Orazca, the Golden City, long hidden by the River Heralds (even from themselves) has been discovered! The race is on to claim the city and its treasure, the greatest power in Ixalan, the Immortal Sun.
The pre-release for the latest expansion to Magic, Rivals of Ixalan, is this weekend. This set brings a new mechanic: Ascend. Control ten or more permanents and you gain the city’s blessing. Just what that does depends on the spell you’ve played, but the effects promise to be potent, if not game-deciding. The ascend mechanic is attached to both spells and permanents and can’t be responded to, and once you’ve secured the city’s blessing, it can’t be taken away.
We also get a new version of the planeswalker Huatli: Huatli, Radiant Champion. This card is a force-multiplier, drawing power from the number of creatures you control. It even allows you to draw cards when a creature you control enters the battlefield. This version of Huatli is perfect for breaking creature-vs.-creature stalemates.
The four tribes of Ixalan are still involved, and still sporting their special powers. For instance, dinosaurs (on red, green, and white cards) have Enrage, special powers that activate when they take damage. The Pirates of the Brazen Coalition (blue, black, and red) have Raid abilities that trigger if you attacked with a creature. They’ve also got Treasure tokens that can be sacrificed for mana of any color.
We also get the Explore mechanic that allows you to reveal the top card in your library. If it’s a land, it goes into your hand. Otherwise, you can put it back at the top of your library or move it to your graveyard. Either way, a creature you control gets +1/+1. And we’re getting more double-faced cards that transform into lands.
The battle for Orazca begins this weekend with pre-release festivities at your local Dragon’s Lair Comics and Fantasy®! Whether you champion the dinosaurs, the merfolk, or the vampire conquistadors, you’ll want to be there at the beginning to see all this new release has to offer.
