<p><em>Lorehold Spirit</em> is a new Commander preconstructed deck releasing with the set <em>Secrets of Strixhaven</em>. What's in the deck, who are the commanders, and is it a worthwhile buy?</p>
<p>Let's find out.</p>


https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/SOSLoreholdprecon.png

<p>The <i>Secrets of Strixhaven</i> Commander decks contains the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>1 Ready-to-play 100-card Commander deck</li>
<li>1 Traditional foil face commander with borderless art</li>
<li>1 Traditional foil featured commander with borderless art</li>
<li>98 Non-foil cards, including 10 new-to-Magic cards</li>
<li>10 Double-sided tokens</li>
<li>1 Reference card</li>
<li>1 Deck box</li>
</ul>


<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quintorius, History Chaser" href="#" target="_blank">Quintorius, History Chaser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quintorius, History Chaser"></div></div>
<p>With <em>Lorehold Spirit, </em>we get the only commander in the set that's also a planeswalker in Quintorius, History Chaser. The elephant man's still all about unearthing antiquities of yore, with a static ability that provides a 3/2 red and white Spirit token whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard.</p>
<p>With such an open-ended condition, there's a lot of room for creativity when it comes to exactly how you'll get a card or cards out of the 'yard. But as you'll see, <em>Lorehold Spirit </em>tends to focus on just one such way: reanimation. We'll get to that in a bit.</p>
<p>Quintorius comes into play with five loyalty counters, which is a pretty good rate for a four-mana planeswalker, especially one who sees both abilities priced reasonably enough to fire off either right away.</p>
<p>For +1, Quint puts two cards into the graveyard for you to later retrieve, via discard and mill. You also get to replace that one discard with two cards drawn.</p>
<p>And if you've already got an army of Spirits at your beck and call, Quint supercharges them for -4, providing double strike and vigilance to your spectral squad.</p>
<p>Being able to use either ability the turn Quint hits the battlefield is excellent, as there's no effort needed to build up to an ultimate ability. But really, a deck led by Quintorius, History Chaser is one that's focused most on the static ability.</p>


<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Excava, the Risen Past" href="#" target="_blank">Excava, the Risen Past</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Excava, the Risen Past"></div></div>
<p>Joining Quintorius is Excava, the Risen Past, a four-mana 3/3 Spirit Horse with flying and haste. Yes, it has flying, despite not having wings. Expect that detail to be forgotten frequently.</p>
<p>Excava's similar to Quintorius, but in a way mirrored to be complementary. Where Quint wants to see cards leave the graveyard to make Spirit tokens, Excava does the excavations - hence the name - by returning an artifact, creature, or non-Aura enchantment with a mana value three or less to the battlefield every time it attacks.</p>
<p>The exhumed card, regardless of its type, becomes a 1/1 Spirit creature with flying, and gets a finality counter. That finality counter is a detail that some may see as a hindrance to Excava's power level, as you won't be able to forever loop resurrectable spells from the graveyard, but that's probably a good thing.</p>
<p>Regardless, Excava's a good addition to <em>Lorehold Spirit, </em>but like most alternate commanders, a deck built specifically for it will see it do wonders.</p>


<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Augusta, Order Returned" href="#" target="_blank">Augusta, Order Returned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Augusta, Order Returned"></div></div>
<p>The first new card in <em>Lorehold Spirit </em>is another legendary creature: Augusta, Order Returned. For three mana you're getting a 1/3 Spirit Advisor with flying and vigilance that vacuums up one card from each player's graveyard per attack. Each player chooses their own target for Augusta to eat.</p>
<p>For each of those cards that are nonlands, you'll bestow a +1/+1 counter on target attacking creature. So, for an average game of Commander, Augusta will boost an attacking creature (including Augusta itself, possibly) with up to four +1/+1 counters possible. Likely, it'll be less than that, should an opponent choose a land to exile, or they simply don't have any cards in their 'yard to pitch.</p>
<p>It's still a fine rate, albeit a bit underwhelming if Augusta doesn't get rolling until the late game. However, as an enabler for Quintorius, that's a guaranteed Spirit token every turn.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lorehold Archivist" href="#" target="_blank">Lorehold Archivist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lorehold Archivist"></div></div>
<p>Our first prepared creature of the <i>Lorehold Spirit </i>deck is Lorehold Archivist, who has a spell called Restore Relic in its pocket. Restore Relic, for four mana, exiles target artifact or creature from your graveyard, then makes a token copy of it.</p>
<p>To become prepared, Lorehold Archivist needs to see on your upkeep at least three artifacts or creatures in your graveyard to restore.</p>
<p>Having a way to reliably get a second copy of any artifact or creature in your deck is very powerful, and even though you're only going to restore that relic once, once should be enough when you're doing it every turn. Any self-respecting self-mill deck will satisfy the conditions of the Archivist's prep easily.</p>
<p>And <em>Lorehold Spirit </em>might just be a self-respecting self-mill deck.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Naktamun Lorespinner" href="#" target="_blank">Naktamun Lorespinner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Naktamun Lorespinner"></div></div>
<p>From one creature with prepare to another, but this one, Naktamun Lorespinner, brings with it a much more famous spell in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wheel of Fortune" href="#" target="_blank">Wheel of Fortune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Wheel's got its supporters and its detractors in Commander, but the one thing everyone can agree on is that it's insanely powerful, so stapling that onto a 3/3 Jackal Wizard should get your attention. It must be really hard to prepare Naktamun Lorespinner, then, right? If it can just cast Wheel?</p>
<p>Well, no. Not at all difficult, really. The only thing that needs to happen is that at the beginning of your upkeep, a player has to have one or fewer cards in hand. That's it.</p>
<p>This'll be a good way to fill the graveyard for Quint-related shenanigans, but look for Naktamun Lorespinner to revive people's hatred of playing against <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nekusar, the Mindrazer" href="#" target="_blank">Nekusar, the Mindrazer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> decks.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Relic Retriever" href="#" target="_blank">Relic Retriever</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Relic Retriever"></div></div>
<p>A 2/1 first strike for two mana, Relic Retriever is a Spirit Monkey that doesn't need a wall of text to make an impact on the game.</p>
<p>At the beginning of each end step, if a card left your graveyard - something that you're doing regularly anyway, if you're playing <em>Lorehold Spirit</em> - then you create a Treasure token. That might be four Treasure tokens per turn cycle, should your 'yard be adequately stocked.</p>
<p>Relic Retriever won't be an auto-include in every red deck like a certain other <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dockside Extortionist" href="#" target="_blank">Treasure-making two-drop</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> used to be, but for decks that can reliably trigger its condition, it's going to be a fine substitute.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spirit of Resilience" href="#" target="_blank">Spirit of Resilience</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spirit of Resilience"></div></div>
<p>Fittingly, Spirit of Resilience is a Spirit Warrior, specifically a 2/2 for three mana.</p>
<p>Like Quintorius, Spirit of Resilience also loves seeing cards leave your graveyard, but instead of making a Spirit token, you're making, well, anything. Kinda.</p>
<p>When Spirit of Resilience sees a card or cards leave your 'yard, it gets a +1/+1 counter on it then becomes a copy of an artifact or creature that just left the graveyard. It's limiting in its ability to morph into something else, but unlike Lorehold Archivist, there's the possibility of using the same card repeatedly. Spirit of Resilience doesn't care <em>how </em>a card is leaving the graveyard, after all.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vanguard of the Restless" href="#" target="_blank">Vanguard of the Restless</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vanguard of the Restless"></div></div>
<p>Another 2/2 for three mana, Vanguard of the Restless is a Spirit Knight with flying that fits right in among a deck centered around the Spirit creature type.</p>
<p>Vanguard serves as an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glorious Anthem" href="#" target="_blank">Anthem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for Spirits, getting one better every time you cast your commander, which is obviously more powerful in a deck that might see you cast your commander three or more times - likely not this one, when Quint will likely only be cast a few times, starting at four mana.</p>
<p>That said, it's got a built-in way to trigger Quint and every other card in <em>Lorehold Spirit </em>that cares about cards leaving the graveyard, which will come in handy.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Advanced Reconstruction" href="#" target="_blank">Advanced Reconstruction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Advanced Reconstruction"></div></div>
<p><i>Lorehold Spirit's </i>class is Advanced Reconstruction, a four-mana enchantment that starts off by providing a small but very powerful bit of card advantage, allowing you at the beginning of your first main phase to first mill a card, then exile a card at random from the graveyard, which can then be played.</p>
<p>That by itself is already good enough for consideration, but when Advanced Reconstruction ramps up to levels two and three, it really gets going. Level 2 adds on an addendum that deals two damage to each opponent whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard, and Level 3 goes even further, giving any spell cast from anywhere other than your hand a generic two-mana discount.</p>
<p>You know what costs two mana and is casting a spell from a place that's not your hand? Airbending.</p>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ceaseless Conflict" href="#" target="_blank">Ceaseless Conflict</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ceaseless Conflict"></div></div>
<p>A new board wipe is always welcome, even one that costs five mana.</p>
<p>Ceaseless Conflict wipes the board and wipes it good, flatly destroying all creatures without conditions. But you're paying that extra one mana over <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Day of Judgment" href="#" target="_blank">Day of Judgment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> because for each nontoken creature of yours destroyed, you get refunded a 3/2 Spirit token.</p>
<p>Board wipes are played because they allow slower decks to restore parity to a game. Board wipes that give you a bunch of creatures after they resolve do not restore parity; they tilt everything in your favor.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fateful Tempest" href="#" target="_blank">Fateful Tempest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fateful Tempest"></div></div>
<p>We get the first new <em>council's dilemma </em>card in three years<em> </em>in Fateful Tempest, a three-mana sorcery.</p>
<p>This time, we're breaking out the ballots to vote "past" or "present." For each "past" vote, you mill a card, then Fateful Tempest nukes each opponent equal to the mana value of all the cards milled. For a "present" vote, you instead exile the top card of your library, and those cards are able to be played until the end of your next turn.</p>
<p>Both voting outcomes benefit you, but like all cards that provide a choice to opponents, whichever option benefits you the least in that moment is the one everyone's going to pick.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Turbulent Steppe" href="#" target="_blank">Turbulent Steppe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Turbulent Steppe"></div></div>
<p>Like all <em>Secrets of Strixhaven </em>Commander decks, <em>Lorehold Spirit </em>gets a Turbulent land in its colors, with Steppe being the red/white entry.</p>
<p>Debates on if the art depicts a land made entirely of cinnamon rolls aside, Turbulent lands are going to be very good in Commander and are worth stocking up on.</p>


<p>The key to <em>Lorehold Spirit </em>is to, well, make Spirits. It's a Spirit typal deck with extra steps, but it's those extra steps that make the deck interesting.</p>
<p>First, if we look at which creatures in the deck are already Spirits on their own, we'll see that there are a lot of them. To be exact, 19. And that's not counting the cards that <em>make </em>Spirits, like our elephant friend Quintorius, History Chaser.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quintorius, Loremaster" href="#" target="_blank">Quintorius, Loremaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quintorius, Field Historian" href="#" target="_blank">Quintorius, Field Historian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hofri Ghostforge" href="#" target="_blank">Hofri Ghostforge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Excava, the Risen Past" href="#" target="_blank">Excava, the Risen Past</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Staff of the Storyteller" href="#" target="_blank">Staff of the Storyteller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ceaseless Conflict" href="#" target="_blank">Ceaseless Conflict</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quintorius, Loremaster"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quintorius, Field Historian"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hofri Ghostforge"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Excava, the Risen Past"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Staff of the Storyteller"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ceaseless Conflict"></div></div>
<p>So that's 19 Spirits, plus six more cards that can create Spirit tokens. That's a pretty solid foundation for a deck built around a specific creature type, as this one is. And among those 25 cards, there are also a number of cards that support a type-specific build, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vanguard of the Restless" href="#" target="_blank">Vanguard of the Restless</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Patchwork Banner" href="#" target="_blank">Patchwork Banner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>What sets <em>Lorehold Spirit </em>apart from your run-of-the-mill Spirit typal deck, however, is its devotion to the strategy encouraged by Quintorius, namely the whole "take stuff out of the graveyard" schtick. That comes in several forms in the deck, with the most powerful being straight-up <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/reanimator/boros" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reanimator</a>-esque.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primary Research" href="#" target="_blank">Primary Research</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Venerable Warsinger" href="#" target="_blank">Venerable Warsinger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle" href="#" target="_blank">Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sun Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Sun Titan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serra Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Serra Paragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karmic Guide" href="#" target="_blank">Karmic Guide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guardian Scalelord" href="#" target="_blank">Guardian Scalelord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angel of Indemnity" href="#" target="_blank">Angel of Indemnity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Primary Research"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Venerable Warsinger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sun Titan"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Serra Paragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karmic Guide"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guardian Scalelord"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angel of Indemnity"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation"></div></div>
<p>That's a whopping nine cards dedicated to reanimation (10 if you count <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emeria, the Sky Ruin" href="#" target="_blank">Emeria, the Sky Ruin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), but you'll notice most of those cards carry conditions on them, namely that the reanimation targets will need to be permanents - and cheap ones, at that. Hence why <em>Lorehold Spirit </em>only has a total of 12 nonpermanent spells, and only 11 permanent spells (out of 50) that cost five or more mana.</p>
<p>The hope is that every time one of those cards is used to pull something out of the graveyard, you'll get a number of favorable triggers, like Quintorius's, to make the good proposition of returning a permanent even better.</p>
<p>While this deck has not one, not two, but <em>three </em>Quints, they all largely do the same thing. But there are a few other cards that care about cards exiting the 'yard that <em>aren't </em>anthropomorphic elephants:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primary Research" href="#" target="_blank">Primary Research</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spirit of Resilience" href="#" target="_blank">Spirit of Resilience</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Laelia, the Blade Reforged" href="#" target="_blank">Laelia, the Blade Reforged</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kirol, History Buff" href="#" target="_blank">Kirol, History Buff</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Primary Research"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spirit of Resilience"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Laelia, the Blade Reforged"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kirol, History Buff"></div></div>
<p>It takes a bit of build-up to really get the machine of in-graveyard-out going, which is where we see card advantage and interaction play a role:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Path to Exile" href="#" target="_blank">Path to Exile</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lorehold Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Lorehold Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tocasia&#039;s Welcome" href="#" target="_blank">Tocasia&#039;s Welcome</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kami of Ancient Law" href="#" target="_blank">Kami of Ancient Law</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skyclave Apparition" href="#" target="_blank">Skyclave Apparition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wave of Reckoning" href="#" target="_blank">Wave of Reckoning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tragic Arrogance" href="#" target="_blank">Tragic Arrogance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seize the Spoils" href="#" target="_blank">Seize the Spoils</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rip Apart" href="#" target="_blank">Rip Apart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faithless Looting" href="#" target="_blank">Faithless Looting</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swords to Plowshares"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lorehold Charm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tocasia&#039;s Welcome"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kami of Ancient Law"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skyclave Apparition"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wave of Reckoning"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tragic Arrogance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seize the Spoils"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rip Apart"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faithless Looting"></div></div>
<p>The one benefit of having a planeswalker as a commander is that creature-specific board wipes can be cast with impunity. We know Quint will just amass another Spirit token team shortly thereafter.</p>
<p>And, as you might expect, all this effort is really just to win via combat damage, a goal sped up considerably by the hoofiest Spirit there is, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moonshaker Cavalry" href="#" target="_blank">Moonshaker Cavalry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Moonshaker Cavalry"></div></div>


<p>As we see from our friends at <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/find-my-combos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Commander Spellbook</a>, there are no inherent combos contained within <em>Lorehold Spirit.</em></p>
<p>We already highlighted one potential combo above, however, with Advanced Reconstruction, and there are plenty of cards in the deck that are known to be part of some nasty combos.</p>
<p>Since we have a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sun Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Sun Titan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> already, it's not that much further of a stretch to add a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiend Hunter" href="#" target="_blank">Fiend Hunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashnod&#039;s Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Ashnod&#039;s Altar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to get infinite colorless mana, death triggers, and more:</p>
<div id="1734-2034-3175" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
<script id="1734-2034-3175" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Sun%20Titan%22%2C%22Fiend%20Hunter%22%2C%22Ashnod's%20Altar%22%5D&requires=%5B%5D&produces=%5B%22Infinite%20colorless%20mana%22%2C%22Infinite%20death%20triggers%22%2C%22Infinite%20ETB%22%2C%22Infinite%20LTB%22%2C%22Infinite%20sacrifice%20triggers%22%5D&id=1734-2034-3175&color=W&extraRequirementCount=0"></script></div>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="." width="0" height="0"></iframe></p>
<p>And speaking of Ashnod's Altar, it turns out that that card can be problematic when it comes to combos. Just pair it with the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karmic Guide" href="#" target="_blank">Karmic Guide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> already in the deck, along with its good buddy <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reveillark" href="#" target="_blank">Reveillark</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to once again go infinite:</p>
<div id="67-2034-4681" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
<script id="67-2034-4681" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Karmic%20Guide%22%2C%22Reveillark%22%2C%22Ashnod's%20Altar%22%5D&requires=%5B%5D&produces=%5B%22Infinite%20colorless%20mana%22%2C%22Infinite%20death%20triggers%22%2C%22Infinite%20ETB%22%2C%22Infinite%20LTB%22%2C%22Infinite%20sacrifice%20triggers%22%2C%22Infinite%20recursion%20of%20creature%20cards%20with%20power%202%20or%20less%22%5D&id=67-2034-4681&color=W&extraRequirementCount=0"></script></div>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="." width="0" height="0"></iframe></p>
<p>It's a classic combo, and appears in <a href="https://edhrec.com/combos/mono-white/67-2034-4681" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than 10,000 decks on EDHREC</a>, so you know it's good.</p>


<p><em>Lorehold Spirit </em>is pretty land-heavy, with 37 of them among the 99 of the deck. It makes sense, since with all the self-mill and graveyard manipulation, we want to avoid the feel-bad scenario of milling the one land we needed.</p>
<p>Most of those 37 lands are here to produce mana, be it one or two colors, but still, there are a few that see inclusions for the little spice they provide:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emeria, the Sky Ruin" href="#" target="_blank">Emeria, the Sky Ruin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mistveil Plains" href="#" target="_blank">Mistveil Plains</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fields of Strife" href="#" target="_blank">Fields of Strife</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emeria, the Sky Ruin"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mistveil Plains"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fields of Strife"></div></div>
<p>Emeria, the Sky Ruin is pretty self-explanatory in a deck like this one, though amassing seven Plains to get it to trigger might be a challenge unless the game goes on for a long time.</p>
<p>Mistveil Plains, though, is a sneaky good inclusion, as the innocuous ability of putting a card in the graveyard onto the bottom of your library is a lot scarier in this deck than it normally would be. And, it's a Plains, for Emeria!</p>
<p>Similar to Mistveil Plains, Fields of Strife is a land that would usually be considered perfectly, maybe even aggressively, average. But in <em>Lorehold Spirit? </em>Surveil becomes much more useful to fill up the graveyard.</p>
<p>As for mana rocks, the standard trio of Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, and Fellwar Stone are here of course, but there are a few much more interesting picks, too:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer&#039;s Map" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer&#039;s Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bitterthorn, Nissa&#039;s Animus" href="#" target="_blank">Bitterthorn, Nissa&#039;s Animus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Patchwork Banner" href="#" target="_blank">Patchwork Banner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Millikin" href="#" target="_blank">Millikin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archaeomancer&#039;s Map"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bitterthorn, Nissa&#039;s Animus"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Patchwork Banner"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Millikin"></div></div>
<p>All four of those cards fit in very well here, even Bitterthorn which at first seems wildly out-of-place. But if we thought it might be tough to hit seven lands for Emeria, Bitterthorn's a way to make it easier.</p>


<p>Like all of the <em>Secrets of Strixhaven </em>Commander decks, <em>Lorehold Spirit </em>retails for $49.99.</p>
<p>At the moment, the deck together, if you were to buy every card individually, would run you around $300, but much of that number is misleading due to the preorder prices for the 12 new cards being inflated.</p>
<p>If we throw those cards out, the remaining deck would be $153. That's still a pretty solid number, and it's helped out by a few very, <em>very </em>good reprints.</p>
<p>Of those reprints, the top five in terms of value are:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wave of Reckoning" href="#" target="_blank">Wave of Reckoning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emeria, the Sky Ruin" href="#" target="_blank">Emeria, the Sky Ruin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bitterthorn, Nissa&#039;s Animus" href="#" target="_blank">Bitterthorn, Nissa&#039;s Animus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Currency Converter" href="#" target="_blank">Currency Converter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drumbellower" href="#" target="_blank">Drumbellower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wave of Reckoning"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emeria, the Sky Ruin"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bitterthorn, Nissa&#039;s Animus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Currency Converter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drumbellower"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


<p>The best preconstructed decks are the ones that take a known-to-be-fun strategy, add an interesting twist to it, and craft a synergistic core around it while sprinkling in a number of sought-after reprints.</p>
<p>That's a lot of boxes to check, but <em>Lorehold Spirit </em>checks them all. For that, the deck gets an A-.</p>


<p>Looking to upgrade your <em>Lorehold Spirit </em>precon? Check out <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/lorehold-spirit-precon-upgrade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our Upgrade Guide here</a>.</p>


Lorehold Spirit - Secrets of Strixhaven Precon Guide

<p><em>Prismari Artistry</em> is a new Commander preconstructed deck releasing with <em>Secrets of Strixhaven</em>. What's in the deck, who are the commanders, and is it a worthwhile buy?</p>
<p>Let's find out.</p>


https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/SOSPrismariheader.png

<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rootha, Mastering the Moment" href="#" target="_blank">Rootha, Mastering the Moment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rootha, Mastering the Moment"></div></div>
<p>Like her fellow preconstructed deck leaders from <em>Secrets of Strixhaven, </em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rootha, Mercurial Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Rootha&#039;s making a return with a glow-up</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Rootha is a 3/4 Orc Sorcerer. At the beginning of combat on your turn, if you’ve cast an instant or sorcery spell this turn, she creates an X/X blue and red Elemental creature token with flying and haste, where X is the greatest mana value among instant and sorcery spells you’ve cast this turn.</p>
<p>This encourages you to save your biggest, flashiest spells for your own turn, as Rootha doesn't trigger on opponents' turns, as well as encourages you to cast these spells in your first main phase so you can attack with the hasty tokens.</p>
<p>It may not be the most interesting ability - cast a big thing, get a big creature token - but the nature of big, expensive spells is that they tend to be impactful, so adding a hasty, evasive token that might be upward of 6+ power? That's nothing to sneeze at.</p>


<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muddle, the Ever-Changing" href="#" target="_blank">Muddle, the Ever-Changing</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Muddle, the Ever-Changing"></div></div>
<p>Where Rootha's a more bread-and-butter Commander, Muddle's the avocado toast.</p>
<p>A 3/3 Elemental Otter Shapeshifter for four mana, Muddle brings to the table a very interesting ability. Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery (<em>any </em>instant or sorcery, like even an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Opt" href="#" target="_blank">Opt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), Muddle becomes any other nonlegendary creature you control until end of turn. <em>And </em>gets myriad, to boot.</p>
<p>Granted, for this ability to be impactful, you have to have a creature for Muddle to become, as it can only shapeshift into creatures you control. But there are plenty of very good creatures that could benefit you by being imitated by an Otter and split into multiple copies thanks to myriad. Even something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mulldrifter" href="#" target="_blank">Mulldrifter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> springs to mind, drawing you six cards for the cost of one cast instant/sorcery.</p>
<p>Muddle's good in <em>Prismari Artistry, </em>but it'll really find a home as players begin crafting decks specifically for it.</p>


<p>Here's the deck list for <em>Prismari Artistry</em>:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Prismari" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Rootha, Mastering the Moment
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*1 Archmage Emeritus
*1 Brazen Borrower // Petty Theft
*1 Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer
*1 Curiosity Crafter
*1 Dirgur Focusmage // Braingeyser
*1 Faerie Mastermind
*1 Galazeth Prismari
*1 Goldspan Dragon
*1 Harmonic Prodigy
*1 Inspired Skypainter // Maestro&#039;s Gift
*1 Leitmotif Composer
*1 Manaform Hellkite
*1 Mirrorwing Dragon
*1 Muddle, the Ever-Changing
*1 Plargg and Nassari
*1 Prismari Pianist
*1 Redoubled Stormsinger
*1 Renegade Bull
*1 Rionya, Fire Dancer
*1 Rootha, Mercurial Artist
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Storm-Kiln Artist
*1 Stormcatch Mentor
*1 Thunderclap Drake
*1 Veyran, Voice of Duality
[/Creature]
[Sorcery]
*1 Abstract Performance
*1 Aether Gale
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Chain Reaction
*1 Creative Technique
*1 Dance with Calamity
*1 Deep Analysis
*1 Expressive Iteration
*1 Furygale Flocking
*1 Mana Geyser
*1 Replication Technique
*1 Rite of Replication
*1 Rousing Refrain
*1 Surge to Victory
*1 Throes of Chaos
*1 Treasure Cruise
*1 Twinflame
*1 Volcanic Salvo
*1 Volcanic Torrent
[/Sorcery]
[Enchantment]
*1 Determined Iteration
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*1 Abrade
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Big Score
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Dig Through Time
*1 Magma Opus
*1 Prismari Charm
*1 Prismari Command
*1 Reality Shift
*1 Resculpt
[/Instant]
[Artifact]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Creativity
[/Artifact]
[Lands]
*1 Cascade Bluffs
*1 Coastal Peak
*1 Command Tower
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Ferrous Lake
*1 Frostboil Snarl
*1 Hall of Oracles
*8 Island
*1 Molten Tributary
*7 Mountain
*1 Mystic Sanctuary
*1 Path of Ancestry
*1 Prismari Campus
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Restless Spire
*1 Scorched Geyser
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Spectacle Summit
*1 Study Hall
*1 Sulfur Falls
*1 Temple of Epiphany
*1 Temple of the False God
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Turbulent Springs
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abstract Performance" href="#" target="_blank">Abstract Performance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abstract Performance"></div></div>
<p>It's fitting that we're kicking off the analysis of <em>Prismari Artistry's </em>10 new cards with a flashy, expensive sorcery.</p>
<p>For six mana, we're making two piles - one face-down from the first four cards of our library, and the second face-down with the next four cards. An opponent picks one to go to the graveyard, and we can cast a spell from the other pile for free, keeping the remaining three cards from that pile for our hand.</p>
<p>At worst, you're drawing four cards for six mana, which is an average rate - think <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Opportunity" href="#" target="_blank">Opportunity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Worst case scenario is the face-up pile is four lands, but hopefully that won't happen <em>too </em>often. Abstract Performance will be better when the opponent's choice is an illusion; think of it like a graveyard enabler that occasionally hits a spell you cast for free.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dirgur Focusmage" href="#" target="_blank">Dirgur Focusmage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dirgur Focusmage"></div></div>
<p>Our first prepared creature of the <em>Prismari Artistry </em>deck brings along with it the classic <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Braingeyser" href="#" target="_blank">Braingeyser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - not a bad spell to just have at your beck and call.</p>
<p>A 1/4 for three mana, Dirgur Focusmage provides a static <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> discount to your spells, which on its own is fine but not particularly exciting. We want to be casting a bunch of Braingeysers, and to do that, Dirgur Focusmage must prepare by seeing you cast instants or sorceries of mana value five or more <em>from your hand</em>. Sadly, this means casting huge Braingeysers won't chain prepare.</p>
<p>Unlike some prepared creatures, this one's tricky to continually prepare<em>, </em>since there's going to be a finite number of 5+-cost spells you'll have access to.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Furygale Flocking" href="#" target="_blank">Furygale Flocking</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Furygale Flocking"></div></div>
<p>Speaking of high-cost spells, here's another one, though with a built-in discount code.</p>
<p>Starting at 10 mana but reducing itself by <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> for every instant/sorcery in your graveyard, Furygale Flocking provides two 3/3 blue and red Elementals for each opponent you have. They've got flying, haste, and have to attack, assuming you cast this on your first main phase, as Rootha requests.</p>
<p>Best case scenario in a normal Commander game, that's 18 points of power for as little as two mana, which is a rate you can't easily beat. To note, unlike many spells of this sort, these tokens don't exile themselves at the end of turn.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inspired Skypainter" href="#" target="_blank">Inspired Skypainter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Inspired Skypainter"></div></div>
<p>This time, we're preparing Maestro's Gift, a new spell that, for five mana, makes a token copy of any of your creatures, giving that token haste as well.</p>
<p>Like we saw with Muddle above, these effects are only as good as the creatures they're able to clone. However, unlike Muddle, Maestro's Gift can make a token copy of the creature "casting" it, in Inspired Skypainter.</p>
<p>As long as you've got the mana, you can just keep making more and more Inspired Skypainters, with each one beyond the original preparing itself if they do combat damage to a player. Is that the best use of this Lizard Wizard? Probably not, but it's a neat interaction nonetheless.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leitmotif Composer" href="#" target="_blank">Leitmotif Composer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Leitmotif Composer"></div></div>
<p>Speaking of making exponentially more token copies of a creature you control, here's Leitmotif Composer. Despite what feels like a Quandrix domain, an instant or sorcery of mana value five or greater doubles the number of Leitmotif Composers you have.</p>
<p>However, as mentioned, there's going to be a finite number of spells of that cost, but one thing Leitmotif Composer has in its favor is that these spells don't have to be cast from your hand, specifically.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prismari Pianist" href="#" target="_blank">Prismari Pianist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Prismari Pianist"></div></div>
<p>Following the big spell leitmotif is Prismari Pianist, who does its best <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Young Pyromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Young Pyromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> impression with an additional twist.</p>
<p>Whenever you cast an instant/sorcery of any cost, you're getting a 1/1, but if that spell is mana value five or more, you're getting three tokens instead of one. That's a pretty good deal, and Prismari Pianist will probably find a home in big-spell decks that want to do more with the token generation.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Renegade Bull" href="#" target="_blank">Renegade Bull</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Renegade Bull"></div></div>
<p>It's always interesting to see a zero-power creature come with trample.</p>
<p>Yes, this Ox provides a way to make that zero turn into a crooked number whenever you cast a spell, but its real power is being able to recast your massive spells from the graveyard for free whenever it attacks. That will get out of control quick, which is appropriate for a renegade bull.</p>
<p>If this survives to attack, it could win a game on its own - provided your graveyard is well-stocked with ammunition.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Turbulent Springs" href="#" target="_blank">Turbulent Springs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Turbulent Springs"></div></div>
<p>Every one of the five <em>Secrets of Strixhaven </em>preconstructed decks get the color-appropriate "Turbulent" land, and for <em>Prismari Artistry, </em>that's the Springs.</p>
<p>Each have the relevant basic land types, which make them fetchable, and all of them have the same condition for entering untapped.</p>
<p>In a standard game of Commander, opponents collectively will control eight lands on the third turn if you went third or fourth in turn order, or turn four if you were first or second.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scorched Geyser" href="#" target="_blank">Scorched Geyser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scorched Geyser"></div></div>
<p>Each preconstructed deck this time around also gets its own version of the "Battle Lands." This cycle of lands is so named because the cycle debuted in <em>Battle for Zendikar </em>more than a decade ago. We're finally seeing the closing of that loop.</p>
<p>Battle Lands are a mainstay as a more budget-friendly option for your mana base. They reward playing plenty of basics, and they're fetchable. There are much worse dual-color land cycles out there.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coastal Peak" href="#" target="_blank">Coastal Peak</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Coastal Peak"></div></div>
<p>The Battle Lands cycle isn't the only one getting a new addition here.</p>
<p>We also have Coastal Peak, which is the first time a blue/red land has appeared in the "Bicycle Lands" cycle that started with 2017's <em>Amonkhet. </em>Unlike the Battle Lands, though, these will always enter tapped.</p>
<p>However, the cycling ability can be a huge boon in the late game, so these lands will always be useful.</p>


<p><em>Prismari Artistry </em>is the kind of preconstructed deck where you'll win by stomping opponents with a bunch of 8/8 Elemental tokens one game, or by casually creating a dozen copies of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goldspan Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Goldspan Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> another game.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, the deck's looking to do two things: make tokens and cast giant spells. And with Rootha, doing the latter feeds into the former.</p>
<p>In total, there are 21 spells in the list that have a mana value of five or greater. There are only three cards - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dirgur Focusmage" href="#" target="_blank">Dirgur Focusmage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prismari Pianist" href="#" target="_blank">Prismari Pianist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leitmotif Composer" href="#" target="_blank">Leitmotif Composer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - who ask for that as a specific qualifier, and a few other cards just want to see you cast the biggest stuff you possibly can.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Manaform Hellkite"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Surge to Victory"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Renegade Bull"></div></div>
<p>Really, it's Rootha herself driving the bus when it comes to maximizing mana values. If she's at the lead of the 99, the goal is to make the biggest Elemental token possible every turn, and turn it sideways.</p>
<p>Thankfully, in a deck with very little in the way of traditional ramp, many of those expensive spells come with their own built-in discounts, like old favorites <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dig Through Time" href="#" target="_blank">Dig Through Time</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treasure Cruise" href="#" target="_blank">Treasure Cruise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blasphemous Act" href="#" target="_blank">Blasphemous Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Granted, that last one doesn't really help the Rootha plan.</p>
<p>We've also got ways to make spells cheaper to cast via cost reducers like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stormcatch Mentor" href="#" target="_blank">Stormcatch Mentor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thunderclap Drake" href="#" target="_blank">Thunderclap Drake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Galazeth Prismari" href="#" target="_blank">Galazeth Prismari</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, in a way.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stormcatch Mentor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thunderclap Drake"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Galazeth Prismari"></div></div>
<p>Just note that if you're looking to go the route of making Dragon Illusions with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manaform Hellkite" href="#" target="_blank">Manaform Hellkite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it cares only about how much you actually spend, not the mana value of the spell itself, so cost reducers actually work against you here.</p>
<p>The other primary route to an unforgettable performance is one a little more difficult to chart, and that's pure randomness.</p>
<p>Yes, there are spells that discount themselves, and permanents that provide a reduction in cost, but there are also a few ways to just randomly cast things for free - and there's no better cost than free.</p>
<p>Let's look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abstract Performance" href="#" target="_blank">Abstract Performance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Throes of Chaos" href="#" target="_blank">Throes of Chaos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Surge to Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Surge to Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dance with Calamity" href="#" target="_blank">Dance with Calamity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Renegade Bull" href="#" target="_blank">Renegade Bull</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Plargg and Nassari" href="#" target="_blank">Plargg and Nassari</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abstract Performance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Throes of Chaos"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Surge to Victory"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dance with Calamity"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Renegade Bull"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Plargg and Nassari"></div></div>
<p>For a deck ostensibly so centered on casting instants or sorceries, however, all these meandering routes eventually just connect to a real path to victory, which is via combat damage. Everything you do will funnel toward the aim of making the biggest tokens, or the most tokens, or the most biggest tokens.</p>
<p>Sure, it's very good at that, and it's a way to play that many people enjoy, but it's what you're getting.</p>


<p>As is expected, there are no true combos in <em>Prismari Artistry </em>right out of the box. But it would be very easy to rectify that, should we choose to do so.</p>
<p>However, while it's easy to throw a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Repercussion" href="#" target="_blank">Repercussion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in there to combo with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blasphemous Act" href="#" target="_blank">Blasphemous Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Combat Celebrant" href="#" target="_blank">Combat Celebrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to go infinite with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rionya, Fire Dancer" href="#" target="_blank">Rionya, Fire Dancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we should at least keep to the spirit of what the deck is doing.</p>
<p>Thanks to Commander Spellbook and their handy "Find My Combos" tool, we see that there are a number of much more on-brand combos we could include.</p>
<p>If you want to get complicated, we could add a combo that sees <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Veyran, Voice of Duality" href="#" target="_blank">Veyran, Voice of Duality</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> team up with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storm-Kiln Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Storm-Kiln Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to create infinite creature tokens using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Twinflame" href="#" target="_blank">Twinflame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ardent Elementalist" href="#" target="_blank">Ardent Elementalist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We'd just need to add the Elementalist, which seems perfect since "Elemental" is right there in the name.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Veyran, Voice of Duality"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Storm-Kiln Artist"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Twinflame"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ardent Elementalist"></div></div>
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<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="." width="0" height="0"></iframe><br />
Can't get much more Prismari than that performance, right?</p>


<p><em>Prismari Artistry </em>has 38 lands, which is probably needed considering the focus on higher-cost spells. But even more so, those higher-cost spells don't really do what we want them to do unless we've got our engine online, which also takes reliable mana.</p>
<p>Of those lands, most are there to make blue mana, red mana, or both, but there are still a few utility pieces in there, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mystic Sanctuary" href="#" target="_blank">Mystic Sanctuary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hall of Oracles" href="#" target="_blank">Hall of Oracles</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mystic Sanctuary"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hall of Oracles"></div></div>
<p>However, the vast majority of those 38 lands are there to ensure we hit our colors when we need to, and that's a good thing.</p>
<p>As for mana rocks, <em>Prismari Artistry </em>comes with the standard suite of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Talisman of Creativity" href="#" target="_blank">Talisman of Creativity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but there's at least one interesting inclusion beyond those in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cursed Mirror" href="#" target="_blank">Cursed Mirror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cursed Mirror"></div></div>
<p>It's the perfect fit for the deck, as the temporary copy will often be even more appreciated than the mana rock it leaves behind.</p>


<p>There are a ton of excellent reprints in all of the <em>Secrets of Strixhaven </em>preconstructed decks, and <em>Prismari Artistry </em>didn't miss out on that front.</p>
<p>With an MSRP of $49.99, the deck's 100 cards are currently valued at approximately $350. Don't forget, though, that that number is inflated due to the preorder price frenzy that all new cards see. For example, Rootha, Mastering the Moment is priced at $30 by itself, which is not sustainable.</p>
<p>If we toss out the new cards, we're left with around $170. Still not terrible.</p>
<p>Where you see most of that value is in a few stellar reprints:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faerie Mastermind" href="#" target="_blank">Faerie Mastermind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harmonic Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Harmonic Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goldspan Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Goldspan Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thunderclap Drake" href="#" target="_blank">Thunderclap Drake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Veyran, Voice of Duality" href="#" target="_blank">Veyran, Voice of Duality</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faerie Mastermind"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Harmonic Prodigy"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goldspan Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thunderclap Drake"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Veyran, Voice of Duality"></div></div>
<p>These are your top five reprints, and at current prices, just from Faerie Mastermind and Harmonic Prodigy, you're getting that $49.99 MSRP in value back. The other 98 cards are gravy.</p>


<p>If your goal is to wow the table with massive spells, then you're squarely in the Prismari side of Strixhaven. And that's exactly what <em>Prismari Artistry </em>looks to illustrate, with flashy sorceries feeding into an ever-growing horde of tokens ready to overrun the table.</p>
<p>For what it is, it's a great deck. If you're looking for something a little more nuanced out of your red/blue decks, there are better options. But Prismari aren't known for nuance, anyway.</p>
<p>Overall, the deck scores a B+.</p>


<p>If you're looking for the best cards to upgrade your <em>Prismari Artistry </em>precon, <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/prismari-artistry-precon-upgrade">check out our Upgrade Guide here</a>.</p>


preconstructed deck

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