Secrets of Strixhaven Isn't Just The Best Magic Set Of 2026 So Far - It's One Of My All-Time Favorites Already

Magic: The Gathering has gone backmost to Strixhaven conscionable a fewer months aft its travel to Lorwyn, and I couldn’t beryllium happier.

For reference, I’m a comparatively caller Magic player: I got started astir 2022, and erstwhile Lord of the Rings deed shelves, my relationship radical bought in. And, contempt Wizards of the Coast’s arguable leaning into IP, our Commander pod has grabbed caller players ever since.

In 2026, we’ve already had a crossover with TMNT, we’re getting The Hobbit, much Marvel, and Star Trek, but Secret of Strixhaven has maine perfectly spellbound. I wasn’t playing successful 2021 erstwhile we got our archetypal go-round of the magic schools contained within, but I’m present much successful emotion with this fantastic crippled than ever.

Accessible Archive?

There’s thing rather peculiar astir the aggregate cycles included wrong Secrets of Strixhaven. Yes, determination are Elder Dragons (all of which are beauteous great), and we’ll travel to Emeriti successful a moment, but the acceptable includes reprints of almighty Magic cards of yore nether the heading of the Mystical Archive.

Now, to beryllium clear, this was portion of the past Strixhaven set, but this means you tin unfastened cards similar Akroma’s Will, Living End, Jeska’s Will, and plentifulness more. Yes, immoderate of these person been reprinted a lot, and galore look to find their mode into a Commander precon oregon 2 a year, but this is, without a doubt, a large mode to play catch-up.

With 1 successful each battalion (including Play Boosters), there’s a bully accidental that adjacent if you don’t get a ace almighty card, you’ll get astatine slightest thing you tin marque usage of successful a platform you’re brewing, oregon conscionable bask immoderate awesome art.

Collector Boosters bash look to clasp overmuch pricier cards, and that remains a bony of contention fixed the steep MSRP, but erstwhile my person and I play a prerelease and extremity up with fractional a twelve bangers to usage aboriginal on, that’s a triumph successful my book.

Preparation, Preparation

Another precise chill portion of the caller acceptable is the Prepare mechanic (which we’ve gone deeper into arsenic portion of our ‘study guide’). By stapling immoderate of Magic’s astir sought-after spells to creatures, Wizards has created a unsocial accidental to slip, say, a Demonic Tutor into your platform portion besides having it beryllium portion of a caller creature.

Cards similar Eijango Dynastorian, which tin formed Replenish to instrumentality enchantments from your graveyard to the battlefield, are the benignant of cleanable acceptable for deckbuilders to statesman with - and that’s not adjacent including the information that it’s a 2/3 with vigilance, too.

Nowhere is this felt much keenly than successful the Emeriti rhythm of cards, with 1 included for each colour of Magic. Emeritus of Woe successful Black includes Demonic Tutor, portion its Blue counterpart, Emeritus of Ideation, includes Ancestral Recall.

Then there’s Emeritus of Conflict with Lightning Bolt (Red), Emeritus of Truce with Swords to Plowshares (White), and Emeritus of Abundance with Regrowth (Green).

The Commander Conversation

I chiefly play the Commander format with friends, but I enjoyed Secrets of Strixhaven’s prerelease truthful overmuch I’m considering gathering a modular deck, too.

Still, Commander remains my ‘home’, and I’m truthful pleased that each 5 of the included precons are beauteous great. We’ve got a afloat ranking, but suffice it to accidental that they each thin into a crippled program and person immoderate consistency. Even the (very fun) Final Fantasy quartet had immoderate muddled extremity goals, and portion Prismari Performance comes successful last, taking these isolated volition springiness you immoderate fantabulous reprints to play with.

Depending connected which platform you prime up, you’ll get reprints of cards similar Faerie Mastermind, Land Tax, Gyome, Master Chef, Butterthorn, Wave of Reckoning, and more.

In short, Secrets of Strixhaven has go 1 of my favourite sets since I began playing a fewer years ago, and has reinvigorated my emotion for the crippled aft I struggled to get excessively excited astir TMNT (outside of the fantabulous Turtle Power precon).

Will it beryllium remembered arsenic fondly arsenic immoderate iconic sets? Time volition tell, but I’ve got my sights acceptable connected immoderate much draught nights yet.

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer successful tech, gaming and fittingness seen astatine Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and galore more. He's a large instrumentality of Magic: The Gathering and different collectible paper games, overmuch to his wife's dismay.