Last updated: 1 April 2026
MTG Secrets of Strixhaven is shaping up to be one of the most exciting Magic: The Gathering sets of 2026, and the headline act is a brand-new cycle of five mythic rare Elder Dragons. Each MTG Elder Dragon represents one of Strixhaven's five magical colleges, and each one grants your entire instant and sorcery lineup a powerful keyword from Magic's history. With pre-order prices ranging from AU$50 to AU$238 and the set dropping at Australian stores on 24 April 2026 — you can preorder Secrets of Strixhaven directly from Wizards of the Coast, here's your complete guide to all five Elder Dragons.
With the MTG set releasing in just over three weeks and Australian prereleases running from 17–23 April at stores like Good Games, Mind Games, and Card Merchant, here's everything you need to know about each Elder Dragon, what they do, what they cost in AUD, and whether they're worth chasing for your collection or Commander deck.
What Is the MTG Elder Dragon Cycle in Secrets of Strixhaven?
The design philosophy behind these MTG Elder Dragons is elegant and terrifying in equal measure. Each Elder Dragon takes a classic instant-and-sorcery keyword — Storm, Cascade, Miracle, Casualty, or Affinity — and extends it to every instant and sorcery you cast. This transforms your entire spell suite into something far more dangerous than the sum of its parts. Combined with the returning Mystical Archive bonus sheet (one guaranteed per pack), MTG Secrets of Strixhaven is built to reward spellslinger strategies across every format from Standard to Commander. For a broader overview of the set, check out our Secrets of Strixhaven guide for Australian players.
Here are all five MTG Elder Dragons from the set, with full card details, Australian pricing, and format analysis.
What Does Lorehold, the Historian Do? — Miracle for Everything
Mana Cost: {3}{R}{W} (5 mana) | Stats: 5/5 Flying, Haste | Rarity: Mythic Rare
Illustrated by: Joshua Raphael
MTG Card Abilities:
- Each instant and sorcery card in your hand has miracle {2}.
- At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
Lorehold, the Historian is the value engine of the MTG Elder Dragon cycle. The miracle mechanic lets you cast any instant or sorcery for just two generic mana — but only if it's the first card you draw that turn. The genius of this dragon is that second ability: during each opponent's upkeep, you can cycle through your hand, discarding a card to draw a fresh one. In a four-player Commander pod, that's three extra draw triggers per turn cycle, each one a potential miracle window.
Imagine drawing into a Blasphemous Act or Austere Command on an opponent's turn and slamming it down for just two mana. That's the kind of play pattern Lorehold enables, and it's absolutely devastating in multiplayer.
Australian Price: Pre-orders on the regular version sit around US$48 (AU$77), while the borderless art treatment lists at US$149 (AU$238). The Commander demand is clearly driving this — Boros spellslinger has historically lacked a truly exciting commander, and Lorehold fills that gap perfectly. You can compare Lorehold prices across Australian stores on TCG Snoop.
How Broken Is Prismari, the Inspiration? — Storm on a Stick
Mana Cost: {5}{U}{R} (7 mana) | Stats: 7/7 Flying, Ward — Pay 5 life | Rarity: Mythic Rare
Illustrated by: Justin Gerard
MTG Card Ability:
- Instant and sorcery spells you cast have storm.
This is the MTG Elder Dragon that made the entire Magic: The Gathering community collectively gasp. Prismari, the Inspiration grants Storm to every instant and sorcery you cast — widely considered the most dangerous mechanic in MTG history. Every spell you cast gets copied for each spell cast before it that turn. Normally, only a handful of carefully costed cards get the storm keyword. Prismari gives it to everything.
At seven mana with Ward — Pay 5 life, Wizards of the Coast has clearly tried to balance this. You need to invest heavily to get Prismari onto the battlefield, and your opponents will think twice before paying 5 life to remove it. But once it sticks, even a simple cantrip becomes a multi-copy nightmare. Cast three cheap spells and then drop a Lightning Bolt? That's four copies of Bolt.
In Commander, Prismari is going to be a build-around powerhouse for Izzet spellslinger decks. The high mana cost is less of a barrier in Commander where games run longer and ramp is plentiful. Pre-order prices suggest it will settle in the AU$70–80 range for regular copies.
Why Is Quandrix, the Proof So Good? — Cascade Everywhere
Mana Cost: {4}{G}{U} (6 mana) | Stats: 6/6 Flying, Trample | Rarity: Mythic Rare
Illustrated by: Lucas Graciano
MTG Card Abilities:
- Cascade (built into the dragon itself)
- Instant and sorcery spells you cast from your hand have cascade.
Cascade is one of the most beloved MTG mechanics because it generates massive value — exile cards from the top of your library until you hit something cheaper, then cast it for free. Quandrix, the Proof doesn't just give your spells cascade; the MTG Elder Dragon itself has cascade too, meaning you get a free spell just from casting it.
The implications for Commander are enormous. Every removal spell, counterspell, or draw spell now comes with a free bonus cast attached. A well-built Quandrix deck can chain cascades into cascades, generating the kind of value avalanche that Simic decks are famous for. The trample keyword also makes Quandrix a legitimate combat threat — a 6/6 flying trampler that replaces itself is already playable, and the cascade anthem pushes it over the edge.
Keep an eye on this one for Legacy and Vintage discussions as well. Big cascade spells have historically seen play in eternal formats, and giving cascade to every instant and sorcery is the kind of effect that competitive MTG players love to exploit.
Is Silverquill, the Disputant Standard Playable? — Casualty on Every Spell
Mana Cost: {2}{W}{B} (4 mana) | Stats: 4/4 Flying, Vigilance | Rarity: Mythic Rare
Illustrated by: Antonio José Manzanedo
MTG Card Ability:
- Each instant and sorcery spell you cast has casualty 1.
At just four mana, Silverquill, the Disputant is the cheapest MTG Elder Dragon in the cycle and it's deceptively powerful. Casualty 1 means that whenever you cast an instant or sorcery, you may sacrifice a creature with power 1 or greater to copy that spell. Essentially, every removal spell becomes a two-for-one, every draw spell doubles up, and every combat trick hits twice.
The key to Silverquill is token generation. Pair this MTG dragon with any decent token producer and you have an endless supply of sacrifice fodder. Orzhov has no shortage of token generators — think Bitterblossom, Lingering Souls, or even humble Servo and Treasure tokens. The vigilance on a 4/4 flying body also means Silverquill can attack and still be available to block.
At four mana, this is the MTG Elder Dragon most likely to see play outside Commander. Standard and Pioneer brewers should take note — Australian competitive players preparing for upcoming RCQ events should have this on their radar.
Does Witherbloom, the Balancer Go Infinite? — Affinity for Creatures
Mana Cost: {6}{B}{G} (8 mana, but read on...) | Stats: 5/5 Flying, Deathtouch | Rarity: Mythic Rare
Illustrated by: Chris Rahn
MTG Card Abilities:
- Affinity for creatures (this spell costs {1} less for each creature you control)
- Instant and sorcery spells you cast have affinity for creatures.
Don't let the eight-mana sticker price scare you. Witherbloom, the Balancer has affinity for creatures, meaning every creature you control reduces its cost by one. In a typical Commander board state with five or six creatures, you're casting this for just two or three mana. And then every instant and sorcery you cast afterwards gets the same discount.
This MTG dragon has already made headlines for creating a two-card infinite combo with Sprout Swarm. Because Sprout Swarm has convoke and Witherbloom gives it affinity for creatures, with just three other creatures on the battlefield you can cast Sprout Swarm for free, generate a Saproling token, tap that token to convoke the next copy, and repeat infinitely. This interaction has already driven Sprout Swarm's price up by over 670% — from around US$0.75 to nearly US$6 (roughly AU$9.60).
The deathtouch keyword is a nice defensive touch too — opponents will think twice about attacking into a 5/5 deathtouch flyer while you assemble your combo. Witherbloom is shaping up to be the competitive player's choice among the five MTG Elder Dragons.
Which MTG Elder Dragon Should Australian Players Chase?
For Australian MTG players looking to crack packs at prerelease events starting 17 April, here's a quick priority guide:
- Commander players: Lorehold and Prismari are the two most exciting build-around commanders. Both enable strategies that haven't been well-served in their colour pairs before. If you're new to Commander, our best Commander precons guide is a great starting point.
- Competitive players: Silverquill at four mana is the most Constructed-playable MTG Elder Dragon, and Witherbloom's combo potential makes it a sleeper pick for combo-oriented formats.
- Collectors and investors: Lorehold's borderless art by Joshua Raphael is currently the most expensive single card in the set at around AU$238 pre-order. The Prismari borderless by Justin Gerard is likely to settle at a similar level.
- Budget players: Quandrix offers arguably the best value-to-fun ratio. Cascade is inherently entertaining, and the card should settle at a reasonable price point — pair it with some budget Commander staples under $5 AUD since it competes with strong existing Simic commanders.
When Can I Buy Secrets of Strixhaven in Australia?
MTG Secrets of Strixhaven prereleases run from 17–23 April 2026 at local game stores across Australia. Check with your local store — Good Games, Mind Games, Card Merchant (see our Australian store comparison), and many independent LGS locations will be running events. Use the TCG Snoop store finder to find a prerelease near you. The full set releases on Friday 24 April 2026, and booster boxes should be available at major Australian retailers including EB Games.
The set also features the return of the Mystical Archive bonus sheet, with one iconic instant or sorcery reprint guaranteed in every MTG pack. Five Commander precon decks will also be available at launch, one for each Strixhaven college, typically retailing for around AU$65–75 at Australian stores.
The Bottom Line on MTG Secrets of Strixhaven Elder Dragons
The MTG Secrets of Strixhaven Elder Dragon cycle is one of the boldest mythic rare cycles Wizards of the Coast has printed in years. By grafting historically powerful keywords — each drawn from Strixhaven's rich lore and history — onto every instant and sorcery in your deck, each dragon creates a completely different play experience while sharing the same elegant design framework. Whether you're a Commander brewer, a competitive Standard grinder, or a collector hunting borderless mythics, there's something in this MTG cycle worth paying attention to.
Spoiler season runs until approximately 10 April — keep up with our Strixhaven spoilers coverage, so there are still more MTG cards to come that could synergise with these Elder Dragons in unexpected ways. We'll keep tracking Australian prices and availability right here on TCG Snoop as release day approaches.
All card images used in this article are property of Wizards of the Coast, LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. Magic: The Gathering, MTG, and all related card names, artwork, and symbols are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast. Used here for informational and commentary purposes only.