If you love when a Magic: The Gathering deck constantly interacts with the graveyard, then Lorehold Strixhaven College might be for you. With the return of the Flashback mechanic, there are plenty of ways to give cards a second chance to make an impact during the game.
So far, we've picked some of the best Lorehold cards from Secrets of Strixhaven based on how we think they can impact Standard or Commander decks.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some of the cards that don't fit into the top five right now, but still have a chance to make a big impact once the set launches and the meta begins to evolve.
- Flashback
- Borrowed knowledge
- Colossus of the Blood Age
- Kirol, a history lover
- Ark of Hunger
Magic: The Gathering Secrets Of Strixhaven – Lorehold Spirit Commander Deck Breakdown
Join us for a closer look at the Secrets of Strixhaven Lorehold Spirit Commander pre-release deck, including some exciting upgrades.
5
Aziza, Captain of the Mage Tower
Standard & Commander
Only this legendary wizard Djinn costs one white mana and one red manaand taken at face value, it's a pretty bland 2/2 legendary creature.
However, his ability is one to come very useful. Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you can tap three untapped creatures you control. Doing so allows you to choose new targets for the spell.
In a roundabout this will effectively give you access to an expensive form of Stormbut in clutch situations it can pay well to hit tapped creatures and double the spell.
4
Restoration seminar
Standard & Commander
This A seven mana spell can seem expensive at firstbut why and why this value is quite functional will soon become clear.
The core is the Restoration Seminar returns target non-land permanent from your graveyard to the battlefield. It can be a creature, artifact, or enchantment.
Where this spell really proves its worth is the inclusion of Paradigm. This new Strixhaven mechanic allows you to do just that casting a free copy of the spell at the start of each first main phase for the rest of the game, assuming the first instance has been resolved. These future copies can still be countered and not have to play, but the option exists and the prize is removed.
The downside is the initial cost; it cannot be avoided. However, if you can work it out, The Restoration Seminar is definitely a game changer.
3
Emeritus Conflict
Standard & Commander
While there's certainly an argument for it being a Prismari card as well, Emeritus of Conflict comes with first strike, a common mechanic among Lorehold/Boros creatures. This A 2/2 creature only costs two manaand also uses the prepare mechanic cast Lightning Bolt for one manadeals three damage to any target.
To prepare Emeritus of Conflict, you will need to cast three spells in a turn. It also doesn't come in ready, which is probably what keeps the card from overcharging.
We can see that it is a card that happens useful across Prismari and Lorehold deckswhich is the beauty of how the Strixhaven College system works, provided there aren't specific keywords on single-color cards that limit their usability and adaptability.
2
Antiques For Free
Standard & Commander
This three-mana sorcery simply screams Lorehold, and if you have the option to use it either through a standard cast cost or through Flashback, then your opponent is sure to listen.
This magic creates two 2/2 ghost tokensand if it was cast from anywhere other than your hand (meaning via Flashback), then put a +1/+1 token on each spirit you control, token or non-token.
The Flashback cost is increased to six manawhich is understandable given the extra trigger to add +1/+1 tokens to ghosts, but it's worth the cost if you've managed to get a few ghosts on the board and want to end the game quickly.
Finding ways to reduce the cost of this card or run more copies (looking at you, Aziz) will offer even more support to your board condition; you'll just have to hope your opponent doesn't do any board wipes.
1
Lorehold, Historian
Standard & Commander
The elder dragon and namesake of Lorehold College is Lorehold, the historian, and this oneegendary 5/5 flying creature with haste not to be thrown away.
Due to the brute strength of the card, five mana is fair as a castingbut if you can keep her on the battlefield out of your turn, that five mana is more than worth it.
This dragon too puts each instant and sorcery card into hand “Miracle 2”meaning you can cast a card for two mana when you draw a card, provided it's the first card you drew that turn.
This pairs incredibly well with a secondary passive that allows you to choose discard a card during each of your opponent's upkeep phases, and if you do, you can draw a cardwhich will reopen the window for Miracle (if you haven't already drawn the card being drawn).
We see how this card gains initially more use in standardbecause she's priced a bit high to be the face of the deck commander, even though she's a great mid-to-late game card that could turn the tide of a battle.
Magic: The Gathering – The Five Colleges of Strixhaven, explained
Returning to this school of magic in the Secrets of Strixhaven, it's time to review the five colleges of magic and what they mean.
