From The Ancient One to the Ojer of the planet’s core, we’ll give you the rundown on Ixalan’s gods and how they work in MTG.
Gods comprise some of the most important creature cards across the whole of MTG. Gods do not show up in every plane and set, but when they are featured they are integral to a set’s mechanics and story.
Planes like Ixalan, Theros, and Kaldheim are hugely defined by their gods, and now Ixalan is joining the list.
Ixalan’s gods are unlike any featured in Magic The Gathering’s history, their differences invoked intentionally by the set’s designers. We’ll walk you through each of the gods from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan and show you how they function.
The Ojer: Ixalan’s deep-down deities
Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might
Ojer Axonil functions perfectly as the red mana god of Ixalan, enhancing one of red’s most iconic strategies: burn damage.
As red has many potential avenues for chipping away with small bursts of damage, Ojer Axonil imbues those bursts with much greater strength, Replacing each instance of damage with Ojer Axonil’s current power. It’s entirely possible to buff Ojer Axonil up to ten power or more, and burn through opponents’ entire life total with just a few cheap red spells.
Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation
One of the most absurd token-support cards printed in Magic, Ojer Taq will triple the size of your field in an instant.
Guiding the people of the core, Ojer Taq allows civilization to build and bloom, and her exponential growth with see any player using them quickly dominate the game.
Ojer Kaslem, Deepest Growth
Responsible in no small part for the abundance seen at Ixalan’s core, Ojer Kaslem uses its connection to green mana to bestow its subjects with bounty.
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Fetching creatures and lands directly from the deck to the battlefield, the green mana Ojer allows its subjects’ – and players’ – fields to thrive.
Ojer Pakpatiq, Deepest Epoch
The blue mana Ojer bestows Instants cast from the hand with rebound, doubling up on value and building up to a recurring onslaught of spells.
With the Rebound mechanic suiting blue’s spell-slinging to a tee, this majestic serpent manipulates the fabric of time, setting itself apart from other blue deities more focused on knowledge like Kefnet and Alrund.
Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal
A figure steeped in the myth of Ixalan, the Ojer’s black mana counterpart was sealed away prior to the events of The Lost Caverns. This god is worshipped by zealots of the Legion of Dusk, Ixalan’s vampire nation, and has the power to convert and contort its followers into demonic forms.
In play, Aclazotz builds on discard strategies, trimming down each opponent’s hand whenever Aclazotz attacks.
Free – albeit weakened – following the events of The Lost Caverns’ story, Aclazotz will remain an active agent in MTG’s ongoing worldbuilding, in Ixalan and perhaps beyond.
The Ancient One
Rounding out the list of divinity on Ixalan is The Ancient One. This absurdly powerful two-mana card is a rarity among creatures classed as Gods on Ixalan, standing apart from the Ojer in both design and MTG color identity.
The Ancient One’s imposing design and impressive stats may well mean that this card survives as a staple long after players have moved on from the plane of Ixalan.