Today’s WeeklyMTG stream was an absolute monster, revealing a whopping 39 cards from the Secrets of Strixhaven Mystical Archive. Naturally, such a selection packs quite a bit of value, with plenty of big money cards among them. While the new lowered drop rates on high-rarity Mystical Archive cards have dulled the excitement somewhat, it’s hard not to get hyped about a batch as good as this.
The Money Mythics
Naturally, the new mythics from the Mystical Archive are where much of the money is, with Ad Nauseam leading the way. This is a key card in Legacy Beseech Storm decks, and one of the best win conditions in cEDH. Thanks to this dual demand, the card will set you back a whole $31 right now.
The runners-up in the mythic slot include Awaken the Woods, which is a massive card for Landfall decks in Commander with a respectable $21 price tag to match. Once we drop below $20, Akroma’s Will, Armageddon, Berserk, and Crackle with Power all provide solid value hits in the $12-18 range. These are all Commander playables for the most part, though Armageddon does have a sizable side-line in Premodern.
Even on the lower end, the mythic slot in the new Mystical Archive doesn’t disappoint. Winds of Abandon lets you Path to Exile every opposing creature in Commander, more than earning its $7.20 price tag. The only real financial dud here, Living End at $2, makes up for it in terms of playability. This is a literal archetype-defining card in Modern, making it a great choice for a premium printing regardless of price.
Medium Rares
Unsurprisingly, the newly revealed rare Mystical Archive reprints aren’t as lucrative, but Culling the Weak and Pyretic Ritual aren’t bad at all. Selling for $19 and $12 respectively, these cards could easily have been printed at mythic rarity if Wizards wanted. With Culling seeing heavy Commander play, and Pyretic Ritual appearing in Modern, both of these cards are definitely welcome reprints.
Alongside these cards, Wizards also revealed the powerhouse $10 draw engine Glimpse of Nature as a new Mystical Archive reprint.This one-mana sorcery remains banned in Modern to this day, but it’s still an absurd piece in Elf Typal decks in Commander. Throw in some solid midrange hits, like Crop Rotation at $4 and Dismember at $5, and you have a highly playable selection with a ton of value behind it.
Unassuming Uncommons
A few outliers like Return the Favor at $2.40 and Bitter Triumph at $1.60 aside, there’s nothing among today’s uncommon Mystical archive reveals worth over $1. That said, while it lacks financial value, the selection is surprisingly solid in terms of playability.
Standard players in particular have a lot to enjoy here, with staples like Burst Lightning and Spell Pierce getting tasty new treatments. In fact, every uncommon revealed on today’s stream is Standard-legal, meaning most players will be able to make use of most of the Mystical Archive cards they open.
As Blake Rasmussen mentioned on today’s stream, this was a very intentional decision from Wizards, mirroring the approach used for the original Strixhaven Archive. There are also some fantastic Commander cards here, too, with Abrade, Pick Your Poison, and Feed the Swarm all making classy comebacks.
Unfortunately, while the Mystical Archive does have tons of gems, there are also duds like Hop to It and Locust Spray. For the most part, however, you actually have a good chance of pulling a playable card here. Due to this, you’ll want to watch out for these cards when Secrets of Strixhaven Prereleases begin on April 17th.
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