Nicanzil, Current Conductor

Strategy & Gameplay

This Legendary Merfolk Scout from Lost Caverns of Ixalan offers a powerful and flexible way to leverage explore mechanics across multiple competitive formats. Nicanzil, Current Conductor serves as both a mana accelerator and a threat that grows throughout the game, making it an excellent addition to any deck built around the explore mechanic. The card functions on two distinct axes: when your creatures explore lands, you effectively ramp your mana by putting additional lands onto the battlefield, while exploring nonland cards drives Nicanzil's growth as a creature. This dual functionality makes Nicanzil particularly attractive for midrange and control decks that want to maximize explore triggers while maintaining tempo. In Standard and Pioneer formats, Nicanzil slots seamlessly into explore-focused strategies that already run creatures like Merfolk Branchbinder or other cards that generate multiple explore triggers. The combination of fixing and acceleration makes it especially valuable in color-intensive three or four-color midrange decks. Even in slower formats like Commander and Legacy, Nicanzil provides consistent value in decks designed around explore synergies, while its legendary status makes it a solid commander option for explore-themed builds. With a reasonable two-mana casting cost and a reasonable body, you're getting an early game play that immediately impacts the board. Players seeking a card that simultaneously accelerates their mana while developing an evasive threat should strongly consider Nicanzil as a key inclusion in their explore strategies, particularly in formats where explore payoffs are abundant and the mechanical synergies are deep.