Secrets of Strixhaven prerelease events are right around the corner, and there’s a lot to look forward to. Between Elder Dragons for Commander and callbacks to some of MTG’s most iconic spells, there’s tons of interesting designs in this set.
As we look ahead to prerelease, it’s important to know what heavy hitters to be on the lookout for. To that end, we’re here to show off the most expensive cards that Secrets of Strixhaven has to offer. Notably, though, given that the set hasn’t officially been released, prices are still a bit inflated, and market values aren’t too reliable. As such, we’re going to be focusing on the lowest traditional listing for each card in our rankings. We also won’t be looking past the main set here, meaning that the most expensive Mystical Archive cards will not be included.
5 | Prismari, the Inspiration
Price: $18.50
Without a doubt, thanks to giving all of your instants and sorceries Storm, Prismari, the Inspiration has the highest ceiling of any Secrets of Strixhaven Commander. Whether you’re using this ability to completely Storm off or take a bunch of extra turns in a row, your chances of winning if you untap with Prismari are very high.
The problem, however, is that this Elder Dragon costs seven mana. This makes it hard to get guaranteed value out of Prismari before it gets removed. The Ward cost, sadly, doesn’t help either, as five life is not a big deal in Commander. Sadly, the sheer mana value of this Dragon is also likely to keep it out of constructed.
Despite all this, winning with a flurry of spells is rather trivial with Prismari, giving it a secondary market value of $18.50.
4 | Emeritus of Ideation
Price: $19
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 should still see some EDH play. After all, being able to blink this creature back into reprepared form is quite powerful. Even so, Emeritus of Ideation’s $19 price tag may be more about how iconic Ancestral Recall is than anything else. So, don’t be shocked if its value decreases in the coming days.
3 | Witherbloom, the Balancer
Price: $20
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.
2 | Lorehold, the Historian
Price: $20
Much like the other Elder Dragon mythics in Secrets of Strixhaven, Lorehold, the Historian has Commander written all over it. Being able to cast bombs like Storm Herd or Expropriate at an enormous discount is extremely powerful. Plus, in a multiplayer game, Lorehold’s final ability helps you churn through your library in short order. Combined with synergistic tools like Library of Leng, setting up Miracle isn’t as difficult as you might think.
Between Lorehold’s overall power level and how much fun the Dragon looks as a build-around, it makes sense why it’s receiving a ton of hype. In fact, this legend is the most popular Commander in Secrets of Strixhaven according to EDHREC. So, despite having minimal Constructed applications, Lorehold’s $20 price tag isn’t too shocking.
1 | Emeritus of Woe
Price: $21
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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