About the Set
Secrets of Strixhaven is an exciting supplemental set in the Magic: The Gathering universe, released on April 23, 2021. This 102-card set dives deep into the world of Strixhaven: School of Mages, bringing new cards, mechanics, and lore to enrich your gameplay.
Key Features
- Main Set (SOS): 81 commons and 100 uncommons forming the core of the set, including the new mechanics and college-themed cards.
- Commander Set (SOC): 10 mythic rare borderless cards and 48 rare extended-art cards exclusive to Commander precons.
- Mystical Archive (SOA): 65 reprinted instants and sorceries — 25 uncommon, 25 rare, and 15 mythic rare — one appearing in every booster pack. Notable inclusions are Force of Will, Vampiric Tutor, Sylvan Library, and Sol Ring.
- Special Guests (SPG): 10 cards depicting lessons from across Strixhaven University, available in Collector Boosters.
- Special Printings:
- Play Boosters: Borderless cards (planeswalkers, Elder Dragons, dual lands, Field Notes variants) in non-foil and traditional foil; Spellcraft full-art basic lands in non-foil and traditional foil; Special Guests in non-foil; Japanese Mystical Archive in Japanese Play Boosters only.
- Collector Boosters: All Play Booster special printings in foil; Japanese Mystical Archive (non-foil and silver scroll foil) in all languages; Special Guests in traditional foil; serialized double rainbow foil Emeritus of Ideation with retro full-art frame (always English).
- Codex Bundle: Traditional foil Sol Ring and Talisman cycle as exclusive promos.
What's New
This set introduces cards that highlight the magical academies of Strixhaven, from the disciplined Silverquill to the inventive Quandrix. Whether you're building decks around specific colleges or mixing mechanics for powerful combos, Secrets of Strixhaven offers endless possibilities.
New Rules & Mechanics
Secrets of Strixhaven introduces several brand-new mechanics. Full mechanic overview on Wizards of the Coast.
- Prepare: Creatures with Prepare enter the battlefield with an associated spell exiled alongside them. You may cast that spell by paying its cost — once cast, the creature loses the Prepare designation.
- Paradigm: A keyword on powerful sorceries. On first resolution the spell exiles itself, then at the beginning of each of your main phases for the rest of the game you may cast a free copy of it.
- Repartee (Silverquill): Triggered abilities that fire whenever you cast an instant or sorcery that targets a creature. Multiple Repartee abilities resolve in the order you choose.
- Opus (Prismari): Triggered abilities that fire whenever you cast an instant or sorcery, with a bonus effect if you spent five or more mana to cast it.
- Infusion (Witherbloom): Abilities that care about whether you've gained life at any point during the current turn, regardless of your current life total.
- Increment (Quandrix): Whenever you cast a spell whose mana cost exceeds the creature's power or toughness, that creature gets a +1/+1 counter.
Returning Mechanics
Secrets of Strixhaven also brings back two mechanics from earlier sets.
- Flashback: First introduced in Odyssey (2001). Lets you cast an instant or sorcery from your graveyard by paying its flashback cost, after which it's exiled.
- Converge: First introduced in Battle for Zendikar (2015). Spells with Converge have effects that scale based on how many different colours of mana were spent to cast them.
Draft Archetypes
Each of the five colleges defines a two-colour draft archetype with its own mechanic and game plan. The set is heavily multicoloured — don't be afraid to splash a third colour.
- Silverquill (White/Black) — Repartee Aggro/Midrange: Cast instants and sorceries that target your own creatures to trigger Repartee payoffs. Rewards proactive, creature-based play backed by efficient targeted spells.
- Prismari (Blue/Red) — Opus Spellslinger: Build around casting instants and sorceries, with bonus Opus triggers whenever you spend five or more mana on a spell. Aims to go big and generate value from each spell cast.
- Witherbloom (Black/Green) — Infusion Lifegain Midrange: Gain life each turn to repeatedly trigger Infusion abilities on your creatures. A grindy deck that accumulates value through incremental life gain.
- Quandrix (Blue/Green) — Increment Counter Midrange: Play solid creatures and cast spells that cost more than their power or toughness to stack +1/+1 counters via Increment. Wins through growing threats over multiple turns.
- Lorehold (Red/White) — Flashback Graveyard Midrange: Exploit cards leaving your graveyard as a resource, leaning on Flashback to reuse spells and payoffs that trigger when cards are exiled from graveyards.
Commander Decks
Secrets of Strixhaven includes five new commander decks, each themed around one of Strixhaven's colleges. Each deck comes with a unique commander and focuses on specific mechanics and strategies.
Silverquill Academy
Commander: Shadrix Silverquill
Defining Features: Focuses on lifegain, protection, and white-black synergies. Emphasizes creature-based strategies with spells that reward devotion and life manipulation.
Prismari Performance
Commander: Zaffai, Thunder Conductor
Defining Features: Blue-red deck centered on copying spells and creating tokens. Utilizes storm-like mechanics and instant-speed interactions for explosive turns.
Witherbloom Witchcraft
Commander: Gyome, Master Chef
Defining Features: Green-black deck that thrives on food tokens and graveyard synergies. Features sacrifice outlets and recursion for a resilient, value-driven playstyle.
Quandrix Quandary
Commander: Zimone, Quandrix Prodigy
Defining Features: Blue-green deck focused on fractal tokens and mana ramp. Leverages copy effects and board-wide buffs for overwhelming card advantage and board presence.
Lorehold Legacy
Commander: Velomachus Lorehold
Defining Features: Red-white deck centered on dragons, artifacts, and historic cards. Emphasizes direct damage, board wipes, and synergistic plays with legendary creatures and equipment.