Hello everyone,

Today I am going to talk about the upcoming set, Ixalan.

“For centuries, the untamed jungles of Ixalan have hidden a coveted secret: Orazca, the city of gold. But no secret can remain undiscovered, and no treasure can be taken uncontested. Unfurl your sails, saddle up a dinosaur, and battle your rivals as you embark on a journey to claim the plane’s greatest fortune for yourself!”

It will be the 76th Magic expansion, here are some useful information about it:

IXALAN

Set Name: Ixalan (XLN)
Block: Set 1 of 2 in the Ixalan block
Number of Cards: 279
Magic Open House: September 16-17, 2017
Prerelease Weekend: September 23-24, 2017
Release Date: September 29, 2017
Magic Online Launch: September 25, 2017
Standard Showdown Begins: October 7, 2017
Pro Tour Ixalan: November 3-5, 2017 Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Well, many things to say about it.

First, release date is the same as 2 Grand Prix, both in Team Limited, so players will get only 1 week to practice after pre-release and only 4 days on magic online.

Then we can see that Pro Tour: Ixalan will be more than a month after the release. Many tournaments will be played around the world before and the preparation of the pro tour will be different for the players who are qualified. Metagame could be really clear this time, like a Grand Prix.

With the new set Ixalan, standard will change a lot. Let’s check together the consequences.

New Standard Rotation:

Only 5 sets for the next standard. We will lose 4 expansions:
– Battle of Zendikar
– Oath of the Gatewatch
– Shadow of Innistrad
– Eldritch Moon

Here, is the list of the important cards who leave standard in each set.

Battle of Zendikar

Oath of the Gatewatch

Shadow of Innistrad

Eldritch Moon

Actual Standard decks:

Green-Black Constrictor

《Attune with Aether》 will be the only one green mana spell. 《Traverse the Ulvenwald》 and 《Oath of Nissa》 will be not legal.

《Grim Flayer》 and 《Sylvan Advocate》 can be replace by Energy guys like 《Glint-Sleeve Siphoner》, 《Longtusk Cub》, 《Servant of the Conduit》 or 《Greenbelt Rampager》.

《Catacomb Sifter》, 《Tireless Tracker》, 《Liliana, the Last Hope》 and 《Nissa, Voice of Zendikar》 are a big lost for the turn 3 of the deck. Only 《Rishkar, Peema Renegade》, 《Rhonas the Indomitable》 and 《Aethersphere Harvester》 can be played and no one is good for a full playset. If the number of 2 drops increase, 《Aethersphere Harvester》 could be play as 4 copies.

《Grasp of Darkness》 will be replace by 《Never // Return》, or 《Blossoming Defense》.

《Hissing Quagmire》 out, 《Aether Hub》 in.

With the rotation, the deck clearly become GB energy aggressive deck. Delirium is not an option anymore.

Mono Black Zombies

If 《Ammit Eternal》 could replace 《Diregraf Colossus》, there is no possibilities for 《Cryptbreaker》 and 《Relentless Dead》. 2 cards that are really important for the deck. Add to this the loss of 《Grasp of Darkness》 and 《Dark Salvation》 Deck after rotation and you will understand the deck will be not strong enough anymore. RIP Zombies.

Mono Red

《Falkenrath Gorger》 and 《Village Messenger》 will not be available anymore. 《Soul-Scar Mage》 and 《Bomat Courier》 will be the exclusive turn one of the deck if Ixalan is not giving new possibilities. This said, the deck is not losing a lot of cards, 《Incendiary Flow》 and 《Collective Defiance》 are not a big lost. The deck will survive to the rotation and still be strong.

Temur Energy

It is now maybe the best standard deck and it is absolutely losing nothing but 2 one of lands. We will continue to see Temur Energy on the top.

Mardu Vehicles

Mardu is losing only 2 cards, but 2 of the best. 《Thraben Inspector》 and 《Gideon, Ally of Zendikar》 were so great. The first one was a perfect one drop. It makes 《Toolcraft Exemplar》, 《Spire of Industry》 and 《Aethersphere Harvester》, not sure this card will be as good are they were without 《Thraben Inspector》. I see only 《Bomat Courier》 who can be played instead but the card is clearly worst.

The second could be replaced by 《Chandra, Torch of Defiance》 but 《Gideon, Ally of Zendikar》 won 4 Pro Tours… 《Archangel Avacyn》 is also gone, 《Glorybringer》 is the new 5 drop for the deck.

UW Monument

Let’s be clear, the deck is good but not the best now and with all these losses, I can’t imagine it will survive even if 《Oketra's Monument》 is still in the new standard.

Blue Red Control

Blue Red will miss 《Wandering Fumarole》. It is not nothing but it could be worth. If no other 《Torrential Gearhulk》 deck is better, Blue Red Control will still be a deck to count on.

Green Red Ramp

The big loss here is all the finishers, 《Chandra, Flamecaller》, 《Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger》 and 《World Breaker》 are gone 《Approach of the Second Sun》, 《Overwhelming Splendor》, 《Sandwurm Convergence》 and 《Sifter Wurm》, 《Ajani Unyielding》 will be options, so it could become a GW Ramp deck instead.

This said, the new standard metagame should be dominate by Temur Energy, Mono Red, Blue/red Control and Green Black Energy. But Ixalan will be for sure full of good cards and will change things.

Hope this article was useful,

Thanks for reading

Jeremy DEZANI