The spoiler list can be found here.
I'm not sure how I feel about this set on first viewing. But what I want to say is that people are underestimating Strixhaven: plenty of the takes I'm seeing are about how this is a power step down from what has been, admittedly a heck of a ramp up year.
From where I'm standing though, that big casual Legacy cardpool, this set effectively introduces storm/prowess benefits to every color. With so many cheap creatures giving you benefits for playing any non-permanent spell, I'm looking at these cards and thinking that in those bigger formats a splash will be made.
In a smaller environment like Standard, the impact will probably be just right. But in Commander or Legacy? Whooooooo, I think we're in for a surprise.
I don't believe that to be a bad thing though: I am not of the mind that eternal formats should be, somehow, unchanging for years, with only one or two cards every other year sneaking their way into the scene. I don't believe in the kind of turnover that the past two years have had but they shouldn't be as languid as they are.
Even now; the dominant deck is a U/x Delver one. I see it in every weekly update...
But I'm getting off topic. My point is that I believe Strixhaven will open up some doors in formats for colors that didn't have them, and I think that's pretty cool. I also believe the focus on instants and sorceries is long overdue, and I'm hoping that players who gravitate away from creature-centric builds find some gold.
Mechanics:
Magecraft is the nuts. This is the thing I'm thinking will ripple out into other formats-I've already seen a combo deck using Witherbloom Apprentice so right out of the gate, we know there's something happening. Some Magecraft cards are better than others of course, and I believe they're all attached to creatures which have the 'creature problem' but that's where you get good deckbuilding tension.
Learn is a fine riff on the cantrip mechanic. Some of the strength of Learn will depend on how good the Lessons are, but I think the Lessons don't suck. The tutor capability gives us access to some great things on demand and when you run out of Lessons you just draw a card. Both of these things are good-and the cards that Learn is on aren't overcosted.
Speaking of the Lessons: the colorless ones are some dicey territory. To Wizards' credit, they're sorcery speed and none of them seem too cheap, so that's good. But a year after telling us that they were going to do more artifacts with color in the mana value to keep balance in check, this seems weird.
Ward is not bad. It's a tempered version of Hexproof and that means that WotC can play around more with the raw strength of the creature. Sometimes, a fine thing is fine.
Finally, Double Faced Cards pull a lot of weight in Strixhaven-it's even reasonable to say that the set wouldn't be possible without them. Sets need a certain density of creatures for limited formats, yet this set wants to focus on instants and sorceries. DFCs allow for the flexibility needed to provide that focus.
All my objections remain, as does my approval since Kaldheim. It is the way it is; let's just have fun.
Finally, I'm seeing more 'downside' spells in Strixhaven (spells that have a drawback for you or give a bonus to your opponent) than I have in some time and I'm happy to see those return. It's been an area that has been left fallow for a long time and deserves some attention.
White
I'm looking at this set as though it's the first of the 'OK, we know, you think White sucks.' response. All the hits are here: tiny creatures that can get huge (Clever Lumimancer), rules making spells (Academic Probation), exile level removal (Expel), massive boardwipes (Devastating Mastery), etc. etc. It's likely that White got the best of the 'drawback' cycle of spells, too.
I'm not mad at it. There's some interesting mechanical space being explored with Elite Spellbinder and Mavinda, Students' Advocate, so we'll see if there's an expansion on those themes.
Grade: A
Blue
Given that this is the spell set, I would expect Blue to get some goodies and Resculpt is probably as goody as it gets. That card should almost certainly not be in Blue and it's got an internal clash in it as well: things that are resculpted aren't sent into some kind of nether realm: they're remade. What I'm saying is that the permanent should've died, not been exiled.
Test of Talents, though, seems like a fantastic anti-x card. Good to sideboard in against decks that use a key card to win-like Life From The Loam. Sure, they get 4 cards-who cares? Their engine is gone. (You can also abuse it yourself with Dragon's Approach, so maybe there's a deck there).
Otherwise, I don't see anything that sticks out, but a nice solid run.
Grade: B- (I'm dinging it for Resculpt)
Black
I'll admit, I was hoping for something different from Black in this set-especially as part of Silverquill. I think I got it, too; a heavier focus on life gain for the Witherbloom crossover, and +1 counters for the white part.
But the cards themselves aren't so amazing. Tenured Inkcaster could probably use another point of power or toughness, maybe both, for it's mana value. Poet's Quill feels like it's in the wrong house-why doesn't it put a +1/+1 counter on the creature instead, so it would play into that school's themes? Finally, there are multiple cards that want you to sacrifice a permanent to get the effect and while that plays into the house, that's also more expensive than the effect warrants. Basically: cards that depend on other cards to be good are often lackluster.
I don't hate it, but it doesn't pop.
Grade: B
Red
I don't understand why Fervent Mastery is as bad as it is. Perhaps there's a graveyard focused set coming up soon (Innistrad has interacted with that zone in the past so it's not impossible) so that you can play the card without caring that you're losing what you've tried to find. Otherwise it might as well just read: "Pay 5, put 3 cards into your graveyard".
That said, there does seem to be more graveyard interaction overall, with Illuminate History and Illustrious Historian utilizing the zone in ways Red typically does not. I could be overlooking something.
Dragon's Approach is interesting in that I can't remember a non-creature spell being able to break the 4-of rule before.
Very much a 'we shall see' feeling here.
Grade: B+
Green
Borrowing a little from Black's 'lifegain does a thing' gives green a little place to play around with, and there's a bit more lifegain overall, too. Also, Ecological Appreciation is putting cards back into the library (possibly) from the graveyard and that's a rare ability for Green.
Verdant Mastery is likely a card that wouldn't have been considered without the digital version of Magic: giving your opponent a land IS rare and can create some weirdness in paper Magic.
But again, nothing popping, nothing outright terrible.
Grade: B
Artifacts and Lands
I consider this to be the weakest part of the set and that's perfectly fine since a) these cards aren't what Strixhaven is meant to spotlight and b) we've had plenty of sets lately with great lands and artifacts.
I'll say I'm disappointed that they couldn't do better than Codie as a name for what is a pretty cool Commander card, Strixhaven Stadium is one of the neater alternative win conditions they've produced in awhile and Reflective Golem is juuuuuust interesting enough that I'll probably play it in a deck a little longer than I should.
The lands are mostly functional this time around; commons good for that late game mana sink in Commander, the rares completing a cycle that I always thought was fine but never set the game on fire. However, budget players need dual lands too and this gives them that option, so I approve.
The other lands are doing some basic 'neat stuff', excepting Archway Commons, because we absolutely did not need a fourth version of Transguild Promenade. Looking forward to getting a copy of the Commons each of my Commander decks, you bet.
Grade: pass, with a strong side eye at Archway Commons.
This has gone long so let's do Multicolored stuff next post.
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