Magic: The Gathering’s newest set, Strixhaven, is on the way – here’s everything we know about set mechanics, card layouts, and story so far.
With Magic: The Gatheringnewer on the way, players are probably interested in everything that is known about Strixhaven so far, and also what those details might mean for future reveals. Magic: The Gathering has been constantly experimenting with the power of the cards and design philosophy in recent years, and that means that new set spoilers and mechanical reveals are even more sought after than before, as they have the potential to revolutionize multiple formats.
That hasn’t always been a good thing, as the recent MTG bans that saw a large number of cards in all formats made illegal for tournament play due to power levels that were too high or a ubiquity that threatened to damage the variety of the game too much. That said, however, the brave new direction of MTG The design has also led to some very significant successes for the game that have either reduced variance in a positive direction or led to exciting new archetypes and interactions. Kaldheim done MTG gods feel closer to their tradition, while Zendikar Rising managed to make the lands feel powerful at all stages of the game thanks to the double-sided modal card designs.
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After the launch of Kaldheim, the next MTG expansion will be Strixhaven, which was described when it was initially revealed as turning the table ownership into the “wizard school” fantasy trope. However, far from simply repeating what worked for other franchises, Strixhaven It seems to be deliberately designed to challenge some of the established qualities that have become common to the genre. While the spoiler season hasn’t started properly yet and there are still plenty of magical secrets to uncover, here’s everything we know about MTG Strixhaven so far, and why it already looks so promising.
What are Strixhaven colleges (and their color pairs)
One of the biggest selling points of the next Strixhaven set is his focus on universities of magic: five different schools of magic studies on the plane each embodying a different focus and identity. Some of Magic: The GatheringThe most popular cards and sets achieve that tag through the way they allow players to express themselves in their mechanics, and allying different colleges with separate two-color mana combinations is a block to give. Strixhaven a chance to settle in the same way.
So far, players know the names of the five Strixhaven universities: Lorehold (red / white); Prismari (blue / red); Quandrix (green / blue); Silverquill (white / black); and Witherbloom (black / green). Each of these schools has been given a description of what to expect from their card designs due to their implications of tradition. Lorehold has an aggressive color scheme, but is described as diligent and passionate, opening up opportunities for more control-focused cards, while the Prismari are described as the “Strixhaven theater children,“which seems to indicate more striking card effects that may also be situational.
Of the five universities, Quandrix sounds particularly interesting not only because it is a combination of green and blue, possibly the color combination that has been the most powerful in Magic: The Gathering in recent years, but because it focuses on mathematics in a way that really challenges the conventional tropes of schools of magic or wizards.
MTG Strixhaven’s command cycle looks fun and complex
For those who are not familiar with the term “cycle” in Magic: The Gathering, generally refers to a mechanic called “Cycling” or a series of cards in a given set that are given to each relevant color or combination of colors and occupy similar places. A “Command” cycle refers to instants or spells that are based on the identities of the colors in which they are found, with Cryptic Command perhaps the most famous iteration of the design idea.
the Strixhaven The command cycle is already known, and they all seem powerful enough to be Standard staples, with some getting a chance in older, more powerful formats as well. Normally having a command cycle means that a set will give MTG players have enough incentive to build around their color pairs, which means players can expect a large amount Strixhaven colleges in competitive play and, if the mana fix is good enough, combinations of two of them as well.
Modal Double-Sided Cards (MDFC) are making a comeback in Strixhaven
Magic: The Gathering Chief designer Mark Rosewater confirmed in September last year in an interview with Mashable that the MDFCs would be in both Kaldheim Y Strixhaven. In Kaldheim, appeared as gods who also became something more related to them in their tradition. In Zendikar Rising before, they were lands that also had a spell as their other option, along with lands that entered the battlefield producing one of two colors that the player could choose before playing it.
In Strixhaven, it seems pretty obvious in which direction the MDFCs are headed. Players will most likely see MDFC instants and spells in Strixhaven, and to what extent they are playable will likely be a hot topic of discussion until spoilers start to emerge.
MTG Mystical Archive Alternative Arts are in Strixhaven (& Gorgeous)
Finally, and perhaps most relevant to collectors, MTG Strixhaven Alternative art cards will come in two different forms in the Mystic Archive. The special Japanese alternative art variants of the cards will be present in the Japanese packs and collector boosters in other languages, while the other versions will be present in the other language versions of the collection, draft and collector boosters. The Mystical Archive to reprint 63 snapshots and spells of everything Magic: The Gatheringand each package will include at least one.
As expected, fans are quite happy that the MTG Strixhaven Alternative art cards are so readily available in the next product. They are also in love with card designs, which feature evocative art and a card design aesthetic that makes them immediate contenders for the best artistic variant. Magic: The Gathering cards never printed. Whether or not fans feel that way about them, they will be sought after and, thankfully, perhaps out of Japanese alternative art. Strixhaven cards, they will be much easier to find than other art variant print runs in the past thanks to their presence in so many MTG types of booster packs.
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