Reaping what you sow.
If you haven’t been around since Magic: The Gathering’s first release (Alpha), Swords to Plowshares is one of the best Magic cards of all time, and I would argue that it’s the literal best removal spell ever printed in the game. It’s one of the best cards to play in Legacy, Cube, and even Vintage, and sees a ton of play in Commander (not to mention Canadian Highlander). Why am I selling you on how good Swords is? Well, because it’s a card we are going to get to cast in Secrets of Strixhaven Limited (and hopefully often), as unbelievable as that may sound.
Check out our exclusive Secrets of Strixhaven preview card, Emeritus of Truce:
Emeritus of Truce // Swords to Plowshares
Secrets of Strixhaven, Mythic
Now, you don’t just get to slam Swords to Plowshares into your deck, but with the Emeritus, you sure do get to cast this iconic spell. The headline mechanic in Secrets of Strixhaven is prepared, and the way it works is that if the Emeritus is prepared, you can cast Swords (at which point it is no longer prepared). In this case, the card can become prepared by having fewer creatures than the opponent when it enters, and it can graciously give them an Inkling token if you need to make them outnumber you. For more on prepared, check out our recent mechanics article that covers this intricate yet exciting mechanic.
Emeritus of Truce is a remarkably strong card, with a ton of flexibility in how it plays out. At a base, you can always cast it as a 3/3 with an Inkling token for three mana, which is not bad at all (especially when it comes to Limited). The dream scenario is the opponent having three creatures out on the battlefield — you slam this, create an Inkling, and still get to Swords to Plowshares their best threat. If you have to, giving them an Inkling token and casting Swords is still quite strong, and the fallback always being two creatures on your side is really nice.
The best place for the Emeritus is likely going to be in creature-light decks, where you can more reliably achieve the prepared trigger without a hitch — I can imagine a world where Azorius Control gets value out of this and the spell half of the card. It’s also interesting to potentially see the Emeritus in Orzhov Sacrifice, as that gives you something to do with the card and the token when things don’t quite work out. It also opens the door to Blink and Reanimator decks, as those are both excellent in leveraging various enter-the-battlefield effects.
Lastly, I could see the card as a nice sideboard option against certain flavors of Aggro. Even when the opponent has three creatures to your none, you get to cast a 3/3, create an Inkling token, and then Swords to Plowshares their best creature. All of a sudden, this makes things a lot more even on the battlefield. This is all quite powerful, and something I’m certainly interested in. If you want to add some Silverquill elegance to your deck on release day and beyond, Emeritus of Truce also appears in the classic Extended Art treatment, which is exclusive to Secrets of Strixhaven Collector Boosters.
Emeritus of Truce // Swords to Plowshares
Secrets of Strixhaven, Mythic
Secrets of Strixhaven is approaching soon, and you will want to be fully prepared — the best way to do so will be to read the ChannelFireball Limited Set Reviews, written by me, Reid Duke, and Martin Jůza! Look for those soon, and best of luck studying up before exam season (more commonly known as Prerelease weekend).
Market Price: $147.70
Market Price: $544.49
Market Price: $58.12
Secrets of Strixhaven releases on April 24, where you can potentially open Emeritus of Truce in Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Bundles, and Prerelease Packs 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.