Pioneer Review: Secrets of Strixhaven

Back to magic school, and we're not talking about Hogwarts! Secrets of Strixhaven is the second of three "in-universe" sets for Magic: The Gathering this year—perhaps the most acclaimed among them due to the high-quality reprints in the Mystical Archives series.

For Pioneer, the biggest beneficiary seems to be an archetype somewhat forgotten by players today: Heroic. The Repartee mechanic works similarly, and some of those cards could enable a new version of the archetype built around a go-wide plan rather than go big.

Outside Heroic, other archetypes also received support. Erode is, by far, the best card for the format, but Flow State makes a strong Expressive Iteration impressions, a dozen multicolored cards could find space in Sideboards or as one-ofs in Bring to Light lists, and The Dawning Archaic could help revitalize Indomitable Creativity lists with Magma Opus.

Homestead Courage is a card that appears in Heroic lists to generate extra value with Illuminator Virtuoso or to trigger two effects simultaneously. In Budget lists — Mono White — having more copies of it with Dig Site Inventory can make quite a difference.

Four power for three mana with the chance of coming attached with a Swords to Plowshares is an option for Pioneer. However, Emeritus of Truce fits into proactive strategies that, typically, will have more creatures than the opponent. Perhaps it will find a place in the Sideboard of some Azorius Control deck wanting to "switch plans" post-sideboard.

Guaranteed staple. Erode is a Path to Exile that trades exile for dealing with Planeswalkers, making it a better topdeck in most situations. Any deck with white likely wants some number of copies, and decks like Abzan/Orzhov Greasefang will prioritize it over Fatal Push. If there's one card every Pioneer player needs from this set, it's Erode.

I can imagine Informed Inkwright joining Young Pyromancer to create a "go wide" version of Heroic alongside Phalanx Leader and Stirring Hopesinger. It will definitely be one of the first cards I test when the set releases.

Quill-Blade Laureate doesn't have triggers to grow, but it grants Double Strike to a threat while also having Double Strike itself to combine with Monstrous Rage / Ancestral Anger. A nice addition to Heroic.

There are some Mono White Control lists running enchantments and Planeswalkers to control the game, similar to the version that existed in last season's Standard. In these decks, I can imagine Restoration Seminar coming in as one or two copies due to the potential to reuse Sagas and Planeswalkers each turn.

Stirring Hopesinger benefits lists that run many spells, have ways to put many creatures onto the battlefield, and have a go wide plan. As mentioned, Young Pyromancer and Informed Inkwright seem to be this card's best friends. Worth testing.

There might be something infinite we can do with Exhibition Tidecaller, Jeskai Ascendancy, and a dozen spells, and Mill decks gained an efficient enabler alongside cheap cantrips. It also interacts with Izzet Phoenix to speed up the process of putting Arclight Phoenix and even Demilich into the graveyard—but in that case, it seems a bit too win more.

Because everything Izzet decks need in Pioneer is the possible return of Expressive Iteration in a format where Cori-Steel Cutter remains legal—and incidentally, maybe it won't even be that relevant in the current Metagame. Prowess lists run Academic Dispute and Accumulate Wisdom in the Sideboard toolbox, or Heroes' Hangout for greater mana advantage, so there's a real cost to running Flow State instead of them.

On the other hand, variants with Vivi Ornitier are much more flexible and even run Stock Up in some versions for card advantage. In those, the new pseudo-Expressive Iteration could make a significant difference, as long as there are enough instant and sorcery slots to enable it.

For Izzet Phoenix, there's a conflict of conditions between it and Treasure Cruise that could turn it into a glorified Anticipate if we pay Delve costs, while Azorius Control likely prefers to stick with Consult the Star Charts for the flexibility of an instant-speed spell.

I really want to say this is a future staple, but the path for Flow State isn't as simple as it was for its banned predecessor.

Harmonized Trio offers another way to tap Merfolk to trigger Deeproot Pilgrimage and fits into the current weakest curve slot of the archetype in Pioneer. We don't use a Brainstorm as effectively as other formats, but it's a decent bonus for a card that naturally already interacts with the rest of our deck.

Skycoach Conductor is mechanically close enough to Restoration Angel to deserve slots in Azorius Flash, Dimir Tempo, and maybe even Spirits lists, even though it's not one of them. The fact that it doesn't blink on ETB but "stores" the Blink for when needed means the opponent has to deal with it before resolving other threats, and cards like that have a history of becoming competitive staples — it just requires Pioneer to be a format where this kind of more fair strategy can prevail.

Sacrifice Cauldron Familiar to give the opponent an Alms of the Vein. Arnyn, Deathbloom Botanist is on the right curve, but Sacrifice lists today remain too focused on Ygra, Eater of All. Maybe it deserves a slot or two in Rakdos versions.

Decorum Dissertation is a constant source of draw and life with Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, but it seems worse than Unholy Annex in almost every other situation. It could see play, but it doesn't look like a staple.

I want to say something good about Demonic Tutor in a body whose conditions to trigger are easy to achieve for any Midrange or Sacrifice deck, but Emeritus of Woe seems too win more in any archetype within those categories today.

These types of removal spells that deal with creatures, Planeswalkers, and bypass Hexproof and Ward are always welcome, especially when they force the opponent to deal with the biggest threat. Potential Sideboard staple.

The Repartee ability targets any spell and any creature—including the opponent's Fatal Push. Lecturing Scornmage could easily become a 3/3 on turn two with two removals and grow from there. Worth testing in more aggressive black decks, but they've been absent from the current Metagame.

There are some cards in this set that don't have a specific home in the current Metagame, and Moseo, Vein's New Dean is one of the best in that category. Gaining life is an easy task in Pioneer, and its end-of-turn ability could easily turn the game in your favor if triggered multiple times, making it a kind of Lurrus of the Dream-Den that can't be cast directly from the Sideboard.

It seems like a strong card for Midrange decks if we have a way to trigger it every turn—a simple challenge in a Metagame with Gifted Aetherborn, Graveyard Trespasser, and Unholy Annex with Mutavault, among others.

I know everyone is thinking of Greasefang, Okiba Boss when looking at Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer, but does the deck really need it? Most lists have already dropped Liliana of the Veil, and while Ral was superior to her for that archetype, more effective cards for executing the combo already occupy the slots where he would belong in Abzan lists: Formidable Speaker is much better for consistency.

In Orzhov lists, the issue is a bit different—the deck is first a Monument to Endurance Aggro list and a Greasefang, Okiba Boss archetype second. Its mana curve is already so well-defined and packed with aggressive slots to complement the clock that a more "midrange" card like Ral doesn't seem to belong.

It will see play and deserves some testing, but it wouldn't be surprising if it ends up outside this combo and merely becomes a Sideboard piece for black Midrange decks against Control/Combo.

Tragedy Feaster is a Demon, protects itself, has a large evasive body, and its drawback synergizes with Unholy Annex if we stack the triggers appropriately. I would consider using it in Golgari Midrange, where reaching four mana requires less effort, but its Ward is terrible as long as Greasefang remains in the format.

Even if conditional, a Day of Judgment for three mana shouldn't be ignored, especially as an Infest at baseline, which is useful against Prowess and Selesnya Company. Triggering the life gain isn't a difficult task if we have Graveyard Trespasser or Preacher of the Schism on the board, but in those cases, maybe we're not that interested in using it as unconditional removal.

Emeritus of Conflict has a serious challenge in Pioneer: Cori-Steel Cutter is a better card. So much better that it broke Standard and needed to be banned while being a permanent staple of Modern and Legacy—and so strong that I've been advocating for its ban in Pioneer for months.

If—or when—Wizards takes action regarding Cori-Steel, Emeritus could be a card to consider. Three spells per turn is no challenge for any Red Aggro variant, and it's already within the scope of what archetypes like Izzet Phoenix or Gruul Prowess aim to sequence each turn.

However, it will also need to prove its space even on those occasions. After all, it's still a 2/2 for two mana that does nothing immediately and depends on other cards to work—that didn't stop Cori-Steel from becoming a staple because, once it resolves, it takes a lot of work to prevent the tokens it creates from snowballing, while Emeritus is answered by any Fatal Push.

There might be some Lotus Combo or Jeskai Ascendancy list that uses Flashback in unexpected ways, but for other archetypes, having a "do-nothing" in the early turns could be costly.

I would test one or two copies in Prowess lists because it triggers Cori-Steel Cutter on its own and guarantees extra staying power while requiring a very low cost to reuse the best card in your graveyard.

Power crept Strangle. Could see play in the right Metagame.

Boros Ponza/Mono Red Ponza gained a new tool with Maelstrom Artisan and another body to pressure the opponent while exhausting their resources. Outside these lists, it seems too slow, and the current Metagame lacks reasons to try playing with nonbasic land destruction unless it's the central theme of your deck.

A Selesnya Lifegain deck recently put up results in a Challenge, and it would have an easy time triggering Comforting Counsel and turning even a Prosperous Innkeeper into a win condition. Unfortunately, it's not a target for Collected Company, which could compromise its position in these decks.

Eight lands are a bit too much to justify Emeritus of Abundance in most lists that don't involve Scapeshift and Aftermath Analyst. Maybe it deserves some testing, but of all the Tier Pioneer decks today, this is the one I have the least experience with to address potential inclusions.

If resolved, Germination Practicum will give a double-Ouroboroid to all creatures every turn. Most Selesnya Company lists have replaced it with Elspeth, Storm Slayer, and she's more versatile than the new spell, but I could imagine it as a one-of in some cases.

Modal cards occasionally deserve slots as one-ofs in Sideboards. Glorious Decay is a bit more targeted than Pick Your Poison while giving up dealing with enchantments to answer flying creatures. Worth testing.

A 4/4 for three mana (two green for Devotion) that brings along a way to cheat mana costs could deserve slots in Mono Green. At the same time, the three-drop slots are already too crowded in the archetype, and cards like Old-Growth Troll, Polukranos Reborn, and Outcaster Trailblazer seem more efficient for the archetype's overall plan.

Cauldron of Essence offers a kind of Recurring Nightmare in the same slot while interacting with the Cauldron Familiar and Witch's Oven loops. It seems slow and might not have space in current Golgari versions, but it's one of those excellent cards to build around.

At instant speed, Dina's Guidance is half-Entomb and half-Eladamri's Call. Since it only fetches creatures, it doesn't work as well with Greasefang, Okiba Boss, but it puts combo pieces into the graveyard for Agatha's Soul Cauldron in the same slot that also puts enablers into its owner's hand. It has potential.

Paying life is not what we want to do in a Red Aggro Metagame, but returning every creature and artifact from your graveyard for four mana would be excellent in Midrange games if the Metagame weren't already so aggressive against graveyards due to Greasefang and Izzet Phoenix.

All modes of Lorehold Charm are useful. It forces the opponent to sacrifice Cori-Steel Cutter, increases your creatures' power, or returns a threat to the board—all in the same slot for only two mana. It could see play, but it shouldn't be an instant staple.

Is it crazy to suppose that Lorehold, the Historian is a great one-of for Niv-to-Light decks to fetch with Bring to Light, while also being an excellent win condition for the Boros Midrange/Ponza/Control lists that occasionally appear in Leagues and Challenges? The body is decent, it has immediate impact, and the Miracle ability makes quite a difference when your mana costs are higher.

Prismari Charm can answer two tokens from Stormchaser's Talent, filter the top as a cantrip at instant speed, and bounce your permanents to reuse them again. Like the other Charms in the set, it could find some slots.

Golgari is the Midrange combination of choice today, and Professor Dellian Fel does enough to deserve some maindeck slots. It can come down as early as turn three, gaining life makes a difference in the current Metagame, and it guarantees constant sources of card advantage and board control. The emblem can win games, but it seems less relevant for the format today.

Another decent "one-of" target for Bring to Light. Splatter Technique offers many resources at once against Midrange/Control and clears the board against Aggro. It's never useless in a match, but its casting requirements might be too costly for a five-color deck.

I don't believe Izzet Phoenix needs this card, and I imagine the archetype would run Izzet Charm before Traumatic Critique, but it's worth an honorable mention.

Again, paying life is far from ideal in a Red Aggro Metagame. Vicious Rivalry has quite a bit of potential and could appear in the Golgari Midrange Sideboard and as a one-of in Niv-to-Light in other Metagames. Today, Culling Ritual still seems like the best option.

One of the lists I plan to experiment with using Secrets of Strixhaven involves playing The Dawning Archaic to cast Magma Opus from the graveyard for free. Visionary's Dance is a great backup for that strategy.

Witherbloom Charm does a bit of everything the current Metagame needs: gains life to hold off one or two turns against Aggro, destroys any cheap permanent, and, in the worst case, offers extra draws in exchange for a token. It could appear in Golgari Midrange lists, but it won't replace Witherbloom Command in Abzan Greasefang because the self-mill effect is essential in that archetype.

With Pioneer full of graveyard hate and Delve spells, there seems to be little room for The Dawning Archaic, and its best friend today appears to be Indomitable Creativity with Magma Opus, even though cards like Valgavoth, Terror Eater are better payoffs if the goal is to press the free-win button.

However, Archaic is a more efficient card if the goal involves an Izzet Control shell with the possibility of playing Flow State, the Lessons package with Accumulate Wisdom, and other effects that help fill the graveyard and cast it almost for free with enough backup to protect it and attack the following turn to recast Magma Opus or another bomb.

Petrified Hamlet shuts down Channel Lands, Mutavault, Abandoned Air Temple, Field of Ruin, Thespian's Stage, Port of Karfell, among others—just know what to name. Its cost is relatively negligible and even comparable to other utility lands like Field of Ruin, so expect this card to become a format staple, especially for two-color Midrange and Control lists.

That's all for today!

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

Thanks for reading!