Secrets of Strixhaven Card Review (for Brews and Bad Decks)

There is a surprising amount of potentially Legacy playable cards in Secrets of Strixhaven, a Standard-legal set. There are also a few from the adjoining Commander product worth a look.

I doubt most of these cards will see significant Legacy play. These are one brewer’s thoughts on this month’s set.

The Mechanics

Prepared

I think the creatures need to stand on their own, without the prepared ability, to be worth playing. Entering prepared is good, but you still have to find the mana to cast the spell. A creature that needs to become prepared is likely too much to ask in such a fast format. It also broadcasts what the opponent needs to prepare themselves for.

Repartee

A neat take on Prowess that allows for more powerful effects due to your opponent playing creatures for your removal to matter, or you playing with pump spells. Is Feather, the Redeemed playable in legacy?)

Opus

Essentially Prowess+. Needing to spend the mana for the bonus is a gate we’re seeing more and more, and for good reason. (*cough* Up the Beanstalk cough)

The Commander Set

Herald of Amity

This is an interesting take on Academy Rector. Auras are generally bad, but we’ve seen a few in Legacy over the years, more specifically, curses, including Cruel Reality, Overwhelming Splendor, and Maddening Hex.

Academy Rector requires a sacrifice outlet but allows a single copy of a few haymakers. Herald of Amity won’t require any sac’ing, but you’ll have to fill your deck with auras to be worth playing.

Herald of Amity creates a neat deckbuilding puzzle that will not likely be played much (if ever) in Legacy.

Quintorious, History Chaser

In some ways, this is similar to Forth Eorlingas, with aspects that might make you consider trying it over, or alongside, Forth Eorlingas

In place of the Monarch (which can be taken), Quintorious, History Chaser offers a +1 that digs deeper (and can’t be taken). The number of creatures created isn’t capped by mana, necessarily, and if they all die, you can make more. Starting loyalty of 5, Quintorius, History Chaser can be tough to remove (without Hyrdoblast, Blue Elemental Blast, or Erode). Finally, the -4 alpha strike won’t leave you vulnerable to a crack-back due to the vigilance.
Yes, the +1 draws cards, which is dangerous against Orcish Bowmaster, but in a control deck, there should be enough removal to make Orcish Bowmaster more of a speed bump than a brick wall.

A late game turn with Quintorious, History Chaser in a 4+ Color Control shell might look like:

Replace the first draw with Life from the Loam with dredge, make a spirit
- Life from the Loam lands, make a spirit
+1: discard a land, replace one draw with a Life from the Loam dredge, make a spirit
- Life from the Loam the discarded land, make a spirit

Next turn attack for 24 vigilant damage, and Quintorious, History Chaser is still by your side.

Ominous Harvest

Gravestorm cares about “each permanent put into a graveyard.” This means Cheerios, Fetchlands, Zuran Orb, etc. Again, draws cards, but we’re in black already, so we have Orcish Bowmaster too, right? Gravestorm 10 can kill someone if you have an Orcish Bowmaster in play.

Furygale Flocking

Six evasive haste power for is a pretty good rate. Eight is steep, but possible when built around. Make sure to cast this in the second main phase if you don’t want them tapped, since they must attack the turn you cast it.

Renegade Bull

“Without paying its mana cost.” I like those words. We have “sol” lands and Seething Song to help cast it. Red has a ton of rummaging; the only things lacking are haste and an existing shell. Luckily, it’s in red, where haste is given frequently.

There is a plethora of pitch spells that clear the board of creatures or artifacts. Boom//Bust can clear all the lands and cause direct damage to clear the opponent.

Spirit of Resilience

The obvious thing to do is pair this with Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or Blightsteel Colossus for a quick win.

How am I going to get those fatties in the graveyard?
Do I build around this or find space somewhere in Sneak & Show (or a similar pile)?

Honestly, I’m not excited by this card, but that’s likely because I don’t enjoy Show and Tell decks. I would not be surprised, however, to see this across the table in the near future.

Secrets of Strixhaven Set

The Dawning Archaic

Cost reduction and “without paying its mana cost!?” Sign me up! It’s like Dreadhorde Arcanist, a banned card, and Cryptic Serpent, a definitely-not-banned card.

Yes, 10 mana is a lot, it’s legendary, and it doesn’t have haste (or eyes), but the potential of a -mana 7/7 that casts spells from the graveyard...I gotta at least try it.

Filling the graveyard isn’t hard in game one; keeping it filled in games two and three may be more challenging.
Quiet Speculation could be really great with this; reducing the cost by , can bin Reckless Charge to solve the haste issue, Otherworldly Gaze and Faithless Looting can help fill the yard, too, and Seize the Day for an extra attack with a 10/7 haster.

You don’t have to go all-in, though. I could see this in some version of Death’s Shadow that leans more toward instants and sorceries, which might be desirable given Flow State. You could get super dangerous and Reanimate this, pumping [Death's Shadow} and putting a creature with Reach on board.

I’ll be picking a playset of this up for sure.

Ennis, Debate Moderator

I’m sure this doesn’t make the cut in Death & Taxes, but I’ve only had the pleasure of playing against that deck. {Aether Vial and Karakas could make this a tricky annoyance. With Recruiter of the Guard, you’d only need one copy, and with 80 cards already, what’s one more?

Erode

This removal/ramp spell looks pretty great. Destroy ain’t exile, but the ability to hit planeswalkers is pretty nice for control strategies. When you can’t pressure planeswalkers with creatures, there is a lot of weight put on countermagic. Control might still be in a rough spot in the meta, but this will definitely help. Additional utility with Erode:

Kill your Veteran Explorer to tutor for three lands!
Kill your Triumph of Saint Katherine in response to Swords to Plowshares, tutor a basic, and then put Triumph of Saint Katherine in the top seven.

Exhibition Tidecaller

I don’t know where to put this, but if you need to fill your graveyard...

Flow State

A good card is good. This card has been talked about a ton already. A ban wouldn’t surprise me in the near future, given its similarity to Expressive Iteration. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see this last a while, with how much the format has evolved since Expressive Iteration's dominance.

The upside of "putting" both cards in your hand is real. The downside of needing a sorcery in the graveyard is somewhat trivial, depending on the deck. Maybe Stormchaser’s Talent and Boomerang Basics will become more common in Tempo due to Flow State’s requirements and the double spell for Cori-Steel Cutter. There’s also Lorien Revealed, but islandcycling is not what Tempo strategies want to spend time on.

meets the sorcery requirement easily via Thoughtseize. I’m not sure it matters much that Flow State doesn’t transform Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student. There is plenty of card draw to flip her already.

Flow State makes us want more sorceries in our decks. If that doesn’t tell you its potential power, I don’t know what would.

Harmonized Trio

Preparing can be done at instant speed, as can Brainstorming. I could see some sort of go-wide Counterbalance pile with this. There are some untapped creatures that could be fun with this, including Blistercoil Weird and Tiger-Seal. Token generators like Cori-Steel Cutter, Deeproot Pilgrimage, and Ocelot Pride can provide more bodies to tap.

There might actually be a fun Friday Night Magic (FNM) brew somewhere in there.

Mana Sculpt

This seems like a steep price for the payoff, and then the payoff requires a payoff to pay it off. I doubt it's worth it. Mana Sculpt into Forth Eorlingas would be fun, though.

Mathemagics

wins against non-Yorion, the Sky Nomad decks. How do we generate mana in one turn? High Tide? There’s already Blue Sun’s Zenith, though, which is an instant. Maybe Blue Post could try this, but I don't have experience with either archetype.

Decorum Dissertation

This is the best Phyrexian Arena they’ve printed, but I don’t know if it’s worth it. is slow in a fast format.

Rabid Attack

This might be fun in Goblins or Mardu Aggro. It can certainly draw a lot of cards, refill against a wrath, or win with an alpha strike. [Voice of Victory] alone is +3 damage and two cards. I don’t think we’ll see this, but it's worth testing.

Flashback

I’d like to try this as a one-of in Tempo. It’s Brainstorm/Lightning Bolt/Flow State/Pyroblast/Hydroblast for an extra that might even create a monk.

Molten-Core Maestro

This goblin grows fast, has Menace, and goes infinite with Buyback spells. You have to find a way to make mana to get the ball rolling, but that doesn’t sound difficult in red.

Slumbering Trudge

Fatty for . We’re always looking for ways to make these good (Phyrexian Dreadnought, Death’s Shadow, Moonshadow, etc.). The upside is that Slumbering Trudge doesn’t require anything else to stay in play or get big.

What can we do with that? Stubborn Denial, Fanatic of Rhonas, and Fight Rigging come to mind. I’m sure there’s more. This likely won’t do anything in Legacy, but that was said about Death’s Shadow, too.

Fix What’s Broken

I think someone on Reddit figured out Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Triskelion. There’s also Cheerios. It’s like Second Sunrise without the temporal necessity. You don’t have to wait to eat your cereal; you can dig right in.

Hardened Academic

Two mana, flying, haste, discard outlet that isn’t gated. It requires other cards to leave the graveyard by some other means, but the counters can go on whichever creatures you want. These cheap, versatile creatures are a lot of fun to play with until they start warping the game around themselves (e.g., Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Psychic Frog, Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student). I don’t see this warping the game around itself; it’ll just be a powerful piece of some machine. I don’t think there is a deck for it yet, though.

Agatha’s Soul Cauldron can make two creatures into Arcanis, the Omnipotent, with one activation!

Vibrant Outburst

Here’s another card I’d like to try in Tempo. The ability to do this on your opponent’s end step feels strong, even at two mana.

Witherbloom, the Balancer

Does this card make the cut in Maverick? Is it win-more? Badgermole Cub and Orcish Bowmasters are two bodies each; Witherbloom, the Balancer should be somewhat easy to cast . Green Sun's Zenithes will cost to tutor for pretty much anything, which should reduce the stress put on Gaea's Cradle. Reducing the second and third Once Upon a Times to ain’t bad either. Flying on a 5/5 reduces the stress on Endurance to hold the line against flyers, too.

Page, Loose Leaf

The first copy helps you get down a turn-two Reality Smasher, or pay for the Daze on Thought-Knot Seer. The second copy finds Kozilek’s Command. Page, Loose Leaf seems like a neat card to try, but playing four of a bad card to find a good card might keep it on the sidelines. I’m sure there’s some Replenish-style brew out there that wants this, but that’ll take a lot of Scryfall time that I’d rather spend on other bad ideas.