Colleges of magic clash once again in the new Magic: The Gathering set, Secrets of Strixhaven
Wizards of the Coast has just unveiled its new Magic: The Gathering set, which marks a return to the schools of high magic in Strixhaven with Secrets of Strixhaven. This collection, which builds on and expands the 2021 set Strixhaven: School of Mages, introduces new creatures, spells, Planeswalkers and mechanics to the world of Arcavios and its five schools of magic. These schools, founded by the five ancient dragons (Prismari, Lorehold, Quandrix, Silverquill and Witherbloom), are associated with a combination of two of Magic: The Gathering's colours, resulting in unusual playstyle synergies.
But what really makes this set unique is that it adds some brand-new mechanics to MTG, and looking through them, the first one to mention is Prepare. This ability will surely ring a bell with fans of TTRPGs such as Dungeons and Dragons, as if a creature has it, it will always have a spell ready which, if you tap mana, you can use without needing to tap the creature. It's like having two cards in one! However, it will always be treated as a creature card. If you're searching your library for a creature card or returning a creature card from your graveyard to your hand, you can find it. But if you're searching for that prepared spell, you can't. Bear that in mind.
Repartee is another of the new abilities. Basically, it's a reaction that triggers whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell that targets a creature. Each 'repartee' ability has a different effect, so you'll have to go through them one by one. Repartee abilities always resolve before the spell that triggered them.
But if you're looking for a spectacular play, what you need is Opus. Each Opus ability has an initial effect and an additional or alternative effect if you spent five or more mana to cast the spell that triggered the Opus ability.
Flashback is a key ability that appears on some instant and sorcery spells. If there's a card with flashback in your graveyard, you can cast it. If you cast it this way, you pay its flashback cost instead of its mana cost. When that spell leaves the stack—usually because it resolves, but sometimes because it doesn't resolve or is countered—you exile it instead of putting it into 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 power or toughness of the creature with Boost, you put a +1/+1 counter on the creature. It's like a modern take on Grow.
These five abilities, as you might imagine, each belong to a school of magic, but then there are the common keywords, such as Paradigm or Converger. In the Secrets of Strixhaven preview sessions, you'll be able to see how they actually work.
Competition, as many of us know, isn't everything in Magic: The Gathering, and Secrets of Strixhaven also has something interesting to offer those who prefer collecting and want to complete their set. In this case, you'll need to import some cards, because the Japanese variants (found only in collector's boosters) will feature region-specific foil and non-foil designs, in a style similar to Ukiyo-e. The Borderless Field Notes cards, which we saw in the Bloomburrow set, are also making a return, and there will be some specific Land cards called Borderless Portal View Lands, which (and this might be a spoiler) will serve to connect with future sets within the MTG lore. Finally, there will also be Special Guest cards, 10 cards that can be found in Game Packs (non-foil) and Collector Boosters (foil).
So, there's plenty to look forward to in Secrets of Strixhaven. The dates to note so you don't miss out on this set are the pre-release on 17 April, MTG Arena on 21 April, and the launch on 24 April. Prior to this, the book Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos will go on sale (in English).
Are you up for the new Magic: The Gathering set in April?
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