Quandrix, the ProofQuandrix, the Proof | Art by Lucas Graciano

We're headed back to school! Ordinarily, that would be a drag. But, when school's got Dragons, spells, and even a Spectacular SkywhaleSpectacular Skywhale, it's much more appealing.

As part of our return to Strixhaven's campus, we've got a brand new cycle of Elder Dragons. All five of these big creatures grant our instants and sorceries some powerful keywords, providing us with a payoff after spending a ton of mana to get them onto the field.

In our case, we're focusing on Quandrix, the ProofQuandrix, the Proof, the Simic () commander from the cycle. This version is much more powerful than Tanazir QuandrixTanazir Quandrix from our last trip to the magical school, so I'm super excited to see what she can do at the helm of a Commander deck!

What Does Quandrix, the Proof Do?

For , we get a flying, trampling 6/6 with cascade. That lets us immediately derive some value from our commander, even if the spell gets countered on the stack. Once she's on the battlefield, Quandrix provides cascade to each instant and sorcery spell that we cast from our hand.

I'm reminded of Imoti, Celebrant of BountyImoti, Celebrant of Bounty. That's another Simic commander that gives our stuff cascade, but Imoti forces us to cast huge spells to get any benefit from her abilities. Quandrix triggers on any instant or sorcery we cast from our hand, letting us cascade more often!

Our 99 is built to maximize the value that Quandrix provides. We'll focus on ramping up to our commander in the early game, manipulating the top of our library to ensure that we always cascade into the right spells, and making use of some splashy cards to close the game out in style.

Key Cards for Quandrix, the ProofQuandrix, the Proof

Top-Deck Manipulation

To make sure that we get the spells we need when we need them, we've got a few ways to manipulate the top of our deck. It's disappointing to cascade into a simple ramp spell like Nature's LoreNature's Lore when we've already got enough lands, or into a counterspell when there's nothing else on the stack. Cards from this group help us avoid that painful possibility.

One of my favorites is Palantír of OrthancPalantír of Orthanc, which can take a big chunk out of opposing life totals if we mill over something like Apex AltisaurApex Altisaur. The Palantír is a consistent way to keep the top of our deck clean, draw a few cards, and it can hit the battlefield way before our commander does.

Then, there's a collection of other cards that let us change the top card of our library. From BrainstormBrainstorm to PortentPortent to BrainsurgeBrainsurge, there's lots of ways to put exactly the card we want in prime position for cascading.

We've even got a few lands, like Crystal GrottoCrystal Grotto and RivendellRivendell, to provide extra card selection in a pinch. Some top-deck tutors like Personal TutorPersonal Tutor and Mystical TutorMystical Tutor round out this cadre, while also taking up one of our Game Changer slots.

Discounted Spells for Bigger Cascades

We're happy to cast any spell from our hand to trigger Quandrix's cascade ability, but there's some spells that have high mana values and can be cast for less. The "cheaper-than-mv" tag on Scryfall was super helpful in building out this section of the 99. Free spells like Force of WillForce of Will and MisdirectionMisdirection are great examples, letting us cascade for five while being cast for (basically) free.

This is where two of our Game Changers slot in!

We can cascade for five by spending just on This Town Ain't Big EnoughThis Town Ain't Big Enough, cascade for five with either Dig Through TimeDig Through Time or Treasure CruiseTreasure Cruise, or even cascade for seven while grabbing an opponent's spell with CommandeerCommandeer.

Any one of these cards can really turn the game around for us, providing us their own effect and grabbing another card from our library for free.

Synergy Pieces

Finally, we get to the synergy pieces. One of the best cards in this deck is Whirlwing StormbroodWhirlwing Stormbrood, which lets us cast our commander and all 25 of the sorceries that we've got in our deck at instant speed. This Dragon lets us hold up mana for interaction while also being able to ramp or draw cards if that interaction isn't necessary! It's even got its own spell built in, if we need a cascade trigger in a pinch.

Archmage of RunesArchmage of Runes also provides us with some valuable card advantage and cost reduction, letting us keep throwing out spells from our hand at a rapid pace. We shouldn't have a problem reaching its casting cost, either.

Last but certainly not least, there's Quandrix ApprenticeQuandrix Apprentice. This Human Wizard is one of my favorite creatures in all of Commander. It can hit the board early and keep our hand full of lands throughout the game. It's important that we continue gaining access to more mana after we cast our commander, so we can cast multiple three- and four-mana spells each turn. This two-drop creature ensures that we're able to do so.

It's only in 0.51% of eligible decks on EDHREC's database, and I'd love to see that number go up!

How Does This Quandrix, the ProofQuandrix, the Proof Commander Deck Win?

While most of our 99 is focused on generating value with our commander's cascade triggers, we do have a few specific win conditions.

First up, there's The Legend of KurukThe Legend of Kuruk. This Saga starts off by providing us with a bit of top-deck maniuplation and card advantage, but turns into a Spirit token factory that also lets us take an extra turn at an opportune moment. The tokens created by Avatar Kuruk may only be 1/1s, but they're extremely evasive and can serve as a neat game-ending clock.

The extra turn that this transformed creature provides can also provide us with the window we need to win the game, provided that we didn't spend all of our mana to activate the ability in the first place.

Then there's Deekah, Fractal TheoristDeekah, Fractal Theorist. She lets us create huge creature tokens, and can make those tokens unblockable for . The Fractals that she creates have a power and toughness that's dependent on the mana value of the spell we cast, not the amount of mana we spent to cast it. That means that the spells that we cascade into will make us some big tokens too!

Finally, failing all of that, there's Craterhoof BehemothCraterhoof Behemoth and Clone LegionClone Legion. We don't run a ton of creatures in our 99 - just 20 - so these big spells should provide us with the power and toughness we'll need to crash through for victory in combat. Clone Legion has the added benefit of cascading into another spell, letting us pull off some truly crazy turns.

Quandrix, the Proof Commander Deck List

Conclusion

Each of the five new Elder Dragons is super interesting. They allow us to do something really strong with our instants and sorceries, while still feeling tied to their college's identity. I am happy to see Wizards bring storm back in a relatively controlled way, and I'm also thrilled to see the return of casualty. I think that casualty, in particular, has been in need of some love.

It's great to see this New Capenna mechanic tied to Secrets of Strixhaven's most iconic creatures.

Regardless of my affinity (no pun intended) for decks, I'm particularly intrigued by Lorehold, the HistorianLorehold, the Historian. This flying beater reduces the cost of our spells under specific conditions while helping us meet those conditions, providing a unique sort of value engine.

Which of these five Dragons is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below, and I'll be back next week with more Strixhaven commentary!