(Ripples of Potential | Art by Sam Hogg)

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Pillaging, Plundering, and Pirates!

Hello, everyone! It’s your friendly neighborhood Jesguy here, and welcome to the The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Blue Set Review!

Today we're putting our explorer caps on, and spelunking deep into Ixalan's depths to see what blue goodies we can dig up. From Merfolk, to Pirates, to a massive feathered serpent, the hollow world beneath Ixalan has much to discover!

Hold on tight, and don't forget: let that canary go first.

Mythics

Ojer Pakpatiq, Deepest Epoch

How fitting! We start off the set review with not only a God, but a God that I would consider the coolest of the cycle, Ojer!

At first I was a bit disappointed that Ojer Pakpatiq only counted instants as opposed to instant and sorceries. I mean, I really wanted to double up on big splashy stuff, like Overflowing Insight and Rise from the Tides! But I realized by omitting the sorceries from Ojer Pakpatiq's ability, WotC cut out most extra turn shenanigans, which I think is a huge boon for balancing and deck construction.

If Ojer Pakpatiq is at the head of a deck, I would make sure to include plenty of cantrips, modal counterspells, some ways to pump our favorite serpent, and some nice splashy spells that can really take advantage of being Rebounded.

There's one issue here though.

Most of the ways that blue wins is through sorceries, whether that's though combo, mill, or something else. We're a bit lean when it comes to ways to win that are specifically instantaneous. Yes, you could run a bunch of creatures and win through Talrand, Sky Summoner beats, but at that point, I would rather just play Talrand himself. That's why (while I think Ojer Pakpatiq, Deepest Epoch could certainly helm a deck) he's probably best in the 99. By branching out to different colors, you get access to some really fun instants: Growth Spiral, Kolaghan's Command, Blood for the Blood God!, Magma Opus, Unite the Coalition, the list goes on!

Ojer Pakpatiq, Deepest Epoch is really cool. He provides extra value, he's hard to kill, he turns into a land when he dies, and he's well costed for what he does. While I think he could stand on his own, I think Ojer Pakpatiq, Deepest Epoch is most at home in the 99, as any Spells deck will be more than happy to add it to their ranks.

The Enigma Jewel

Like we are going to see with most of the craft cards, The Enigma Jewel has too many words, and it needs too much work to get full use out of it.

The way to evaluate if The Enigma Jewel is good enough for your deck is if you'd run Training Grounds. Yes, Training Grounds is better, but if you wouldn't run that, you wouldn't even think of running The Enigma Jewel. Then in order to craft with it, you need to exile four or more permanents? That is absurd. You're losing so many pieces of cardboard to try and cobble together something that might be better than the sum of its parts? It doesn't even protect itself! To me, it just turns into a juicy lightning rod for removal! It's better just to keep all your pieces separate, even if you don't get the to copy their abilities.

Until I play with craft, I am down on all of these cards. Do not include The Enigma Jewel, or any of the craft cards, in your deck for their back halves. Always evaluate them at face value. They seem like too much for not enough payoff.

Rares

Akal Pakal, First Among Equals

In Limited, Akal Pakal, First Among Equals seems like a great payoff for the set's artifact theme. In EDH, though? I'm not so sure.

I just want to start off by saying that he isn't bad, but...I also don't think he's good. Being mono-blue and caring about artifacts is a really tough spot to be in. You have so much competition from powerful contemporaries, while also not having access to as many colors as Mishra, Eminent One or Breya, Etherium Shaper. Potentially drawing a card with Akal every turn isn't that much of a draw when you're competing with all these artifact-loving behemoths.

Again, Akal Pakal, First Among Equals isn't bad. He seems excellent in the 99 of Artifact decks alongside the likes of Padeem, Consul of Innovation, but he will struggle at the head of a deck as the artifact theme is frankly beyond him.

Subterranean Schooner

Subterranean Schooner is well-costed, over-statted, and has a great crew cost. So why am I not more excited about it?

When it comes down to it, this ship here is just a vanilla creature that can either draw you a land or pump another creature. This is great for Limited, but for EDH, I'd prefer Vehicles to do a bit more work for me. This may find a home inside of Vehicles decks proper, or maybe decks that care about being able to explore every turn, but otherwise I think this is basically a vanilla Vehicle. It isn't bad, but it isn't knocking my socks off either.

Kitesail Larcenist

Now this is what I like to see out of a rare!

Kitesail Larcenist is like blue's version of Grasp of Fate. For each player you get to turn their best creature or artifact into a Treasure until Larcenist leaves the battlefield. This might only be a temporary fix for certain problems, but sometimes that's all you need. Momentarily stripping all abilities from a Darksteel Forge or Avacyn, Angel of Hope may give the table enough breathing room to deal with a troublesome player, or even take them out of the game completely!

Flying decks and Pirate decks will love Kitesail Larcenist. It's cheap, evasive and can put in a lot of work for little effort.

Braided Net

Slow removal, with a mediocre draw engine that you have to work hard for? I think I'll pass.

Tapping nonland permanents isn't the kind of removal you want in EDH. Going down a card to craft into an extremely volatile way to draw cards feels really bad too, especially since it doesn't even stick around! Please don't put Braided Net into your decks.

Tishana's Tidebinder

If you thought Merfolk decks were bad in Modern, just imagine how much they flounder in EDH! I'm finally glad to see the fish getting more support, honestly!

...And support the fish get, with their very own suped-up Stifle variant! Effects like this are super niche and hard to justify including into a deck, so having one attached to a well-statted body with a relevant creature type goes a long way in making this a viable tool for Merfolk decks. On top of that though, it's semi-permanent, forcing your opponents to deal with it before their Stifled permanent "unlocks".

This isn't an effect that blue hasn't already had access to, but having it on a body in a creature type that needs more support is awesome. Love to see it!

Deeproot Pilgrimage

I wanted to gush about how good Deeproot Pilgrimage is, but I need to reel it in a bit.

Merfolk decks are the only decks for Deeproot Pilgrimage, but in there it shines as one of its best pieces. Being able to create creature tokens for (basically) free is incredible, especially since they have hexproof to boot! This is tailor-made for Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca specifically, since you can easily start pumping out tokens with ease thanks to his plethora of tapping abilities.

Put this in your Fish decks, and don't look back!

The Everflowing Well

Well, well, well, it's been a long time since a Divination made my ears perk up, but here we are.

While I'm not exceedingly thrilled with The Everflowing Well, I'm feeling more positive on it than I'm not. What makes this card for me is the fact that it's an artifact and an artifact land. There are so many ways to manipulate and use artifacts in EDH; having one that draws two cards on entering the battlefield and has additional upside later seems awesome. Witching Well sees play in over 8,000 decks, and I can imagine that a similar version of it will be able to put up at least half that number.

I haven't talked about The Everflowing Well's back side all that much, but that's because I don't think it's that important when evaluating it as a card. If you can take advantage of an artifact that draws you cards, you're going to want this, back side not included. If you can use it to temporarily copy some permanent spells, that's just a bonus in my opinion. Not the splashiest card, but it seems like it is a good role-player for Artifact decks.

Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel

While I am happy to see Malcolm[/el return, this card is a far cry from his first in terms of format impact.

Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel seems aimed at 60-card formats where small, cheap, tempo-y fliers that accrue value over time thrive. He'll fit fine into the 99 of Flying and Pirate decks, but I highly doubt he will be at the helm of a brew very often.

Cute card, neat ability, but not really meant for us. Let's stick with Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator.

Uncommons & Commons

• Confounding Riddle is an upgrade to one of my favorite cards: Supreme Will. Modal counterspells are my favorite, since they can stop a threat when necessary, or provide utility when they aren't needed. This is excellent in a deck that wants a counterspell but that might not have synergies with one, like Narset, Enlightened Master, Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, or Ojer Pakpatiq, Deepest Epoch.
• Hurl into History is expensive, but having a Counterspell that can discover is pretty cool. It's like a Spelljack variant where instead of getting the spell you counter, you get something for free out of your own deck, which is probably better anyhow! Five mana is a lot for a counterspell, but I think you can have a lot of fun with this one.
• Lodestone Needle is nothing to write home about on its front, but if you can easily and cheaply craft with it, then gaining the ability to explore every turn is pretty neat. That said, this isn't the flashiest of cards. Very few decks will want this.
• Spyglass Siren is a cheap evasive flier that can potentially draw you a land. It's excellent in Flying and Pirate decks alike, with additional usage in Edric, Spymaster of Trest lists.
• Staunch Crewmate is perfect for any Pirate deck, and it can see play in any Artifact deck that wants a second copy of Glint-Nest Crane.
• Waterwind Scout is a cute addition to Merfolk deck and decks that care about exploring, such as The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Merfolk precon. Just wanted to give this little fella a nod.

Commander Precon Cards

• The Indomitable is another Bident of Thassa effect, and a welcome one at that! Bident of Thassa, Reconnaissance Mission, and Coastal Piracy put up excellent numbers, with over a combined total of over 200,000 decks between the three of them, and I expect The Indomitable to join their ranks. Card draw, beats, and recursion, what's not to love? This is perfect for any deck that cards about chipping in for damage, as well as Pirate and Vehicle decks to boot,
• Storm Fleet Negotiator is an odd little bird. It's great in Pirate and Flying decks, but could also see a home in Artifact lists, since it can produce up to four Map tokens a turn. Sure, it draws each of your opponents a card, but it should benefit you more depending on how many Maps you get! I don't think this card is great, but I do think it's fun and helps smooth out your game considerably.
• Mist Dancer will only see play in Merfolk decks, but there it shines as a win condition. With all the +1/+1 counter synergies and other Merfolk lords, the damage that Mist Dancer enables will add up fast. And once it's encored? Whew, someone's life is getting dropped to zero in a hurry! +3/+0 to all your creatures is no joke, especially with evasion!
• Ripples of Potential is a wonderful new addition to any +1/+1 Counters and Planeswalker lists. These decks are always in the market for a new way to pump their creatures up, and one that does so while also phasing them out is an excellent deal, especially at two mana! Talk about an excellent way to maintain a board presence! A+!
• Wave Goodbye, on top of being a great pun, is a great card. Alongside Damning Verdict, it's the premier board wipe for +1/+1 Counters decks. Not much else to say; it's an excellent card!

Booty-ful!

And there we have it! All the blue cards found within The Lost Caverns of Ixalan!

Unlike my Wilds of Eldraine Review, where I felt that blue was decidedly underwhelming, in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, it seems like a solid split between cards that are good in EDH and cards that are aimed at 60-card formats, which is a nice balance to see.

Out of these cards, I think my favorites are definitely Ojer Pakpatiq, Deepest Epoch, Confounding Riddle, and The Indomitable. I can't help it. A God, a counterspell, and a card draw engine? How could these not be my favorites??

What about you though? What blue cards are your favorite? Any standouts? Anything I missed on? Be sure to let me know down in the comments below!

Until next time, get some good sleep!

You can reach me on Twitter (@thejesguy), where you can always hit me up for Magic- or Jeskai-related shenanigans 24/7. Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Please don’t hesitate to leave them below or get in touch! Stay safe, wear your mask, wash your hands, and keep fighting the good fight. I support you. No justice, no peace.

Angelo Guerrera

Angelo is a Connecticut resident who started playing Magic during Return to Ravnica, and has made it his mission to play Jeskai in every format possible. Along with Commander, he loves Limited, Cube, and Modern, and will always put his trust in counterspells over creatures. He is still hurt by Sphinx's Revelation's rotation out of Standard.