New Magic: The Gathering Dinosaur cards are dropping into Eternal formats, like Commander, through Lost Caverns of Ixalan Precon decks.
A total of four Lost Cavern of Ixalan (LCI) Commander Precon decks are included in the set, with each showcasing eight new MTG cards in addition to the face and secondary commanders. Veloci-Ramp-Tor is a preconstructed deck that is all about those dinosaurs on Ixalan, featuring Pantlaza, Sun-Favored as the face commander and Wayta, Trainer Prodigy as the secondary commander.
In addition to the Dinosaur typal Commander deck, WotC dropped three other Precon builds focused on other creature types seen on the plane of Ixalan: Merfolk, Vampires, and Pirates.Â
Pantlaza, Sun-Favored
As the face commander of the Dinosaur Commander deck, Pantlaza, Sun-Favored cares about dinosaurs entering the battlefield. The five-drop in RGW also uses the Discover mechanic, potentially providing a board-state advantage or at least card advantage.
Wayta, Trainer Prodigy
Wayta, Trainer Prodigy is the secondary commander within the LCI Veloci-Ramp-Tor Precon. The three-drop human warrior in RGW is a solid card in the deck but is potentially a better commander within a Dinosaur build that has a heavy focus on the Enrage mechanic.
Dinosaur Egg
Featuring the MTG mechanic Evolve, Dinosaur Egg is a two-drop Rare that is able to Discover when a Dinosaur Egg dies. It’s a solid early-game creature that can easily scale in power and toughness through Evolve while supporting Dino Egg producers like Palani’s Hatcher.
Bronzebeak Foragers
Bronzebeak Foragers is a solid potential upgrade from Grasp of Fate, able to exile multiple non-land permanents from your opponent’s. The Rare four-drop 3/4 Dinosaur also has an activated ability that can take those exiled cards, put them in an opponent’s graveyard, and have you gain life equal to the mana value of that card.
Having extra mana in a Dinosaur Commander deck isn’t hard to come by, which is why I like the ability on Bronzebeak Foragers. The Dinosaur can temporarily remove permanents that are a problem in the moment and I can spend mana later to drop it into an opponent’s graveyard while gaining life. The only downside is if an opponent is playing a deck that can easily return permanents from the graveyard.
Sunfrill Imitator
Dinosaur decks want to ramp up but need time to do so, which is why early-game cards like Sunfrill Imitator are so important. The Rare three-drop 3/3 is a good creature to have during the early game that can become a huge threat later on.
When it becomes a copy of another Dinosaur, the Legend rule doesn’t apply since it keeps its name. Sunfrill Imitator also copies the abilities of the Dinosaur it became a copy of, along with keywords like Trample and Vigilance.
Wrathful Raptors
Synergizing with the MTG Enrage mechanic is Wrathful Raptors. The five-drop 5/5 Dinosaur with Trample has a unique ability that can deal damage to any opponent and any target that isn’t a Dinosaur. Wrathful Raptors itself can take up to four damage without getting destroyed, which is four damage that can hit another target or ping an opponent’s life total instead.
Scion of Calamity
Using the Myriad MTG mechanic, Scion of Calamity is a five-drop Rare 5/5 that when it or a copy of it deals combat damage to a player, destroys a target Artifact or Enchantment that they control. In a go-wide strategy, Scion of Calamity is a solid top-end creature and it can synergize well in a Dinosaur Commander deck.
Curious Altisaur
Creature decks typically have a hard time with card draw which is where Curious Altisaur comes in. The four-drop Rare 2/5 has Reach and Vigilance. And whenever a Dinosaur you control deals combat damage, Curious Altisaur draws a card. The Dinosaur is also a solid blocker, with a toughness of five.
From the Rubble
From the Rubble is a six-drop Enchantment in White that can slot into a variety of typal Commander decks. Players choose a creature type upon it entering the battlefield. And at the beginning of your end step, you may return a creature of that chosen creature type from the graveyard to the battlefield.
Progenitor’s Icon
Mana rocks continually evolve in MTG, like Progenitor’s Icon. The three-drop colorless Artifact has its controller choose a creature type upon entering the battlefield. It can tap to add one mana of any color.
Progenitor’s Icon can also tap to give the chosen creature type Flash. Much like From the Rubble, Progenitor’s Icon is a solid addition to any typal deck that can fit in a mana rock.
