Jeff Goldblum’s Jurassic World character will appear on at least two cards in Magic: The Gathering’s new set

Magic: The Gathering is returning to one of players’ favorite planes when Lost Caverns of Ixalan launches later this year. Befitting a world full of dinosaur-riding warriors and their massive gods, the set will feature a tie-in with the pop culture franchise that ignited a generation’s love of terrible lizards - Jurassic World.

Amongst the expected special treatments and alternate artwill be a Universes Beyond special insert called the Jurassic World Collection consisting of 26 cards that can appear in Set Boosters and Collector Boosters. Set Boosters will have a 1 in 12 chance of pulling a card depicting characters and scenes from all of the films in the Jurassic World franchise, while Collector Boosters guarantee at least one inclusion.

All but six of the cards are mechanically unique designs created specifically for the Jurassic World Collection, and all of them will be rare. These cards will only be legal in Eternal formats - Legacy, Vintage, and Commander - even though players may pull them from set boosters full of Lost Caverns of Ixalan cards.

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Of the cards publisher Wizards of the Coast showed to press at a recent event, Jeff Goldblum’s character Dr. Ian Malcolm (this time as an alternate art reprint of Atla Palani, Nest Tender) joined Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler and the bespectacled John Hammond as legendary creatures or - in Dr. Hammond’s case - on an artefact version of Dino DNA. Even the Tyrannosaurus Rex that terrorised the cast of the first film will grace her own card, as will the oft-quoted “Life, Uh, Finds a Way” line from the contrary Dr. Malcolm.

Wizards of the Coast claims that the Jurassic World Collection will draw names and scenes from throughout Jurassic World’s history even though the spoilers focused almost solely on one entry: Jurassic Park. We know the polarising Indominus Rex will stomp its way onto at least one card. Five basic lands and a Commander Tower illustrated to show different environments in Hammod’s ill-fated park can be found amongst the namedrops and references. The basic lands will flip to show life before the dinosaurs escaped or the mayhem that followed.

As for the non-Jurassic World cards, Lost Caverns of Ixalan will contain the full retinue of borderless treatments, showcase variants and a few extra bits. Senior art director Ovidio Cartagena told press that the stonework sculpting that surrounds the 25 showcase cards was inspired by the writing and languages of Central American civilisations. The same is true of the six cards featuring the Oltec’s gods - these mythic rare creatures that are worshipped by the people living in Ixalan’s core will transform into Land cards with a returning map motif upon their death.

Speaking of the Oltec, these living ancestors of the Sun Empire will appear on 16 cards that might show up with a special borderless treatment inspired by modern-day Mesoamerican art - tapestry making, textiles, painting and more. Cartagena, alongside the art and worldbuilding team, stressed their goal of representing as much of Latin American in this set as possible through their depictions of the gods, ancestor worship, food, dress and even how the Oltecs worship.

Lost Caverns of Ixalan launches on November 17th and will be one of the last major sets to use Magic: The Gathering’s two-booster pack split. The company recently announced a merging of set and draft boosters in a single, unified Play Booster. Interested in the mechanical side of Lost Caverns of Ixalan? Dicebreaker has a breakdown of what you can expect in the rules text live on the site.