Secrets of Strixhaven key art | Courtesy of Wizards of the Coast

Many new set reviews dig into the minutiae of the cards and which ones in particular stand out. In this column I'm going to take a more holistic look at the Secrets of Strixhaven set overall and judge how good the set is for Commander fans.

I've been playing multiplayer Magic since 1994 and EDH/Commander specifically since 2007, so I'm drawing from decades of experience in my evaluation. I will emphasize that I very much favor the social aspect of Commander over the competitive end of the Commander Brackets, and my takes are coming from that perspective.

Okay class, let's review!

Reprint Value? Wow!

I find the cycle of lands that enter tapped unless you control two or more other lands excellent color fixing in lower-powered Commander, so having reprints for five of them representing the Strixhaven schools color combinations, such as Deathcap GladeDeathcap Glade, Shattered SanctumShattered Sanctum, and Stormcarved CoastStormcarved Coast, is very welcome!

From Special Guests/Mystical Archives

From Special Guests, it's awesome to see Sylvan LibrarySylvan Library run back a reprint, and this art is particularly lovely to look at it. Plus, I love seeing BerserkBerserk show up amongst the Secrets of Strixhaven Mystical Archives; the card is capable of some wild plays in Commander, particularly since you can cast it on an opponent's creature who's attacking.

I'm personally excited about Awaken the WoodsAwaken the Woods, a card I've never cracked in a pack and have never ponied up the cash to buy despite having several decks I'd love to play it in; I'm hoping this reprint will help bring the price down. Glimpse of NatureGlimpse of Nature does powerful things in decks that run a lot of cheap creatures, so this reprint hopefully helps more people experience that rush.

There's also Archmage EmeritusArchmage Emeritus and Archmage EmeritusArchmage Emeritus reprinted, one as a cool alt art Special Guest and one in a Commander preconstructed deck, which is quite timely given how many new "instant and sorcery spells matter" cards we're seeing.

From the Commander Preconstructed Decks

Speaking of the Commander precon decks, they are stuffed to the gills with awesome reprints. Seriously, I've got a lot of the best ones highlighted below, but I could have easily gone deeper. Land TaxLand Tax has been doing powerful things for just one mana since Legends, so getting some more copies in circulation is great. I had no idea how expensive Faerie MastermindFaerie Mastermind and Emeria, the Sky RuinEmeria, the Sky Ruin had gotten, so hopefully this will drive down the costs a bit.

Unbound FlourishingUnbound Flourishing, Currency ConverterCurrency Converter, and Ozolith, the Shattered SpireOzolith, the Shattered Spire are awesome cards people love to jam in their decks0 but have not really been reprinted much before now.

White's version of Craterhoof BehemothCraterhoof Behemoth, this reprint of Moonshaker CavalryMoonshaker Cavalry is much more affordable. Jumpstart 2022 rare Benevolent HydraBenevolent Hydra has only been reprinted once in a Secret Lair, while Songbirds' BlessingSongbirds' Blessing was only printed previously in Wilds of Eldraine Commander.

Rionya, Fire DancerRionya, Fire Dancer, Animate DeadAnimate Dead, and Goldspan DragonGoldspan Dragon are all great Commander cards that are quite pricey, so hopefully the cost will be coming down, at least a little bit.

DrumbellowerDrumbellower's stock has really risen with all the awesome Vehicles and Spacecraft that have been printed and that also are able to be your commander if they're legendary, and this is its first much-needed reprint. Determined IterationDetermined Iteration is yet another popular card that needed a reprint. Ohran FrostfangOhran Frostfang has been reprinted a bunch of times, but it's a fantastic card in Commander, so we appreciate having more in circulation.

Firemane CommandoFiremane Commando has now gotten its first reprint. Three VisitsThree Visits is another very popular green card that's been reprinted a handful of times, but it's so in demand the price is still high compared to similar cards. InkshieldInkshield kind of splits the difference: it's been reprinted a couple times, but we can certainly use more in the wild.

Lotus FieldLotus Field is a combo card in competitive play, which has kept its price high, but it does fun things in Commander, too, so it's nice to see a reprint. Toxic DelugeToxic Deluge has been reprinted a bunch of times since Commander 2013, but since it's so good the demand keeps the price point high.

I love me a Sun TitanSun Titan, so a flying version with a backup ability like Guardian ScalelordGuardian Scalelord is a card I'm always reaching for in my white decks, and this is its first reprint! Fabled PassageFabled Passage is such good quality color fixing for Commander, the more copies we have available the better.

Exclusively on Arena!

I know Library of AlexandriaLibrary of Alexandria is banned in Commander, but if you've never had the pleasure of playing with one of the old school power cards, the Library is coming to Arena as a special Special Guest exclusive to Arena! Since we still don't have Commander on Arena yet, the closest we have is Brawl, and you can certainly jam this in your Brawl decks to enjoy drawing extra cards like it's 1994.

Is Secrets of Strixhaven Fun?

I've been doing a little self-reflection regarding my own feelings towards Secrets of Strixhaven versus how I felt about Lorwyn Eclipsed. Both are in-universe Magic sets and are returning to a beloved setting. My personal reaction towards Eclipsed was a little better than a shoulder shrug, while I've been quite excited about Secrets, and I think it's because Lorwyn is so focused on five specific creature types and I don't have decks for any of those creature types except for Giants. The Giant cards in Eclipsed are Boros , while my Giant deck is Izzet after the Kaldheim Giants. That's probably an issue for any set that focuses heavily on specific creature types.

Now, Strixhaven is a bit narrow in its themes, given a focus on five specific color pairs and "instant or sorcery spells matter", but I do feel many of the cards are broad enough in application that you can put them into vastly different decks, which means a broader base of what players would consider fun. In particular the prepared mechanic seems really really cool, especially the ones with powerful old school spells attached to them!

I mean, who doesn't want the joy of casting Ancestral RecallAncestral Recall with Emeritus of IdeationEmeritus of Ideation? RegrowthRegrowth from Emeritus of AbundanceEmeritus of Abundance is considerably less exciting, but that's still some excellent value, and getting prepared again is pretty easy for green to satisfy in Commander, especially if the card you're getting back from the graveyard is a land ramp spell, like CultivateCultivate. Emeritus of TruceEmeritus of Truce doesn't have a built-in way to prepare again, but Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares is the premier removal spell in the format, so you'd want that creature to jump through some hoops to get prepared again.

Grave ResearcherGrave Researcher makes you wait a turn cycle to get prepared, but once you do you get access to one of the most powerful reanimation spells around, potentially turn after turn! Naktamun LorespinnerNaktamun Lorespinner has the amazing Wheel of Fortune attached, but getting it prepared is going to be rough to count on unless your deck happens to empty your hand fast.

Another thing that makes this set fun is the cycle of Elder Dragons, the namesakes for the five schools of Strixhaven. The first time around each of them had very different abilities, but the symmetry of each of them this time around really makes these shine. Each of them have flying along with another ability keyword, and each of them give a powerful keyword to each instant and sorcery spell you cast. For Lorehold, the HistorianLorehold, the Historian, it's miracle 2; for Prismari, the InspirationPrismari, the Inspiration, it's storm; for Quandrix, the ProofQuandrix, the Proof, it's cascade; for Silverquill, the DisputantSilverquill, the Disputant, it's casualty 1; and for Witherbloom, the BalancerWitherbloom, the Balancer, it's affinity for creatures. Each of these provide a rough roadmap for deckbuilding, but in your card choices you can push it high up the power scale if you want to, or you can scale it back to more casual, fun mode.

The set brings us fixed versions of the epic mechanic (see Enduring IdealEnduring Ideal) with the paradigm cycle of mythic rares, and boy, are they incredible for Commander, particularly in lower brackets where games last long enough for these to really gain advantage. I love the steady card draw of Decorum DissertationDecorum Dissertation with a little extra flexibility if you want to target another player to give them cards, or to have them lose life. I've already seen Improvisation CapstoneImprovisation Capstone do wild things during the Arena Early Access event, and I'm looking forward to adding Germination PracticumGermination Practicum to my Leatherhead, Swamp StalkerLeatherhead, Swamp Stalker deck.

Bringing a nonland permanent back from your graveyard each turn is pretty incredible with Restoration SeminarRestoration Seminar, and as someone who's had his very own Copy token made I'm loving Echocasting SymposiumEchocasting Symposium giving me the chance to show them off.

All of these cards are just excellent, splashy good-time cards for a format that will truly appreciate them!

How Many Legends Are in Secrets of Strixhaven?

The Secrets sets have 36 new legends for us, with the bulk of them as mythic rares, ten of them as rares, and ten as uncommons. There's even a common one that's good in multiples if that's your jam.

I appreciate that there are no one-mana-value commanders, and just a handful at two mana. Having the bulk at three, four, and five keeps things slow and steady, and as someone who loves high cost commanders, I love that there are ones at six, seven, and even eight mana.

Color Combos Among the Legends

Unsurprisingly, there are exactly 25 multicolor legends, evenly split between the five colors of the Strixhaven schools; that sort of graph is boring so I'm skipping it.

Looking at the mono-color legends, it's interesting there are two for each color combination (including colorless)... except for red, which just has one. Mica, Reader of RuinsMica, Reader of Ruins is very, very cool, though!

Cards for Underexplored Themes

Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has been really juicing up Mill strategies of late, so while I wouldn't necessarily call it underexplored, mill fans will appreciate Exhibition TidecallerExhibition Tidecaller.

I always appreciate a "Seal of DisenchantDisenchant" on a creature that can attack, block, and pick up Equipment until you need to cash it in to destroy something pesky, like Shattered AcolyteShattered Acolyte.

If you're a Wizard deck (or your commander is a Wizard), Mana SculptMana Sculpt does a pretty strong Mana DrainMana Drain impression for a lot less cash out of your pocket.

Vanguard of the RestlessVanguard of the Restless and Antiquities on the LooseAntiquities on the Loose gives Spirit decks some spice.

If you really want to play a Pest deck, Blech, Loafing PestBlech, Loafing Pest and Feral AppetiteFeral Appetite give you some power cards for the strategy!

Silverquill school's repartee mechanic can potentially support Heroic strategies!

Stirring HopesingerStirring Hopesinger seems incredibly powerful at boosting your smallish army of heroic creatures, while Conciliator's DuelistConciliator's Duelist and Informed InkwrightInformed Inkwright can provide extra value.

Overall Set Complexity and Strength

MathemagicsMathemagics is a pretty good representation of this set's relatively high complexity, though thankfully there's a cheat sheet in the text box to avoid having to make the computation in your head. Spellslinger strategies can be very complicated, with a lot of calculations made in your head before you start casting spells. Quandrix has the flavor of complicated math, and for some of us adding another layer of complexity to an already complicated game as Magic is a little unappealing, but some players love that added complexity!

The strength of the set seems quite high, with plenty of very powerful cards that are quickly become iconic to the game that players will look back on fondly.

Conclusion: Grade A-

I really think this set has all the ingredients to become a classic Magic set that many players will love. The fun factor is off the charts, there's eye-popping power, and an incredible chorus of much-wanted reprints. I only dinged it a little bit in the grading due to the set complexity, which makes it a tough set to bring new players in with.

What do you think? Which grade would you give Secrets of Strixhaven, and why?

Read More:

The Best New Commanders in Secrets of Strixhaven

The 10 Best Colored Artifacts in Commander