Magic: The Gathering is leaving New York City behind (again), as it moves from Turtles to wizarding schools (no, not that one) with its return to Strixhaven.
The new set is packed with fresh cards and five Commander precons, but it also includes a bunch of fresh mechanics. Here’s our rundown of each one, including each College’s own trademark keyword.
Prepare
Prepare is the big new mechanic in this set, because it essentially gives players access to powerful cards like Ancestral Recall or Swords to Plowshares by tying them to a creature.
Once a creature is ‘prepared’ (which requires a variety of conditions to be met), you’ll be able to fire off an instant or sorcery that’s tied to one of these creature cards, like Emeritus of Ideation being able to use Ancestral Recall, or Stensian Sanguinist having the option to use Exsanguinate.
College Keywords
Repartee (Silverquill) – Repartee triggers additional effects when you play instants or sorceries, like Conciliator’s Duelist being able to exile a creature.
Opus (Prismari) – Cards like Colorstorm Stallion with the Opus keyword will gain +1/+1 counters until end of turn when instant and sorcery cards are played, with additional effects for larger spells.
