#strixhaven mystical archive

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Abundant Harvest

Artist: Barbara Rosiak TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Urza's Rage by Dominik Mayer

[mtg-flavor]

Tedin, Mark. Swords to Plowshares. 2021, Strixhaven: School of Mages - Mystical Archive

“The blademaster turned his fury to his new foes: root rot and cabbage slugs.” —Myths and Miracles, Vol. VII

[markrosewater]

Hi Mark, I've been loving the Strixhaven flashback draft on Magic Arena and have done a ton of drafts the last two weeks. The plane, flavor, art design, learn/lesson design, and mystical archive were phenomenal. One complaint I've seen is specifically balancing between the schools, where Lorehold is left noticeably in the dust. I've read some rumors that part of this is the 3/2 spirit-sub theme that seems out of place, like it was nerfed late in production. Is there any truth behind these?

The fundamental problem is Lorehold is playing in space that's not organically where white/red plays. Yes, this is cool because it feels different, but it also means there are less tools available to help make sure the archetype plays as well as it can.

[gcu-sovereign]

Fridge logic-y prediction for MtG

There will be a bonus sheet slot in MtG’s upcoming set March of the Machines.

The bonus slot will contain creatures from throughout the multiverse that join the fray against the Phyrexians, as we have seen in box art (featuring Yahenni, who is Definitely Not a Planeswalker).  We’ve seen the brown artifact slot in Brothers War, the Mystical Archive of instants and sorceries in Strixhaven, and I think creatures could be that Limited Special Addition in MoM.  It’s also creative venue for reprints and special treatments ahead of/out of masters sets.  Lots of the Trick in Brothers’ War Limited was at first saying ‘wow these splashy rares are useless here’ and finding out the nuances to the contrary.

I’m also expecting that every pack will be collated to contain one of these mysterious Battle typed cards

@fierceawakening any contributions?

[niuttuc]

MtG Topic: Strixhaven

I'm honestly more interested in Arcavios than I am in Strixhaven. Strixhaven felt... Shallow? Most of the colleges felt more like caricatures and parodies of the fields portrayed rather than reference or homage. They're all important fields of study. And the magic felt too streamlined and one-note within each college for a school with access to all the spells in the Multiverse.

Which is another pain point, I don't like that aspect of the Biblioplex, that kind of statement always feels to me like something that sounds cool but nobody thought of the ramifications of it when worldbuilding, they just went with it.

While we were given some elements about the world outside of Strixhaven... Not enough, in my opinion, to make it feel like a living world. It's just a background poster for the school, which doesn't really add up. As powerful a magic they wield, most people aren't college students. There must be a point to that education, surely?

Then the student stories varied greatly in what they wanted to do. A few focused on the students' struggle, and those were enjoyable. But it strains by suspension of disbelief to have plots like Quintorius's or Zimone's be passed off as "normal student things" when one essentially rediscovers an entire people's Jerusalem/Mecca equivalent and that's barely brought up again or pondered as important outside the one side story. Similarly for Zimone's theorem. Those aren't students' stories.

To build up on this: why are the students the ones to do everything? Why didn't anyone else think of using the Founders' invocation before the Phyrexian Invasion completely overran all the professors? Why is that staff of the "best mages of the multiverse" impotent and reliant on their students whenever something bad happens? I know it's classic tropes of the genre, but there still needs to be a justification for them if the story wants to be taken seriously!

And of course there's the whole "it seems entirely built up on school and college tropes from the US" that makes it fail to resonate any more with me. It just seems fake and foreign.

D for the setting, try harder next time.

As far as the set itself, mystical archives were a good introduction of these bonus sheets we've been getting. Learn/Lesson was interesting, though it not working in commander was a bit awkward. MDFCs in this set had entirely too much text. Yes, that includes the deans, but not only them. DFCs's purpose isn't, and should never be, solely to be able to cram twice as much text onto cards. Magecraft was alright as a glue. The set had elder dragons and I always forget they exist because they aren't notable enough designs in a world of 50 legends a set and a dragon cycle every other set for me to consider them elder dragons.

C+ for the set design. Could be better, but an alright set.

[leafdrake-haven]

You know with the Mythic Archive from Strixhaven and now (what I’m calling) the Artificer’s Workbook from the Brothers War. I personally feel that Floramore would be a great set for a Enchanters Encyclopedia!

Artificer’s Workbook is a super clever name for the Brother’s War extra artifacts! I’ll have to remember that :D

Oooo Enchanter’s Encyclopedia would be perfect for Floramore! That’s a fun world-building question on its own, what kind of “mystical archive” would your fan plane have? XD

I’m not sure yet would Perenia would have 🤔

[cardboard-crack]

[commandtower]

Demonic Tutor ~ Strixhaven Japanese Mystical Archive ver. Art by 墨絵師「御歌頭」/ Sumie Okazu

[island-delver-go]

I don't much straight up MtG content these days but I just got these back in from Japan and I am pumped

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Putrefy

"From monarch to mulch as quick as could be." —*The Dethroner's Grimoire*

Artist: Minttu Hynninen TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Ephemerate (Mystical Archive Ver) by Rovina Cai

[the-frizzle-fry]

I’m really diggin a lot of these Japanese alternative arts from the new special cards series. Might have to collect them. There’s a few that remind me of bad anime and I laugh. I really like the ones that look like traditional art or tattoos.

https://mtg-jp.com/strixhaven/?fbclid=IwAR2MrZjnD9-dgmJFpyyjbA9Cj4kYw8uQ4qiN375zii43w_IWq7wbQBCTvJs

That site has all the Mystical Archive arts.

[markrosewater]

I played a lot of BRO limitted... Still hate MA type slots. I like balance in my environments and for luck/variance to be minimal as it can be it Magic. I get it, the MA slots are to appeal to other types of players, but is there a way to get reprint cards into packs that don't warp limited like the MA slots in BRO and Strixhaven have?

How do others feel about bonus sheets impact on limited? (Things like Mystic Archive and the Retro Artifacts.)

[wiinryrockbell]

I never thought I’d be watching mtg set livestreams but here we are. it’s not even my job to watch these

[violetsystems]

random drop today from a strixhaven collector booster

https://scryfall.com/card/sta/119/ja/regrowth