Looking to play some commander this weekend? We'll be opening a few of our tables Saturday, June 6th from 2-4 PM for a commander event with a story based twist. If that sounds fun, we invite you to join us for our....
Secrets of Strixhaven Commander Party
Never played in a commander party? They're pretty neat! Imagine a regular commander open play event, but with a theme based around the most recent Magic set. In this case - Secrets of Strixhaven! But if you want to be prepared ahead of time, read the mechanics below to help strategize and deck-build ahead of time.
Event Details
Date: Saturday, June 6th
Time: 2-4 PM
Event Entry Fee: $0 (FREE!)
Player Cap: 36
Please note: Tables are only reserved for this event between 2 - 4 PM. If you show up early, you're welcome to grab a table and get prepared, but do please allow others using the tables prior to that time period to play games. Our team will clear the tables when it is time to begin!
Prizes: All players who show up and sign into the event via Wizard's Magic Companion App will receive a special Access Tunnels promo card! Pretty nice for a free event!
Mechanics Overview
At the start of the game, each player chooses one of the five colleges to join. Multiple players may choose the same college. Your college choice is not restricted by your commander’s color identity.
At the beginning of your end step, you become prepared if one of the following occurred this turn: you attacked with two or more creatures; you cast two or more non-prepare spells; or an opponent lost 3 or more life. When you become prepared, choose one of your college’s spells and create a copy of it in exile. You may cast the copy for as long as you’re prepared and once you do so, you stop being prepared.
Whenever you cast a prepare spell from your college, mark that you have cast it. Then if each of your college’s prepare spells have been marked, that college’s thesis is active for you.
Now, let's talk about each college's mechanics....
Silverquill
Basic Curriculum: Electives (1), Sorcery: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Intro to Biology: Opening Statement (2), Sorcery: Create a 1/1 white and black Inkling creature token with flying. If this spell is the first spell you’ve cast this turn, create a tapped Treasure token.
Rhetoric 301: Persuasive Argument (3), Each player puts two +1/+1 counters on a creature with the greatest power among creatures that player controls. Goad those creatures. (Until your next turn, those creatures attack each combat if able and attack a player other than you if able.)
Thesis: Whenever you attack with one or more creatures, put a +1/+1 counter on each of them. When you do, untap target attacking creature.
Prismari
Basic Curriculum: Electives (1), Sorcery: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Intro to Fine Arts: Portraiture (4), Sorcery: Create a token that’s a copy of target creature you control.
Fundamentals of Music: Chorus Composition (2), Target instant or sorcery card in your graveyard gains flashback until end of turn. It’s flashback cost is equal to its mana cost. (You may cast that card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
Thesis: At the beginning of your end step, discover 5. (Exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card with mana value 5 or less. Cast it without paying its mana cost or put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom in a random order.)
Witherbloom
Basic Curriculum: Electives (1), Sorcery: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Intro to Biology: Dissection (2), Sorcery: Sacrifice a creature. If you do, you draw two cards and gain 2 life.
Advanced Chemistry: Collect Specimens (5), You gain 3 life. Then create X 1/1 black and green Pest creature tokens with “Whenever this token attacks, you gain 1 life,” where X is the amount of life you gained this turn.
Thesis: At the beginning of your end step, you gain 2 life. When you do, put X +1/+1 counters on target creature, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn.
Lorehold
Basic Curriculum: Electives (1), Sorcery: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Best Excavation Practices: Excavate (2), Sorcery: Mill three cards. Create a tapped Treasure token for each land card milled this way.
Strategies of Ancient War: Ancient Combat (3), Return target nonland permanent card with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield with a finality counter on it. It gains haste until end of turn. (If a creature with a finality counter on it would die, exile it instead.)
Thesis: At the beginning of combat on your turn, target creature you control gains first strike and gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is the number of permanent cards in your graveyard.
Quandrix
Basic Curriculum: Electives (1), Sorcery: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Intro to Mathematics: Magical Addition (2), Sorcery: Put two +1/+1 counters on target creature.
Advanced Geometry: Fractalize (3), Create a 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature token. Put X +1/+1 counters on it, where X is the number of counters among non-Fractal creatures you control.
Thesis: At the beginning of combat on your turn, put a +1/+1 counter on target permanent, then double the number of each kind of counter on that permanent.
And that's it for our Secrets of Strixhaven commander party details! We hope you think this is a fun and nifty event, and we hope you join us for it! So save the date for June 6th, pick your favorite commander and enroll today.