The story of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Ask any Magic: The Gathering player when the game’s story was at its best, and there’s a good chance they’ll say one name: Ixalan. A gorgeous Mesoamerican-inspired world of conquistador Pirates and a lost world of Dinosaurs and Merfolk, it was a rich world full of danger and mystery. And at long last, we’re finally headed back to Ixalan this year, with The Lost Caverns of Ixalan.

But it isn’t the same world we last saw. Instead, we’re headed deep below the surface into the core of the world, to discover a hollow world full of yet more secrets to uncover and technologies for the surface-dwelling factions to fight over. The Lost Caverns of Ixalan looks set to reimagine one of the game’s most beloved worlds in a radically new way, and you should be excited.

As mentioned, Ixalan is inspired by Mesoamerican civilisations like the Azetcs and Mayans, with a hint of Age of Discovery thrown in there too with the addition of pirates and conquistadors. It’s a visually stunning world full of lush jungles, massive oceans, and even a golden city. However, Lost Caverns of Ixalan is taking us to an entirely new part of the plane, as those up above have discovered a secret: Ixalan is a hollow world. Deep under the surface is a whole other land, full of new resources, a civilisation called the Oltecs, and creatures to encounter. This set adds Journey To The Center of the Earth to its list of inspirations, and these new discoveries in Ixalan look absolutely wild.

We don’t know what the story of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan will be just yet, although we have a vague idea. We know Huatli, a former planeswalker from Ixalan, will be making an appearance, as she heads down to the Core to try and broker peace between the factions and the Oltecs. We also know fighting will break out over a new material called Cosmium, although exactly where Cosmium comes from and what it can do have yet to be revealed.

One fan theory floating around is that Cosmium is related to the plane of Kaldheim, which side-stories have said is close to Ixalan within the multiverse. Perhaps Cosmium comes from the same place as the Cosmos in Kaldheim, and is what gives both the Kaldheim gods and Ixalan’s Oltecs their power?

A big part of Lost Caverns of Ixalan is the introduction of the gods of Ixalan. So far, we’ve only seen two of them, with Ojer Kaslem being a butterfly-like grandmother figure, and Ojer Axonil a terrifying, shapeshifting deity with a Dinosaur arm and a skull for a face. Gods aren’t something we’ve seen on Ixalan before, and so hopefully we’ll get a whole pantheon to flesh out this gorgeous character design. Joining the gods are a new Angel species, another newcomer to Ixalan that takes its look from the bird the Resplendent Quetzal.

As The Lost Caverns of Ixalan is the final set of 2023, we’ll have to wait a few more weeks before we hear more about it. Wizards recently confirmed the release date for the set is November 17, placing it just over a month after our next release, the Doctor Who Commander decks.

A huge part of Lost Caverns of Ixalan is the debut of the “Special Guests” cards. Tying into Magic’s Universes Beyond crossovers, Lost Caverns will include a crossover with none other than the Jurassic World series. Brand new cards inspired by the movies will pop up in Lost Caverns of Ixalan booster packs, although they won’t be considered part of the Ixalan set and won’t be Standard-legal. This is the perfect crossover for Magic, as Ixalan is a world perhaps best defined by its massive number of Dinosaurs causing absolute havoc, just as Steven Spielberg envisioned.

We’ve not seen any cards for either The Lost Caverns of Ixalan or the Jurassic World crossover just yet. We can expect to see our first previews of it at the end of October, or the start of November, when we go into the formal preview season for the set. You’ll be able to get your hands on Lost Caverns of Ixalan a week earlier, though, as the prerelease week starts on November 10. Head to your local game store, pick up a prerelease pack, and play in their events for a fun way to experience the set, and a way to pick up exclusive promo cards at the same time.

The community feedback to The Lost Caverns of Ixalan has been mixed. On the one hand, the art looks utterly incredible, and carries the torch from our first trip to Ixalan nicely. We’ve got the Dinosaurs, Vampires, and Pirates we loved so much first time, but in a totally new setting that offers up a hollow earth aesthetic that’s nothing like Magic has seen before.

On the other hand, some players have felt as if The Lost Caverns of Ixalan might not live up to its predecessors and their typal focus. The four factions were a huge part of Ixalan, whereas The Lost Caverns of Ixalan is putting a much smaller emphasis on them, and instead leaning into the hollow earth for its inspiration instead. Players who really enjoyed the factions of Ixalan might feel underwhelmed by what The Lost Caverns of Ixalan has to offer, but it’s not as if those creature types are completely gone. You’ll still get the Brazen Coalition of the Dusk Legion out in full force, you just likely won’t be drafting your deck around them now.

The decision to include Jurassic Park cards has also been mixed. It’s a perfect partnership thematically, as nothing says “Dinosaurs” more than Jurassic Park. Unfortunately, the debates about third party crossovers in Magic continues to rage on, with some players feeling like the inclusion of Jurassic World dilutes the strong visual presence of Ixalan. The decision to include the cards in booster packs hasn’t gone down well, either, with some wishing they could completely opt out of Universes Beyond and not have it be so intricately tied to a Standard-legal set.

Regardless of whether or not it’s right to include Jurassic Park in the Lost Caverns of Ixalan, you’re going to want to prepare for the impact this set will have on your deck. Perhaps the best way to prepare for it is to grab some of the older Dinosaur, Vampire, Merfolk, Pirate, and Human cards out there, as we’ll almost definitely see new support for these creature types within the set. All fiver of them are very fun decks to play in the Commander format too, and excitement for them is only going to increase as we see more of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. Try and get in there early to avoid being disappointed!

It's refreshing to actually know so little about a set. For lots of other products, by now we’d have had lots of previews and maybe even some leaks, but The Lost Cavern of Ixalan news is still thin on (or in?) the ground. You’ll need to keep an eye online for when the debut and the preview seasons are announced for late October or early November. In the meantime, why not get involved in your local scene by visiting your local game store if you haven’t already? While Magic Madhouse is great for singles and preordering product, LGS are the lifeblood of the Magic: The Gathering community, and are an excellent way to get out there and actually play Magic in-person.

Ixalan is a beloved world, and The Lost Caverns Of Ixalan looks set to give us more of what we love, while also taking us somewhere entirely new. Keep eye on Magic Madhouse for when preorders of this set become available, as it’s sure to be a hidden treasure that you don’t want to miss.