Even with considerable competition in Lorwyn Eclipsed, Secrets of Strixhaven is already in the running for the best MTG set of 2026. Not only is it a brilliantly executed return to a fan-favorite plane, but it’s also packed with powerful, format-shifting cards as well. Naturally, many of these cards have price tags to match, offering serious profit for those who pull them. Whether you’re playing Limited or just cracking packs, these are the most expensive Secrets of Strixhaven cards to look out for.
5 | Witherbloom, the Balancer
Price: $10.72
Of all the legends in Secrets of Strixhaven, Witherbloom, the Balancer earned our vote for the best Commander. What makes Witherbloom so strong is that it can be cast at a huge discount. With some mana dorks and token makers, it isn’t hard to get Witherbloom into play within the first few turns of the game.
Then, once on the battlefield, all of your big instants and sorceries can also be cast on the cheap. Thanks to having no upper limit, Mass token producers like Pest Infestation and Awaken the Woods are this creature’s best friends. Once set up, casting a game-ending Exsanguinate is rather trivial.
On top of all of this, Witherbloom even opens the door for some powerful infinite combos. Combining Sprout Swarm’s Convoke ability with Witherbloom’s Affinity for creatures, for example, makes it trivial to create infinite tokens. This combo discovery already caused Sprout Swarm to spike in price, showcasing just how enthusiastic players are about this new Commander.
4 | Emeritus of Ideation
Price: $11.16
If you’ve ever wanted to resolve a literal Ancestral Recall without shelling out thousands of dollars, Emeritus of Ideation lets you live that dream. Obviously, you don’t get to just cast the one-mana instant right away, but setting up a window where you cast the creature with one mana to spare isn’t super difficult. That way, you get the upside of drawing three cards before your opponent ever has a chance to kill this creature.
Nonetheless, the main thing holding Emeritus of Ideation back is its clunky mana cost and competition. The best blue decks in current Standard, Izzet Prowess and Izzet Lessons, feature very low curves. While Emeritus of Ideation could otherwise have some appeal as a Nature’s Rhythm target, beating out Quantum Riddler seems quite difficult.
At a minimum, this creature is a solid player in EDH. After all, being able to blink this creature back into reprepared form is quite powerful. Even so, Emeritus of Ideation’s $11.16 price tag may be more about how iconic Ancestral Recall is than anything else. So, don’t be shocked if its value decreases doown the line.
3 | Germination Practicum
Price: $11.40
While it was a bit overlooked initially, Germination Practicum is now one of the priciest Paradigm spells, and cards in general, from Secrets of Strixhaven. Given its huge Commander playability alone, this isn’t hugely surprising.
Practicum is essentially a permanent Overrun effect, which makes it fantastic in any kind of go-wide strategy, from Baylen, the Haymaker to Hakbal of the Surging Soul. Additionally, Germination Practicum is ideal in +1/+1 counter decks, like The Wise Mothman or Shalai and Hallar.
All told, Practicum is seeing play in over 19,000 Commander decks so far, according to EDHREC, which is huge for a card just a little over a month old. Factor in some emerging Standard play in Mono-Green Ouroboroid lists, and the $11.40 price tag on this spicy sorcery makes perfect sense.
2 | Improvisation Capstone
Price: $12.62
You don’t generally expect a seven mana sorcery to succeed in constructed Magic, but Improvisation Capstone is a rare exception. After scattered early testing, the card is now a full-on staple in Four-Color and Jeskai Control lists in Standard. It’s showing up pretty consistently in the sideboard of Pioneer Izzet Prowess decks, too, as a tech option in grindier matchups.
While it looks slow at first, it turns out the value potential on Improvisation Capstone is more than good enough to warrant its cost a lot of the time. This is doubly true in Commander, where the card is also seeing a ton of play so far. Around 24,500 decks are running the card, including heavy hitters like Vivi Ornitier and Prosper, Tome-Bound. With so much multi-format utility, it’s no wonder Improvisation Capstone is selling for $12.62 right now.
1 | Emeritus of Woe
Price: $21.69
As a four-mana creature with no elite immediate impact on the board, Emeritus of Woe may struggle to find a home outside of Commander. In the context of EDH, however, this card seems strong. Even getting to cast Demonic Tutor once can help you set up a wealth of combos, but Emeritus of Woe’s reprepare condition isn’t tough to meet.
Where Emeritus of Woe really starts to pop off, however, is when you incorporate your own sacrifice synergies. Any go-wide Aristocrats deck that utilizes free sacrifice outlets like Phyrexian Altar should have no problem tutoring turn after turn. While we don’t expect Emeritus of Woe to remain this expensive, its Commander usability certainly doesn’t make this pricepoint shocking.
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