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Doubling Season Gets Even More Ridiculous — Plus 16 New Combos From Secrets of Strixhaven

· 17 sources

The Secrets of Strixhaven Update Bulletin quietly slipped in a rules change that makes Doubling Season even more absurd. If you thought this card was already an auto-include in every counter and token strategy, buckle...

🧙 The Tap — MTG Daily Digest for April 17, 2026

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Set News

Doubling Season Just Got a Rules Upgrade, Because It Wasn't Strong Enough Already The Secrets of Strixhaven Update Bulletin quietly slipped in a rules change that makes Doubling Season even more absurd. If you thought this card was already an auto-include in every counter and token strategy, buckle up — the ceiling just got higher. Read the full breakdown →

New Secret Lair "Back to School" Superdrop Packs Serious Value Eight new Secret Lairs dropped with the Back to School Superdrop, spanning everything from My Little Pony to anime aesthetics to Dwarf Fortress. Early value breakdowns suggest several of these are windmill slams for collectors and players alike. Superdrop details → | Value breakdown →

Japanese-Only Cards Return to English Collector Boosters Maro confirmed that Japanese cards are back in English boosters for Strixhaven due to designs that could only exist in Japanese. The decision was made so players worldwide could access them — expect these to be chase pulls in Collector Boosters. Source →

Maro on Liliana in Foundations: "Not Time-Locked" With the SOS story confirming Liliana lost her spark, players questioned her Dreadhorde General appearance in Foundations. Maro clarified that Foundations cards span Magic's entire history, so her planeswalker card simply represents an earlier point in the timeline. Source →

All 20 Mythic Rares in Secrets of Strixhaven, Ranked Draftsim put all 20 mythics through the gauntlet — from bomb rares to bulk. Whether you're cracking packs or eyeing singles, this ranking will help you sort signal from noise ahead of release weekend. Full rankings →

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Commander Corner

16 Brand New Combos From Secrets of Strixhaven SOS is looking like combo Christmas. From Planar Engineering loops to synergies across all five colleges, Draftsim catalogued 16 fresh infinite and near-infinite combos that brewers should have on their radar. Some of these look genuinely terrifying for casual tables. See all 16 →

Lorehold Spirit Precon Goes From Fun to Busted With a Few Swaps Tomer over at MTGGoldfish walks through targeted upgrades that transform the Lorehold Spirit precon into a legitimate powerhouse. If you picked this up on release, a handful of budget swaps can take it from bracket-friendly to bracket-pushing real fast. Upgrade guide →

Quandrix Unlimited Precon Guide EDHREC's full precon breakdown covers the Quandrix Unlimited deck — commanders, key includes, and whether it's worth the buy. Simic value engines doing Simic value engine things, but the new tools look genuinely interesting. Read more →

K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth Gets the Fire and Ice Treatment The data-driven Fire and Ice series digs into K'rrik — examining the overplayed and underplayed cards in the deck. Phyrexian mana is still paying life like it's going out of style, and there are some surprising includes worth reconsidering. Full analysis →

Ms. Bumbleflower Cracks the Top 10 Most Popular Commanders The Bloomburrow fan-favorite has officially hopped into the #10 spot on EDHREC's all-time popularity rankings. Turns out an adorable rabbit that draws cards and makes tokens is exactly what the format wanted. Details →

Leonardo, Cutting Edge — Mono-White Counters and Lifegain The TMNT Universes Beyond set gave mono-white another tool, and this Leonardo build leans into counters and lifegain in a way that feels surprisingly cohesive. Worth a look if you're a mono-white truther. Deck tech →

Predicting the Popularity of SOS Commanders EDHREC's Over/Under series sets the lines on which Secrets of Strixhaven commanders will overperform or underperform expectations. Primo, the Unbounded is getting a lot of early buzz — but will it stick? Predictions →

Remastering the Eternal Bargain Precon Oloro, Ageless Ascetic gets a modern facelift as EDHREC's Precon Remastered series revisits the Commander 2013 classic. If you've been sitting in your command zone gaining life since 2013, it's time for an upgrade. Read more →

EDHREC Guide to Dinosaurs in Commander Gishath, Sun's Avatar and friends get the definitive guide treatment. From Ixalan staples to recent printings, this is your one-stop shop for building the dino deck of your dreams. Life, uh, finds a way. Full guide →

Why Are These Cards Banned in Commander? EDHREC takes a deep dive into the ban list rationale, card by card. With Brackets still stirring debate, understanding why the hammer falls is more relevant than ever. Read more →

Paradigm — The New Mythic Noncreature Cycle Explained Draftsim breaks down the Paradigm mechanic, its rules implications, history, and the best cards using it. If you haven't wrapped your head around this one yet, start here. Deep dive →

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Competitive Scene

Against the Odds: The Ultimate Typal Mashup in Standard SaffronOlive asks the important question: how many creature-type payoffs can you cram into one Standard deck? Ninja Dragon Pirate Demon Dino Skeleton Turtle Faerie Goblin Merfolk tribal is apparently a sentence now. Peak Against the Odds energy. Watch/read →

This Week in Legacy: Postgraduate Studies Joe Dyer wraps up Strixhaven's impact on Legacy. The format continues to absorb new tools, and the post-SOS metagame is starting to take shape. Full report →

Vintage 101: Side Courses Joe Dyer also closes the book on Strixhaven for Vintage, examining which cards earned slots in the most powerful format in Magic. Read more →

Understanding Play-In Points on MTGA If you've been grinding Arena and eyeing competitive play but don't fully understand Play-In Points, Draftsim has the explainer you need. The path from ladder to tournament just got a fresh guide. Guide →

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Limited & Draft

4 Major Predictions for Secrets of Strixhaven Limited Before you fire up your first draft, Draftsim lays out four bold calls on how the format will shake out. College archetypes, speed of the format, and which commons will be the hidden all-stars. Predictions →

The Ultimate Guide to SOS Sealed Prerelease weekend is upon us, and this comprehensive Sealed guide covers everything from college priorities to mana base construction. Don't crack your packs without reading this first. Sealed guide →

Top 28 Witherbloom Cards in SOS, Ranked BG's tradition of removal plus threats continues in Strixhaven. Draftsim ranks every Witherbloom card for Limited and Constructed, with Lluwen, Exchange Student leading the pack. Rankings →

Secrets of Strixhaven Typal Set Review EDHREC's typal specialist breaks down every creature type that matters in SOS — essential reading if you're building around tribal synergies in any format. Full review →

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Finance & Market

Cards to Watch From Secrets of Strixhaven MTGStocks highlights the SOS cards with the most financial upside. Whether you're speccing or just want to know what to hold from your pulls, this watchlist is your starting point. Watchlist →

Best Artifacts and Lands in Secrets of Strixhaven EDHREC surveys the colorless staples from SOS. Umbral Expanse and friends may not headline the set, but format staple artifacts and lands often hold the most long-term value. Review →

MTGO vs. Arena in 2026 — Which Platform Deserves Your Money? Draftsim's updated comparison guide weighs the pros and cons of both digital platforms. With Arena's economy changes and MTGO's eternal format support, the answer isn't as obvious as you'd think. Comparison →

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Design & Lore

Maro Says No to Red Dark Ritual — "We Don't Color-Shift Known Broken Cards" A fan asked about a red ritual, and Maro shut it down with a firm "If." The reasoning is clean: Wizards mostly avoids color-shifting cards they already know are overpowered. Seething Song players in shambles. Source →

Aetherdrift Didn't "Use Up" Returns to Avishkar or Amonkhet Good news for fans of those planes — Maro confirmed that partial visits don't count as full returns. A proper revisit could come sooner than it would for an unvisited plane, but it's "not nothing." Source →

Could We See a New Nonpermanent Card Type? When asked about adding a card type beyond instants and sorceries, Maro posed the core design challenge: what nonpermanent effect can't already be done by instants and sorceries? A deceptively simple question with no easy answer. Source →

Prepared Spells Likely Limited to Instants and Sorceries Maro weighed in that prepared spells are probably restricted to instants and sorceries, though he noted it's not his area of expertise. Don't expect to prepare an artifact anytime soon. Source →

Community Planeswalker Poll Lights Up Blogatog Maro's favorite planeswalker question generated a massive response, with fans championing everyone from Ajani to Grist to Taysir of Rabiah. The throughline? Players love walkers with strong narrative arcs — Narset, Vraska, and Garruk were recurring fan favorites across color categories. Maro's own pick? Sorin for current sets, Garruk from the original five. See responses →

Berserk Would Still Be Green In case you were wondering, Maro confirmed that Berserk's doubling-damage-then-sacrifice effect is still firmly in green's slice of the color pie. Some things never change. Source →

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That's a wrap for today. Prerelease season is here — may your pools be deep, your rares be bombs, and your mana never stumble. See you tomorrow.

Sources

Markrosewater · 2026-04-17
Chiming in on fav. planeswalkers. For me it’s Ajani by a mile. I collect every card I can, even got my favorite one signed. Really have appreciated that he’s had a bit of story equity to be relevant for some time lately. I’m sure it won’t be forever, so I’m trying to appreciate the good times while were in them. I was hanging on the edge of my seat during MoM seeing what would happen, if we’d lose him or he could be redeemed. I was ready for both, but obviously was stoked at his return.
Markrosewater · 2026-04-17
For the Planeswalker question: Overall: Dack Fayden. I love the ‘thief with a conscience’ trope and I promise nobody will be mad if you retcon his War of the Spark demise 😝 Monowhite: Gideon Jura. I’m a sucker for characters driven by self-sacrifice and a sense of duty. Monoblue: Teferi Akosa. Possibly one of the most compelling character narratives I’ve seen, with moving lows and cathartic highs. Monoblack: Davriel Cane. I like his whole 'store brand Gomez Addams’ vibe and I want to know more about him, like where did he learn to read Old Ulgrothan? Monored: Tibalt. There’s something so entertaining about a character who’s unabashedly evil and constantly getting walked over. He’s like a Spider-Man villain to me 😂 Monogreen: Jiang Yanggu. The plucky young boy setting out in search of medicine is such a classic trope, and reminds me of some of the stories inspired by Journey to the West. Two Color: Vraska. The online stories during Ixalan block cemented her as a favorite character. Three Color: Narset. Similarly, the online stories featuring Narset’s POV endeared her to me. Five Color: Taysir of Rabiah. His completely over-the-top story and powers remind me of Golden Age comic books. Thanks for asking!
Markrosewater · 2026-04-17
If/When: a flip creature that is also a dfc that is also a flip creature.
Markrosewater · 2026-04-17
The Magic website makes it surprisingly hard to read the SOS story episodes. The page for each episode has no link to the next chapter (at least on mobile), or for that matter to any other chapter. The only way I could find those links was to Google them. I would think that Wizards would want to make it as easy as possible to read the story.
Markrosewater · 2026-04-17
idk if we were supposed to reply to the post with our planeswalker lists or send them as asks (or if either is okay), so here’s my list: fav planeswalkers: overall: very, very hard choice. Mechanically it’s probably gideon, I just think that’s a cool effect. in story, though.. maybe narset. i think she just barely pulls ahead. w: gideon. his ability to be a planeswalker and a creature are genuinely some of my fav mechanics. i don’t really care for many of the white planeswalkers in story, except ajani. b: liliana. dreadhorde general and prof onyx rule, and liliana is such a cool character. u: teferi. great representation and a great character. r: jaya. also great representation. I love when a woman is old, beautiful, and powerful. g: not really a green player, but vivien bc of the one that gives creatures flash. don’t really care for the green planeswalkers tho. 2c: close between Ajani and Arlinn. hard to choose just one, but i think ajani wins out just slightly. 3c: hard choice between bolas and narset. i really love both of them. narset probably pulls ahead.
Markrosewater · 2026-04-17
Favourite Planeswalker: Chandra Mono-white: None, but primarily white: Kaya Mono-Blue: Vronos, I guess, but just because I really don’t like the others Mono-Black: It was Lilli, but now she’s desparked, so Ashiok Mono- Red: Chandra Mono-Green: It was Nissa, but now she’s desparked so Grist (I think she’s still got a spark?) Two-Color: It was Saheeli, now she’s desparked, so the new Delian seems fun Three-Color: It was Aminatou, now… I guess Guff? Five-Colour: I think Jared is the only option that isn’t Urza’s head?
Markrosewater · 2026-04-17
my favorite planeswalker is grist! I know she’s a bit of an oddball overall, and honestly I was surprised to see her return in MH3 - I’m hoping one day she shows up in the story, even in a supporting or background role :)
Markrosewater · 2026-04-17
If Berserk was printed now, what color would it be?
Markrosewater · 2026-04-17
my favorite planeswalker is Jace Beleren
Markrosewater · 2026-04-17
Bevy of Beebles is my favourite. Such a cool concept not only in mechanics but in concept as well: a collective that shares a spark (or sparks?) and can grow and shrink. For main set releases my favourite shifted over time. Today I’d say it’s Sorin. From the original five it was Garruk. Vraska was really cool, Tamyio as well. From the recent batch I like Kaito.
Markrosewater · 2026-04-17
At this point, is R&D just trolling you by putting a Storm card into every set?
Markrosewater · 2026-04-17
Hello, Mark, the Planeswalkers survey! Overall favorite: Tezzeret (cool arm and badass antihero-antagonist vibes); mono-W: Teyo (just a boy trying to figure out all that chaos); mono-U: Tamiyo (RIP); mono-B: Davriel (please, bring back this adorable tea-lover!); mono-R: Daretti (when he was PW and mono-R); mono-G: pretty hard choice, but I would say Garruk (Grist is the strong second). Two-color: Quint and Oko; three-color: Dihada; five-color: Jared Carthalion.
Markrosewater · 2026-04-17
Chiming in on Planeswalkers (including deceased or desparked) Overall: Sorin (especially when BW) White: The Wanderer Black: Sorin Red: Tibalt (RIP, what a marvelous jerk) Green: No opinion, not much of a green fan Blue: Teferi Colorless: Karn Two-color: Sorin Three-color: Tamiyo Four+: No opinions Honorable mentions: Chandra, Narset, Venser, and Ral Zarek are all cool.
Edhrec · 2026-04-17
The Best Artifacts and Lands in Secrets of Strixhaven
Edhrec · 2026-04-17
Secrets of Strixhaven Typal Set Review
Edhrec · 2026-04-17
Remastering the Eternal Bargain Commander Precon
Edhrec · 2026-04-17
Fire and Ice: K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
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