Bartolomé del PresidioBartolomé del Presidio | Art by Randy Gallegos

Hey everyone! Last week, I wrapped up my series on the most played double-faced cards in Commander with modal DFCs. Today, I want to get back to something I've done a few times in the past: writing lists about older sets. I usually do that in the weeks before we revisit a familiar plane; I brought you the most played Khans of Tarkir cards, for example, a couple of months before Tarkir: Dragonstorm got its list.

Tangentially, I've been writing for EDHREC for over two years now. What an honor! The time since my first article on the most played cards in Murders at Karlov Manor has flown by. In fact, browsing my back catalog made me want to cover old sets backwards, starting with the Standard-legal release right before Murders.

So let's dive right into Lost Caverns of Ixalan (LCI), then!

10. Ripples of PotentialRipples of Potential - 127,076 Decks

I usually skip cards released in the Commander set, or I write a second list about those cards, as I did with Final Fantasy. I've decided to just include them in these "flashback" lists, because it would feel weird to exclude a card like Ripples, which sees play in over 120,000 decks, but I also don't think writing two lists for each older set works, either.

With that out of the way, this is kind of like a Heroic InterventionHeroic Intervention or Teferi's ProtectionTeferi's Protection with a novel and pretty potent upside, as long as you're playing a dedicated counter strategy. Remember that you don't have to phase your stuff out if that's inconvenient for you; it's purely a bonus!

The cool thing is, you don't need to be laser-focused on +1/+1 counters, because this has the potential to both protect permanents with other kinds of counters on them and give them a little more juice with its proliferate effect. Of course, Hakbal of the Surging SoulHakbal of the Surging Soul and his Merfolk can really take advantage; as can The Wise MothmanThe Wise Mothman with a hybrid mill-creature counters strategy.

This also sees a whopping 70%+ play rate in Kilo, Apogee MindKilo, Apogee Mind and Inspirit, Flagship VesselInspirit, Flagship Vessel, likely because of how flexible it is, and because it works with the charge counters for the station mechanic.

9. Anim Pakal, Thousandth MoonAnim Pakal, Thousandth Moon - 121,933 Decks, 5,678 as Commander

One of my favorite commanders for Brawl on Magic: The Gathering Arena, Anim Pakal works just as well as a supporter in aggressive decks that lean into attack triggers, like Isshin, Two Heavens as OneIsshin, Two Heavens as One, Caesar, Legion's EmperorCaesar, Legion's Emperor, and Arabella, Abandoned DollArabella, Abandoned Doll.

Triggering her by attacking with other stuff the turn you play her can be really powerful in these decks, especially if you have ways to put extra counters on her, like Luminarch AspirantLuminarch Aspirant or Rosie Cotton of South LaneRosie Cotton of South Lane. The tokens she produces also work great with just about every payoff in Mardu colors (), from Impact TremorsImpact Tremors to Bastion of RemembranceBastion of Remembrance.

The 1/1s can punish opponents both coming and going!

8. Charismatic ConquerorCharismatic Conqueror - 130,278 Decks

Sometimes hate bears players want to be nice and give opponents the choice between making this an Imposing SovereignImposing Sovereign or a micro-Edgar MarkovEdgar Markov. "Punisher" cards like this that give opponents two bad options often miss the mark, because opponents can just choose the line that hurts them the least.

Conqueror puts that classic heuristic to the test by offering tons of upside in the form of a cheap attacker with a very relevant creature type. Opponents have to make that choice more than once, too, placing this in the highest tier of punishers alongside Palantír of OrthancPalantír of Orthanc.

Table dynamics can also make this better; the presence of aggro decks could leave more controlling players no choice but to have blockers up and grant you a bunch of tokens that you can then use as sacrifice fodder or your own army.

7. Bitter TriumphBitter Triumph - 135,264 Decks

Fantastic, flexible removal spells usually feature on set lists like this, and Bitter Triumph is no exception. Two mana to snipe a creature or planeswalker is a great deal, and you can simply put this in a deck that turns the discard downside into a huge boon.

The upside is most felt in decks that don't just look to reanimate stuff, but that trigger off discards, too, like lists helmed by Hashaton, Scarab's FistHashaton, Scarab's Fist or Norman OsbornNorman Osborn. Heck, even the life loss can be what you want in Rowan, Scion of WarRowan, Scion of War.

I daresay more decks should be running this!

6. Chimil, the Inner SunChimil, the Inner Sun - 148,984 Decks

The eldest soneldest son is often said to be the favorite, but I'm taking the Inner one all day long. Making your stuff uncounterable is so relevant at multiplayer tables crawling with decks, and getting to cast a free spell that is more or less guaranteed to resolve is a big game.

Being an artifact that you can run in any deck and a card advantage engine that is simultaneously difficult to abuse (okay, sure, Vampiric TutorVampiric Tutor exists) and not very synergistic means Chimil shows up in a variety of decks, from Bello, Bard of the BramblesBello, Bard of the Brambles's big, bad artifacts to Prosper, Tome-BoundProsper, Tome-Bound as another thing that casts stuff from exile.

5. Bloodletter of AclazotzBloodletter of Aclazotz - 150,336 Decks

This is yet another Vampire with a Commander Spellbook entry as tall as a deck encased in top-loaders. I'm looking at you, Bloodthirsty ConquerorBloodthirsty Conqueror and Vito, Thorn of the Dusk RoseVito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose.

Instead of messing around with life gain and loss loops, Bloodletter only cares about one thing: life loss. There are a ton of ways you can cause life loss equal to half an opponent's life total, which this then doubles, from Peer into the AbyssPeer into the Abyss to Unstoppable SlasherUnstoppable Slasher:

Slasher and Bloodletter have even combined for a nasty Standard deck that's weak to removal but relies on the fact that your opponent doesn't always have it. In Commander, that's what Deflecting SwatDeflecting Swat and Boros CharmBoros Charm are for!

4. Ojer Taq, Deepest FoundationOjer Taq, Deepest Foundation - 151,965 Decks, 1,909 as Commander

This God was foundational to my recent list on most played DFCs, occupying the bronze medal spot. It's an absolute house in any kind of token deck, from ones that like to go wide like Baylen, the HaymakerBaylen, the Haymaker and Jetmir, Nexus of RevelsJetmir, Nexus of Revels to builds focusing on more niche generation, like Ratadrabik of UrborgRatadrabik of Urborg and legends or Hashaton, Scarab's FistHashaton, Scarab's Fist.

You can't really triple anything in Magic: The Gathering without somehow figuring into a combo. Ojer Taq is no exception, working with Marneus CalgarMarneus Calgar and Ashnod's AltarAshnod's Altar to go infinite:

3. SpelunkingSpelunking - 169,528 Decks

Hands-down one of the coolest cards in MTG with a single-word name, SpelunkingSpelunking is yet another combo powerhouse from Lost Caverns of Ixalan, supercharging Landfall and Lands Matter strategies by increasing mana output like a second Amulet of VigorAmulet of Vigor:

Its "Top Commanders" tab on this site is a who's who of land commanders in all five colors: The NecrobloomThe Necrobloom, Omnath, Locus of CreationOmnath, Locus of Creation, Nine-Fingers KeeneNine-Fingers Keene, and many more. At its worst, Spelunking still draws you a card and acts as a CultivateCultivate in the early game, just lying dormant until you're ready for shenanigans.

2. Kutzil, Malamet ExemplarKutzil, Malamet Exemplar - 266,051 Decks, 3,816 as Commander

You can certainly play Kutzil to great results as commander in an aggro +1/+1 counter threat, but the vast majority of her fansfans are running her in all manner of decks, from Cats with Arahbo, Roar of the WorldArahbo, Roar of the World or Rin and Seri, InseparableRin and Seri, Inseparable, to legends under Jodah, the UnifierJodah, the Unifier, to counters decks like Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower.

Her Grand AbolisherGrand Abolisher ability is truly one of the most powerful things you can be doing in Commander, whether you want to assemble a combo or just attack safely with a lot of stuff. Her second ability is incredible, too. I'd say that if there was one thing in all of MTG that creature decks have in common, other than wanting to attack, it's that they all aim to buff their creatures' powers.

So, not only are you regularly drawing an extra card after being able to attack with your team without fear of blowouts, you can also draw cards for each player you deal damage to! More like GOATzil.

1. Roaming ThroneRoaming Throne - 543,802 Decks

It's not hard to understand why Roaming Throne sees play in over twice the decks Kutzil does; this is a typal payoff that you can play in any deck. My favorite thing about it is that you can find all manner of combos with it and creatures from a veritable menagerie of types on Commander Spellbook, because doubling abilities is very easily abused in the format.

Rather than go over all its busted interactions, I invite you to browse through its EDHREC entry as well and see just how much this powers up various commanders' text boxes. Let me know what your favorite interaction is!

I Suggest We Leave This Cavern for Someone Else to ConquerI Suggest We Leave This Cavern for Someone Else to Conquer

I love not thinking too much about a set, revisiting it, and finding out that it's really just kind of a powerhouse in Commander. Lost Caverns of Ixalan has contributed such a great mix of card types and colors to the format. What's your favorite LCI card that missed the list? Let us know!