Ten Most Expensive MTG Cards From Strixhaven: School of Mages

Released in April 2021, Strixhaven School of Mages is set on the plane of Arcavios where it focuses on the five colleges – Lorehold, Prismari, Quandrix, Witherbloom, and Silverquill. There are Elder Dragon, Commands, and fresh new mechanics to expand the game of MTG.

Strixhaven also saw the introduction of the Mystical Archive, a reprint set of powerful Instants and Sorceries across the history of MTG. As these are reprints, they won’t be in the list below but we covered their value in a separate feature if you are curious. Strixhaven is legal in Standard for another year, so there is plenty of value to be had in the set.

Sedgemoor Witch

One of the more pushed cards in Standard, Sedgemoor Witch Sedgemoor Witch Menace
Ward—Pay 3 life. (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays 3 life.)
Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, create a 1/1 black and green Pest creature token with "When this token dies, you gain 1 life." , is a great option for midrange or spell-based strategies. It saw little play upon release due to the presence of Bonecrusher Giant Bonecrusher Giant Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell, this creature deals 2 damage to that spell's controller. but is starting to appear in Standard once more.

It pairs well with Plumb the Forbidden Plumb the Forbidden As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may sacrifice one or more creatures. When you do, copy this spell for each creature sacrificed this way.
You draw a card and lose 1 life. since you can use Sedgemoor Witch Sedgemoor Witch Menace
Ward—Pay 3 life. (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays 3 life.)
Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, create a 1/1 black and green Pest creature token with "When this token dies, you gain 1 life." ‘s Magecraft ability to draw cards and gain a bunch of life. The Human Warlock also comes with Ward which demands resource management from your opponent. Sedgemoor Witch Sedgemoor Witch Menace
Ward—Pay 3 life. (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays 3 life.)
Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, create a 1/1 black and green Pest creature token with "When this token dies, you gain 1 life." is a constructed-focused card which means it may not see much play in Commander, but could be a good option for sacrifice strategies in constructed formats.

Read More: Ten Most Expensive MTG Cards From Zendikar Rising

Velomachus Lorehold

Strixhaven completed the cycle of Elder Dragons with Velomachus Lorehold Velomachus Lorehold Flying, vigilance, haste
Whenever Velomachus Lorehold attacks, look at the top seven cards of your library. You may cast an instant or sorcery spell with mana value less than or equal to Velomachus Lorehold's power from among them without paying its mana cost. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. being the Red/White offering. While it’s one of the more heavily costed Elder Dragons of the cycle, the Elder Dragon sees fringe play in Modern and Historic.

Paired with Time Warp Time Warp Target player takes an extra turn after this one. and Indomitable Creativity Indomitable Creativity Destroy X target artifacts and/or creatures. For each permanent destroyed this way, its controller reveals cards from the top of their library until an artifact or creature card is revealed and exiles that card. Those players put the exiled cards onto the battlefield, then shuffle. , you can use Velomachus Lorehold Velomachus Lorehold Flying, vigilance, haste
Whenever Velomachus Lorehold attacks, look at the top seven cards of your library. You may cast an instant or sorcery spell with mana value less than or equal to Velomachus Lorehold's power from among them without paying its mana cost. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. to case the extra turns spell for free and attack with the Dragon. You see this strategy crop up in Modern and Historic to some success and is a fun way to play these formats. In Commander, you may see the Dragon appear in aggressively slanted White/Red decks since the card offers haste. Interestingly, Commander is starting to become less combat-focused so Velomachus Lorehold Velomachus Lorehold Flying, vigilance, haste
Whenever Velomachus Lorehold attacks, look at the top seven cards of your library. You may cast an instant or sorcery spell with mana value less than or equal to Velomachus Lorehold's power from among them without paying its mana cost. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. offers a different approach. The card could rise in value depending on what kind of Instants and Sorceries are printed in future sets so it’s one to keep an eye out for.

Read More: Laelia, The Blade Reforged Is Incredibly Cool

Rowan, Scholar of Sparks / Will, Scholar of Frost

The first card to offer two Planeswalker on the same card, Rowan, School of Sparks gives plenty of options depending on what you need. Sometimes played in Commander, the card is easy to ultimate so you can chain off a bunch of spells to victory. Will, Scholar of Frost Will, Scholar of Frost Instant and sorcery spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.
+1: Rowan deals 1 damage to each opponent. If you've drawn three or more cards this turn, she deals 3 damage to each opponent instead.
−4: You get an emblem with "Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay {2}. If you do, copy that spell. You may choose new targets for the copy." offers a discount on your Instant and Sorceries with a bit of card draw thrown in for good measure.

It doesn’t see much play in Standard at present as it’s a bit slow, but that could change with the release of Innistrad: Crimson Vow or Kamigawa; Neon Dynasty. It’s one to keep an eye out for given the broadness the card offers.

Read More: 10 Best Modern Cards from MTG’s Innistrad: Midnight Hunt

Shadrix Silverquill

Often seen in Commander, Shadrix Silverquill Shadrix Silverquill Flying, double strike
At the beginning of combat on your turn, you may choose two. Each mode must target a different player.
• Target player creates a 2/1 white and black Inkling creature token with flying.
• Target player draws a card and loses 1 life.
• Target player puts a +1/+1 counter on each creature they control. is a powerful Commander for Black/White decks. When you attack with the Legendary Dragon, you can choose two modes but they have to target a different player for each mode chosen.

Silverquill is all about being political and bargaining with your opponents. As such, this offers a fun take on a Commander which can generate you decent influence at the table. Not only that, the card offers double strike which plays into winning through Commander damage, especially if it’s equipped with a powerful artifact or two. If you are looking to play an Orzhov-style political or Voltron-style Commander deck, then Shadrix Silverquill Shadrix Silverquill Flying, double strike
At the beginning of combat on your turn, you may choose two. Each mode must target a different player.
• Target player creates a 2/1 white and black Inkling creature token with flying.
• Target player draws a card and loses 1 life.
• Target player puts a +1/+1 counter on each creature they control. could be for you.

Read More: MTG Announces Extra Special Extra Life Secret Lair Drop

Expressive Iteration

One of the most important Uncommons in recent times, Expressive Iteration Expressive Iteration Look at the top three cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand, put one of them on the bottom of your library, and exile one of them. You may play the exiled card this turn. is increasing in value due to its extensive use in Standard, Pioneer, Modern, and even Legacy. It’s considered to be one the best cantrips in recent times, and you’ll always want to run a playset of the Sorcery since it offers so much value.

When Strixhaven eventually comes out of product circulation, this card will be hard to find which will create demand. With that demand, the price will increase and even further if you’re after foils. It’s a staple in Izzet-based strategies in Moden, Standard with Legacy Delver builds running the card too. It’s unlikely we’ll see a better variant of the card since Ponder Ponder Look at the top three cards of your library, then put them back in any order. You may shuffle.
Draw a card. and Preordain Preordain Scry 2, then draw a card. (To scry 2, look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom and the rest on top in any order.) are currently banned in Modern, so it would be a surprise to see a similar card at a lower mana value. Expressive Iteration Expressive Iteration Look at the top three cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand, put one of them on the bottom of your library, and exile one of them. You may play the exiled card this turn. is here to stay and expect to see the card shape various MTG decks going forward.

Read More: Can Izzet Phoenix Rise from the Ashes with Innistrad: Midnight Hunt?

Seeing heavy play in Standard, the Elder Dragon enters with a Treasure token, with the option of casting Instant/Sorceries off your artifacts. The Legendary Creature pairs well with Standard all-star Goldspan Dragon Goldspan Dragon Flying, haste
Whenever this creature attacks or becomes the target of a spell, create a Treasure token.
Treasures you control have "{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add two mana of any one color." since there is Treasure synergy.

Not only that, Galazeth Prismari Galazeth Prismari Flying
When Galazeth Prismari enters, create a Treasure token.
Artifacts you control have "{T}: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast an instant or sorcery spell." makes for a decent Commander that cares about artifacts and slinging spells. Especially if you have access to Dockside Extortionist Dockside Extortionist When this creature enters, create X Treasure tokens, where X is the number of artifacts and enchantments your opponents control. (Treasure tokens are artifacts with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.") to make the most of the synergy. Not to mention Dragons as a tribe are always desirable in Commander since you have various five-color options available in the format.

Read More: The 10 Best Dragons In Commander

Wandering Archaic / Explore the Vastlands

Strixhaven introduced double-faced cards to make sure you can play your cards at any point during the game. Admittedly, some of these are wordy but offer a lot of choices which is where Wandering Archaic Wandering Archaic Whenever an opponent casts an instant or sorcery spell, they may pay {2}. If they don't, you may copy that spell. You may choose new targets for the copy. comes in. As it’s colorless, it can fit in any Commander deck with built-in lifegain and card filtering.

Ideally, you want to run this in group hug-style Commander decks, with the option to play the Creature side if you want some chaos at the table. You don’t see the card in constructed formats since it’s a bit slow, but offers plenty of upside for Commander formats.

Read More: We Need More Colorless Commanders

Prismari Command

Along with the Elder Dragons, Strixhaven also brought back the Command cycle in a similar fashion to the Khans of Tarkir block. The most playable Command from the set is Prismari Command Prismari Command Choose two —
• Prismari Command deals 2 damage to any target.
• Target player draws two cards, then discards two cards.
• Target player creates a Treasure token.
• Destroy target artifact. since it does a lot of things for Standard, Pioneer, and Commander.

More importantly, the draw and discard option opened up Phoenix strategies in Pioneer since Faithless Looting Faithless Looting Draw two cards, then discard two cards.
Flashback {2}{R} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.) is not accessible in the format. In Commander, you can use the Instant to ramp, remove an artifact or as a Shock Shock Shock deals 2 damage to any target. . Either way, the Commands are flexible and rarely feels a dead draw regardless of the format.

Read More: MTG Arena Codes To Unlock Free Things

Professor Onyx

Professor Onyx Professor Onyx Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
+1: You lose 1 life. Look at the top three cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
−3: Each opponent sacrifices a creature with the greatest power among creatures that player controls.
−8: Each opponent may discard a card. If they don't, they lose 3 life. Repeat this process six more times. is another Planeswalker to feature in Strixhaven which sees a lot of play in Commander with alongside Chain of Smog Chain of Smog Target player discards two cards. That player may copy this spell and may choose a new target for that copy. as a win condition. In order to win with the combination, with Professor Onyx Professor Onyx Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
+1: You lose 1 life. Look at the top three cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
−3: Each opponent sacrifices a creature with the greatest power among creatures that player controls.
−8: Each opponent may discard a card. If they don't, they lose 3 life. Repeat this process six more times. in play, cast Chain of Smog Chain of Smog Target player discards two cards. That player may copy this spell and may choose a new target for that copy. targeting yourself. Then, Professor Onyx Professor Onyx Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
+1: You lose 1 life. Look at the top three cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
−3: Each opponent sacrifices a creature with the greatest power among creatures that player controls.
−8: Each opponent may discard a card. If they don't, they lose 3 life. Repeat this process six more times. ‘s ability will trigger, dealing 2 damage to each opponent and Chain of Smog Chain of Smog Target player discards two cards. That player may copy this spell and may choose a new target for that copy. will resolve, you will discard two cards, and you can choose to copy it. Then, copy the spell targeting yourself and repeat until you win.

In Commander, it’s an effective yet arguably boring way to win a match. You can also achieve a similar effect with Chain of Smog Chain of Smog Target player discards two cards. That player may copy this spell and may choose a new target for that copy. and Witherbloom Apprentice Witherbloom Apprentice Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. if you are in Green and Black. Outside of Commander, you see the Planeswalker in dedicated Mono-Black Standard lists alongside Lolth, Spider Queen Lolth, Spider Queen Whenever a creature you control dies, put a loyalty counter on Lolth.
0: You draw a card and you lose 1 life.
−3: Create two 2/1 black Spider creature tokens with reach and menace.
−8: You get an emblem with "Whenever an opponent is dealt combat damage by one or more creatures you control, if that player lost less than 8 life this turn, they lose life equal to the difference." . Either way, the card is very potent with combo potential and will slowly creep up in price the further we are from Strixhaven.

Read More: 10 Best Planeswalkers In Commander

Beledros Witherbloom

The most valuable card in Strixhaven at present is Beledros Witherbloom Beledros Witherbloom Flying
At the beginning of each upkeep, create a 1/1 black and green Pest creature token with "When this token dies, you gain 1 life."
Pay 10 life: Untap all lands you control. Activate only once each turn. due to it being a powerful Commander for Green/Black strategies. On every turn, you create a 1/1 Pest token with the option to untap all your lands at the expense of 10 life. You can activate this ability on every turn if you have enough life to do so.

You can also play the Elder Dragon in the 99 as a way to untap lands with Lord Wingrace at the helm, so you can ramp into bigger spells such as Torment of Hailfire Torment of Hailfire Repeat the following process X times. Each opponent loses 3 life unless that player sacrifices a nonland permanent of their choice or discards a card. for the win. Not only that, you can run Beledros Witherbloom Beledros Witherbloom Flying
At the beginning of each upkeep, create a 1/1 black and green Pest creature token with "When this token dies, you gain 1 life."
Pay 10 life: Untap all lands you control. Activate only once each turn. as a Green/Black Token Commander alongside cards such as Doubling Season Doubling Season If an effect would create one or more tokens under your control, it creates twice that many of those tokens instead.
If an effect would put one or more counters on a permanent you control, it puts twice that many of those counters on that permanent instead. and Parallel Lives Parallel Lives If an effect would create one or more tokens under your control, it creates twice that many of those tokens instead. . There’s a lot to like about the Legendary Creature, and it’s sure to remain a strong option in Commander for years to come.

Read More: The Best Black And Green Life Gain Commander Cards