Mystical Archive Previews Hit Secrets of Strixhaven

Posted on April 9, 2026

Secrets of Strixhaven is right around the corner and the set's preview season rolls on.

Wizards of the Coast and various creators and media outlets have revealed tons of cards from the various colleges of Strixhaven. This time, however, Wizards has pulled the veil back on one of the most anticipated aspects of Secrets of Strixhaven: the Mystical Archive bonus sheet.

Almost every card from the bonus sheet has been revealed and there is a ton of hotness to cover. I'm going to go over everything revealed since the Debut Stream and take a broad look at the Mystical Archive as a whole.

What Is The Mystical Archive?

The Mystical Archive was a bonus sheet of cards for Strixhaven: School of Mages featuring all-new Showcase treatments for classic cards. Every single card on this bonus sheet is an Instant or Sorcery, playing up the theme of Strixhaven (and Arcavios) as being a setting that cares tremendously about these kinds of spells.

Every card could be found in all languages with this new Showcase frame, but they could also be found in select Japanese Boosters as well as Collector Boosters with special art. Each of these special Japanese language arts were done by Japanese artists working off the same general art prompts from their Western counterparts.

In addition to the variation in art styles, players could find special Foil Etched versions of both the normal art and the Japanese arts in Collector Boosters. These special treatments included minor foiling accents around the edges or, in the case of the Japanese ones, the border pin lines.

The inclusion of the Mystical Archive would go on to prove extremely popular, spawning a variety of bonus sheets in the years since. Naturally, as we come back to Strixhaven once again, it only makes sense to revisit the Mystical Archive.

Every card this time not only sees the return of the classic Mystical Archive Showcase frame, but the Japanese arts as well.

This time around, Wizards has dropped the Foil Etched treatment and brought us the Silver Scroll Foil treatment instead. This takes the Silver Screen Foil treatment from Innistrad: Double Feature and applies it in select Collector Boosters for Secrets of Strixhaven. This time, the cards were noted to have a distinct texture to them, as shown during this week's WeeklyMTG stream.

Previous Previews

While this week's WeeklyMTG stream revealed the majority of reprints from the Mystical Archive, some were shown off over the course of the past week.

A handful of cards were revealed during last week's stream, which provided a wider look at Secrets of Strixhaven on the whole as part of the Debut Stream. These showed off some sweet smaller cards like the above ones, as well as big cards like Force of Will, Vampiric Tutor, and Subterranean Tremors. Smaller ones like Smallpox and Deduce were also showcased.

In between the two WeeklyMTG streams, a handful of major reprints were shown off. We got our first looks at the likes of Triumph of the Hordes, Flusterstorm, and Cyclonic Rift from various social media outlets.

All three of these are huge reprints, with Commander benefitting the most from all of them. Flusterstorm is also excellent for various Constructed formats as well, providing a way to combat against Combo decks.

Additionally, two cards were revealed via Card Kingdom on Monday, revealing new art treatments for classic spells Pongify and Big Score. Both of these are big for Commander and see some fringe play in other Constructed formats as well.

Uncommons

Now it's time to look at everything that was shown off during this week's WeeklyMTG stream.

Today, I'd mostly like to focus on the higher rarity stuff, but it should be noted that there are plenty of cool Uncommon reprints as a part of this bonus sheet as well.

Much like the original Mystical Archive release, every uncommon in this set is from a currently Standard-legal release. There's one card that we've seen so far which is, unfortunately, not legal in the format, but everything else should be at the time of Secrets of Strixhaven's release.

Several of these cards don't currently see very much play in any format. However, it's hard to deny that there is some appeal for some of them, especially when it comes to Limited. That alone should make Secrets of Strixhaven Limited that much more fun when the set releases.

There are quite a few that so see plenty of play in Standard, though. Cards like Requisition Raid, Royal Treatment, and Bulk Up see plenty of play in different decks across the format. Others like Bitter Triumph and Pick Your Poison represent great multi-format options that see play well beyond Standard.

Some of the cards shown have been multi-format all-stars for years now. This is especially true for Abrade and Spell Pierce which are essentials just about everywhere. Others like Zombify and Feed the Swarm have a much more casual Commander focus to them, but they are still more than welcome here all the same.

Oh, and we can't forget the big bear in the room. Despite being banned in Standard, Monstrous Rage still makes its way into the Mystical Archive as an uncommon. It's an oddity among a list of cards that are otherwise all legal in Standard, but remains a powerful threat you'll need to be ready for in Limited.

Rares

The real meat and potatoes of the Mystical Archive is in the Rare and Mythic Rare slots. Each of these represents a card that is not necessarily legal in Standard, though many of them are staples in different formats all the same.

Brotherhood's End is the first of these Rare cards, providing a powerful sweeper for a variety of formats. Not only is it great at blowing up Creatures, but Artifacts as well, which has made it a great tool even in older formats.

The Japanese art on this card is especially terrific, providing an incredible look at Urza and Mishra with their backs against one another.

Crop Rotation represents a powerful spell that can grab any Land you'd like by sacrificing another. This means you can upgrade from a Basic Land to something powerful like an Urza's Tower or Dark Depths. As a result, it's become tremendously popular in Pauper, Legacy, and Commander, which makes it an awesome reprint here.

Culling the Weak is another card that's become quite popular in Commander as time has gone on. Thanks to the rise of cEDH, this ritual effect provides you a cheap way to generate tons of mana by sacrificing a Creature you'd likely want to ditch anyways. The price on this one has been climbing quite a bit lately, so the timing couldn't be better here.

Daze is a free Counterspell that has been a staple of formats like Legacy for years, acting as a gotcha that can stop your opponents with ease. It's also gaining in popularity once again lately thanks to the rise of Premodern, making copies more in demand than ever.

This reprint especially helps Magic Online, where printings have only been available in limited releases like Mercadian Masques Block Boosters and Eternal Masters.

Which member? Dismember, of course!

This powerful removal spell is huge in a wide variety of formats as it's useful as a removal spell that goes into any deck. As a result, copies constantly go for $5 or more, and this allows players to get more copies with great new artwork.

Among the Rare cards on this list, Empty the Warrens is certainly one of the least exciting inclusions. This card has been reprinted so much, it's pretty much worthless. However, reprinting it here is sure to make for a big splash in games of Limited where you cast it even on a small Storm count.

Of all the Rares on this list, none is more surprising than Glimpse of Nature.

This powerful card draw engine can snowball games fast if your deck is full of Creature cards, leading to some fierce Elves decks throughout history. Its power is so feared that it's even banned in Modern.

Wizards has suggested in the past that it is a possible candidate for an unban, though, which could make this a great card to help future proof if that comes to pass.

Preordain is pretty regularly reprinted, but the new art here goes a long way. Both the normal Showcase version as well as the Japanese treatment are excellent new renditions of this popular cantrip that are sure to show up in decks for years to come.

Copies of Prismatic Ending are quite affordable, making this reprint one of the less impactful ones in terms of value. However, it remains one of the best removal spells in formats like Modern and Legacy and this is yet another way of providing some fantastic new art.

Pyretic Ritual is one of the cards on this list that has really been hurting for a reprint for some time. Storm decks in Modern, Pauper, and Commander have all used this card to great effect. With the rise in popularity of Modern Ruby Storm in particular, the demand for Pyretic Ritual has gone sky high as players need copies to participate in play at all levels.

Return to the Ranks provides you with an interesting means of returning small Creatures from your graveyard directly to the battlefield. This card was likely originally added to the Mystical Archive thanks to its usage in Pioneer Amalia Combo prior to that deck's banning in 2023. Despite that loss in utility, it's still a cool card with plenty of play that makes for a fun inclusion here.

The last of the previewed rares, Shamanic Revelation is yet another fairly cheap and accessible option. However, despite this it remains an extremely popular card for Green Commander decks everywhere. That alone makes it worth printing a few more copies of, especially with some new art.

Mythic Rares

Finally, we reach the cream of the crop. The Mythic Rares are sure to provide some of the most exciting and powerful cards from the Mystical Archive release. This time, the bonus sheet is stacked top to bottom with tons of powerful cards in this slot, and eight more were shown off here.

This set has seen plenty of great Storm enablers, but few are as famous as Ad Nauseam.

Ad Nauseam allows you to basically pick up your deck and draw as many cards as you need. If you cast a copy of Angel's Grace before you combo off, you truly can draw your entire deck.

These play patterns have led to it becoming historical players in Modern, Legacy, and Vintage, though these days its far and away most impactful in cEDH. The rise of that subset of Commander has driven Ad Nauseam's price quite high as well, making it another great reprint.

The Will cycle of spells from Commander Legends has been extremely popular in the format it was made for. Akroma's Will in particular has made waves over the years as a mighty way to buff your entire board and enable back breaking attacks that your opponents will have trouble coming back from.

It last saw a reprint in Final Fantasy's Through the Ages bonus sheet but more copies is very welcome given how expensive the card has become.

Mass land destruction is powerful and widely hated, leading to Armageddon held in Magic's vault for many years.

This classic spell last saw a major printing in Masters 25 and has been locked away ever since. Armageddon's price has been climbing quite steadily over the past few years thanks to the rise of Premodern, making it a very timely reprint as a result.

Awaken the Woods is another Mythic that's gotten quite pricey over the years. Players really just love making tons of Dryad Arbors and it's led to the card climbing to a nearly $20 price tag. It hasn't been reprinted since it first showed up in The Brothers' War, making it an outstanding candidate here.

Berserk allows players to supercharge one Creature for a turn before they have to sacrifice it. That usually means you cast it and decimate your opponent, which has made it a house in Legacy Infect decks.

It's been quite some time since we last saw this card as well. The last time we saw it apart from a pair of Secret Lair releases was in Conspiracy: Take The Crown back in 2016. It's about time this saw a major reprint once more.

Players everywhere love a good Fireball variant, and Crackle with Power takes that to the extreme. It's easy to hit multiple targets for massive damage and can even take out multiple opponents at once. That makes it a great reprint, especially since it was first printed in Strixhaven: School of Mages.

Living End is here too, presenting yet another well-timed reprint.

For a time, Living End had fallen off from the Modern meta with the banning of Violent Outburst. Thanks to Lorwyn Eclipsed bringing Formidable Speaker and new Evoke Elementals, the deck is seeing a fresh resurgence. If you need copies, there's never going to be a better time to pick them up.

Winds of Abandon has been a fan favorite in Commander and especially in Cube. It provides an extremely versatile means of removing one problem Creature or taking out an entire army of them at once. The new art is a very welcome addition for players wanting a new look in their decks.

Conclusion

That wraps things up for another round of Secrets of Strixhaven previews, even if this time it was for the set's bonus sheet. The Mystical Archive looks positively juiced the second time around and is sure to inspire plenty of players to pick these cards up.

I was incorrect on WeeklyMTG today--there are more Mystical Archive cards still to be revealed! #wotcstaff
— blakepr.bsky.social (@blakepr.bsky.social) April 7, 2026 at 2:41 PM

While WeeklyMTG host Blake Rasmussen noted during the stream that this would cover all the remaining Mystical Archive previews, he later clarified that he misspoke. Some cards still have yet to be revealed, so keep your eyes peeled as more of these come up in the coming days.

Next up are previews for Silverquill on Wednesday, followed by Witherbloom previews on Thursday. After that, the complete set will be revealed on Friday.

Every one of these new cards and more can be found right here on CoolStuffInc's Secrets of Strixhaven page. Check it out now and lock in your preorders for Sealed, Singles, and Supplies today.