We have twenty-eight Pauper legal cards within the Mystical Archive of Strixhaven, however, which cards look like they will be the most sought after?
The full complete list is here which I have broken down by colour. Now each card is in English and Japanese with the artists being given the same brief for each card so you can see both artists vision side by side on the same cards.
Defiant Strike
Ephemerate
Gods Willing
Mana Tithe
Revitalize
Brainstorm
Compulsive Research
Counterspell
Memory Lapse
Negate
Opt
Strategic Planning
Dark Ritual
Doom Blade
Duress
Sign in Blood
Village Rites
Faithless Looting
Infuriate
Lightning Bolt
Shock
Stone Rain
Thrill of Possibility
Adventurous Impulse
Cultivate
Snakeskin Veil
Weather the Storm
Growth Spiral
Curiously we also have Grapeshot which has been banned for many years also receiving a reprint. Has the environment changed so much that it can be unbanned?
Honourable Mentions
So, before I get to my top ten, I am going to run through the pretty cards that almost made it.
Gods Willing
The artwork is truly inspiring on this card, I still appreciate the power of this card and the scrying.
Mana Tithe
Much maligned and underplayed within the format but this rivals the textless version.
Village Rites
Village Rites now feels really pushed by Wizards with its third printing in under a year, is this a tease to more cards being printed in the future which will synergise.
Top Ten
So, onto my Top Ten and this is a mix of two artworks and usefulness within Pauper.
10 Faithless Looting
OMG! That artwork alone gets it a mention for this card, I may go for the Japanese version unless I just want to tilt my potentially opponent.
9 Duress
I was a bit non plussed when I saw the first version in English but then I saw the Japanese version which is beautiful. Duress has had so many printings I tend to bypass this card nowadays but this art was stunning.
8 Weather the Storm
One of the most impactful spells in the format and greatest sources of life gain. This looks so much better than the original.
7 Snakeskin Veil
Nice to see a new card getting special treatment so soon in its life cycle.
6 Sign in Blood
I still prefer the Textless MPR printing but this is a great version. We’ve not seen Sign in Blood for a while so this was a welcome reprint.
5 Dark Ritual
I have Dark Rituals from so many sets but both the English and Japanese versions look awesome.
4 Counterspell
This is coming at just the right time as I am using all of my various playsets in decks.
3 Lightning Bolt
A classic card and you can never have enough Lightning Bolts. I won’t be saying no to another playset.
2 Ephemerate
A personal favourite and this sends a subliminal signal. Ephemerate and this particular flicker effect isn’t going to be banned anytime soon which is good news for me.
1 Brainstorm
Oh, wow and his will be Historic legal. I cannot get over how pretty the Japanese version is.
Conclusion
I can see me buying everything in my Top Ten, sometimes twice for the Japanese versions even though I own them already to add to my collection and a few more beside.
I am hoping that the supply will be sufficient to keep the costs down and the foils don’t pringle too much.
On_Common_Ground 