Sovereign Okinec Ahau – Lost Caverns of Ixalan
Date Reviewed: December 8, 2023
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.25
Casual: 4.75
Limited: 4.25
Multiplayer: 4.00
Commander [EDH]: 4.25
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Okinec Ahau’s text is basically a longer or roundabout way of saying that any of your modified creatures (as some say since Neon Dynasty) get bigger and bigger as time goes on. There’s probably a way to calculate the rate for various cards using math, but it really just adds up to a problem for your opponent. I think relying on those enhancements is uncertain enough that competitive decks will be wary, and I’d suggest caution when using Okinec as your commander since it’ll telegraph what your deck is trying to do and your opponents will target the enablers. But there’s definitely a space for the effect on casual tables, and plenty of ways to do very spectacular things when the rest of your deck is about +1/+1 counters or some such anyway.
Constructed: 3
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
Pushing your entire board’s power higher, turning temporary buffs more permanent, is pretty attractive, and that’s what Sovereign Okinec Ahau offers to you. Unusually, he buffs all creatures you have as an attack trigger, including himself, as long as they meet that requisite. Simple anthem effects will proc the permanent buff, and it stacks with each attack he makes. Sovereign Okinec Ahau also even has some protection, between four toughness and ward, as well as being in colors with a predilection towards anthems and buffs. You might be right to balk at him costing four mana, but considering this could easily be lethal if your board looks good, you might find him one part combo enabler and another part finisher.
The effect is undeniably powerful, but the effect has enough hoops to make this an undertaking, since Sovereign Okinec Ahau lacks combat keywords and only has his high natural toughness as a bugger against combat going awry. Still, the effect is tantalizing, and I suspect timely buffs out of nowhere are going to create massive blowouts. Ward does even help hedge your bets in case you need time to set up without being impregnable. It’s a scary creature, but I have no idea how good it’s ultimately going to be.
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 5
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4.5 (Cat.dec might have a strong new head, though it’d work well in the 99)
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