Opening any of these will make you feel like a star student.
After five years nearly to the day, we’re back in Strixhaven.
Strixhaven: School of Mages brought the whimsy back to education, and was a well-received release even with the challenges around the Lockdown Era. With Secrets of Strixhaven, Wizards of the Coast has built on the success of the original release, bringing even more collectibility than ever before.
The Magic: The Gathering Cards Everybody Wants from Secrets of Strixhaven
Market Price: $41.88
- Read More: Collector’s Guide to Secrets of Strixhaven
- Read More: Secrets of Strixhaven Commander Precon Upgrade Guides
- Read More: The Most Valuable Magic: The Gathering Cards in Packs Right Now
There’s a ton of collectibility with Secrets of Strixhaven, and knowing what’s desirable with players can be a little confusing, especially if you’re new to the game. With that, let’s go through the cards everyone will be ecstatic to open in Secrets of Strixhaven Play and Collector Boosters on release day and beyond.
#10 Erode (Extended Art)
Erode
Secrets of Strixhaven, Rare
Becoming one of the talked-about removal spells from Secrets of Strixhaven, Erode is primed to make an impression in casual and competitive circles. Path to Exile has remained a staple since Conflux (released in 2009), and Erode looks to build on the foundation by extending the effect to target planeswalkers in addition to creatures. Sure, destroying something is much different than exiling it, but Erode comes with plenty of promise and will be a card players will want to play post-release.
Erode is unlikely to be a valuable card from Secrets of Strixhaven, but there will be interest in the Extended Art printing that’s exclusive to Collector Boosters. This copy is the fanciest printing of Erode you can own, and there’s usually a market for these treatments with Commander crowds.
#9 The Turbulent Lands (Extended Art)
Appearing in the excellent Secrets of Strixhaven Commander Precon Decks, the Turbluent Lands are a new cycle of two-color mana options that look genuinely promising for casual play. Another notable detail about these Turbulent Lands is that they feature the relevant subtypes, meaning they are easy enough to find off a Farseek or the appropriate Fetch Land in the early turns, meaning there’s a good chance the land will enter play untapped.
While the Turbulent Lands aren’t quite as good as the Battlebond Lands, these will become popular options to play in Commander. Every Secrets of Strixhaven Commander Deck comes with one of these cards, with Extended Art printings only available in Collector Boosters. The Extended Art version is the more affordable printing compared to normal copies at the time of publication, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for if you’re looking to buy in the coming weeks.
#8 Sylvan Library (Special Guests)
Sylvan Library
Special Guests, Mythic
The Special Guests makes an impressive return in Secrets of Strixhaven, and these are a selection of cards to help marry the flavor with the set they’re reprinted in. Sylvan Library is one of these, and is likely going to be the most valuable card from the growing subset. Sylvan Library has had plenty of competitive and casual pedigree over the years, as it’s perhaps one of the more consistent draw spells you can play if you’re in green. From Premodern Constructed to casual Commander, Sylvan Library sees a ton of play, and one you’ll be thrilled to open in Play and Collector Boosters.
#7 Blech, Loafing Pest (Borderless Field Notes)
Blech, Loafing Pest
Secrets of Strixhaven, Rare
We don’t give enough credit to Magic characters with onomatopoeic-sounding names these days, and Blech, Loafing Pest is certainly one of them. This one looks appealing for Commander, as it plays into the Pest theme that was so memorable with Strixhaven: School of Mages years ago. For three mana, Blech places a +1/+1 counter on each Pest, Bat, Insect, Snake, and Spider you control whenever you gain life. With Pests already providing a consistent lifegain theme in Secrets of Strixhaven, Blech offers a nice way to grow your battlefield without needing to do much else. Not to mention, the card is ideal for those Spider typal strategies out there, which is something to acknowledge as we slowly approach the release of Magic: The Gathering’s The Hobbit in mid-August.
While opening a copy of Blech, Loafing Pest won’t bring you impressive monetary value in Secrets of Strixhaven, it’s going to be an in-demand card with Commander players. Lifegain remains an evergreen strategy in the format, with Blech already becoming one of the top-registered commanders from Secrets of Strixhaven according to EDHREC. That said, you can expect more interest around the Borderless Field Notes printing of Blech, as it showcases the Pest in its most glorious yet idle form.
#6 Emeritus of Woe (Extended Art)
Emeritus of Woe // Demonic Tutor
Secrets of Strixhaven, Mythic
One of the biggest pulls to Secrets of Strixhaven is the array of powerful Prepare cards, many of which reference iconic spells from the game’s vast history. The Emeritus cycle is one such example, with Emeritus of Woe providing another copy of the ever-powerful Demonic Tutor for players to cast (and perhaps cast again). As with most of the Emeritus cards, they enter play Prepared — this means you can fire off the spell side, where it’ll then become unprepared. You do need to jump through some hoops to re-Prepare the card once more, with Emeritus of Woe requiring two creatures to die before the beginning of your end step. It’s worth noting that the Emeritus doesn’t specifically check only your creatures dying, meaning any removal from your opponents may help you cast Demonic Tutor on a future turn (this is especially relevant for Commander).
Market Price: $29.93
There’s been a ton of interest around Emeritus of Woe since it’s another (and likely more affordable) copy of Demonic Tutor for Commander players to utilize, and it looks to be one of the non-collector cards everyone will want to open from Secrets of Strixhaven. Like with Erode and the Turbulent Lands, you can open Extended Art copies of Emeritus of Woe in Collector Boosters.
#5 Vampiric Tutor (Mystical Archives)
Vampiric Tutor
Secrets of Strixhaven: Mystical Archive, Mythic
Moving from one Tutor to another. If you weren’t around for Strixhaven: School of Mages, the Mystical Archives was a well-loved addition to the release. The subset highlights many of the game’s most memorable instants and sorceries, with Secrets of Strixhaven bringing back the Mystical Archives with a new wave of cards for players to collect. One of them is Vampiric Tutor, which happens to be one of the more powerful Tutor spells printed in the game. Due to the card’s impressive tenure, Vampiric Tutor remains a mainstay on the Commander Format Panel’s Game Changers due to being a powerful and potentially game-ending effect.
READ MORE ABOUT SECRETS OF STRIXHAVEN
The Best 24 MTG Commanders From Secrets of Strixhaven, RankedPrerelease Guide to Magic: The Gathering’s Secrets of Strixhaven
There are 65 Mystical Archive cards to collect this time around — with at least one Mystical Archive card appearing in a Secrets of Strixhaven Play Booster. You’ll open more Mystic Archive cards in a Collector Booster along with a few unique treatments, but Vampiric Tutor will be the card everyone will be looking to open (or buy) in the coming weeks, given its ever-presence in Commander.
#4 The Borderless Elder Dragons
Market Price: $24.20
Market Price: $18.42
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Market Price: $34.47
Market Price: $16.67
If there’s one thing that is synonymous with Strixhaven, it’s the five Elder Dragons that reside within the colleges at Strixhaven University. This time around, each of the Elder Dragons inherits a classic mechanic from Magic’s history. From Cascade to Storm, these Dragon cards are becoming must-haves for Commander because of their potent abilities. It isn’t much of a surprise to see these cards becoming the most-registered options to play in Commander from Secrets of Strixhaven (per EDHREC), meaning opening any variant of these cards will present you with some modest value upon release.
That said, it’s the stunning Borderless versions of the Elder Dragons that will drive the most interest from players and collectors. Since these make for excellent and flavorful commanders, there’s nothing more satisfying than having the fanciest version to lead your own Commander deck. At the time of publication, it’s Witherbloom, the Balancer that’s the more in-demand of the Elder Dragons, as this one can infinitely combo with Sprout Swarm or Lab Rats without breaking a sweat.
#3 Force of Will (Mystical Archives)
Force of Will
Secrets of Strixhaven: Mystical Archive, Mythic
I’ve already mentioned how Vampiric Tutor is an incredible addition to the Mystical Archives in Secrets of Strixhaven, where Force of Will is another hallmark card appearing in the subset. Force of Will is perhaps one of the best counterspells printed in Magic — you may cast it for free at the small cost of exiling a blue card and losing one life. Force of Will sees play in non-rotating formats such as Legacy Constructed and is a must-have in competitive Commander, meaning the demand for this style of card is evergreen.
Whenever Force of Will sees a reprint, it often presents a decent opportunity to snap up the card at possibly a more affordable rate. Even if you’re someone who doesn’t play blue, this is a card you can easily trade away into something more useful or relevant to your playing needs. At the time of publication, the Mystical Archives printing of Force of Will is the cheapest, tournament-legal copy — but prices can fluctuate in the coming weeks as more cards flood the market post-release.
#2 The Japanese Mystical Archive Cards (Force of WIll, Vampiric Tutor, and Jeska’s Will – Silver Scroll Foil)
Market Price: $1,251.58
Market Price: $573.52
Market Price: $483.32
If you’re someone who wants the fanciest treatments of staple cards, then the silver scroll foil cards are some of the premier options from Secrets of Strixhaven. Appearing only in the Japanese language, these are some of the most stunning pieces you can collect from the release. You can only find these in Collector Boosters and appear in lower pull rates. At the time of publication, Force of Will, Vampiric Tutor, and Jeska’s Will are the most expensive Japanese cards from the Mystical Archives. Prices will likely fluctuate in the coming weeks, but it’s always worth checking which Japanese Mystical Archive card you’ve opened, as you may be surprised by the card’s value on the secondary market.
#1 Emeritus of Ideation (Textless Serialized – Double Rainbow Foil)
While the Mystical Archives continue to see a ton of attention due to the strong reprint value, it’s the Headliner card in Emeritus of Ideation that will be the card everyone will want to open from Secrets of Strixhaven. Appearing in less than 1% of Collector Boosters, this card brings all the nostalgia as it’s textless – this was a more common occurrence with the Players Rewards Program many years ago.
Emeritus of Ideation has a ton of interest behind it, as the spell side of the card just happens to be an Ancestral Recall. If you aren’t familiar or newer to Magic, Ancestral Recall is widely-regarded as the best draw spell ever printed and is a member of the Power Nine. While there’s been no confirmed sales of this specific printing of the Emeritus yet, a few of them are trickling through on eBay and are listed within the five-figure range. It’s always tricky to evaluate the price of these hyper-rare cards, as it often boils down to the price the card’s owner is happy to sell at. Even if there isn’t a clear price point, this printing of the Emeritus will be the most valuable card from Secrets of Strixhaven, and it probably isn’t close.
Market Price: $142.47
Market Price: $526.07
Market Price: $69.49
Secrets of Strixhaven releases on April 24, where you can purchase Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, and Bundles on release day and beyond. Furthermore, Secrets of Strixhaven sees five unique Commander Decks representing each of the colleges residing within Strixhaven University. If you want to add more literature to your growing collection, then the Codex Bundle releases on May 15, along with the chance to open Sol Ring or any of the stunning college-colored Talisman cards.