The 4 Most Expensive and Must-Have Cards in Secrets of Strixhaven

Last updated on July 16, 2026

Emeritus of Ideation | Illustration by Mark Poole

Secrets of Strixhaven boosters are filled to the brim with secrets, so to speak. It’s one of the most exciting sets of the last two years or so, with so many cards to get players excited. Today, we check out the most valuable cards from this set. You can check out the set's best cards elsewhere; here we care about the most expensive cards.

Secrets of Strixhaven has four main sets:

• Secrets of Strixhaven (SOS), which is the Standard-legal set.
• Secrets of Strixhaven Commander (SOC), the new cards and reprints available in Commander precons.
• Secrets of Strixhaven Mystical Archive (SOA), the set’s bonus sheet.
• Special Guests (SPG) are special reprints that appear in about 2% of Play Boosters and 5-6% of Collector Boosters.

For this ranking you can find cards worth $10 and above from the main set. I only reference the cheapest version of a card, in case there are two or more versions or special treatments. Don't worry, there are more prices for the special treatments listed below.

These prices were taken from TCGplayer in July 2026 and are subject to changes as the market adjusts.

If you'd prefer an early video version of this article, go check it out over on our YouTube channel, The Daily Upkeep!

#4. Improvisation Capstone – $10.23

Paradigm is a mechanic introduced with Secrets of Strixhaven and a different take on the old epic ability. If you cast Improvisation Capstone once, you’ll cast it for free every turn for the rest of the game. Kind of like a rebound effect, but much better. And look at what you get: spells from the top of your library you can cast for free. It’s really worth ramping into this card to reap the benefits later.

#3. Germination Practicum – $10.37

Germination Practicum is surprisingly affordable to play in green, so it comes out a lot faster than players expect. If you think dealing with a paradigm of a growing team is tough, you're correct.

#2. Emeritus of Woe – $12.44

The black card from the Emeritus cycle, Emeritus of Woe, has none other than a Demonic Tutor attached to it. It’s very good already as a 6-mana 5/4 with a free tutor attached, and some decks will be able to sacrifice two creatures each turn so that you can tutor again. Value or combo, you choose your own route.

#1. Emeritus of Ideation – $15.15

Emeritus of Ideation is the flashiest card in this set; it’s already a good 5/5 flier that comes with Ancestral Recall prepared. It’s a card that can draw three cards on a “kicker“, and you can blink it or just “delve” eight cards from your graveyard to do it again. Loot, the Pathfinder exists, but it also costs three different colors of mana, and it doesn’t fly, does it?

Cards Between $5-10

Promos, Alternate Art, and More

Secrets of Strixhaven is packed with alternate art and special card treatments, so let’s see them in greater detail.

Headliner: Double Rainbow Foil Emeritus of Ideation — $ 2,900

Emeritus of Ideation is the Headliner for this set. There are only 500 of these, and they have a double rainbow foil treatment. This version’s art is from Mark Poole, the original Ancestral Recall artist, and this card’s art pays homage to the original. You can only get one of these in Collector Boosters, so it remains difficult to land on a market price. Serialized cards sell for a few thousand bucks, and this one is right up there with the great ones.

Borderless Field Notes Cards

• Improvisation Capstone — $14.11
• Germination Practicum — $12.17
• Decorum Dissertation — $8.24

Strixhaven students are surely taking notes while wandering across Arcavios and even Omenpaths. There are six rare and six mythics total with the Borderless Field Notes art treatment, and almost all of these will see some Constructed play, at least in the casual realm. You can find them in nonfoil and foil treatments in Play Boosters and Collector Boosters.

Mystical Archive Cards

• Force of Will — $63.26
• Cyclonic Rift — $34.27
• Triumph of the Hordes — $13.08

We’ve talked a lot about these cards, and there are 65 different instants and sorceries in the Mystical Archive (SOA). Each booster will have at least one of these, so you’re definitely going to see the gorgeous art on these reprints.

Japanese Mystical Archive Cards and Silver Scroll Foil Cards

• Brain Freeze — $70.56
• Armageddon — $59.98
• Empty the Warrens — $16.74

All cards in the Mystical Archive (SOA) can be found with alternative Japanese-style art and text. You can find the regular Japanese Mystical Archive cards in Japanese Play Boosters and Japanese and non-Japanese Collector Boosters, and the silver scroll foil Japanese Mystical Archive cards, which can only be found in Collector Boosters. If you want to upgrade the visuals of some instants and sorceries in your Commander decks and cubes, here’s an excellent opportunity to do so. There is a significant markup on the price for these. For a better idea of what these special foil cards can cost, a TCGplayer singles listing of a Force of Will silver scroll foil goes for about $985.

Wrap Up

Withering Curse | Illustration by Tuan Duong Chu

And that’s it for Secrets of Strixhaven and its most valuable cards. One thing that caught my attention right away is that a good chunk of the value in this set is in the Standard-legal mythic rares, while most sets have their most valuable cards in the Commander offerings. The mythics in this set are juiced, regardless of whether we’re talking about the elder dragons, the prepared mythics, the planeswalkers, and more. The strong value from the Mystical Archive cards in Play Boosters, let alone in the Collector Boosters bring up the general value on this one. I hope you draft well and open a lot of value.

Which cards are you chasing? Let me know in the comments section. And for more on these special, juiced-up cards, our YouTube Channel The Daily Upkeep has much more information and content you might want to check out.

Until next time, happy hunting!