Ixalan

Ixalan [ˈɪk.sə.lɑːn] (pronounced "icks-a-lawn", rhymes like "fix a con") is the seventy-sixth Magic expansion, and the first in the Ixalan block. It was released on September 29, 2017, and is a large expansion.

Set details

Ixalan contains 279 cards (20 basic land, 101 common, 80 uncommon, 63 rare, and 15 mythic rare) and includes randomly inserted premium versions of all cards. Ten additional cards are found in the set's planeswalker decks (2 mythic planeswalkers, 2 rares, 2 uncommons, 2 commons, and 2 common dual lands). These are numbered #280/279 to #289/279. Ten of the rares are double-faced cards which were printed on a separate print sheet. These appear in the rare/mythic slot of booster packs, which changes the mythic rare to rare ratio from 15:106 to 15:126. A checklist card replaces the basic land in some boosters. Five of the basic lands depict a lost Jace Beleren.

A complete Ixalan rare foil print sheet was leaked three months before prerelease, which caused Wizards of the Coast to re-evaluate their preview plan.

Misprints

A number of non-foil, double-sided Ixalan cards were mistakenly printed on incorrect card stock.

Rules change

Starting with this set, all planeswalkers past, present, and future have the supertype legendary. They are subject to the "legend rule" instead of the "planeswalker uniqueness rule", which was removed from the game.

Storyline

This is a story about desire. It is a desire for power, a desire for companionship, a desire for approval, a desire for discovery, and everyone is racing to get what they want first. For centuries, the untamed jungles of Ixalan have hidden a coveted secret: Orazca, the city of gold, which houses a mysterious artifact, the Immortal Sun. But no secret can remain undiscovered, and no treasure can be taken uncontested. The dinosaur-riding warriors of the Sun Empire and the merfolk shamans of the rival River Heralds are met by the vampire conquistadores of the Legion of Dusk and the pirates of the Brazen Coalition.

Vraska poses as a pirate on the high seas, while Jace Beleren is stranded on the plane with the loss of all his memories.

The cards that represent the Story Spotlights in Ixalan are: Ixalan's Binding, Vraska's Contempt, River's Rebuke, Thaumatic Compass // Spires of Orazca, and Perilous Voyage.

Magic Story

Marketing

Ixalan is sold in 16-card boosters (one card being a marketing card), two planeswalker decks, the Ixalan bundle, Booster Battle Packs and a Deck Builder's Toolkit.

There is no Masterpiece Series accompanying Ixalan. The boosters feature artwork from Slash of Talons, Vicious Conquistador, Hijack, Fire Shrine Keeper and Vraska, Relic Seeker.

As part of the preview season, Wizards of the Coast distributed trackable game pieces to stores, fans, volunteers, and some well-known community folk. As game pieces traveled from from geocache to geocache, the distances they traveled influenced the release of preview cards.

Events

• Prerelease Events took place on September 23, 2017.
• Magic Online Launch: September 25, 2017
• Dino-Sized Weekend: The weekend of October 28–29, stores around the world host six-pack Sealed events, three-pack Draft events, and extraordinary dino-sized Draft events using four packs of Ixalan instead of three.
• Mid-Season League: Running November 6 through December 3, stores can run Ixalan Mid-Season Leagues.

Promotional cards

• Magic Open House: Full-art foil Walk the Plank
• Prerelease: a stamped card that can be any rare or mythic rare from the set.
• Draft Weekend Launch promo: Bishop of Rebirth
• Standard Showdown: foil basic land with art by Rebecca Guay.
• Magic League: foil Unclaimed Territory
• Store Championship: full-art foil Ghalta, Primal Hunger, showcasing the upcoming Rivals of Ixalan set (Top 8 receives a deck box).
• Convention promo: Full-art Deeproot Champion
• Buy-a-Box: Burning Sun's Avatar
  • As a first, the purchasers of a booster box received a "Dino-sized" 9-card Buy-a-Box booster. This contained an extra Buy-a-Box promo card and the equivalent contents of two Standard Showdown prize boosters. The booster contents were only available in English and Japanese.
  • As a Holiday promotion, purchasers of a booster box received the Buy-a-Box Treasure Chest booster, containing 2 foil cards of any rarity from any Standard-legal set, 4 rare or mythic rare cards from Standard-legal sets, 2 foil basic lands, and 1 out of 10 possible alternate art, foil double-faced cards. These versions of the 10 Ixalan DFC's feature the regular front sides, and outtakes from the Ixalan map on the backsides. This promotion was later extend to Iconic Masters and Unstable. The 10 alternate art, foil double-faced cards offered are:
  1. Legion's Landing // Adanto, the First Fort
  2. Search for Azcanta // Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin
  3. Arguel's Blood Fast // Temple of Aclazotz
  4. Vance's Blasting Cannons // Spitfire Bastion
  5. Growing Rites of Itlimoc // Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun
  6. Conqueror's Galleon // Conqueror's Foothold
  7. Dowsing Dagger // Lost Vale
  8. Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring
  9. Thaumatic Compass // Spires of Orazca
  10. Treasure Map // Treasure Cove
• FNM promo double-sided tokens:
  • 1/1 Vampire creature with lifelink / Treasure artifact (Legion of Dusk flavored)
  • 3/3 Dinosaur creature with trample / Treasure artifact (Sun Empire flavored)
  • 2/2 Pirate creature with menace / Treasure artifact (Brazen Coalition flavored)

Tokens

Ixalan features 10 tokens.

1. 1/1 Vampire creature with lifelink for Legion's Landing, Adanto, the First Fort, Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle, Paladin of the Bloodstained, Queen's Commission and Call to the Feast
2. 2/2 Illusion creature with "When this creature becomes the target of a spell, sacrifice it." for Jace, Cunning Castaway
3. 1/1 Merfolk creature with hexproof for Deeproot Waters
4. 2/2 Pirate creature with menace for Fathom Fleet Captain and Vraska, Relic Seeker
5. 3/3 Dinosaur creature with trample for Raptor Hatchling, Thundering Spineback, Huatli, Warrior Poet and Regisaur Alpha
6. 0/2 Plant creature with defender for Dowsing Dagger
7. Treasure artifact (Sun Empire flavored) with ", Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color." for Pirate's Prize, Prosperous Pirates, Sailor of Means, Spell Swindle, Contract Killing, Dire Fleet Hoarder, Heartless Pillage, Revel in Riches, Ruthless Knave, Wanted Scoundrels, Captain Lannery Storm, Trove of Temptation, Wily Goblin, Deadeye Plunderers, Vraska, Relic Seeker, Prying Blade and Treasure Map.
8. Treasure artifact (Legion of Dusk flavored)
9. Treasure artifact (River Heralds flavored)
10. Treasure artifact (Brazen Coalition flavored)

Themes and mechanics

Ixalan is a typal set, with Pirates (), Dinosaurs (), Merfolk () and Vampires (). This is the first time Magic has an uneven color distribution of factions within a set. Though the tribes are asymmetrical, the colors are not. Each color has two tribes. The fact that Pirates and Dinosaurs both need more cards to become tribes properly (as compared to merfolk and vampires, who are already pretty established) was a factor in them becoming the two 3 color factions. The two colour pairs that are not represented in this scheme - and - do not have multicoloured signpost uncommons, but have explore and fliers as a theme respectively.

Raid returns from Khans of Tarkir (now connected to Pirates), Crew from Kaladesh (connected to the ships from Torrezon), and Transform from Innistrad (the double-faced cards now highlighting the tales and tools of discovery). The DFCs all have a land on the "back" face cards, which features a map-inspired card frame. The front face is recognized by the icon of a compass rose and the back face is marked by the land icon last seen in Future Sight.

There are two new named mechanics:

• Explore — Reveal the top card of your library. Put that card into your hand if it's a land. Otherwise, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature, then put the card back on top or into your graveyard.
• Enrage — Whenever a creature with this ability word is dealt damage, it has some consequences. This is the signature mechanic of the Dinosaurs.

The Merfolk are difficult to block and grow via +1/+1 counters, while Vampires use life as a resource.

Card types

Ixalan introduces the Treasure artifact subtype and the return of the Dinosaur creature type. It also adds the trilobite creature type.

Vehicles are back from the Kaladesh block in the form of ships.

Limited Archetypes

Ixalan features the following limited archetypes:

• : Flying
• : Treasure
• : Pirate Aggro
• : Enrage
• : Dinosaur Ramp
• : Vampires
• : Raid
• : Explore
• : Dinosaur Aggro
• : Merfolk

Cycles

Ixalan has seven cycles, one of which is reprinted, and two mirrored pairs. Notably, three of these cycles are partial, due to the uneven distribution of colors among the set's typals:

Three-card Cycle

Incomplete Double Cycles

Typal Cycle

Pairs

Reprinted cards

• Air Elemental, first printed in Alpha (last seen in Welcome Deck 2017).
• Cancel, first printed in Time Spiral (last seen in Amonkhet).
• Cobbled Wings, first printed in Innistrad.
• Demolish, first printed in Odyssey (last seen in Kaladesh).
• Demystify, first printed in Onslaught (last seen in Magic 2012).
• Dragonskull Summit, first printed in Magic 2010 (last seen in Archenemy: Nicol Bolas).
• Drowned Catacomb, first printed in Magic 2010 (last seen in Archenemy: Nicol Bolas).
• Dual Shot, first printed in Shadows over Innistrad.
• Duress, first printed in Urza's Saga (last seen in Eternal Masters).
• Favorable Winds, first printed in Avacyn Restored (last seen in Conspiracy).
• Glacial Fortress, first printed in Magic 2010 (last seen in Magic 2013).
• Hijack, first printed in Kaladesh.
• Opt, first printed in Invasion.
• Mark of the Vampire, first printed in Magic 2013 (last seen in Magic 2014).
• Rootbound Crag, first printed in Magic 2010 (last seen in Commander 2016).
• Rummaging Goblin, first printed in Magic 2013 (last seen in Magic 2015).
• Slice in Twain, first printed in Scars of Mirrodin (last seen in Commander 2013).
• Spell Pierce, first printed in Zendikar (last seen in Amonkhet Invocations).
• Sunpetal Grove, first printed in Magic 2010 (last seen in Commander 2016).
• Sure Strike, first printed in Battle for Zendikar.
• Unknown Shores, first printed in Theros (last seen in Oath of the Gatewatch).

Common to Uncommon

• Lightning Strike, first printed in Theros (last seen in Magic 2015).

Functional Reprints

• Castaway's Despair is a functional reprint of Sleep Paralysis from Shadows over Innistrad.
• Colossal Dreadmaw is a functional reprint of Brambleweft Behemoth from Hour of Devastation, except for creature type.
• Crash the Ramparts is a functional reprint of Awaken the Bear from Khans of Tarkir.
• Grazing Whiptail is a functional reprint of Cloudcrown Oak from Lorwyn, except for creature types.
• Looming Altisaur is a functional reprint of Kami Of Old Stone from Champions of Kamigawa, except for creature types.
• One with the Wind is a functional reprint of Spectral Flight from Innistrad.
• Queen's Bay Soldier is a functional reprint of Walking Corpse from Innistrad, except for creature types.
• Raptor Companion is a functional reprint of Blade of the Sixth Pride from Future Sight, except for creature types.
• Shining Aerosaur is a functional reprint of Skyswirl Harrier from Kaladesh, except for creature types.
• Skyblade of the Legion is a functional reprint of Concordia Pegasus from Return to Ravnica, except for creature types.
• Slash of Talons is a functional reprint of Righteous Blow from Avacyn Restored.
• Swashbuckling is a functional reprint of Goblin War Paint from Zendikar.
• Storm Sculptor is a functional reprint of Keymaster Rogue from Return to Ravnica, except for creature types.
• Wind Strider is a functional reprint of Faerie Invaders from Magic 2013, except for creature types.
• Watertrap Weaver is a functional reprint of Frost Lynx from Magic 2015, except for creature types.

Card comparisons

Preconstructed decks

Ixalan features two planeswalker decks:

Notable cards

• Revel in Riches is an alternate-win card.
• Two red commons printed here (Fathom Fleet Firebrand and Tilonalli's Knight) are the first red creatures strictly better than a vanilla bear, as all comparable creatures printed prior Eldritch Moon's Falkenrath Reaver have downside abilities.
• Dragonskull Summit (Ixalan) attempts to justify its name through flavor text, one of the more obvious mismatches between established lore and reprinted land names.
• Hostage Taker received errata before it was released, because as worded it could create an infinite loop.. Even with the errata, Hostage Taker went on to be a key part of Standard and Pioneer midrange decks.
• Many of the backsides of the transforming cards are inspired by powerful lands in Magic's past:
  • Adanto, the First Fort resembles Kjeldoran Outpost
  • Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun resembles Gaea's Cradle
  • Spitfire Bastion resembles Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
  • Temple Of Aclazotz resembles Diamond Valley.
  • Lost Vale resembles Lotus Vale.
  • Spires of Orazca resembles Maze of Ith.
• Field of Ruin proved to be the most successful Ghost Quarter variant and became a staple in Standard, Pioneer, and Modern, with perennial reprints in Standard. However, its wording became a liability in multiplayer formats, and it was eventually replaced by Demolition Field.
• Unclaimed Territory helped bring the Modern Humans deck to the top of the metagame by giving it a fourth land that can tap for any color, allowing the deck to play Humans across all five colors without mana difficulty.
• Siren Stormtamer and Chart a Course were a key part of Mono Blue Aggro decks in Standard, and the latter spell has even gone on to great success in spell-based decks in Pioneer like those built around Arclight Phoenix.
• Arcane Adaptation is a substantial improvement on Xenograft, costing less mana and applying its effect to all cards, not just creatures on the battlefield.
• River's Rebuke was a powerful card for Standard Ramp decks that could cast it easily and set back their opponent's gameplay.
• Settle the Wreckage was the staple white boardwipe for Standard control decks, threatening to take out an opponent's board at instant speed. It led to one of the most renowned modern Pro Tour moments at Pro Tour Guilds of Ravnica's semifinal match.
• Star of Extinction has the highest pre-set damage value of any red spell or spell in general in the game, dealing 20 damage to every creature. It saw play in Standard as a way to answer Carnage Tyrant as a control deck.
• Tocatli Honor Guard is a hatebear-style creature that is popular in toolbox decks in Modern and Legacy.
• Vraska's Contempt was the best black removal spell in Standard, particularly for control decks, which could help stabilize while removing a threat. However, its objective weakness was cited as one of the reasons Mono-Red and Energy were dominant.
• Dive Down is a key protection spell for various blue aggro decks in Standard and Pioneer which can often gain additional value out of casting spells at instant speed.
• Wily Goblin helped Goblin decks in the Historic format ramp into their payoffs like Muxus, Goblin Grandee.
• Shapers' Sanctuary is a staple sideboard card for creature-based green decks in Pioneer and Modern, which can bring it in against decks heavy in removal to outvalue their opponent.
• Kitesail Freebooter saw play in black aggro decks in Standard and Pioneer but especially dominated in Modern Humans decks, where it could disrupt the opponent long enough to find lethal.
• Colossal Dreadmaw did not receive much notice on release, but began to get more attention after it was immediately reprinted in the next two sets after Ixalan, and again in Core Set 2021. The community questioned why it was being printed so much, which grew into a well-known meme praising it as the strongest card in Magic history. Many official cards have since referenced this otherwise unremarkable common, including Phantasmal Dreadmaw, Earthshaker Dreadmaw, Colossal Chorus, and Colossal Dreadmask.

Banned and restricted cards

• Rampaging Ferocidon was banned in January 2018 alongside Ramunap Ruins to weaken the Mono-Red in that Standard. While not particularly notable in and of itself, it was the first card unbanned in a rotating format in August of 2019, allowing play for one month before rotation.

Trivia

• A product survey preceding the announcement of the name "Ixalan" referred to the set as Atlazan.
• The asymmetric color structure of the four tribes was repurposed from the early design stage of the Khans of Tarkir block.
• Some cards represent a specific pirate fleet, four fleets are revealed this way, each one showing its method: