Once again, the full spoiler set is here. Also, there's a cool article on the Mothership describing the thought process that went into the schools, as well as one about the schools specifically so that might help with some context for what I'm about to talk about. Now let's wrap things up with...
Multicolored
As with the multicolored-focused sets, here's the space where there's a lot to unpack. One thing I want to do is talk about how well each school executes on their themes using the founding Elder Dragon and Deans as a guide. Schools don't have to strictly adhere to just those ideas but if these are the faces of their respective schools: what else should they promote then the mechanics within?
U/R (Prismari) feels like it wants to be part of a 'big mana' strategy, but using Treasures to get there. It also is offering the largest token creatures of the tokens generated in this set, which is definitely unusual-usually G/x gets this. I guess that's meant to exhibit the 'big show' element of the school and pulling off big spells certainly does that. Galazeth Prismari promotes this, oddly though, via artifact mana (which the rest of the school doesn't push or seems to have much connection to), and the Deans want to help/reward the casting of spells. Oddly, Uvilda wants players to exchange time for cost, and Nassari pushes players playing their opponent's spells?
Yes, they're flashy effects but how do they exhibit the 'big spell generator' theme? The big spells themselves are things you cycle away to make treasure tokens so...you are really banking on getting a second copy? I think I would have liked to see Nassari make treasure tokens to help fit the themes.
Prismari: B
W/B (Sliverquill) looks like a 'go wide' with tokens, and I'm not sure that it's ever done that before. (B/W tokens has been a deck since Innistrad, but not like this). There's also a +1/+1 counter vibe but I don't think it's promoted enough-this school wants to do two things instead of one. Shadrix Silverquill and the Deans are part of this problem; the Deans are all about the 1/1 counters-but where is the token support?
Also, I'm just not seeing the kind of emphasis on wordsmithing that I would've hoped from this school. I actually think that more controlling elements would've helped; more discard (like Humiliate) or 'no you can't play that spell yet' (Elite Spellbinder, Academic Probation-cards unaffiliated with a school!). For example: Why is Revel in Silence the flip side of Flamescroll Celebrant? They even watermark it as a Lorehold card but teaching oratory skills is very much a Sliverquill feel.
Since they wanted to do an aggressive school, I suppose control elements weren't thematically appropriate, but the representatives of this school don't exhibit what they do want to do, in my opinion.
Sliverquill: C
U/G (Quandrix) has the most familiar vibe so far, making big creatures, putting land drops in and cloning. I don't hate that, but I can't say I'm excited either; Strixhaven was supposed to draw ideas from where the colors opposed themselves philosophically and I don't really pick up something new here, these cards could be slotted into a Ravnica set and I don't think anyone would notice.
That said: I think this has more to do with how people have been playing U/G than anything else: Green ramps into lands, Blue keeps the hand full; Simic cared mostly about manipulation of +1/+1 counters, but players cared about ramping into big stuff and winning. Perception is a difficult thing to overcome, though.
The Deans of the school do something cool and different but they don't connect to the school's mechanics of making things bigger or mutating things, while Tanazir Quandrix just does that, adding counters and transforming creatures. Where does this emphasis on Fractal tokens come from? Kianne, Dean of Substance is the only card to mention them, with a study counter mechanic stapled on to tie to her flip side, while Imbraham seems detached from the themes entirely-no cloning, copying, or creature manipulation, just study counters.
And this is a huge missed opportunity, in my opinion. If you're at a school, why aren't you studying? All the schools should have study counters to interact with. Oh well...maybe when they come back.
Quandrix: C-
R/W (Lorehold) is trying to use Spirits to represent the 'research into the past' but there's also a bit of library manipulation and plenty of ways to use spells put in the graveyard. Perhaps I was too hard on Fervent Mastery? I will say that it's using the colors in a new way so I'm pleased to see that. It's an interesting take on how that study would work.
But the Deans of that school have very little to do with the other themes, either; nothing from the graveyard is interacted with, and that's also true of the founder, Velomachus. There's support for graveyard filling, and token generation but only one ability on Plargg promotes it? You could say that Augusta supports the spirits, but how does she support the students? It's subtle I suppose, but I can't throw my support behind it. These characters should somehow exemplify the school's mechanics. Velomachus should be the Prismari representative-casting spells of 5 mana value for free is a big splashy thing!
Lorehold: C+
Finally, B/G (Witherbloom) possibly has the best execution of theme of the schools: biology, life into death into life via small token creatures and a sacrifice theme. Is it going to be good? Hard to say, but at least thematically, it leans into its school better than the others, and separates itself from the typical B/G sets by having a death theme, not a graveyard one.
Dean Valentin makes tokens and gains you life, which is what Beledros Witherbloom wants too, while Beledros also gives you something to do with that life. Dean Lisette is the odd one out here: she does something when you gain life, but nothing when something dies (or when something is born, that would be cool!) That doesn't mean she doesn't do something cool (all the Deans do neat things) but why is she teaching here?
Witherbloom: A-
All in all, I like this set. My grades on the school are about thematic execution, not 'is it cool/good' so grain of salt 'em. Overall, I think Strixhaven does an admirable job of trying to explore new philosophical space, puts a lighter feel into the game and has potential that may be overlooked. And when things are overlooked, that means there's stuff to explore which I always like.
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