Secrets of Strixhaven preview season has officially begun, and already we’re swimming in fantastic new cards. We got to see a huge chunk of the main set today, as well as some eye-watering hits from the Mystical Archive. As if that wasn’t enough to be getting on with, Wizards decided to drop the full Special Guests lineup for Secrets of Strixhaven today as well. While it’s not as impressive as those found in other recent sets, there are still some bangers here, for Arena players in particular.
The Value Hits
The biggest financial hit among the Secrets of Strixhaven Special Guests is Sylvan Library, and it’s not close. This two-mana enchantment is a true MTG icon, serving as a powerful draw engine since its first printing back in Legends. It’s particularly good in Commander, where it still holds its own today despite relentless power creep. Copies of this heater will run you $20 on the low end, so it’s a great inclusion here.
After this, things take a significant drop, with Adrix and Nev, Twincasters being the next biggest hit at around $9. As a token doubler in the command zone, this duo has huge casual appeal right out of the gate. It also enables a decent range of infinite combos, letting it shine at more serious tables, too.
Speaking of doubling, Dualcaster Mage is the last card of substantial value in this lineup. Probably best known for being a combo enabler in cEDH, Dualcaster Mage is also a flexible creature that sees play in over 177,000 Commander decks. It’s probably the most playable card of this entire bunch, though at $3.85 on the low end, it’s far from the most exciting.
Notable Reprints
While there are no real money cards beyond this point, the Secrets of Strixhaven Special Guests lineup does include some interesting reprints. Library of Leng is probably the most notable in this regard, appearing here for the first time since 1997. This is also the first printing of the card outside of the now-Retro Frame, which is notable in itself.
With new demand from Lorehold, the Historian pushing up Library of Leng’s price, this is a very well-timed reprint indeed. While you can grab white-bordered copies of the card for around $1.40 right now, those aren’t to everyone’s tastes, so this borderless version is more than welcome.
Two other notables are Magus of the Library and Codie, Vociferous Codex, both of which are getting their first-ever reprints here. While Magus is an underwhelming $0.43 dud for the most part, Codie is actually quite well-played. As a legend that supports a ‘no creatures’ theme in Commander, it’s unique in what it does. It’s not expensive, at just $0.16 a copy, but it’s definitely interesting.
The Duds
Unfortunately, from here on out, the cards in the Secrets of Strixhaven Special Guests are neither valuable nor interesting. While Archmage Emeritus and Grim Haruspex are solid draw engines, they’ve also been reprinted to death. Both are readily available for $1.49 and $1, respectively. You’ll definitely be able to find homes for them in Commander, but you won’t be excited to get them as a Special Guest hit.
Archaeomancer and Murmuring Mystic are simultaneously better and worse. Both are $0.20 cards right now, but both also see consistent play in competitive Pauper decks. Getting fancy new printings of eternal-playable cards like this is hard to complain about. That said, if you don’t play Pauper, these will mostly be fodder for your low-bracket Commander decks.
Overall, this new Special Guests lineup is pretty disappointing, especially compared to that of Lorwyn Eclipsed. With fewer cards and fewer value hits, it feels like a step backwards for the initiative. The Mystical Archive will likely go a long way towards balancing this out, but it’s still a shame to see one of our few remaining reprint outlets so underused.
An Unexpected Arena Exclusive
In an interesting twist, the Secrets of Strixhaven Special Guests lineup has one more card for MTG Arena players. As revealed in today’s Arena Announcements article, Library of Alexandria will be replacing Library of Leng in the Special Guests sheet on Arena. While some have speculated that this is due to difficulties getting Leng working on the client, no official reason has been given for the switch.
Whatever the reason, Library of Alexandria certainly has a strong chance of impacting MTG Arena’s Timeless format. The card has, understandably, been prebanned everywhere else thanks to offering an unrivaled card advantage engine for no mana investment. Considering that Force of Will is coming in Secrets of Strixhaven’s Mystical Archive, this could be everything that Timeless needs for slower decks to shine.
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