We are watching closely Magic: The Gathering Secrets of Strixhaven Elder Dragon cycles to see which of the cards are the best, and which aren't really worth including in your Standard, Limited, or Commander deck.
There are five Elder Dragons in the main set. Each dragon founded one of the Strixhaven Colleges that bears its name. As a result, each of the legendary creatures has the same mana identity as their college. Which of these terrifying creatures is at the top of the pile? Check out our rankings below.
This ranking is for the Secrets of Strixhaven Elder Dragons main set. There are only four Elder Dragons in Commander due to Lorehold being launched in Dragonstorm: Tarkir Commander last year.
5
Lorehold, the Historian
Speed isn't everything
We pick Lorehold the Historian as the worst of the Elder Dragons in Secrets of Strixhaven, although it should be noted that none of these legendary creatures are bad, so Lorehold's position on this list is a case of nitpicking against the other dragons.
The main reason Lorehold falls to the bottom is the fact that it gives every instant and sorcery card in your hand “Miracle 2”. This means you can cast an instant or sorcery card for two mana when you draw it, provided it's the first card you drew that turn.
It's arguably the weakest of the abilities among the dragons, meaning the only other real uniqueness it has is haste, which, as a 5/5 flying creature, is very useful, but wouldn't necessarily make an opponent change their entire game plan to deal with.
Finally, Lorehold the Historian also lets you discard a card at the end of each opponent's turn, and if you do, you can draw a card. This triggers “Miracle 2” again, increasing the utility of the ability, but unless you top immediately, you'll only be cycling briefly during your opponent's turn in hopes of having a stacked hand when your next turn begins.
Magic: The Gathering – All Secrets Of Strixhaven Commander Decks, Ranked
We take a closer look at all the Strixhaven Commander decks from Commander 2021 and Secrets of Strixhaven to determine which one is the best in the class.
4
Silverquill, The Disputant
A slight mismatch
Silverquill, the Disputant, is next, and that's largely a result of the card feeling like it doesn't quite fit into the archetype, even though it's still a decent card in play.
One key aspect that works in its favor is that it only costs four mana, and it's a 4/4 legendary creature with flying and vigilance, but it gives all instants and sorcery cards in hand “Casualty 1”, allowing you to sacrifice a creature as an extra cost when you cast a spell to copy it with new targets. This sacrificial element feels more at home in Witherbloom; alas, it has landed on Silverquill, the disputant.
Given the strength we've seen from Silverquill in general, across the main set and the Silverquill Influence Commander deck, it's only a little surprising to see this Elder Dragon fall short of expectations from the other cards.
3
Quandrix, the proof
Free spells from your library
The remaining Elder Dragons are virtually inseparable, but we come with Quandrix, the Proof, in third place. Again, this is for similar reasons to Lorehold as its main ability is simply not as strong as some of its counterparts, although it is much better suited to the archetype if you're lucky.
Quandrix is a six-mana 6/6 flying legendary with trample, a staple of Quandrix/Simic archetypes. It also has Cascade, and its main ability Cascades any instant or sorcery card in your hand as well. Cascade means that when you cast a spell, you exile cards from the top of your library until you reveal an instant or sorcery that costs less than the spell that triggered the Cascade, you can then cast that spell for free and return all other exile cards to the bottom of your library in random order.
While Cascade can lead to some interesting combos from the top of your deck, it's largely down to luck of the draw, and given the requirement that the spell cost less than the spell that triggered Cascade, you can lose some valuable spells to the bottom of your deck. It is this lack of control that causes Quandrix to fall to fourth place.
2
Witherbloom, The Balancer
A revolutionary bomb
In second place comes Witherbloom, the Balancer. We've already noted that Silverquill has an ability that seems well-suited to Witherbloom, but that doesn't mean Witherbloom also suffers as a result. Instead, Witherbloom thrives.
This eight-mana behemoth is a 5/5 legendary with flying and deathtouch, but it has creature Affinity, meaning it costs one less mana for each creature you have on the battlefield. Affinity only lowers the cost of colorless mana, meaning that if you have eight creatures on the battlefield, Witherbloom will still cost one black and one green mana. Still, you'll have eliminated the additional six mana required to cast it.
Like the other dragons, Witherbloom also applies creature Affinity to all instants and spells, which follow the same rules by only reducing the colorless mana cost of the spell. This will allow the Witherbloom decks to start filling the battlefield with pests and generally start casting spells at a much lower cost.
1
Prismari, The Inspiration
To throw up a storm
Prismari, Inspiration leads the way for the elder dragons, and it all boils down to one word: Storm. This seven-mana 7/7 legendary has flying and a five-mana ward. However, it doesn't even come close to being its most impactful aspect, as it also gives Storm all the instants and spells you cast.
Storm effectively lets you cast each spell twice and choose new copies for the second trigger. For example, if you cast a copy of Lightning Bolt while Prismari is on the battlefield, you automatically cast a second copy, and you can choose different targets for each copy of the spell.
If there's one ability you don't want a Prismari deck to have access to, it's Storm, and thanks to the five-mana ward, you have to hope you can board and wipe this Elder Dragon into the graveyard, or force a sacrifice, because otherwise it's going to be hard to get rid of.
Despite its high initial casting cost, there are many ways Prismari decks can reach this casting cost and still have mana to spare, which is why it takes pride of place at the top of our rankings.
Magic: The Gathering – The Five Colleges of Strixhaven, Explained
With a return to this magical school in Secrets of Strixhaven, it's time for a refresher on the five magical colleges and what they stand for.
