Pauper Set Review: Secrets of Strixhaven

Back to magic school, and no, it's not Hogwarts. Secrets of Strixhaven is the second of three "in-universe" Magic sets this year — maybe the most popular one thanks to the high-quality reprints in the Mystical Archives.

Bad news for Pauper: the Mystical Archives bring nothing new. But the base set? That's a different story. White Weenie gets a powerful new one-drop that fits its game plan even better. Boros Bully might finally replace Thrilling Discovery. And a cheap new creature that fetches lands could give Spy Combo a real consistency boost.

Beyond those, several other cards — a new twist on Homestead Courage, a potential new staple for Serpentine Curve decks — are among the set's top highlights for the format.

Homestead Courage shows up in some Heroic builds to trigger two prowess effects and pump four power with a single card. I don't see current lists wanting more copies unless Illuminator Virtuoso gets a surprise downshift, and no other archetype really has a home for this spell.

A 1/2 with a two-mana activation isn't that different from Novice Inspector or Thraben Inspector. But it might actually be more useful for White Weenie — clearing out blockers is no joke. Potential staple.

Pauper has plenty of flashback action between Battle Screech and Prismatic Strands. Exile just one of those, and Owlin Historian turns into a 3/4 Flyer for three mana. That's a real body — blocks well, pressures well.

Cathar Commando already exists and barely sees play. Shattered Acolyte trades extra power and Flash for Lifelink, which matters way more right now when Madness Burn and Red Rally are all over the place. Worth a shot.

Some Ephemerate or Tron builds might want a 1/3 that blocks, makes mana, and filters into colored mana when needed. Doesn't scream "staple," but Hydro-Channeler could spawn new takes on old archetypes.

Dimir Flicker / Dimir Familiars has put up results here and there, and now it gets a new toy. Melancholic Poet is another payoff for Ghostly Flicker / Archaeomancer — dealing damage and gaining life on every loop. The trigger counts any spell targeting any creature, so even removal sets it off.

I don't see any red deck wanting this kind of card, and three mana is steep for a looting effect in Dredge. But Rubble Rouser does a ton in one package — filters your hand, makes mana, pings the opponent, and triggers cards like Spirit Mascot.

Winding Way, Lead the Stampede, and Malevolent Rumble are all better choices, even in life-gain strategies. But Follow the Lumarets could find a home if a dedicated creature-based life-gain deck ever shows up.

Versatile answers usually see some play in Pauper. Heritage Reclamation is more flexible since it hits enchantments, but Glorious Decay answers almost every flyer in the format. Might deserve more slots right now.

Honorable mention. Oracle's Restoration does far too much for a single card, and it's also a green cantrip.

Turn-one Studious First-Year into turn-two Rampant Growth looks like a great way to thin lands in Spy Combo. Two mana to "thin" might be asking a lot without Sagu Wildling or Generous Ent early on, but a blocker plus ramp in one card could earn it a few slots.

Another copy of Soul Warden-style effects in Golgari could matter with the right payoffs. At two mana, Bogwater Lumaret feels a little slow, but the ETB life gain helps.

A common-rarity upgrade to Urban Evolution — draws cards and ramps for Big Mana / Gates builds. Temur Cascade has been gone from the format for a while, and I'm not sure how much a deck like Monster Tron wants this, but Embrace the Paradox has real potential.

Speaking of big mana, Fractal Mascot might be worth a try as a 6/6 Trampler that locks down a blocker for a turn. Same as the card above, it fits best in some Temur Cascade / Temur Tron list, but the two-color cost makes it harder to slot into Tron.

Putrefy at sorcery speed. There are enough artifacts around to make this a decent flex slot in Golgari Gardens, but sorcery speed means you don't want too many copies.

On life-gain payoffs, Pest Mascot grows whenever you gain life and has Trample. With ETB loops or other repeatable life gain, it turns into a win condition in no time. Maybe the best build-around in the whole set.

Thrilling Discovery sees some play. Pursue the Past will be better for most archetypes that run it. Life gain, card parity, and Flashback all in one? Best addition to Boros Bully in years.

Another potential Boros Bully addition. Spirit Mascot also plays nice with Pursue the Past and all the Flashback effects in that archetype family. It gives a "go big" angle to a deck that's naturally "go wide." The catch is that it only grows if you sequence all your Flashbacks and exiles while it's still on board. That makes it a giant removal magnet.

Visionary's Dance is a huge pickup for Serpentine Curve lists — fuels the graveyard, scries the top like a Sleight of Hand that can't be countered, and gives you an alternate win condition that doesn't rely on the graveyard. Plus, you can find it with Augur of Bolas. Potential Control staple, worth testing in Flicker Tron, and maybe even a slot or two in Ephemerate + Archaeomancer decks.

If you can pay all the colors, Rancorous Archaic becomes a 7/7 with Trample and Reach for five mana. Might be worth a test, but it dies to everything and asks for far too much setup. Hard to justify the slots.

Repeatable life gain deserves respect when Red Aggro is running the show. I don't think any archetype that would want Potioner's Trove actually needs it — or they already have better options — but it gets an honorable mention.

That's all for today!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks for reading!