Table of Contents
We are back at the legally distinct magical school, Strixhaven. Totally not the in-universe Harry Potter set. And although this is part 2, Secrets of Strixhaven is definitely not a rip-off of the second book title either.
All aboard the Hogwarts Express — sorry, the [[Strixhaven Skycoach]]. The [[Skycoach Conductor]] is ready to leave.
These are my top 10 picks from the set. I am not including the bonus sheets or the Commander decks, as that would really just mean rares and mythics from the Mystical Archives and the Special Guests. Cards like [[Force of Will]], [[Vampiric Tutor]], and [[Sylvan Library]] are there, so this list is only covering the base set of Secrets of Strixhaven.
So, are you ready for the good, the bad, and the Prepared?
This list is going to be heavily slanted towards Commander, but I will talk about other formats and relevant cards where I can. Also, the order of the cards has no actual relevance.
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1: Erode
https://scryfall.com/card/sos/15/erode
My first card is [[Erode]]. {1} mana unconditional removal is great. [[Fatal Push]] saw a lot of play when it was legal in Standard.
The closest comparison is [[Path to Exile]]. Both remove a problem and let the opponent get a basic land. The difference is that [[Path to Exile]] exiles the creature, whereas [[Erode]] destroys it, which is worse, but [[Erode]] can also target planeswalkers.
This is probably the fourth version of this kind of card you want to play in Commander. Going down the list, you have [[Swords to Plowshares]], [[Path to Exile]], [[Unwanted Remake]], and now [[Erode]].
Standard is where this gets interesting. Having removal that is this cheap and easy is great, especially with how powerful individual creatures are and how aggressive most of the decks tend to be.
2: Decorum Dissertation
https://scryfall.com/card/sos/78/decorum-dissertation
My next card is [[Decorum Dissertation]]. This is an uninteractable double [[Phyrexian Arena]] — well, as long as it resolves.
That is because of Paradigm, a new mechanic for Secrets of Strixhaven. This feels like a better, fixed version of Epic. Epic says, “For the rest of the game, you can’t cast spells. At the beginning of each of your upkeeps, copy this spell except for its epic ability.” So you were locked into only that spell.
[[Enduring Ideal]] was probably the best of them, as you could at least try to assemble a combo to win the game. But the whole mechanic was rough. The cards were overcosted, and they locked you out of casting anything else.
Paradigm is so much better. You still get a free copy every turn, but you can keep casting other cards. So this will draw you two cards and lose you two life every turn, which is why it feels like a double [[Phyrexian Arena]].
That happens on your main phase, but that is not that relevant.
3: Emeritus Of Ideation
https://scryfall.com/card/sos/45/emeritus-of-ideation-ancestral-recall
I do not think I could do a top 10 without including [[Emeritus Of Ideation]]. I also feel like it has been a bit overhyped. It is a good card, but not to the extent some people are pushing it.
This is one of the better cards in the mythic cycle of Prepared creatures, mostly because it comes in prepared and has a way to get prepared again. Move over [[Oracle of the Alpha]] — we have a new way to cast some Power 9 cards.
Part of why I think people are overhyping it is that, at its core, this is a {6} mana draw 3. We already have {5} mana draw 3s. Where this gets better is that you also get a 5/5 flying body with it.
EDH is where [[Emeritus Of Ideation]] really comes into its own. You need [[Displacer Kitten]]. That lets you fully abuse [[Ancestral Recall]]. While the first one costs {6} mana, any future ones are basically just [[Ancestral Recall]], because [[Displacer Kitten]] resets [[Emeritus Of Ideation]] so it comes back prepared and ready to cast again.
Draw all the cards, obtain all the value.
4: Planar Engineering
https://scryfall.com/card/sos/158/planar-engineering
When I first saw [[Planar Engineering]], I thought it was just [[Explosive Vegetation]] with a different name. Then I re-read it and actually understood it.
The end result is still the same in one sense: you end up {2} basic lands ahead. But the important part is that you get four new lands entering. That is especially relevant with how common Landfall decks are, because now you are getting four triggers instead of two.
This feels like the bigger brother to [[Harrow]], [[Roiling Regrowth]], and [[Entish Restoration]].
I still rate [[Skyshroud Claim]] over [[Planar Engineering]], simply because [[Skyshroud Claim]] gets Forests, which means it can grab duals, and they enter untapped.
That said, [[Planar Engineering]] is also Standard legal. That means the mono-green aggro deck that uses Landfall quite a bit might want this. I can at least see it being tested.
5: Flashback
https://scryfall.com/card/sos/115/flashback
I am surprised [[Flashback]] has not existed before. It is a simple design and very clean.
This is a card I very much want for my [[Ral, Monsoon Mage]] cEDH deck, but I can see it going into a lot of spellslinger decks. For {1} mana, you get to re-cast your best instant or sorcery.
I can also see this getting played in Standard, especially in Izzet Prowess decks. [[Snapcaster Mage]] was all over Standard when that was legal. That did come with a 2/1 body, but it also cost {2} mana.
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6: Mind into Matter
https://scryfall.com/card/sos/202/mind-into-matter
There is a problem with {X} draw spells. Normally, you want to sink all of your mana into them to draw the maximum number of cards. That is why the instant-speed ones are usually the best, as you can cast them just before your turn, then untap with a grip full of cards and all your mana ready to use.
[[Mind into Matter]] helps fix that issue. You still draw {X} cards, but you also get to put a permanent with mana value {X} or less onto the battlefield.
It is a shame it comes in tapped, but I guess you cannot have it all.
7: Together as One
https://scryfall.com/card/sos/4/together-as-one
On the surface, [[Together as One]] looks like a five-colour card, as Converge cares about the colours spent to cast it. That is just normal-brain stuff.
Galaxy brain is putting this in a mono-red deck. Mono-red tends to suffer from a lack of true card draw, but it can make Treasure pretty easily.
Normally, Treasure being able to make any colour does not really matter. You just use it as acceleration to cast whatever you need. But you can still generate mana that is not in your commander’s colour identity. Again, that does not usually matter, because you cannot play off-colour cards, and most steal effects already let you spend mana as though it were any colour.
But Converge changes that. Yes, you can cast [[Together as One]] using all five colours of mana in a mono-coloured deck. Treasure is just the easiest way to do it, which is why mono-red stands out here.
Now you have a {6} mana spell that draws 5, deals 5, and gains 5 life. Not bad for mono-red.
8: Emeritus Of Woe
https://scryfall.com/card/sos/324/emeritus-of-woe-demonic-tutor
[[Emeritus Of Woe]] is my top pick out of all the Prepared creatures. [[Demonic Tutor]] is the most powerful tutor: {2} mana, get any card, straight to hand, do not pass go.
[[Emeritus Of Woe]] is effectively a {6} mana version, but the key part is that it is repeatable. By itself, it can re-Prepare if two things died this turn. That only triggers on the end step, which means you either need a flash enabler or you have to wait for your turn.
It does not even need to be your own stuff dying, just that two things died before your turn’s end step.
I like [[Emeritus Of Woe]] more than [[Emeritus Of Ideation]], because it can get [[Emeritus Of Ideation]]. It can also get [[Displacer Kitten]] and do the loop I described before. [[Emeritus Of Woe]] can basically be any card in your deck.
While I do not see this getting as much play in Standard, it is going to be a hot card for EDH.
9: Mana Sculpt
https://scryfall.com/card/sos/57/mana-sculpt
They have basically printed [[Mana Drain]] into Standard. Well, [[Mana Sculpt]] is close.
It costs {1} more and requires you to have a Wizard to get the extra mana, but that is probably what is needed to keep it balanced. [[Mana Drain]] is not a fair card.
If you are using [[Ral, Monsoon Mage]], then this is basically another copy of [[Mana Drain]]. I can see this getting used in a lot of EDH decks where the commander is a Wizard. Vivi decks are definitely getting excited.
Another thing worth pointing out is that [[Mana Sculpt]] is worded exactly like [[Mana Drain]]. If you are using it defensively to protect your own spells on your turn, I would cast it in your second main phase, especially if you do not care about attacking.
That is because both spells add the mana at the beginning of the next main phase, not your first one. So if you cast this in your first main phase, then go to combat, you will get the mana when your second main phase starts. That might not be ideal, especially since all of it is colourless and you may not have the coloured sources to make the best use of it.
10: Flow State
https://scryfall.com/card/sos/49/flow-state
[[Flow State]] is my final card. It is a bit of an outlier, as it is an uncommon, but I think it is good enough to make the list.
We have all seen how powerful [[Stock Up]] has been, and [[Flow State]] feels like a mini [[Stock Up]]. In the base case, this is basically an [[Anticipate]]: look at the top 3 cards and put 1 into your hand.
But if you have both an instant and a sorcery in the graveyard, you get 2 of those cards instead.
Another comparison is [[Accumulate Wisdom]]. That can get you all 3 cards, but it comes with a much harder restriction, as it really wants you to be in a Lesson archetype. [[Flow State]] is far less restrictive.
It is not hard for even non-spellslinger decks to turn this on. Just playing a reasonable amount of removal can get you there.
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Bonus Slot: Elder Dragons
I have notably not talked about the Elder Dragons. I have seen a lot of discussion around [[Prismari, the Inspiration]] and [[Witherbloom the Balancer]].
https://scryfall.com/card/sos/245/witherbloom-the-balancer
[[Witherbloom the Balancer]] feels to me like it is mostly a one-trick pony with [[Sprout Swarm]], although [[Diabolic Revelation]] does go hard. I feel like it will end up being more of a value deck, making use of the discount.
https://scryfall.com/card/sos/212/prismari-the-inspiration
[[Prismari, the Inspiration]] just costs too much for me. You are paying {7} mana and then needing it to live a turn before you get to have your fun. This is going to get killed so often. If you do manage to stick it, sure, you get to pop off, but I would rather just use a different storm commander and have an easier time.
https://scryfall.com/card/sos/226/silverquill-the-disputant
I think [[Silverquill, the Disputant]] is the sleeper of the five. Having an extra copy of your spells is huge. For example, [[Emeritus Of Woe]] can cast [[Demonic Tutor]], then sacrifice itself to get you 2 cards.
As the current rules stand, do not use [[Silverquill, the Disputant]] as the casualty sacrifice. If you do, your spell will lose it and you will have sacrificed it for no effect. [[Silverquill, the Disputant]] needs to still be on the battlefield for the spell to have casualty. The spells do not gain casualty, they only have it.
Bonus Slot: Ambitious Augmenter
https://scryfall.com/card/sos/140/ambitious-augmenter
One other card I would keep an eye on is [[Ambitious Augmenter]]. It is a 1/1 with Increment, which lets it grow as you cast bigger and bigger spells. Then, when it dies, it replaces itself by creating a Fractal token the same size as [[Ambitious Argumenter]].
I am not sure whether the current mono-green aggro deck wants this, as that deck is more focused on Landfall. But it could slot in there, or even help create a whole new archetype around it.
Final Thoughts
This set is absolute fire. The rarity drop on the Mystical Archives sucks, going from 26.4% to 9.6% for rares and from 6.6% to 2.9% for mythics. That means it is going to be a lot harder to pull all the chase cards on that sheet.
That works out at roughly 3 rares and a little under 1 mythic per box, compared to the previous 8–9 rares and 2 mythics. Even so, I still love the overall set. From the art, to the lore, to the mechanics, it all fits together.
If you're looking to pick up some Secrets of Strixhaven, commander decks, booster boxes or anything Magic: The Gathering, why not support us right here at Gathering Games.
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