Illustrated by Jake Murray
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Speed
How quickly most games are decided.
Speed
 
Slow
Average
Fast
 
 
 
Speed
Slower, Value Based
Like most recent limited formats, aggressive and control are both viable strategies.
However, due to lesson/learn, card advantage is king. Even aggressive strategies want to generate consistent value.
Cards like Bookwurm and Fractal Summoning can be extremely powerful if built around, but aggressive cards like Guiding Voice and Expanded Anatomy are also real threats.
Prince/Pauper
Power difference between rares and commons.
Prince/Pauper
 
Pauper
Average
Prince
 
 
 
Prince/Pauper
Mostly Pauper
While there are a few incredible bombs in the format, STX is a synergy-driven format, so combining powerful commons and uncommons is more important than individual bombs.
Synergy
Importance of cards working together.
Synergy
 
Unimportant
Average
Important
 
 
 
Synergy
Extremely synergistic
As mentioned, lesson/learn is extremely synergistic and can lead to intense card advantage.
Likewise, as a spells-matter set, Magecraft is quite powerful. Lesson/learn also fuels the spells-matter theme for every color.
Removal
Effectiveness of the available removal.
Removal
 
Ineffective
Average
Effective
 
 
 
Removal
Average
While the removal is effective, there are ways to make multiple creatures which makes one-for-one removal is a somewhat less desirable. But it is still necessary and high priority.
Bounce is very effective vs. the many tokens, making Bury in Books hard removal much of the time.
Balance
Power balance between colors and decks.
Balance
 
Unbalanced
Average
Balanced
 
 
 
Balance
Somewhat Unbalanced
This is a divisive topic — many feel they can make each of the five campuses work. While all are certainly viable, in general the consensus is that Lorehold (White-Red) and Witherbloom (Black-Green) are less powerful, and Silverquill (White-Black) and Quandrix (Blue-Green) can be very powerful.
Lorehold has a graveyard recursion theme, but is often too slow and like a trap. It is at ends with itself, as it wants to be both aggressive and grindy simultaneously.
The lifegain theme in Witherbloom is often unreliable, making synergy less powerful. Meanwhile, Silverquill has incredible aggressive curve-outs, and Quandrix has an incredible ability to ramp and gain card advantage.
Lands/Colors
How many lands and colors generally see play.
Land Total
17-18 Lands
Color Total
2-3 Colors
18 lands is generally advisable given the existence of the scrylands and mana sinks to protect from flood, as well as lesson/learn being mana hungry.
17 lands are still possible given how much spell-based ramp and the existence of Lesson-Learn and Environmental Sciences.
A splash is usually easy as well and makes more lands advisable.
Mana Fixing
Ability to fix for more than two colors.
Mana Fixing
 
Difficult
Average
Easy
 
 
 
Mana Fixing
Fairly Easy
Environmental Sciences is a high pick and splash enabler.
Each of the five campuses are great fixers and flood protection.