Ranking Secrets of Strixhaven's Elder Dragons, Including One Infinite Combo

Secrets of Strixhaven is Magic’s adjacent set, and it’s backmost to a beloved Plane from Magic’s past.

While the legendary wizarding schoolhouse (no, not that one) is opening its doors again, it’s besides introducing caller Elder Dragon cards that correspond each of Strixhaven’s founders. To clarify, these characters person appeared successful the anterior Strixhaven decks, but this clip astir they’re getting caller looks and caller paper designs.

With the caveat that we’ve not gone hands-on with them yet oregon discovered immoderate comically overpowered combos (except for one), here’s our ranking.

Which Elder Dragon Is Best?

One paper has to beryllium astatine the bottommost of the list, and for me, it’s Lorehold, the Historian (despite it having immoderate astonishing artwork).

This Boros (Red/White) 5/5 has Flying and Haste, and gives Instant and Sorcery cards successful your manus Miracle 2 truthful you tin formed them for little erstwhile drafting them. You bash get the enactment to discard a paper and gully to manipulate your platform somewhat, but the payoff volition beryllium connected however galore Instants you tin propulsion from connected opponents’ turns.

The Orzhov Elder Dragon, Silverquill, the Disputant, is simply a 4/4 with Flying and Vigilance - ever a invited combo. It besides has the Casualty keyword, meaning you tin sacrifice creatures with powerfulness 1 oregon greater to treble up an Instant oregon Sorcery.

Put it successful a token deck, and it’ll alert (pun intended), and I deliberation there’s scope to sneak it into an Aristocrats-style platform to get immoderate aerial firepower, but wide I deliberation it deserves 4th spot here.

Quandrix, the Proof, is simply a 6/6 with Flying and Trample that, connected different day, could gaffe into 2nd connected our list. For now, it’s a Simic (Green/Blue) powerhouse that dishes retired Cascade to your Instant and Sorcery spells, portion besides having Cascade itself.

Sadly, the Instant and Sorceries for Cascade request to beryllium played from your hand, different you could Cascade Quandrix close into an Instant oregon Sorcery and truthful on.

Prismari, the Inspiration, takes 2nd spot successful our list. This 7/7 Flying carnal has a Ward outgo of 5 life, which should deter foes from targeting it successful the precocious game, and gives Instant and Sorcery spells the Storm keyword.

That means you tin treble up spells, and fixed Prismari is successful Izzet (Red and Blue), there’s an atrocious batch of inexpensive spells to usage to tee up bigger ones. The sheer size of it arsenic a 7/7 makes it the biggest Elder Dragon connected this list, too.

Top of the heap is Witherbloom, the Balancer. This Elder Dragon is simply a Golgari (Green/Black) 5/5 with Flying and Deathtouch, which is beauteous large connected its own, but it’s the ‘Affinity for Creatures’ keyword that puts it successful a league of its own.

Because it reduces the colorless mana outgo of Instant and Sorcery spells, you tin usage it to make an infinite fig of Saproling carnal tokens with Sprout Swarm. Play Sprout Swarm, wage its Buyback outgo (three mana, which tin beryllium reduced to zero with the Affinity quality of Witherbloom), make a 1/1 greenish Saproling, rinse and repeat.

Will the different Elder Dragons spot akin combos popular up? We’ll hold and see, but for now, Witherbloom, the Balancer is the apex predator of this quintet.

For much connected Commander, beryllium definite to cheque retired immoderate of the astir almighty precon decks successful the format truthful far, arsenic good arsenic a look astatine immoderate presently connected sale.

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer successful tech, gaming and fittingness seen astatine Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and galore more. He's a large instrumentality of Magic: The Gathering and different collectible paper games, overmuch to his wife's dismay.