Strixhaven: School of Mages/Mystical Archive
Mystical Archive is a non-Standard set of cards associated with Strixhaven: School of Mages. It was released on April 23, 2021.
Description
Mystical Archive is similar to the Masterpiece Series, but the cards appear more frequently in the boosters of the main set and have a more profound influence on the Limited environment.
In this supplemental set, Wizards of the Coasts has reprinted 63 of the most famous instants and sorceries of all time in specially designed showcase frames and with set code STA. Strixhaven Draft and Set Boosters contain one Mystical Archive card, and Collector Boosters have at least three. These will only be legal in formats that they are already legal in. They are not part of the Standard environment. However, the cards may be used in Limited events. In a Sealed Deck tournament, those cards are part of your card pool. In a Booster Draft tournament, you must draft those cards for them to be included in your card pool.
Mystical Archive cards feature special art and frames with flavor text ripped straight from the scholarly library within Strixhaven and inspired by European illuminated manuscripts, depicting the first time a spell had ever been cast. While some of the Mystical Archive cards are reprints of things previously at common (like Opt), the Archive only has uncommon, rare, and mythic rarities (18 uncommons, 30 rares, 15 mythic rares). All uncommons are reprints of cards already in 2020-2021 Standard.
Japanese variants
The global Mystical Archive cards are available in various languages, but there are also Japanese alternate art versions of the Mystical Archive cards with art inspired by traditional Japanese paintings. The Japanese variants are numbered #64-126.
Distribution
You received one copy — from its own dedicated slot — in each Draft Booster and each Set Booster, and at least three in each Collector Booster. As Mystical Archive cards are a bonus card in each Draft Booster and set booster, they don't replace another card of the same rarity in a pack. So you can get multiple rare cards in a Draft Booster.
The Japanese variants for Mystical Archive will be found in Japanese Draft, Set, and Collector Boosters, and at least one will come in Collector Boosters in all languages. In Japanese Draft and Set Boosters, Mystical Archive cards and Japanese alternate-art versions will appear at equal rates.
Foil and foil-etched
Both the regular and Japanese versions of Mystical Archive cards will come in foil and, found only in Collector Boosters, the foil-etched treatment.
MTG Arena
The Mystical Archive was available in Strixhaven drafts on MTG Arena. However, seven of the cards didn't join Historic for power level reasons.
Showcase: Strixhaven
This series was complemented with 6 allied colored spells with the same frame, appearing in Showcase: Strixhaven.
Card list
Misprints
- The Japanese alternative art on the cards Ephemerate and Memory Lapse were accidently swapped during the development process.