MTG Secrets of Strixhaven Emeritus Tier List: Ranking All Five Cards
Magic: The Gathering's Secrets of Strixhaven introduced a new cycle of Emeritus cards. These are mythic rare, mono-colored creatures that feature the set's new Prepare mechanic. Each Secrets of Strixhaven Emeritus card has an iconic spell from Magic's history as their Prepare spell.
In this article, we rank all the Emeritus cards to see which one stands out most.
5. Emeritus of Truce
The white Emeritus of Truce ranks fifth among the Secrets of Strixhaven Emeritus cards. Its prepared spell, Swords to Plowshares, is one of Magic's most powerful targeted removal spells. However, this card's prepare conditions are highly dependent on your opponents' board state. It also lacks a way to reprepare itself without external help like flicker spells. As a result, it ranks the lowest on this tier list.
4. Emeritus of Abundance
The green Emeritus of Abundance ranks fourth among the Secrets of Strixhaven Emeritus cards. Regrowth, its prepared spell, lets you return a card from your graveyard to your hand. This creature enters prepared, allowing you to cast Regrowth immediately if you have available mana.
It can reprepare itself when it attacks, but only if you control a sufficient number of lands. This can't happen before your eighth turn unless you have land-based ramp. As a result, Emeritus of Abundance ranks fourth on this tier list.
3. Emeritus of Conflict
The red Emeritus of Conflict ranks third among the Secrets of Strixhaven Emeritus cards. Lightning Bolt, its prepared spell, is an iconic red instant that deals 3 damage to any target. This is powerful but not as impactful as the other Emeritus cards' prepared spells since it only does damage.
Emeritus of Conflict has the lowest mana value among all the cards in this cycle. However, it's the only one with no condition to enter prepared. It becomes prepared when you cast your third spell each turn, which is easily achievable in spellslinger decks. As a result, this Emeritus sits in the middle on this tier list.
2. Emeritus of Woe
The black Emeritus of Woe is the second-best Secrets of Strixhaven Emeritus on this tier list. Demonic Tutor, its prepared spell, is a game-changing sorcery that lets you tutor and put any card into your hand. This creature enters prepared, allowing you to cast Demonic Tutor immediately if you have available mana.
This card's reprepare conditions are one of the easiest to meet among the other Emeritus cycle cards. It also has a good 5/4 body for its mana value in addition to its powerful prepared spell. However, you're essentially paying six mana to tutor a card you need, which is inefficient. As a result, this card falls short of the top spot in this tier list.
1. Emeritus of Ideation
The blue Emeritus of Ideation is the best among the Secrets of Strixhaven Emeritus cards. Its prepared spell is Ancestral Recall, which is one of Magic: The Gathering's famed Power Nine. This blue instant is one of the game's most mana efficient draw spells.
Emeritus of Ideation has the highest casting cost among all the Emeritus. It makes up for this by entering prepared, letting you get immediate value from it if you have available mana. Additionally, it's a flying creature with a good 5/5 body and ward 2 to help protect itself. This card's reprepare condition requires some setup, but even one cast of Ancestral Recall is already incredibly impactful. As a result of its good stats and powerful prepared spell, this is the best Secrets of Strixhaven Emeritus.
This wraps up this tier list on Magic: The Gathering's Secrets of Strixhaven Emeritus cycle. Each card brings value through its prepared spell, but differences in efficiency, consistency, and impact define the rankings. It's these differences that became the deciding factor in my rankings.
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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 7:22 PM.