Secrets of Strixhaven Cards I’m Upgrading My Decks With

I don’t tend to update my decks more than twice a year, so Secrets of Strixhaven also proved to be a good time to look at the past few sets for interesting pickups, too. Some decks had me going over cards from Final Fantasy and even evaluating older cards to keep up with my ever-changing local metagame.

HOFRI GHOSTFORGE

My Hofri deck is my pride and joy, and is a Lorehold build that really does seek to do the least “Boros” things possible to win the game. いってらっしゃい / See You Later (This Turn) is all about winning in the most unconventional RW ways, and seeks to do so with what some might argue is a more Sultai approach to deckbuilding.

While many Hofri decks are no doubt going to love all of the new Spirit support in Secrets of Strixhaven, my deck is more oriented toward late-game non-deterministic combo finishes in B3 (with a couple of infinites thrown in for good measure, courtesy of Fiend Hunter). As such, the pickups for this deck are a little more laser focused.

The first of which is Erode, which is replacing Swords to Plowshares. Erode is pulling double duty here as both a removal spell and a ramp spell – a use case you should focus on in your deckbuilding too. In Hofri, this is essentially a free sacrifice outlet that goes and gets us a Basic, which is perfect for our main gameplan in the early to mid-game while searching for the key pieces we need to pop off. 

The other card I was super stoked to include was Ark of Hunger. The moment I saw this spoiled, I knew it was gonna do a lot of work. In Hofri, this acts as a card advantage engine, some incremental pings to contribute to my burn wincon and keep me alive, and… also as a combo piece.

I ended a game by looping a Fetchland out of the yard with triggers from Sun Titan and Redemption Choir the other night, with both Ark of Hunger and Valakut Exploration in play. That’s a lot of triggers. Needless to say, I’m sold. 

Other recent edits I’ve found great are:

• Tataru Taru – excellent early game play that improves upon Wall of Omens in most ways. 
• Mog, Moogle Warrior – surviving the mid-game and setting up my graveyard? This checks both boxes.
• Fall of the First Civilization – Already proving its worth, slowing people down and sniping Sol Rings and Medalions. 
• Hour of Revelation – a late game deck needs early game ways to reset the board

NAHIRI, FORGED IN FURY

My current Equipment deck of choice is Nahiri, Forged in Fury, though I am currently noodling around with a Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms list too. Nahiri’s Molten Ambition is a list focused around getting as many free equipment spells into play as possible. Math is very important to getting a functioning deck, after all. 

Given SoS was the first Standard list in over a decade to not feature Equipment, the set didn’t have loads to look out for. That said, there’s one all-star I picked up.

Lorehold Charm works excellently in Nahiri, offering a modal spell that will almost always do something when I impulse draw it. It brings back some of our amazing low drops like Puresteel Paladin, Commander’s Plate and Shadowspear. It can act as removal, and it can also be a way to push through damage should we lack an evasive piece of equipment in play.

Other recent adds that I’ve loved are:

• Helitrooper – gives you more free equips early game and jumps Nahiri for Commander Damage.
• Emergency Eject – Generous Gift that doesn’t leave behind a pesky 3/3 blocker.
• Meteor Sword – putting a vindicate on a potentially free spell is very impactful

GO-SHINTAI OF LIFE’S ORIGIN

My Go-Shintai of Life’s Origin is a B2 deck that’s super on theme. The Wanderer’s Junpai is a list that really locks in on that Kamigawa theme, and so it’s hard for the deck to get an update every set. That said, Secrets of Strixhaven did drop a banger for the deck.

Eiganjo Dynastorian is not only from Kamigawa, but it’s a way to cast reserved list spell Replenish in a deck all about Enchantments. If you’ve got an Enchantress list, you need to check this one out. 

JOSHUA, PHOENIX’S DOMINANT

My other Boros Reanimator deck is aimed squarely at B2, and as such, is a little slower than Hofri. Phoenix Down, Up, Left, Right, Start, Select is my Joshua, Phoenix’s Dominant deck, and it’s a blast to play. It concentrates more on flicker than Hofri, but is capable of doing some similar (albeit slower) graveyard loops. Given the Commander likes to discard cards, Secrets of Strixhaven is offering a lot of sweet new tools for the deck.

Flashback cards are always great in Joshua, and Daydream is right up his street. A slow flicker is still a flicker, and getting to reset our great EtB creatures provides a hell of a lot of value for the low investment. One mana to rebuy a trigger on Pinnacle Monk, Knight of the White Orchid or Fear of Burning Alive is sick.

Pursue the Past, one of the Limited format’s best Commons, is also decidedly good in Joshua. Discard fodder while digging is crucial, and when it’s tied to such a great effect, it’s a slam dunk for the deck. 

Borrowed Knowledge is a great self-wheel spell in Lorehold colors. While I didn’t go for this in Hofri (given the deck likes to force Wheels on opponents, not least to trigger Smothering Tithe a bunch), it was right at home in Joshua, where the longer B2 games provide more opportunities to cast this – and for folks to have large hands.

Finally, Turbulent Steppe stepped in to offer more fixing in our quest to Emeria, the Sky Ruin. Always a great pickup when you’re trying to Emeria.

Other recent upgrades I’ve found good are:

• Metastatic Evangel – tested without it, but getting to speedrun Joshua is just so worth it.
• Airbender Ascension – a second copy of Teleportation Circle that doubles as temporary removal? Sign me up.

SHIKO AND NARSET, UNIFIED

Finally, we get to my Jeskai list.

My Shiko and Narset list – Crouching Human, Spirit Dragon – is a very midrange version of the archetype, focusing on getting the most value out of copying key spells, rather than the more narrow storm style deck. 

This approach allows me to play some sweet Auras like Idolized, Sound of Drums, and Pain for All. 

I haven’t yet figured out my cuts for Secrets of Strixhaven pickups, but by heck there are a lot of options.

The first, of course, is Flashback, which ties into the deck’s main strategy. It’s a cheap enabler to set up the trigger.

Next up, this visit’s Expressive Iteration, Flow State. Good cheap card selection is excellent in a deck like this, and Flow State is a very impressive addition. 

The card I’m most excited to add is Emeritus of Ideation, which can basically be a six mana way to draw six cards and also leave behind an excellent threat in the air that can threaten to draw me even more cards. Regardless of what style Shiko and Narset build you go for, this one is a no-brainer.

I opened copies of Tablet of Discovery and Resonating Lute in my prerelease kit. While they don’t necessarily fit in my current build that dedicates slots to Auras, I do think they warrant consideration in a Shiko and Narset deck in general. Both are very good options. 

END STEP

And that’s the cards I’ve loved from Secrets of Strixhaven for upgrading my decks recently. Henzie didn’t get anything this time around, which is a shame, but hey-ho. That list is tight. What are you adding to your decks? Let us know.