Dinosaurs have been around for a long time in Magic: The Gathering, but only in recent years did they get the love and attention these majestic creatures deserve. The first Ixalan set finally gave them their own creature type instead of just categorizing them as “lizards” and “beasts.”
Lost Caverns of Ixalan takes players back to the lush and colorful MTG plane full of ground-shaking Dinosaurs. Many of these magnificent beasts deserve a spot in Commander decks, Standard decks, or even just for Limited play.
The seven best Dinosaurs from Lost Caverns of Ixalan
7) Belligerent Yearling
- Mana Cost: 1R
- Type: Creature – Dinosaur
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Ability: Trample. Whenever another Dinosaur enters the battlefield under your control, you may have Belligerent Yearling’s base power become equal to that creature’s power until end of turn.
This little rascal is ready to eat the world. Belligerent Yearling is a 3/2 with trample for only two mana. Thus, it is already ahead of its curve without even considering its ability. This card can give Standard Dinosaur and Limited decks an aggressive edge that most opponents won’t expect. Casting Pugnacious Hammerskull on turn three can turn this cute little monster into a 6/2 with trample. Opponents will have to choose between taking six damage or chump-blocking, losing a creature, and still taking in some leftover damage from the trample ability. Fun times.
6) Earthshaker Dreadmaw
- Mana Cost: 4GG
- Type: Creature – Dinosaur
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Ability: Trample. When Earthshaker Dreadmaw enters the battlefield, draw a card for each other Dinosaur you control.
Despite his name and visage, Earthshaker Dreadmaw is a kind-hearted Dino who only wants to help. Once a player has ramped enough mana and unleashed his hoard of wild Dinosaurs unto the world, more likely than not, they will run out of cards. Earthshaker Draedmaw generously brings a solution to this problem by refilling the player’s hand with a fresh new batch of cards. This giant lizard is clearly meant for games of Commander, where the board can reach a critical mass of Dinosaurs.
5) Hulking Raptor
- Mana Cost: 2GG
- Type: Creature – Dinosaur
- Rarity: Rare
- Ability: Ward 2. At the beginning of your precombat main phase, add GG.
Hulking Raptor is simply perfect not only for Dinosaur decks but any Green Stompy strategy. This card does exactly what any big green deck wants to do early on in the game: ramp as much as possible and as soon as possible. Adding two green mana to the player’s mana pool is hugely advantageous as it helps cast six mana spells much sooner. I would like to emphasize again the fact that the two green mana Hulking Raptor donates have no limitations. It can be used for any type of spell.
4) Pugnacious Hammerskull
- Mana Cost: 2G
- Type: Creature – Dinosaur
- Rarity: Rare
- Ability: Whenever Pugnacious Hammerskull attacks while you don’t control another Dinosaur, put a stun counter on it. (If a permanent with a stun counter would become untapped, remove one from it instead.)
This dinosaur needs little explanation, it’s a 6/6 for only three mana. It’s so far ahead of its curve it doesn’t even make sense. Even with the self-inflicting stun counter, a shy attempt by MTG game designers to balance this card, it is still a powerful creature. Players can cast the Belligerent Yearling, or even better, just cast a second copy of Pugnacious Hammerskull to get around the minor handicap. This thick-headed dinosaur will surely see Standard and Limited play.
3) Bonehoard Dracosaur
- Mana Cost: 3RR
- Type: Creature – Dinosaur Dragon
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Ability: Flying, first strike. At the beginning of your upkeep, exile the top two cards of your library. You may play them this turn. If you exile a land card this way, create a 3/1 red Dinosaur creature token. If you exile a nonland card this way, create a Treasure token.
This 5/5 Dinosaur Dragon with flying and first strike is a truly dominant force. As if costing only five mana to cast wasn’t already good enough, Boneheard Dracosaur’s ability puts it over the top. Exiling the top two cards of the player’s library serves as a pseudo-card-draw engine, which we’ve grown accustomed to seeing in red cards. On top of that, it spawns little Dino tokens and helps cast the exiled cards by creating treasure tokens as well. When playing against this frightening monstrosity, it is best to get rid of it as soon as possible with a removal spell, given that it will unlikely be bested in combat.
2) Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant
- Mana Cost: 5GGG
- Type: Legendary Creature – Elder Dinosaur
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Ability: Trample. When Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant enters the battlefield, put any number of creature cards from your hand onto the battlefield.
Like Hulking Raptor, this gargantuan Dinosaur fits perfectly in any green stompy strategy, not just dinosaur decks. A 12/12 with trample for only eight mana is not bad at all, but Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant shines with its enter-the-battlefield ability. Players put any number of creatures, not only dinosaurs, directly on the table without paying any mana. Ideally, to really milk this card’s full potential, players casting this beauty of a beast must have their hand full of great and magnificent creatures. Let a green player dream.
1) Gishath, Sun’s Avatar
- Mana Cost: 5RGW
- Type: Legendary Creature – Dinosaur Avatar
- Rarity: Rare
- Ability: Vigilance, trample, haste. Whenever Gishat, Sun’s Avatar deals combat damage to a player, reveal that many cards from the top of your library. Put any number of Dinosaur creature cards from among them onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Gishath, Sun’s Avatar continues to reign supreme. Yes, this Dinosaur is a reprint, but it is simply too powerful and impactful on the game to place it anywhere else than No. 1 on this list. Gishath has single-handedly made Dinosaurs a viable strategy in Commander. Its ability to put dinosaurs from the top of the library directly onto the battlefield without paying any mana cost is game-changing, to say the least. Since it’s a triggered ability, players can’t counter the incoming dinosaurs with conventional counterspells. Additionally, trample and haste allow Gishath to consistently activate its ability.
