On the plane of Arcavios, there were five legendary dragons that founded the five distinct colleges found in Secrets of Strixhaven. These dragons are the symbols of the schools and are the schools are thus named after each of the dragons. We have previously seen each of these powerful beasts in the original Strixhaven set, but this time they pack even more of a punch, especially at a Commander table.

Let's take some notes on what each of the five dragons could offer you in the Command Zone.

Quandrix, the Proof

Quandrix, the Proof is a classic Simic () (or a guess Quandrix) value engine. The unique flavor that this legend offers for this color combination is being focused on instants and sorceries.

Cascade is nothing new for Blue and Green. Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty is one of the most popular Simic Commander, and Rashmi, Eternities Crafter essentially reads like Cascade.

Quandrix still provides massive amounts of value, but allows you to craft something a bit more unique. Most decks built on Cascade want to put as many giant creatures in your deck as possible, but Quandrix doesn't care so much about them.

Cards such as Treasure Cruise and Dig Through Time are the obvious inclusions for this Commander. Not only do these cards provide a lot of card advantage on their own, but also give you a Cascade trigger for something massive in your library.

Extra turn spells have to be some of the best spells to spin into. Time Warp being five mana should be easy enough to hit off a Cascade trigger. We can make it even easier to hit with cards like Brainstorm and Scroll Rack.

The big concern I have for this mathematician is finding a way to close the game. Spinning into huge spells and refilling your hand each turn is great, but how do you assemble a win from there? Shark Typhoon and Metallurgic Summonings can be helpful tools (especially when paired with extra turns) to deal damage to your opponents.

Whatever path you decide to take to victory, you can still rely on having a massive 6/6 flyer in the Command Zone that immediately Cascades into another spell.

Lorehold, the Historian

Lorehold, the Historian was the first dragon spoiled a while back. This Boros () legend brings back the everpopular Miracle mechanic. First of all, this is super awesome. Miracle is one of the most fun keywords to ever see play. The anticipation of drawing a card hoping for a topdeck with Miracle can be tense. Lorehold stacks the deck by making every instant and sorcery have this keyword.

His rummaging effect each turn makes sure you have the ability to cast a spell each turn, as long as you have the mana to do so. Miracle also gets around timing restrictions. Casting a sorcery during an opponent's turn has never been easier. So, what are the best spells to cast for only two mana?

Storm Herd is a classic casual Commander sorcery. Making a literal army of Pegisi to start knocking your opponents out one at a time is one way to end a game. Call Forth the Tempest allows you to Cascade twice and deal massive amounts of damage. Approach of the Second Sun, Rise of the Eldrazi, Apex of Power, Dance with Calamity... the list goes on and on.

My gears already are starting to turn on how absolutely absurd this ability is when you put the right cards together. What instant or sorcery would be your first inclusion with this dragon?

Silverquill, the Disputant

Silverquill, the Disputant is my favorite out of this new cycle of dragons. Silverquill brings back the Casualty mechanic, which we last saw in Streets of New Capenna. Anhelo, the Painter had a very similar effect to this brand new dragon, but was held back by only being able to use his ability once per turn. Silverquill only has to sacrifice a lowly 1/1 creature to get a copy of an instant or sorcery spell.

Orzhov () has a lot of token support for a sacrifice theme. Going wide with these tokens has also been somewhat of a trend in this color combination over the last few years. Silverquill turns both of these knobs up to 11 by turning extra creatures into extra spells.

Getting down a 1/1 creature before our Commander is incredibly easy. Bloodghast, Bitterbloom Bearer, Monastery Mentor, and Sedgemoor Witch make sure we always have fodder to sacrifice. These cards will start to net us more creatures than we will need for Casualty the longer they are in play.

Copying spells such as Exsanguinate and Torment of Hailfire is a route to go, but I feel as though it is a little overdone. Let's swarm our opponents with creatures by copying spells like Grand Crescendo, Secure the Wastes, Call the Coppercoats, and Moogles' Valor instead.

Pumping up this massive board of tokens with Champions from Beyond or an effect similar is an easy way to secure victory. Mirkwood Bats and any free sacrifice outlet is also just as easy in this color combination. So which path will you take?

Prismari, the Inspiration

Prismari, the Inspiration might be the most powerful Izzet) we have ever seen. Storm is one of the most broken mechanics ever printed in the vast history of Magic: The Gathering. Copying a spell multiple times over and over can be backbreaking. Prismari says "each instant and sorcery you cast has Storm." The only drawback this Commander faces is the seven-mana cost to get it into play.

Prismari is a perfect target for reanimation in a Grixis () spellslinger shell, but how well can it do on its own?

We need mana, lots of it. Seething Song, Pyretic Ritual, Mana Geyser, and even Strike it Rich can be helpful to get our Commander into play. Powerful rituals such as these are perfect. Not only do they help speed out Prismari, but if Prismari happens to be in play we get multiple copies of these spells.

Payoffs are pretty easy to come by. Once you have all the mana in the world and a high enough Storm count, you should be able to win with ease. Storm-Kiln Artist and Archmage Emeritus were made to help you win with this new dragon.

Price of Progress is a great way to blast the table, especially punishing those with a greedy mana base. Boltwave also might be able to take the entire table out if you cast enough spells before it. If you need to cast some more, simply put a Past in Flames on the stack and watch your opponents' will start to break.

Witherbloom, the Balancer

Witherbloom, the Balancer has the attention of the entire Magic: The Gathering community. Affinity for Creatures is an insane ability to have on a massive flying threat, especially with the power that Green holds in Standard at the moment. CEDH, competitive Commander, players even have their eyes on this legend.

Whereas the last dragon was held back from being hard to cast, Witherbloom is incredibly easy to cast. Llanowar Elves essentially adds two mana toward your Commander. What spells get absolutely insane with affinity for creatures?

Spells with in their mana values is the obvious answer. Torment of Hailfire of course will get mentioned here again. Sprout Swarm is the cooler answer. Sprout Swarm has buyback for three generic mana, which gets discounted thanks to Witherbloom. With enough creatures in play, you can pay one Green to get a creature token and get the spell back to hand to do it again. Combine this with Mirkwood Bats and a Phyrexian Altar and you have an infinite loop.

Winning with Witherbloom shouldn't be too hard. Stopping this deck will honestly be the true challenge. Boardwipes are the true answer as single target removal for Witherbloom won't slow him down at all.

Wrap-up

These new dragons sure are powerful. Which one speaks to you and your playstyle? I think I am going to experiment with Silverquill and see what I come up with. I hope you are as excited for Secrets of Strixhaven as I am.

See you in class!

-Nigel