We have made it to the final article of the Strixhaven set review! Today is by far the longest and most interesting of the articles. This is where we see what each school at Strixhaven really has to offer. Each signpost card and subtheme will be seen in this article. Let's get to it!

This article is the last of five, and in it I will be evaluating every Multicolored and Modal card and scoring them on a scale of 1-5. These ratings are purely based on Limited formats and have no bearing on Constructed play. I would also like to note these ratings are based on how I believe the card will perform in an AVERAGE Sealed or Draft deck. Often this means a lower score for cards with great potential in a highly synergistic deck.

Rating - Explanation

1- Ideally not making the cut in any of my Limited decks.

2- Not good, but a necessity for curve filling and smoothing out draws.

3- Value cards I am happy to fill my deck with.

4- Cards to get excited about and Premium Removal.

5- Reserved for cards that will win the game if left unanswered.

Lorehold

	Blade Historian - 3.5 - Blade Historian needs other creatures to be really powerful. In a creature heavy deck this will get a huge rating boost. Lorehold does have a lot of recurring creatures so it will likely overperform. I love the idea of getting some of the Silverquill Inklings in this deck to end games really quickly!
	Hofri Ghostforge - 4.5 - This card does a lot! It generates mass amounts of value over time and makes many of Lorehold's creatures so much better. It is neat that this Spirit lord doesn't even need Spirits in the deck to be great. It is also important to note that each creature that dies while this is alive will hit the graveyard and then be removed. This will trigger all of the other sweet Lorehold cards.
	Lorehold Apprentice - 2.5 - This "bear" has some upside in more aggressive decks. Once the opponent stabilizes, this can give Spirit creatures a bit of reach later in the game. I wouldn't bother building around this card but it might come in handy.
	Lorehold Command - 4 - Every mode on this command is amazing. There is something for every situation and I am happy to pay 5 mana for any combination of this. This has to be one of the stronger commands and is even worth splashing.
	Lorehold Excavation - 2 - Late in the game it does offer a nice mana sink, but it is a bit awkward at 5 mana. I do like that it can help remove things from the graveyard to trigger more powerful Lorehold abilities. Be careful not to cast it too early; you are more likely to mill yourself than ping them to death.
	Lorehold Pledgemage - 3 - This Magecraft ability on a first strike creature will make combat extremely difficult for opponents to deal with. It is easy to cast and is the perfect card in an aggressive deck with a few combat tricks in it.
	Make Your Mark - 2 - This likely turns into a 1 for 1. If a smaller creature trades up then replaces itself then it has gotten some decent value. Lorehold Pledgemage is a card that wants cheap combat tricks like this. This has no place in a non-aggressive deck.
	Quintorius, Field Historian - 2 / 3.5 - This is actually the second Spirit lord we have seen, and again, it makes its own Spirits to pump. There are so many common cards in Lorehold that remove things to get their own trigger (Tome Shredder, Pilgrim of the Ages) that it shouldn't be hard to find something to help make an army of 3/2s for free.
	Radiant Scrollwielder - 3.5 - The better the instant and sorcery spells are in the deck the better this is. With a few premium burn spells this card will be absolutely game breaking. With a few combat tricks it will be decent.
	Reconstruct History - 1.5 - This will likely only be getting instants and sorceries, and it is too unlikely that both will be in the graveyard when you need them. I am sure there is some build around that wants this card, but I am not interested in it.
	Relic Sloth - 2.5 - This will likely be a bit better than it looks. These two keywords add a lot of value to this decent size creature.
	Returned Pastcaller - 2.5 - 2 toughness makes this insanely easy to kill. I like this flier a lot more than the rating suggests. It is just a bit too expensive for something so easily dealt with.
	Rip Apart - 3.5 - 2 mana for three damage and some flexibility is a good rate. It is sorcery speed so it takes a bit of a hit, but I am still always running this.
	Spirit Summoning - 3 - Lessons are typically extra cards taken from the sideboard mid game, so any time one of them gets a creature you are getting a good deal. The cost is also baseline playable if you are short on cards, but then it's only a 1.5.
	Stonebound Mentor - 3 - So many of the Lorehold cards are removing cards from the graveyard to trigger their own abilities, so this is likely to get quite a few bonus scrys. It is also a good rate for the creature as well.
	Thrilling Discovery - 2 - This is a slightly larger scale Thrill of Possibility. Not a huge fan of needing to discard two cards in Limited. Holding onto a land or two is reasonable to do, but not always possible. This feels like more of a Constructed card to me.
	Velomachus Lorehold - 5 - A bit expensive for Lorehold, but it will be worth it once it hits the board. The haste means it triggers the ability at least once before an opponent gets to untap and that makes it extremely powerful. Also good to note that 5 toughness dodges most of the Red removal spells.
	Venerable Warsinger - 4 - When ahead on board this card will keep you ahead. This will be a lightning rod for removal spells so I like casting it later in the game when there are more creatures in the graveyard and it is less likely to be removed.

Prismari

	Creative Outburst - 2.5 - It is a bit expensive but it replaces itself in the best way. Getting any card from the top 5 without having to show it is a fair amount of value. Without any of the other Prismari cards that help lower its cost I might end up cutting it.
	Culmination of Studies - 2 - This is playable if the deck is 80% Blue. Getting to make some Treasure tokens is nice and drawing is always good, but in general this will not be impactful enough to make the cut in most decks.
	Elemental Expressionist - 3 - This Magecraft ability will likely do a lot of nothing in most games, but there will be situations where you get to answer removal with removal and it will feel amazing. Combat tricks will also work really well with this card.
	Elemental Masterpiece - 2 - This is fine in decks with a lot of ramp, but not likely to see a ton of play at 7 mana. The creatures it makes don't even fly. That shark is clearly flying. I feel misled.
	Elemental Summoning - 3 - Free creatures from the sideboard are always great value added to any Learn spell. It is also exactly 5 mana so it triggers some of the extra Prismari triggers. Overall, it is not good enough to be played in the starting 40, but should be taken higher than a lot of cards that will be.
	Expressive Iteration - 3 - It is a bit situational, but this is likely 2 mana to draw 2. I like this a lot as a way to draw cards cheaply in the mid to late game. It is important to note it says play and not cast, so a land can be exiled and played.
	Galazeth Prismari - 4 - This isn't single handedly winning games, but it is a great enabler for everything Prismari wants to be doing. It dodges a fair amount of Red removal and a 3/4 flier for 4 mana is an amazing rate.
	Maelstrom Muse - 3.5 - This is an amazing card for Prismari. If an opponent can't remove this it will enable all of the big shenanigans Prismari wants to be doing - and I love it.
	Magma Opus - 4 - I hate that this eight-mana spell seems playable... But I think it actually is! It does a lot of powerful things in a school that is built to help cast this sort of spell. I also love that it spreads out its impact on the game so no one answer from an opponent will be able to undo this card.
	Oggyar Battle-Seer - 2.5 - Oggyar Battle-Seer is a bit awkward. As its name suggests it battles with haste and it sees with scry. I don't typically like to sit back and scry with my 5-drops, but I will... All good things on a card must be decent right?
	Practical Research - 3 - Discarding an instant or sorcery doesn't seem like the end of the world after drawing four cards. It is likely I will still try to discard two lands because I am greedy, but either way I am happy playing this instant speed draw spell.
	Prismari Apprentice - 3 - There is no downside to playing this apprentice. This 2-drop is evasive and gets better over time. Even without five-mana triggers this will still put in a lot of work if not dealt with.
	Primari Command - 3.5 - The 1st two modes are definitely the best. This isn't the most powerful command, but it is good and worth playing given the chance.
	Prismari Pledgemage - 2.5 - 3/3 defenders in decks with 8+ mana spells seem fine. These allow you to be aggressive when ahead and are a great way to stall until you can play your larger spells. These are reasonable 2-drops if there isn't anything better around.
	Rootha, Mercurial Artist - 3 - I like that this is attached to a creature. It ends up costing a bit more than Teach by Example but it is worth it for the added flexibility and replayability. Red has some really nice small removal spells that will get a lot of added value with this card.
	Spectacle Mage - 3 - 2/2 fliers for 3 mana are very common in Limited. This one gives a nice synergy boost to Prismari by helping to enable everything they are trying to do.
	Teach by Example - 2 - Copy spells are not normally playable in Limited, but this set is a bit different. There is so much ramp and so many payoffs for playing outrageously large spells that it might just be worth sneaking this in when there is room.

Quandrix

	Aether Helix - 2.5 - Far more expensive than we typically see for bounce spells, Aether Helix makes up for it by getting back the strongest permanent you've played so far. In a format where Green, and Quandrix specifically, has so much ramp, I doubt casting this for 5 mana will be a problem.
	Biomathematician - 3 - Without any Fractal token synergy this is still worth playing. It gets better in multiples and works really well with the token theme seen throughout Quandrix.
	Body of Research - 3 - Getting a huge creature is fun and all, but it comes with a ton of downside. is insanely hard to cast, and the token is far more vulnerable to bounce spells than other creatures. With ways to fix mana or ramp to make it more likely to be castable on six it will get a slight bump in rating.
	Decisive Denial - 3.5 - Decisive Denial offers some great flexibility. Both options are worth having access to, and at 2 mana we are getting them at a great rate.
	Double Major - 2.5 - Copying a creature on the stack (being cast) is an interesting ability we have never really seen before. Normally getting to copy something worth having two of would be too expensive to cast this in the same turn, but in Quandrix where the ramp is plentiful... This might just turn into a haymaker. It is a bit of a build around so be careful.
	Eureka Moment - 3.5 - Divination with some built in ramp at instant speed is always welcome. Eureka Moment is enabling everything Quandrix wants to do, and is certainly worth playing.
	Fractal Summoning - 3 - The creature Fractal Summoning creates is not at a great rate, but getting this spell for free out of the sideboard late in the game is great. Never drawing this means it will rarely cast for less than X=2. This is something Learned late in the game when there is a lot of mana and nothing else to do with it.
	Golden Ratio - 2.5 - As far as draw spells go this one is just average. Golden Ratio has a higher ceiling and a much lower floor. When given the choice I would rather run something more consistent.
	Kasmina, Enigma Sage - 3 - As far as Planeswalkers go, this one is not very impactful. It does provide long term card selection and makes a few extra bodies. It is cheap enough to help snowball games in your favor.
	Manifestation Sage - 3.5 - When playing Quandix this is easy to cast on turn four - it is basically colorless. Between casting it early and having so much card draw in these colors it is likely to add a fair amount of power to the board. Do not play these quad-hybrid cost cards when only in one of the two colors.
	Needlethorn Drake - 3 - One-mana 1/1 deathtouch creatures are common enough. I am happy to pay one extra Blue to give it flying so it can block other fliers or get in a little chip damage.
	Quandrix Apprentice - 3 - This 2-drop is amazing for Quandrix! It makes hitting land drops much easier without costing a card, and that increases the value of all the big beaters in Quandrix. As we saw with Nessian Wanderer it is even possible to cycle through the deck creating great thinning.
	Quandrix Command - 3.5 - Modes one and three are likely going to see the most play, but all of them are useful in the right situation. This will be a two for one often enough in combat to make me excited about playing it. Late game, I also like that the 4th mode puts the deck's best cards back in the deck if there is no target for either one or three.
	Quandrix Cultivator - 3.5 - A 3/4 body is surprisingly decent in the format. Getting a bonus land is also great in Quandrix. It is also nice that the land comes into play untapped and there are a few one-mana combat tricks in the format. They will never see it coming!
	Quandrix Pledgemage - 3 - This is good in any deck. It only takes one spell to get a decent rate on the creature, and after the second one it's a bargain. With Learn and Lessons in the set it is likely this creature will grow really fast and become a great threat for a common.
	Square Up - 2 - This combat trick is fine. Nothing exciting. Pumping Fractal tokens could be a good way to surprise an opponent. Overall, this is a bit underwhelming without some spicy magecraft triggers to make it worth running.
	Tanazir Quandrix - 5 - Most of the counter synergy is in Silverquill, but this still might find some value with cards like Quandrix Pledgemage. Tanazir is a huge flier that can close out games on his own, but with a few Fractal tokens on board your opponents won't stand a chance.
	Zimone, Quandrix Prodigy - 3.5 - The draw ability is where Zimone's value will come from. She is great to play at any point in the game, and she does everything Quandrix wants to do - I guess that's why she is a prodigy.

Silverquill

	Blot Out the Sky - 5 - This card is great! At any point in the mid to late game this card can be game ending. Even casting it for 1 or 2 when needed is fine. I love everything about this little Ink army.
	Closing Statement - 4 - This is a great removal spell. Getting to kill something for 2 mana while adding a counter to help enable all of the other Silverquill synergies is amazing. Premium removal to be sure.
	Dramatic Finale - 4 - In a creature heavy deck this is a serious 5. It is great with the tokens you already have and makes more. Those tokens even fly! I only rated this at a 4 because some decks will have fewer creatures or have too many Pest tokens to really make this exciting.
	Exhilarating Elocution - 2 - I like that it puts counters on a creature to compensate a bit for being sorcery speed. This is a decent wide board pump that is not pushing for casting it before the final swing. It works really well with a lot of the counter synergy in Silverquill, so I am sure it will see a fair amount of play.
	Fracture - 1 - Sideboard card. I would be sure to pick it up when possible, but never over cards that are worth playing in the main deck.
	Humiliate - 2.5 - Often these cards miss either instants and sorceries or creatures and this one hits them all. I am far more likely to run this than the typical discard effect. It also gives a nice synergy bonus for its school's counters subtheme.
	Inkling Summoning - 3 - The cycle of Lessons that create creatures are all worth picking up when the deck has a few Learn spells. Getting a creature from a free card is great value.
	Killian, Ink Duelist - 3.5 - The keywords on this creature are great. Black / White is also filled with removal and spells that add counters. This Duelist has clearly come from the Silverquill school and has brought their lessons to the battlefield.
	Owlin Shieldmage - 2 - 3/3 flier for 5 mana isn't very exciting. Ward that isn't a mana cost is also kind of a dud. I am sure I will play this, but I will never be happy about it.
	Rise of Extus - 3.5 - Removal that replaces itself with a Lesson is great. It is a bit expensive, so look for a good mix of cheaper removal. Worth running in moderation.
	Shadewing Laureate - 3.5 - Another 2/2 flier for 3-mana. Fine on its own and has a ton of synergy with the school it comes from. Silverquill cards either make fliers or synergize with counters, so the upside on this card seems rather strong.
	Shadrix Silverquill - 4.5 - This will be the hardest Elder Dragon to play. It is very strong but deciding what modes to use and when to just not use any will take a bit of a skill check. It's a huge dragon that will win games. Play it.
	Silverquill Apprentice - 2 - Most decks will use this as a "bear" with a little upside. The higher the spell count the better this will get. Don't play bad spells to make this better. Play good spells and let this be bad!
	Silverquill Command - 4 - This is one of the more consistent Commands. All four modes have value and that makes this one of the most flexible commands as well. I like this one quite a bit.
	Silverquill Pledgemage - 2.5 - Three-mana 3/1s are always around, but this one has a lot more upside than most. It won't be able to attack every turn, but each time you cast a spell it will get in for a decent attack. It is also easy to cast, so there is nothing not to like.
	Silverquill Silencer - 2.5 - This is likely a vanilla 3/2 for 2 mana. This is a great rate even though it has little mid to late game impact. Seems like a Constructed card, but has a home with more aggressive decks in Limited.
	Spiteful Squad - 2.5 - 4 mana for a 2/2 with deathtouch is not where I want to be most of the time. It does leave some lasting value on the board, but my concern is that there won't always be something else on the board. With any counter payoffs I am more likely to take the risk.
	Vanishing Verse - 3.5 - This feels a bit worse than cards like Doom Blade. This will hit a lot fewer of the cards worth hitting. Each school has almost as many cards as an entire color, and they are the most powerful spells. It is still a good spell despite its limitations.

Witherbloom

	Beledros Witherbloom - 4.5 - Another powerful Elder Dragon. I rated it a bit lower just because it doesn't impact the board heavily the turn it comes in like the Lorehold Elder does, but realistically it's still insane.
	Blood Researcher - 3 - The average Witherbloom deck will have a few triggers to make sure that this becomes a 3/3 or 4/4, but with cards like Overgrown Arch and Witherbloom Pledgemage it might just end the game - These are mostly just commons...
	Cram Session - 1.5 - This spell just doesn't pull its own weight to make it worth playing. With some powerful Magecraft AND good Lessons I might consider it, but I won't be happy about it.
	Culling Ritual - 2 - This is mostly a sideboard card, but there are enough tokens in the format that I might play it if there is room in the deck.
	Daemogoth Titan - 1 / 3.5 - Without a lot of creatures and token generation I have no interest in this card, and most decks simply won't have enough to make this consistent. It will be fun in the right deck though.
	Daemogoth Woe-Eater - 2 / 4 - This is not great in low creature count decks. It does provide some card advantage when sacrificed, so there is little downside to playing this. In a deck with some Pest generation this turns into a massive beater. Worth playing either way.
	Deadly Brew - 3.5 - This is a nice 1 for 0. I love that two-mana can cause such a drastic power swing on the board. I would play more than one of these.
	Dina, Soul Steeper - 2 / 3.5 - Hurray for our uncommon Witherbloom payoff! Dina is truly a scary card with so much Lifegain synergy in the format. Her second ability is less exciting but will be useful.
	Harness Infinity - 2.5 - I know I might be the only one, but I think this is worth playing. Casting it at instant speed means you get to untap with so much value and won't need to discard down to seven. It seems like too much value to pass up on.
	Infuse with Vitality - 2.5 - If the deck has a lot of smaller creatures this can put in some work. Sadly, it doesn't work with the Pest tokens in Witherbloom but it works great with cards like Eyetwitch.
	Moldering Karok - 3 - Both keywords on Moldering Karok make it a real threat. Witherbloom loves to gain life and Green likes to pump their creatures. This is a solid card all around.
	Mortality Spear - 4 - This would be a 4 even without the extra cost reduction clause. 4 mana to destroy permanents (and not just creatures) at instant speed is great. This is worth playing and even splashing when possible.
	Pest Summoning - 3 - With some Pest synergy this is actually playable in the starting 40 if there were no Learn spells in the deck. 3 mana for two bodies that help other cards is good value.
	Rushed Rebirth - 2 - Playable with a lot of 6- AND 5-drops. Not something I am really willing to play unless I am desperate.
	Tend the Pests - 2.5 - First...How creepy does this guy look? Seriously he gives me nightmares! This card plays a lot like Village Rites. It is playable, but I am not a huge fan of killing my own large creatures. If an opponent has a decent amount of removal I am more likely to bring this in.
	Witherbloom Apprentice - 3.5 - This is a 2/2 with some reach. With Learn spells getting another sorcery means this will trigger often enough to make an opponent nervous. I would love to pair this with Dina, Soul Steeper - each trigger is a 3 point swing for free!
	Witherbloom Command - 2.5 - I think this is the worst of the commands. The -3/-1 isn't bad, but it is sorcery speed, so it isn't good either. It will still be played but it's not exciting.
	Witherbloom Pledgemage - 3 - Five-mana 5/5s are always fine in Limited. This one is a bit better because it helps that so many other Witherbloom cards want Lifegain. This will likely perform better than people think it will.

Modal

	Wandering Archaic - 4 - Even though this is a modal card I am rating it purely for its front side. The back side is unplayable in Limited. The creature is a decent size body with a good ability that can be played in any deck.
	Augmenter Pugilist - 4 - I love both sides of this card. The Green side is likely to see more play because it is a strong early play that gets better late in the game. The Blue side requires a bit more synergy to be strong, but with a few Fractal tokens on board this card can be an absolute homerun.
	Blex, Vexing Pest - 3.5 - Blex is a nice pest lord for Limited, but without a decent amount of them it is just an average creature. The Black back side of the card offers a lot of card advantage. In a school built around gaining life it shouldn't be difficult to use some of it to draw extra cards. I love the flexibility.
	Extus, Oriq Overlord - 5 - Casting either side of this card is going to win games. The Magecraft on Extus will quickly snowball into insane amounts of value. It is interesting that the back side of this is the only card not built around one of the schools, but it shouldn't be hard to splash with two dual land cycles.
	Flamescroll Celebrant - 3 - This modal card is really just one sided. The back side has little use in Limited. The creature, however, is great in any aggressive deck. It has a good mana sink with an ability that might provide a bit more reach once an opponent has stabilized.
	Jadzi, Oracle of Arcavios - 4 - Normally 8 mana would be a big turn off, and it still might be in some decks, but with the amount of ramp and payoffs for getting to 8 mana in both Quandrix and Prismari I can see this being playable. If left on board for any length of time this can be a big game breaker. Without the big ramp synergy I would rate this card much lower.
	Kianne, Dean of Substance - 4 - Kianne helps hit land drops which has a lot of synergy with the Quandrix school while also creating several bodies that have their own synergies that can be found throughout the school. The Imbraham side is a great threat on its own and helps pull ahead in games with massive card advantage.
	Mila, Crafty Companion - 4.5 - Both sides of this card are great. Mila will provide card advantage and protect some of the deck's larger threats by eating the 1st removal spell. The Lukka side of this is not as strong as some Planeswalkers on their 1st turn, but that ultimate seems nuts and he only needs to live 2 turns to get there.
	Pestilent Cauldron - 3 - Restorative Burst gives card advantage in games where you cannot afford to play the artifact side of this spell. When possible, I would rather play the Cauldron. It tosses extra lands to make bodies, it can mill an opponent for the long game, and draws extra cards when needed. It literally does everything I want Witherboom to do.
	Plargg, Dean of Chaos - 4 - Playing either side of this card is good. The Red side is better with fewer creatures on board or when behind in a game, and the White side will be best when ahead on board and trying to press the advantage. Even if only in one of the colors I would play this.
	Rowan, Scholar of Sparks - 4 - This is a Planeswalker that has a lot of flexibility in both mana cost and abilities. In general, the Blue side is stronger, but in the right deck Rowan will take down games quickly. Both are great even when only in one color.
	Selfless Glyphweaver - 3.5 - 8 mana is a bit expensive for a board wipe, but getting to keep a creature makes it worth it. If drawn early, the Selfless Glyphweaver can make combat and removal spells difficult for an opponent, and if drawn late, it can be a devastating game changer.
	Shaile, Dean of Radiance - 4.5 - Both sides of this modal card are great. The White side is great in a more aggressive deck and the Black side in its more controlling counterpart. I would play this in either White or Black and be excited about it.
	Torrent Sculptor - 3 - This is really only playable in a Prismari deck. Both sides are good with big spells but not overly exciting. I would avoid playing this without 3+ large spells.
	Uvilda, Dean of Perfection - 4.5 - The back side of this card is amazing! It offers long term card advantage, while also becoming a huge threat over time. The front side is really bad and it is unlikely to see any play in decks other than Prismari, and even then the Red side is just better.
	Valentin, Dean of the Vein - 4 - If played early the Valentin side can make life very difficult for an opponent. Do they kill the thing making the Pests or the pest payoff cards? Maybe you just have more pest generators! I like this side with removal heavy decks. The Lisette side is a great size creature for the mana cost and creates a huge board with a few life gain cards. The stronger side will depend on the deck.

We made it! Goodness that was a lot to take in. I truly like what I am seeing with these school themes. I love the flavor the set has, and I cannot wait to play the set to see how these cards actually perform. Comment below and let me know what you think will be the strongest school!

These articles are used for the draft ratings on Untapped.gg, and because of this we will be updating them periodically with new information and insight. Comments and discussions help me improve the articles and provide the best information for both other readers and Untapped.gg. So please feel free to comment below and give me your thoughts.

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