Studious First-Year // Rampant Growth
Common · Creature — Bear Wizard // Sorcery · At the table
Pay for the prepared Rampant Growth to find a basic land. The Bear stays on the battlefield after you cast that copy.
Mechanics
The set’s mechanics with worked examples, then every word on the cards.
Prepare
38 in Cards →A prepared creature gives you a copy of its inset spell in exile. Cast the copy, pay its cost, and the creature becomes unprepared.
How it works
- Follow the inset spell’s normal instant or sorcery timing.
- An already-prepared permanent cannot stockpile more copies. If it leaves or becomes unprepared first, the unused copy disappears.
On the card
Watch out
- A preparation card itself has the creature’s characteristics in every zone. You cannot find it by searching for a sorcery card.
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Repartee
These abilities reward casting an instant or sorcery that targets a creature. Each card supplies its own reward.
How it works
- Targeting an opposing creature with removal can qualify.
- A spell targeting several creatures triggers each repartee ability only once.
On the card
Conciliator's Duelist
Rare · Creature — Kor Warlock · At the table
Cast a creature-targeting instant or sorcery while the Duelist is in play to trigger its repartee ability before that spell resolves.
Watch out
- An Aura spell or an activated ability targeting a creature is not an instant or sorcery spell.
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Opus
Casting an instant or sorcery triggers opus. Spending at least five mana to cast that spell upgrades the result.
How it works
- Count mana paid toward the spell, including additional costs.
- Opus resolves before the spell that triggered it.
On the card
Colorstorm Stallion
Rare · Creature — Elemental Horse · At the table
Compare a cheap spell with a spell costing five or more actual mana: the Stallion’s printed reward changes with what you spent.
Watch out
- Use actual mana spent, not the printed mana value. Mana paid for ward is not mana spent casting the spell.
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Infusion
Infusion checks whether you gained life earlier in the current turn. The amount and your net life change do not matter.
How it works
- Gain life before the spell or ability checks its infusion condition.
- Read the card: infusion can modify different kinds of effects.
On the card
Old-Growth Educator
Uncommon · Creature — Treefolk Druid · At the table
Attack with a Pest to gain life before casting Educator in your second main phase and receiving its counters.
Watch out
- You may finish the turn at a lower life total and still have gained life. Life gained on the previous turn does not count.
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Flashback
11 in Cards →Cast a card from your graveyard for its flashback cost, then exile it when it leaves the stack.
How it works
- Normal timing still applies.
- You may flash back a card you milled or discarded without first casting it from your hand.
On the card
Molten Note
Uncommon · Sorcery · At the table
The eight-mana flashback cost produces eight damage if all eight mana were spent; it also meets opus and can trigger increment.
Watch out
- Its mana value does not become eight. A countered flashback spell is exiled too.
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Increment
After you cast a spell, this creature grows if the mana you spent is greater than its power or its toughness.
How it works
- Compare after casting to see whether the ability triggers.
- Compare again as the trigger resolves; greater than either stat is enough.
On the card
Cuboid Colony
Uncommon · Creature — Insect · At the table
A sufficiently expensive spell puts a counter on Colony. Its next increment may require more mana because it has grown.
Watch out
- The comparison uses mana spent, not mana value. Equality with both stats is not enough.
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Paradigm and Lessons
The first resolved paradigm spell of a name is exiled and lets you cast a free copy at the beginning of each of your future first main phases.
How it works
- Casting each later copy is optional.
- A countered copy does not remove the opportunity on following turns.
On the card
Improvisation Capstone
Mythic · Sorcery — Lesson · At the table
Resolve Capstone once, then get a new chance to cast its copy each of your turns without paying its mana cost.
Watch out
- The Lesson subtype does not put a card in your hand or outside the game. Learn is not a returning set mechanic.
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Converge
Converge counts how many different colors of mana were spent to cast the spell, from zero to five.
How it works
- Additional and alternative costs count as part of casting.
- Colorless is not a sixth color; repeated mana of one color counts once.
On the card
Rancorous Archaic
Common · Creature — Avatar · At the table
Use genuinely different colors of mana to increase its converge result, while keeping a mana base that can cast your other spells.
Watch out
- A free spell or a copy may have zero colors spent. Mana paid to resolve ward is outside the casting cost.
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Books
Book is an artifact subtype. Read each Book’s abilities; the subtype itself grants no shared activated ability.
How it works
- A Book still counts as an artifact for spells that care about artifacts.
- Use its actual text rather than assuming it works like a Clue.
On the card
Diary of Dreams
Uncommon · Artifact — Book · At the table
Diary is a Book, and its own rules text tells you how to use it.
Watch out
- Being a Book does not automatically let you sacrifice it to draw a card.
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Pests and Fractals
The set’s Pest tokens gain life when they attack. Fractals begin as 0/0 creatures and rely on the counters supplied by their creating effect.
How it works
- Read the token’s exact definition on the creating card.
- Pest attack triggers can enable infusion before blockers.
On the card
Lluwen, Exchange Student // Pest Friend
Uncommon · Legendary Creature — Elf Druid // Sorcery · At the table
Pest Friend creates a Pest with an attack trigger. This differs from the dies-to-gain-life Pest tokens of the original Strixhaven set.
Watch out
- Do not use an older Pest reminder token without checking which ability this set’s card actually grants.
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Glossary
Every word on the cards and in the deck plans, defined once. Find a term, read its wording, then see it on a card.
62 terms · A–ZComprehensive Rules effective Sep 25 · checked Oct 29
Symbols
+1/+1 and −1/−1 counters
CounterA +1/+1 counter adds one power and one toughness; a −1/−1 counter subtracts one of each. These counters stay until removed or the object changes zones.
Watch out: If a permanent has both kinds, matching pairs are removed as a state-based action. A temporary +1/+1 effect is not a counter.
Abigale, Poet Laureate // Heroic Stanza
Additive Evolution
Adventurous Eater // Have a BiteA
Affinity
Keyword abilityReduce the generic part of this spell’s cost by one for each permanent of the specified kind you control.
Watch out: It does not reduce the colored mana symbols. Check exactly what the card has affinity for.
Witherbloom, the BalancerC
Cascade
Card mechanicWhen you cast the spell, exile cards until you find a cheaper nonland card. You may cast it free only if the resulting spell is also cheaper. Put the other exiled cards on the bottom randomly. Cascade triggers before the original spell resolves.
Quandrix, the ProofConverge
Card mechanicConverge counts how many different colors of mana were spent to cast the spell, from zero to five.
Arcane Omens
Archaic's Agony
Bring to LightConvoke
Keyword abilityWhile paying for this spell, each untapped creature you tap can cover one generic mana, or one mana of that creature’s color.
Watch out: You may tap a creature you just played. A colorless creature can cover only generic mana.
Return to the RanksCounter a spell or ability
Keyword actionTo counter a spell or ability is to remove it from the stack without its effects resolving. A countered spell normally goes to its owner’s graveyard.
Watch out: This use of “counter” is different from placing a marker such as a +1/+1 counter on a card.
Adrix and Nev, Twincasters
Brush Off
DazeCrew
Keyword abilityTap other untapped creatures you control with enough total power to turn this Vehicle into an artifact creature until the turn ends.
Watch out: The crew creatures do not become the Vehicle’s attackers. A newly played Vehicle still needs haste to attack that turn.
Strixhaven SkycoachCurve
StrategyA mix of costs that lets you use your mana on early and late turns.
Cycling
Keyword abilityFrom your hand, pay the cycling cost and discard this card to draw a card.
Watch out: Cycling is an activated ability, not casting the card. Typecycling searches for a specified kind of card instead.
Locust SprayD
Deathtouch
Keyword abilityAny positive amount of damage this source deals to a creature is enough to make that damage lethal.
Watch out: It works with a fight or other noncombat damage. Indestructible still prevents destruction.
Arnyn, Deathbloom Botanist
Burrog Banemaker
Noxious NewtDestroy
Keyword actionMove a permanent from the battlefield to its owner’s graveyard because an effect or lethal damage destroys it.
Watch out: Indestructible stops destruction. Sacrificing, exiling, and reducing toughness to 0 are different ways for a creature to leave.
Abrade
Ajani's Response
ArmageddonDiscard
Keyword actionMove a card from your hand to your graveyard.
Watch out: Discarding is not casting. It does not pay the card’s mana cost or produce its normal spell effect.
Big Score
Bitter TriumphDouble
Card mechanicDoubling counters adds as many of that kind as are already there. Doubling power gives a modifier based on the creature’s power when the effect resolves; it does not necessarily change base power or add counters.
Bulk Up
Growth CurveDouble strike
Keyword abilityThis creature deals combat damage in the first-strike damage step and again in the normal damage step if it is still in combat.
Watch out: If its blocker dies in the first step, a blocked attacker does not hit the player in the second step unless an ability such as trample allows it.
Akroma's Will
Expressive Firedancer
Practiced OffenseE
Exile
Keyword actionMove the object to the exile zone. It is separate from the graveyard.
Watch out: A card in exile cannot normally be played. You need a rule or effect giving permission, such as a resolved Adventure.
Antiquities on the Loose
Ascendant DustspeakerF
Ferocious
Ability wordThis label points to an ability that cares about controlling a creature with power 4 or greater.
Watch out: The timing and benefit come from the rest of the printed ability. The word itself adds no rules.
Shamanic RevelationFight
Keyword actionThe two creatures each deal damage equal to their power to the other at the same time.
Watch out: This is not combat. First strike and double strike do not add damage steps; deathtouch and lifelink still affect damage.
Chelonian TackleFirst strike
Keyword abilityThis creature deals combat damage in an earlier step, before creatures without first strike or double strike.
Watch out: A creature killed in that early damage step usually cannot deal its normal combat damage.
Emeritus of Conflict // Lightning Bolt
Honorbound Page // Forum's Favor
InterjectionFlash
Keyword abilityYou may cast this spell when you could cast an instant, including during another player’s turn when you have priority.
Watch out: Flash changes when you may cast it. It does not let you cast from a different zone or avoid its costs.
Dualcaster Mage
Skycoach Conductor // All AboardFlashback
Keyword abilityYou may cast this instant or sorcery from your graveyard by paying its flashback cost.
Watch out: Follow its normal timing. A spell cast with flashback is exiled when it leaves the stack, even if it is countered.
DaydreamFlashback
Card mechanicCast a card from your graveyard for its flashback cost, then exile it when it leaves the stack.
Flying
Keyword abilityAn attacking creature with flying can be blocked only by creatures with flying or reach.
Watch out: A flying creature can block a creature without flying.
Artistic ProcessG
Grandeur
Card mechanicGrandeur marks an ability paid for by discarding another card with the specified name. Read the individual card for its effect; the copy already on the battlefield is not the card you discard.
Page, Loose LeafH
Haste
Keyword abilityThis creature may attack and use abilities with the tap or untap symbol even if you have not controlled it since your turn began.
Watch out: It still needs to be untapped to attack or pay a tap cost.
Charging Strifeknight
Choreographed SparksHexproof
Keyword abilityA permanent with hexproof cannot be targeted by spells or abilities its controller’s opponents control.
Watch out: Its controller may target it. Effects that do not target can still affect it.
Chase Inspiration
Royal Treatment
Veil of SummerHybrid mana
Mana symbolEach split mana symbol can be paid using either half. For example, {W/U} costs one white or one blue mana; {2/B} costs two mana of any type or one black mana.
Watch out: Choose separately for each symbol. A {W/U} card is both white and blue even if you use only one color to cast it.
Abstract Paintmage
Essenceknit ScholarI
Increment
Card mechanicAfter you cast a spell, this creature grows if the mana you spent is greater than its power or its toughness.
Ambitious Augmenter
Berta, Wise ExtrapolatorIndestructible
Keyword abilityThis permanent cannot be destroyed by lethal damage or an effect that says “destroy.”
Watch out: It can still be exiled or sacrificed. A creature with toughness 0 or less still goes to the graveyard.
Duty Beyond Death
EfflorescenceInfusion
Card mechanicInfusion checks whether you gained life earlier in the current turn. The amount and your net life change do not matter.
Follow the Lumarets
Foolish FateInvestigate
Card mechanicCreate a Clue artifact token. You may later pay two mana and sacrifice that Clue to draw a card. Investigating itself does not draw the card.
DeduceK
Kicker
Keyword abilityAs you cast the spell, you may pay its extra kicker cost. The card tells you what changes if you do.
Watch out: You decide and pay while casting. You do not get to add kicker after the spell has resolved.
Burst LightningL
Landfall
Ability wordThis label groups abilities that reward a land entering under your control. The rest of each card tells you its effect.
Watch out: A land entering from a spell can trigger landfall too. The label itself adds no rules; read the actual ability.
Tam, Observant Sequencer // Deep SightLifelink
Keyword abilityWhen this source deals damage, its controller gains that much life at the same time.
Watch out: This also works for noncombat damage. It uses the damage actually dealt, not simply the creature’s printed power.
Hardened Academic
Inkshape DemonstratorLoyalty counters
CounterA planeswalker’s loyalty is the number of loyalty counters on it. Its loyalty costs add or remove counters, and damage removes that much loyalty.
Watch out: A planeswalker with 0 loyalty goes to the graveyard. Adding more counters does not let you activate it a second time in the same turn.
Professor Dellian Fel
Ral Zarek, Guest LecturerM
Magecraft
Card mechanicMagecraft abilities trigger when you cast or copy an instant or sorcery. Each card describes its own reward. A copy can trigger magecraft even when that copy was not cast.
Archmage EmeritusMenace
Keyword abilityThis attacking creature cannot be blocked by just one creature; at least two blockers are needed.
Watch out: It can still go unblocked. Losing one blocker after blocks are declared does not undo the original block.
Garrison Excavator
Molten-Core Maestro
Root ManipulationMill
Keyword actionPut the stated number of cards from the top of the named player’s library into that player’s graveyard.
Watch out: Milling is not drawing. An empty library makes you lose when you must draw from it, not merely when its last card is milled.
Ark of Hunger
Brain Freeze
Exhibition TidecallerMorph
Card mechanicYou may cast this card face down as a nameless 2/2 creature for three mana. With priority, pay its morph cost to turn it face up as a special action. This is not casting it again and does not use the stack.
Grim HaruspexO
Opus
Card mechanicCasting an instant or sorcery triggers opus. Spending at least five mana to cast that spell upgrades the result.
Deluge Virtuoso
Elemental MascotOverload
Card mechanicPay the overload alternative cost to replace the word target with each in the spell’s text. An overloaded spell does not target, so it can affect creatures with hexproof if its other conditions permit.
Cyclonic Rift
Winds of AbandonP
Paradigm and Lessons
Card mechanicThe first resolved paradigm spell of a name is exiled and lets you cast a free copy at the beginning of each of your future first main phases.
Decorum Dissertation
Echocasting Symposium
Germination PracticumPests and Fractals
Card mechanicThe set’s Pest tokens gain life when they attack. Fractals begin as 0/0 creatures and rely on the counters supplied by their creating effect.
Applied GeometryPrepare
Card mechanicA prepared creature gives you a copy of its inset spell in exile. Cast the copy, pay its cost, and the creature becomes unprepared.
Biblioplex TomekeeperPrepare / prepared
DesignationWhen its instruction makes a creature prepared, it gives you access to a copy of its separate prepare spell. You may cast that copy while the permanent remains prepared and on the battlefield.
Watch out: Pay the copy’s costs and obey instant or sorcery timing. Casting it unprepares the permanent; the creature itself remains. You cannot cast the prepare spell straight from your hand.
R
Reach
Keyword abilityThis creature may block creatures with flying.
Watch out: Reach does not give it flying or make its own attacks harder to block.
Hungry Graffalon
Magmablood ArchaicRepartee
Card mechanicThese abilities reward casting an instant or sorcery that targets a creature. Each card supplies its own reward.
Forum Necroscribe
Graduation DayRole token
Card mechanicA Role is an Aura token with the ability written on the creating card. If you control several Roles attached to the same permanent, keep only your newest one. Monster grants +1/+1 and trample; Royal grants +1/+1 and ward one.
Monstrous RageS
Sacrifice
Keyword actionMove a permanent you control from the battlefield to its owner’s graveyard.
Watch out: Sacrifice is not destruction: indestructible does not stop it. You cannot sacrifice a teammate’s permanent unless an effect specifically permits it.
Cauldron of EssenceScry
Keyword actionLook at the stated number of cards from the top of your library. Put any number on the bottom and the rest back on top, choosing their order.
Watch out: Scry does not draw a card. Cards you move to the bottom do not go to the graveyard.
PreordainSignal
Strategy · DraftRepeated useful cards arriving late may indicate an open color; one card is weak evidence.
Split second
Keyword abilityWhile this spell is on the stack, players cannot cast other spells or activate abilities that are not mana abilities.
Watch out: Triggered abilities still trigger, and mana abilities and special actions are still allowed. Split second does not mean “cannot be countered.”
Angel's GraceSpree
Card mechanicChoose one or more modes and add their listed costs to the spell’s base cost. A free-cast effect does not waive spree’s additional costs. You still must choose at least one mode.
Requisition Raid
Return the FavorStorm
Card mechanicWhen you cast this spell, copy it for every other spell already cast this turn by any player. You may choose new targets for the copies. Countering the original spell does not remove its separate storm trigger.
Empty the Warrens
FlusterstormStun counters
CounterIf a permanent with a stun counter would untap, remove one stun counter instead and leave it tapped.
Watch out: The counter does not tap an untapped permanent by itself. Several stun counters can stop several separate untaps.
Fractal Mascot
HomesicknessSurveil
Keyword actionLook at the stated number of cards from the top of your library. Put any number into your graveyard and the rest back on top in your chosen order.
Watch out: Surveil does not draw a card. Unlike scry, unwanted cards go to the graveyard instead of the bottom.
Banishing Betrayal
Fields of Strife
Forum of AmitySuspend
Card mechanicInstead of casting from hand, pay the suspend cost and exile the card with the stated time counters. Remove one at each of your upkeeps. When the last is removed, you may play it for free; a creature cast this way gains haste.
Living EndSynergy
StrategyCards helping each other do a useful job.
T
Tap and untap
Keyword actionTap means turn a permanent sideways; untap means return it upright. A tap symbol in a cost means you must tap that permanent to pay.
Watch out: Being tapped by another effect does not activate an ability or produce mana. Creatures normally cannot pay their own tap-symbol costs until you have controlled them since your turn began.
Aziza, Mage Tower CaptainTrample
Keyword abilityAn attacking creature can assign excess combat damage to what it is attacking after assigning lethal damage to every blocker.
Watch out: It does not automatically send all damage past a small blocker. Trample on a blocking creature does not send damage to the attacking player.
Aberrant Manawurm
Ancestral Anger
BerserkTreasure
TokenA standard Treasure token is an artifact you can tap and sacrifice to add one mana of any color.
Watch out: A Treasure is not a land. Using it spends the token; it does not remain for another turn.
Goblin Glasswright // Craft with Pride
Sanar, Unfinished Genius // Wild IdeaV
Vigilance
Keyword abilityAttacking does not tap this creature.
Watch out: It must still be untapped to be declared as an attacker. Vigilance does not remove summoning sickness.
Dig Site InventoryW
Ward
Keyword abilityWhen an opponent’s spell or ability targets this permanent, ward triggers. That spell or ability is countered unless the opponent pays the ward cost.
Watch out: Ward is not hexproof: the opponent can target it and choose whether to pay. An effect that does not target does not trigger ward.
Campus Composer // Aqueous Aria