Exploring The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Disturbed Slumber card art

Continuing the 'Exploring' series I started in the previous post, today I look at The Lost Caverns of Ixalan (LCI), released in November 2023. Quotes from cards or the rules are in italics below.

Mechanics

LCI introduces the following keywords or ability words:

- Craft with [x] [cost]: this is an ability on double-sided artifacts, enabling you to transform them. ([pay cost], Exile this artifact, Exile a [x] you control or a [x] card from your graveyard: Return this card transformed under its owner’s control. Craft only as a sorcery.)

- Descend [x]: if there are [x] or more permanent cards in your graveyard, [something good happens]. Other cards have abilities that trigger if you 'descended' in a given turn (You descended if a permanent card was put into your graveyard from anywhere.)

- Discover [x]: this allows you to fetch cards (or play them for free). (Exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card with mana value [x] or less. Cast it without paying its mana cost or put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom in a random order.)

- Cave: this is a land subtype referenced on some other cards.

- Map tokens: these are artifacts you can sacrifice to explore (see below).

Returning mechanics include:

- 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 or put it into your graveyard.)

- Permanents transforming into lands: these are non-land permanents that transform into a powerful land when the stated condition is met

Themes/Flavor
Like the first Ixalan sets (XLN and RIX), LCI has vampires, merfolk, pirates, and dinosaurs. But this time, they fade into the background as cards or abilities involving gnomes (11 cards, mostly white), artifacts (63 cards, all colors), and milling/graveyards come to the fore. Other example cards below.

Thoughts

I wasn't enamored with this set. The mechanics seem clunky and/or wordy. It seemed odd to have the main tribes fade into the background. Thematically, exploration and discovery are cool, but I didn't like combining those with an artifact/mill theme (though I admit they make sense; maybe I'm just tired of these two in particular). I collected singles of interest for existing decks, and haven't seen these cards in standard outside of one or two.