander is intriguing, as you can board wipe and swing with a 20-power creature. Though difficult to build up, it's a fun challenge. One proliferate or pump spell could make Amalia a lethal one-hit attacker, which is exciting.
As an Azorius and blink fan, this one caught my eye. Essentially another blink commander like Brago, Yorion, or Emiel the Blessed, but at a weaker scale. It's fine, just not as strong as the others.
This commander might find more success in 60-card formats or Duel Commander, where the life total is lower, but it's still interesting.
B Tier: Solid, But Missing Something
In the world of Aristocrats and treasure tokens, Vito's three abilities are easy to activate. This could be a sweet engine for Aristocrats decks.
A glow-up for Krenko, Tin-Street Kingpin! This trades goblin synergies for a new color, and works well as a commander or in the 99 of +1/+1 counter decks.
Giving your instants rebound is great, but it's even better when they're uncounterable, like with Taigam, Ojutai Master. Ojer still has a place, but it's not quite top-tier.
A do-it-all commander for Dimir, offering mill, self-mill, and a potential 8/8 attacker for two mana.
Making three tokens at once is powerful, but being in mono-White can be a drawback.
Already seeing cEDH play, Kutzil is a solid commander. Drawing up to three cards per turn in Selesnya is strong, especially since your opponents can't interfere during your turn.
A Tier: Fun, Interesting Designs
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Though not the flashiest, having a two-mana artifact and creature sac outlet in the command zone is incredibly efficient and can lead to high power.
For two mana, this commander can deal impressive damage by copying creatures or artifacts. A solid choice.
Building around strong creature types like dragons, vampires, or zombies can sometimes benefit from a less powerful commander to balance the table. Huatli fits this role nicely.
Another commander that brings the power level down for lower-power pods without sacrificing too much potential.
This deck can fill a graveyard with startling efficiency and build a massive board. While it has a power cap, it's incredibly fun.
Why cast creatures when you can dump your entire hand? The only thing holding this card back is its eight-mana price tag.
S Tier: Trendsetters in Their Archetypes
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With Ward 2 and the ability to build creatures quickly, this is a beginner-friendly commander that will be popular for years.
In a world of pingers and burn spells, Ojer Axonil takes things to a new level. This gets even scarier if you can boost its power.
A Timmy dream card, this is a straightforward powerhouse. Its ability to flip into a land and back again adds flexibility for reckless attacking.
And there you have it! This set offers tons of promise, and it's been a pleasure going through it all. Until next time, happy gaming!
