Weekly MTG’s Steve Sunu and Chris Peeler previewed a handful of new Strixhaven: School of Mages cards, including the modal DFC creature/planeswalkers — Mila, Crafty Companion/Lukka, Wayward Bonder!
Following the tradition of Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor from Kaldheim, Strixhaven introduces a familiar planeswalker with a trusty companion. Take a look at the front half featuring Mila, Crafty Companion.
Whenever an opponent attacks one or more planeswalkers you control, put a loyalty counter on each planeswalker you control
Whenever a permanent you control becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, you may draw a card.
This three-mana 2/3 legendary Fox defends you in more ways than one. On top of being a creature on its own, your planeswalkers get some loyalty when an opponent attempts to attack them down. The second ability showcases one of the new ways white is getting card draw — if an opponent targets a permanent you control, you get to draw a card. With Mila out, your cards are protected and even if they get removed, you can replace them with another card.
That is already a lot of powerful text, but let’s check out the backside featuring Lukka, Wayward Bonder.
+1: You may discard a card. If you do, draw a card. If a creature card was discard this way, draw two cards instead.
Red has long had looting as its way to draw cards and it being a plus effect is pretty huge. On top of that, if you loot away a creature you get to draw two cards while setting up the -2 ability.
-2: Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. It gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of your next upkeep.
Red doesn’t often have reanimation type effects, but is quite familiar with bringing creatures to the battlefield with haste and then exiling them. Lukka allows you to bring a creature back and it doesn’t even leave on your turn. You get to keep the creature until your next upkeep, so this ability can be used defensively as well as offensively.
-7: You get an emblem with “Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, it deals damage equal to its power to any target.”
If you manage to ultimate Lukka all your creatures turn into burn spells! Terror of the Peaks grants this ability and has proven powerful, butnow that effect gets the emblem treatment.
Lukka wasn’t the only card to get previewed on Weekly MTG, as the duo also showed off some of the Silverquill cards to fill out some cycles in addition to a mythic rare from the college. Meet Mavinda, Students’ Advocate.
A legendary Bird Advisor is ready to take you under its wing. Starting off as a 2/3 flyer for three isn’t too bad, but Mavinda’s 0 ability is quite similar to a previous fan favorite, Feather, the Redeemed. Instant and sorcery spells that target creatures you control can be played from your graveyard for their mana cost, but why stop at that? Any instant or sorcery can be played from your graveyard as long as you pay eight more mana.
Next up are Silverquill Pledgemage and Silverquill Campus.
A three-mana Vampire Cleric will be completely serviceable in Limited and it has the magecraft bonus of gaining flying or lifelink until the end of the turn. The beautiful campus of Silverquill can help fix your mana in Limited and Pauper as well.
Now we have a rare creature/sorcery modal DFC — Selfless Glyphweaver // Deadly Vanity.
A Human Cleric with the Selfless Spirit ability for three mana, with the upside of an incredibly powerful sorcery on the back. Eight mana is a lot, but Plague Wind-esque spells tend to be and this one even leaves you with a creature or planeswalker of your choice.
Finally, meet Killian, Ink Duelist.
The uncommon legendary Human Warlock packs quite the punch as a 2/2 for two with lifelink and menace. But that’s not all, as Killian allows you to play spells that target creatures for two less, giving you quite the advantage on the battlefield whether you’re targeting your own creatures with pump or protection spells or if you’re attempting to remove opposing creatures.
What do you think of all the new cards shown off on Weekly MTG? What card do you look forward to playing the most?
Strixhaven: School of Mages releases April 23. Check out our official preview gallery.