Strixhaven: School of Mages

Strixhaven: School of Mages

 

Mystical Archive

 

Trivia

 

Card comparisons

 

Art series

 

Strixhaven: School of Mages
Set Information
Set symbol
Symbol description	A Strix
Design	Mark Rosewater (lead) Andrew Veen Ari Nieh Daniel Holt George Fan Sydney Adams Yoni Skolnik
Development	Yoni Skolnik (lead) Erik Lauer Ian Duke Mark Gottlieb Daniel Holt Ken Nagle Michael Hinderaker Andrew Brown Ben Hayes Kazu Negri Ari Nieh Andrew Veen Chris Mooney Reggie Valk
Art direction	Taylor Ingvarsson
Release date	April 23, 2021
Plane	Arcavios
Themes and mechanics	Modal double-faced cards, Lessons, "instants and spells matter", enemy colors, creature tokens
Keywords/​ability words	Learn, Magecraft, Ward
Set size	275 + 107
Expansion code	STX
Development codename	Fencing
Forgotten Realms Standard
Zendikar Rising Kaldheim Strixhaven: School of Mages
Magic: The Gathering Chronology
Challenger Decks 2021 Strixhaven: School of Mages Strixhaven: School of Mages Mystical Archive

Strixhaven: School of Mages, often shortened as Strixhaven, is the 87th Magic expansion. It is set at the Strixhaven school on the plane of Arcavios. It was released on April 23, 2021.

Set details

School map

“

Choose Excellence

”

Strixhaven: School of Mages is a bottom-up enemy color faction set based on “instants and spells matter”. Creatively, the design of this set is Magic’s take on the magical school genre. Each one of the featured colleges represents one of Magic’s enemy color combinations, with their character and mechanics. Cards associated with the different colleges feature separate watermarked insignias. This set contains 275 regular cards (105 commons, 80 uncommons, 69 rares, 21 mythic rares) and includes randomly inserted premium versions of all cards. The basic lands are numbered outside the main set and therefore don't appear in the draft boosters.

Alternate card frames have another card number than the original version. Borderless planeswalkers are numbered #276-279, borderless elder dragons are #280-284, and extended artwork cards are numbered #285-365. Basic lands are #366-375. The Buy-a-Box card is #376 and the Bundle promo is #377. The FNM-treatment cards from the Universal promo pack are numbered #378-382. There are no showcase cards in this set, as the Mystical Archive fills that position.

This set introduces the term mana value as a wording change for converted mana cost. Also, "shuffle your library" is shortened to shuffle, and "activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery" is shortened to "activate only as a sorcery."

Storyline

Strixhaven is the most elite University in the Multiverse. It features five colleges founded by the elder dragon whose name each college bears: Silverquill (), Prismari (), Witherbloom (), Lorehold (), and Quandrix (). The five colleges battle it out with their takes on magic. Several planeswalkers, each with their motivations, have sought out Arcavios and Strixhaven as their refuge. They are confronted by the Oriq.

The cards that represent the Story Spotlights in Strixhaven are:

• Crackle with Power
• Culmination of Studies
• Defend the Campus
• Draconic Intervention
• Explosive Welcome
• Extus, Oriq Overlord // Awaken the Blood Avatar
• Letter of Acceptance
• Mage Hunters' Onslaught
• Mascot Interception
• Mentor's Guidance
• Plumb the Forbidden
• Practical Research
• Professor's Warning
• Rise of Extus
• Tempted by the Oriq

Magic Story

Title	Author	Release Date	Setting	Featuring
Episode 1: Class is in Session	Adana Washington	2021-03-25	Arcavios, Kylem	Liliana Vess, Will Kenrith, Rowan Kenrith, Lukka, Kasmina, Shaile, Nassari, Lisette
A Cry of Magic	Aysha U. Farah	2021-03-26	Arcavios	Rootha Squallheart, Uvilda, Nassari
Episode 2: Lessons	Adana Washington	2021-03-31	Arcavios	Lukka, Liliana Vess, Beledros Witherbloom, Extus Narr, Rowan Kenrith
Episode 3: Extracurriculars	Adana Washington	2021-04-07	Arcavios	Will Kenrith, Rowan Kenrith, Quintorius Kand, Liliana Vess, Kasmina, Lukka, Extus Narr
The Chains That Bind	Reinhardt Suarez	2021-04-09	Arcavios	Dina, Valentin, Lisette, Killian Lu, Liliana Vess
Episode 4: Put to the Test	Adana Washington	2021-04-14	Arcavios	Will Kenrith, Rowan Kenrith, Liliana Vess, Kianne, Imbraham, Extus Narr
The Mentor	Reinhardt Suarez	2021-04-16	Arcavios	Quintorius Kand, Hofri Ghostforge
Episode 5: Final Exam	Adana Washington	2021-04-21	Arcavios	Will Kenrith, Rowan Kenrith, The Blood Avatar, Extus Narr, Uvilda, Lukka, Mila, Nassari, Lisette, Liliana Vess, Kasmina
Blue-Green Ribbons	Innocent Chizaram Ilo	2021-04-23	Arcavios	Zimone Wola, Imbraham, Kianne, Isabough, Codie, Extus Narr, Nimiroti Wola
A Silent Voice Calls	Marcus Terrell Smith	2021-04-30	Arcavios	Killian Lu, Razineth, Fannessa Fjyorne, Shaile Talonrook, Quintorius Kand, Embrose Lu, Doco, Dina, Vickus

Marketing

Bundle with Rowan and Will Kenrith key art

Strixhaven promotional scarves

Strixhaven: School of Mages is sold in regular 16-card Draft Boosters (one card being a marketing card). A Mystical Archive card appears as a bonus card in each Draft Booster. These Mystical Archive cards don't replace another card of the same rarity in a pack. So you can get multiple rare cards in a draft booster.

In addition, the product line includes five bi-colored Theme Boosters, Collector Boosters (including three Mystical Archive cards, one certified Japanese version), Set Boosters (with a Mystical Archive card and a Lesson card), the Strixhaven: School of Mages bundle and five Commander decks.

The packaging of Strixhaven: School of Mages features key art of Will and Rowan Kenrith. The Draft Boosters feature artwork of Killian Lu, Rootha Squallheart, Dina, Quintorius Kand and Zimone Wola. The Theme Boosters feature art from Clever Lumimancer (), Spectacle Mage (), Professor of Zoomancy (), Lorehold Apprentice (), and Quandrix Apprentice (). The Collector Boosters feature the art of the Mystical Archive Memory Lapse and the Set Boosters feature original art of the battle between the Strixhaven residents and the Oriq.

With the release of Strixhaven, 55 cards were rotated into The List, many of which were thematically or mechanically linked to the set. In 5% of the Set Boosters, the marketing card is replaced by a minigame card.

Mystical Archive

Mystical Archive is a separate set of cards associated with Strixhaven: School of Mages. It is similar to the Masterpiece Series but the cards appear more frequently in the boosters of the main set. In Mystical Archive, Wizards of the Coasts has reprinted 63 of the most famous instants and sorceries of all time in specially designed showcase frames and at all rarities. Strixhaven Draft and Set Boosters contain one Mystical Archive card, and Collector Boosters have at least three. These will only be legal in formats that they are already legal in. They are not part of the Standard environment. However, the cards may be used in Limited events.

Events

• Magic Online and MTG Arena release: April 15, 2021
• Tabletop Prerelease: April 16–April 22, 2021
  • Each prerelease pack contains one College Booster.
• Launch party: April 23–April 25, 2021
• Friday Night Magic: April 23–July 2, 2021
• Commander Nights: April 23–July 8, 2021

Promotional cards

• Prerelease: a stamped card that can be any rare or mythic rare related to the college of choice.
• Other events: cards from the Strixhaven: School of Mages universal promo pack.
  • The seasonal dark-frame promos are: Fracture, Expressive Iteration, Mortality Spear, Rip Apart and Decisive Denial.
• Buy-a-Box: foil alternate, extended art Dragonsguard Elite
• Bundle promo: foil alternate art Archmage Emeritus

Tokens and emblems

The sixteenth card in the boosters is a token creature card or an emblem, with advertisements on the backside. It can also be a helper card with a standard card back. There are a total of nine tokens and emblems:

1. 3/6 Avatar creature with haste and "Whenever this creature attacks, it deals 3 damage to each opponent," for Awaken the Blood Avatar.
2. 4/4 Elemental creature, for Elemental Expressionist, Elemental Masterpiece, Elemental Summoning, Magma Opus, Mascot Exhibition, Multiple Choice, Resculpt, and Will, Scholar of Frost.
3. 0/0 Fractal creature, for Emergent Sequence, Fractal Summoning, Kasmina, Enigma Sage, Kianne, Dean of Substance, Leyline Invocation, Manifestation Sage, Biomathematician, Body of Research, and Serpentine Curve.
4. 2/1 Inkling creature with flying, for Blot Out the Sky, Dramatic Finale, Inkling Summoning, Mascot Exhibition, Shadrix Silverquill, and Umbral Juke.
5. 1/1 Pest creature with "When this creature dies, you gain 1 life," for Beledros Witherbloom, Callous Bloodmage, Containment Breach, Hunt for Specimens, Pest Summoning, Pestilent Cauldron, Professor of Zoomancy, Sedgemoor Witch, Tend the Pests, and Valentin, Dean of the Vein.
6. 3/2 Spirit creature, for Illuminate History, Illustrious Historian, Lorehold Command, Lorehold Excavation, Make Your Mark, Mascot Exhibition, Quintorius, Field Historian, Reduce to Memory, and Spirit Summoning.
7. Treasure artifact, for Creative Outburst, Culmination of Studies, Elemental Masterpiece, Galazeth Prismari, Ingenious Mastery, Magma Opus, Prismari Command, Storm-Kiln Artist, and Sudden Breakthrough.
8. Emblem for Lukka, Wayward Bonder.
9. Emblem for Rowan, Scholar of Sparks.

The College Boosters of the prerelease packs contain the following s double-sided tokens:

Silverquill

• 2/1 Inkling creature with flying — 1/1 Pest creature with "When this creature dies, you gain 1 life"
• 2/1 Inkling creature with flying — 3/2 Spirit creature

Prismari

• 4/4 Elemental creature — 3/2 Spirit creature
• 4/4 Elemental creature — Treasure

Witherbloom

• 1/1 Pest creature with "When this creature dies, you gain 1 life" — 2/1 Inkling creature with flying
• 1/1 Pest creature with "When this creature dies, you gain 1 life" — 0/0 Fractal creature

Lorehold

• 3/2 Spirit creature — 4/4 Elemental creature
• 3/2 Spirit creature — 2/1 Inkling creature with flying

Quandrix

• 0/0 Fractal creature — 1/1 Pest creature with "When this creature dies, you gain 1 life"
• 0/0 Fractal creature — 4/4 Elemental creature

Themes and mechanics

In place of the abandoned block model, R&D has found a new way to tie together the three non-core premier sets in a single Magic "year" (aka the fall, winter, and spring sets—using northern hemisphere seasons): they share a common mechanic. For Zendikar Rising, Kaldheim and Strixhaven that is modal double-faced cards. Unlike the other two sets, there is no hard rule as to the nature of the MDFCs. This is the first time sorceries and instants were printed on the back face of a DFC.

Strixhaven is the first set centered on an "instants and spells matters" theme. It is designed around five enemy color pairs, which despite the many years of Magic has not been done before as a large expansion - Apocalypse, the other enemy color set, was drafted as a counterpart at the tail end of Invasion block, and likewise with Eventide and the Shadowmoor block. Unlike the Ravnican guilds, the Strixhaven colleges aren’t built around the similarities of the two colors, but rather around their conflict.

A new mechanic is Magecraft, an ability word that causes an effect whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell. Another new mechanic is Learn (You may reveal a Lesson card you own from outside the game and put it into your hand, or discard a card to draw a card.). Both of these tie into the higher "spells matter" gameplay, which was previously limited to blue and red.

Ward is a new evergreen keyword. Whenever a permanent with ward becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays an additional cost.

Strixhaven also has a creature token theme in the form of mascots for the colleges.

Card types

The Set introduces the Inkling and Fractal creature types and the Lesson spell type. Pests appear for the first time outside of Mirrodin. Spirit and Elemental round out the token mascot quintet.

Compared to Kaldheim and Zendikar Rising, there are fewer Rogues and Warriors for the Party. Instead, the three other major spellcaster classes (Shaman, Druid, Warlock) return, joining the Party's Wizard and Cleric. There are more than twice the amount of Warlocks in this set as there are in Magic's history. The specially-reserved subtype Elder, last seen in Theros Beyond Death, returns for the Founder Dragon cycle.

Food tokens return in the associated Commander product. They are made by Chef Gyome.

Draft Archetypes

The draft archetypes are designed to be significantly different from those on Ravnica, due to the strong association with color pairs from the Guilds and their play style.

• : +1/+1 Counters (Spiteful Squad)
• : Big-spell casting (Spectacle Mage)
• : Life gain (Blood Researcher)
• : Leaves-graveyard triggers (Stonebound Mentor)
• : Eight-lands ramp (Eureka Moment)

Cycles

Strixhaven: School of Mages has twenty-five cycles.

Cycle name
Rare lessons	Academic Probation	Teachings of the Archaics	Confront the Past	Illuminate History	Basic Conjuration
	Five rare monocolored Lessons.
Rare learners	Sparring Regimen	Dream Strix	Poet's Quill	Retriever Phoenix	Gnarled Professor
	Five rare monocolored permanents with learn.
Masteries	Devastating Mastery	Ingenious Mastery	Baleful Mastery	Fervent Mastery	Verdant Mastery
	Five rare monocolored spells, each with a lower alternate casting cost that provides some kind of benefit to an opponent if the alternate cost is paid.
Uncommon lessons	Reduce to Memory	Mercurial Transformation	Necrotic Fumes	Start from Scratch	Containment Breach
	Five uncommon monocolored lessons.
Uncommon learners	Professor of Symbology	Divide By Zero	Eyetwitch	Academic Dispute / Igneous Inspiration	Overgrown Arch
	Five uncommon monocolored spells with learn. (Loose cycle because it has two red cards)
Uncommon Magecrafters	Clever Lumimancer	Symmetry Sage	Mage Hunter	Storm-Kiln Artist	Karok Wrangler
	Five uncommon monocolored creatures with Magecraft. (Loose cycle because Mage Hunter acts as Magecraft for the opponent)
Cycle name
Founders	Shadrix Silverquill	Galazeth Prismari	Beledros Witherbloom	Velomachus Lorehold	Tanazir Quandrix
	Five mythic rare Elder Dragon creatures as illustrated by Raymond Swanland, each of whom is the founder of their college.
Mythic Rare spells	Blot Out the Sky	Magma Opus	Harness Infinity	Hofri Ghostforge	Body of Research
	Five mythic rare spells with an expensive cost (or in one case, must be paid expensively) for a powerful, massive effect.
Hybrid Rares	Dramatic Finale	Elemental Expressionist	Daemogoth Titan	Blade Historian	Manifestation Sage
	Five rare spells with mana cost HHHH, where H is the corresponding hybrid mana.
Legendary students	Killian, Ink Duelist	Rootha, Mercurial Artist	Dina, Soul Steeper	Quintorius, Field Historian	Zimone, Quandrix Prodigy
	Five uncommon legendary creatures, each supporting a draft archetype.
Apprentices	Silverquill Apprentice	Prismari Apprentice	Witherbloom Apprentice	Lorehold Apprentice	Quandrix Apprentice
	Five uncommon multicolored humans with magecraft.
Gold hybrids	Shadewing Laureate	Maelstrom Muse	Daemogoth Woe-Eater	Returned Pastcaller	Quandrix Cultivator
	Five powerful uncommon creatures with mana costs XMHN, where H is the hybrid of M and N.
Two-mana utility spells	Fracture	Expressive Iteration	Deadly Brew	Rip Apart	Decisive Denial
	Five gold uncommon utility spells that cost two mana.
Summonings	Inkling Summoning	Elemental Summoning	Pest Summoning	Spirit Summoning	Fractal Summoning
	Five common hybrid Lessons that each create one or more creature tokens of the type characteristic of that college. Each has two hybrid symbols in its costs.
Pledgemages	Silverquill Pledgemage	Prismari Pledgemage	Witherbloom Pledgemage	Lorehold Pledgemage	Quandrix Pledgemage
	Five common hybrid creatures with magecraft. Each has two hybrid symbols in its mana costs.
Gold common creatures	Spiteful Squad	Spectacle Mage	Blood Researcher	Stonebound Mentor	Biomathematician
	Five common multicolored creatures, each supporting a draft archetype.
Gold common spells	Exhilarating Elocution	Elemental Masterpiece	Infuse with Vitality	Thrilling Discovery	Eureka Moment
	Five common multicolored instants or sorceries, each supporting a draft archetype.
Hybrid common spells	Rise of Extus	Teach by Example	Cram Session	Make Your Mark	Square Up
	Five common hybrid instants or sorceries.
Double-evergreen creatures	Owlin Shieldmage	Oggyar Battle-Seer	Moldering Karok	Relic Sloth	Needlethorn Drake
	Five common gold creatures, all with two abilities. Four of them have two evergreen keyword abilities, while one has one evergreen keyword and one evergreen keyword action.
Campuses	Silverquill Campus	Prismari Campus	Witherbloom Campus	Lorehold Campus	Quandrix Campus
	Five common dual taplands with ", : Scry 1."

Modal double-faced cycles

Cycle name	Side
Mythic Legends		Extus, Oriq Overlord	Rowan, Scholar of Sparks	Blex, Vexing Pest	Mila, Crafty Companion	Jadzi, Oracle of Arcavios
		Awaken the Blood Avatar ()	Will, Scholar of Frost	Search for Blex	Lukka, Wayward Bonder	Journey to the Oracle
	Five mythic rare legendary MDFCs.
Deans		Shaile, Dean of Radiance	Uvilda, Dean of Perfection	Valentin, Dean of the Vein	Plargg, Dean of Chaos	Kianne, Dean of Substance
		Embrose, Dean of Shadow	Nassari, Dean of Expression	Lisette, Dean of the Root	Augusta, Dean of Order	Imbraham, Dean of Theory
	Five rare legendary MDFC creatures. Each side represents a dean who is a Spellcaster aligned with one color of a college.

Cycle name	Side
Spell Permanents		Selfless Glyphweaver	Torrent Sculptor	Pestilent Cauldron	Flamescroll Celebrant	Augmenter Pugilist	Wandering Archaic
		Deadly Vanity	Flamethrower Sonata	Restorative Burst	Revel in Silence	Echoing Equation	Explore the Vastlands
	Six rare MDFC permanents, the back of each being an instant or sorcery.

Vertical cycles

Cycle name
Treasure Spells	Magma Opus	Creative Outburst	Elemental Masterpiece
	Each of these three instant or sorcery spells has a mana value over 6, and can be discarded for to create a Treasure.

Pairs

Pair		Description
Harness Infinity (Strixhaven: School of Mages) ()	Body of Research (Strixhaven: School of Mages) ()	Two mythic rare multicolored green spells whose colored cost is NNNMMM, with effects that scale to the size of a large game zone (graveyard or library, respectively).
Dueling Coach ()	Tenured Inkcaster ()	Two uncommon 2/2 creatures that put a +1/+1 counter on a creature when they enter the battlefield. Each has a secondary ability that benefits creatures with a +1/+1 counter on them.

Mega cycles

Cycle name
Snarls	Shineshadow Snarl	Frostboil Snarl	Necroblossom Snarl	Furycalm Snarl	Vineglimmer Snarl
	Five rare reveal lands that enter the battlefield tapped, except if you reveal a land with the corresponding basic land type from your hand. They complete a cycle started in Shadows over Innistrad, and are all illustrated by Sam Burley
Commands	Silverquill Command	Prismari Command	Witherbloom Command	Lorehold Command	Quandrix Command
	Each of these rare modal spells has four modes and allows you to choose two different modes rather than merely one. They complete a cycle of two-colored Elder Dragon-named spells started in Dragons of Tarkir.

Reprinted cards

Besides one futureshifted card, there are no reprints in the base set. R&D decided to use the Mystic Archive for reprints.

• Grinning Ignus, first printed in Future Sight, last seen in Time Spiral Remastered (Common to Uncommon).

Functional reprints

• Archway Commons is a functional reprint of Rupture Spire and Transguild Promenade.
• Leech Fanatic is a functional reprint of Blood Burglar, except for creature types.
• Soothsayer Adept is a functional reprint of Erratic Visionary, except for creature types.
• Spined Karok is a functional reprint of Colossodon Yearling, except for creature types.
• Springmane Cervin is a functional reprint of Sylvan Brushstrider, except for creature types.
• Twinscroll Shaman is a functional reprint of Raging Redcap, except for creature types.

Preconstructed decks

On the same date, five Commander decks are released, which are flavorfully connected to the main set. This is Commander 2021 aligning with Strixhaven: School of Mages.

Theme deck name	Color Identity					Commander
Silverquill Statement	W		B			Breena, the Demagogue
Prismari Performance		U		R		Zaffai, Thunder Conductor
Witherbloom Witchcraft			B		G	Willowdusk, Essence Seer
Lorehold Legacies	W			R		Osgir, the Reconstructor
Quantum Quandrix		U			G	Adrix and Nev, Twincasters

Notable cards

• The art of Crux of Fate (Mystical Archive) came under investigation after the artist was accused of plagiarism.
• Elite Spellbinder depicts 2019 World Championship winner Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa, the second Player Spotlight printed.
• The Biblioplex is a "fixed" version of Library of Alexandria with an appropriate power level for non-eternal formats.
• Body of Research is a mechanically condensed version of Animate Library.
• Dragon's Approach is the first "relentless" non-creature card.
• Strixhaven Stadium is an alternate-win card.
• Wandering Archaic continues a trend of colorless non-artifact, non-Eldrazi creatures, last seen in Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths.
  • There is also a "cycle" of five colorless sorceries, flavored as first year lessons (Environmental Sciences, Expanded Anatomy, Introduction to Annihilation, Introduction to Prophecy and Mascot Exhibition). Colorless instants and sorceries were last seen in Battle for Zendikar block, devoid or otherwise.

Banned and restricted Cards

• Divide by Zero, a combined counter and bounce spell at no cost to card advantage, was banned in Standard in January 2022. Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, which allowed graveyard recursion of spells at the cost of countermagic, was made into a monster by a spell that countered without "countering". The ban occurred at the same time as Alrund's Epiphany, a card that had drawn far more player outcry for its oppression of diversity in Standard, but Wizards stated that Divide by Zero would still have bolstered blue control decks on its own.
• Expressive Iteration combines card selection of blue with the impulsive draw of red, creating an efficient draw spell that tends to be "draw two of three top cards". It powered blue-red decks across all formats, but as Pioneer uniquely also has Treasure Cruise and Dig Through Time, it was deemed that the Delve spells could stay and Iteration was the Izzet draw spell to be banned for Pioneer and Explorer in June 2022. Legacy also banned it in March 2023 to weaken Izzet Delver's card advantage.
• Grinning Ignus, a reprint from Future Sight, forms an infinite loop with Birgi, God of Storytelling from the previous Kaldheim set. In Standard, this combo appeared infrequently for lack of available payoffs, while non-rotating formats with access to storm had similarly powerful combos and sufficient means to interact with them. Alchemy had the first and lacked the second, leading to a deck that "fell outside [Wizards'] format goals." Despite the power to rebalance cards in Alchemy, Wizards found that every rebalancing option would eliminate the combo as if it were banned, so it was simpler to ban Grinning Ignus on July 5, 2022 — the first-ever ban in Alchemy.

Misprints

• Zaffai, Thunder Conductor is referred to as Zaffai, Thunder Collector in its text box.

External links

• Welcome to Strixhaven! trailer (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (March 26, 2021).
• Mark Rosewater (April 12, 2021). "School 's in Session". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (April 19, 2021). "Strixhaven Vision Design Handoff Document, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (April 26, 2021). "Strixhaven Vision Design Handoff Document, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (May 3, 2021). "Odds and Ends: Strixhaven, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (May 10, 2021). "Odds and Ends: Strixhaven, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (October 9, 2023). "Lessons Learned, Part 6". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.