Wizards of the Coast has just unveiled its latest Magic: The Gathering set, marking a return to the prestigious arcane academies of Strixhaven with Secrets of Strixhaven. This new collection builds upon the 2021 release, Strixhaven: School of Mages, by introducing a host of new creatures, spells, Planeswalkers, and game mechanics to the world of Arcavios and its five distinct schools of magic. These institutions, founded by the five Elder Dragons (Prismari, Lorehold, Quandrix, Silverquill, and Witherbloom), are each aligned with a unique two-color combination from the Magic color pie, leading to intriguing gameplay synergies.
What truly sets this collection apart are the brand-new mechanics it introduces to MTG. Among them, Prepare stands out. This ability will resonate with fans of TTRPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, as a creature possessing it effectively carries a ready spell. You can tap mana to cast this spell without needing to tap the creature itself—it’s like getting two cards in one! However, it’s crucial to remember that it is still treated as a creature card for searching your library or returning from the graveyard; you cannot search specifically for its ‘prepared’ spell.
Another fresh ability is Repartee. Essentially, this is a reaction that triggers whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell that targets a creature. Each Repartee ability has a distinct effect, which will always resolve before the spell that triggered it.
For those seeking spectacular plays, the Opus mechanic delivers. Every Opus ability features an initial effect, alongside an additional or alternative benefit if you spent five or more mana to cast the spell that triggered the Opus ability.
Flashback, a returning key ability, appears on certain instant and sorcery spells. If a card with Flashback is in your graveyard, you can cast it by paying its flashback cost instead of its usual mana cost. Once that spell leaves the stack—whether it resolves, is countered, or fails to resolve—it is exiled instead of returning to the graveyard.
Boost is a keyword representing a triggered ability found on creatures. Whenever you cast a spell, if the amount of mana spent to cast that spell is greater than the creature’s power or toughness, you place a +1/+1 counter on that creature. It offers a modern twist on growth mechanics.
While these five abilities are each tied to a specific school of magic, the set also features common keywords such as Paradigme and Converter. Players will get to see these mechanics in action during the pre-preview sessions for Secrets of Strixhaven.
Competition isn’t the only appeal in Magic: The Gathering, and Secrets of Strixhaven also offers enticing elements for collectors. You’ll want to keep an eye out for region-specific Japanese variants (found exclusively in Collector Boosters), which will showcase Ukiyo-e style designs in both foil and non-foil versions. The Borderless Field Notes cards, previously seen in the Bloomburrow set, make a welcome return. Additionally, there will be unique Land cards called Borderless Portal View Lands, which might (spoiler alert!) serve to connect with future sets within the MTG lore. Finally, the set introduces 10 Special Guest cards, available in Play Packs (non-foil) and Collector Boosters (foil).
There’s certainly a lot to anticipate with Secrets of Strixhaven. Mark your calendars for the prerelease on April 17, the MTG Arena launch on April 21, and the full global release on April 24. Prior to these dates, the novel Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos will also be available for purchase.
Are you ready to delve into the new Magic: The Gathering set this April?