Five Commander precon decks release alongside Secrets of Strixhaven on 24 April 2026. That is unusually generous. Most recent MTG sets ship with two Commander decks. Getting five at once means there is almost certainly a deck suited to your colour preferences, playstyle, and Commander experience level. This guide breaks down each deck clearly, what the reprint value looks like, who each deck suits, and whether any of them are worth pre-ordering in Australia right now.
All five Secrets of Strixhaven Commander decks are worth the money based on reprint value alone. The Prismari Artistry deck stands out with the highest confirmed reprint value. Silverquill Influence is the most mechanically interesting and unusual. Witherbloom Pestilence suits players who enjoy sacrifice strategies. Lorehold Spirit suits Spirit typal and graveyard players. Quandrix Unlimited suits players who want big creatures and X-spells. Pre-ordering the deck that matches your colour and playstyle preference is the right call before release.
Why Five Commander Decks Matters
Most recent MTG sets ship with two Commander precon decks, occasionally four. Five precons tied to five thematic colleges is a statement about how seriously Wizards is treating this set's Commander player base.
Each deck covers a different two-colour combination across the five Strixhaven colleges, so together they cover all ten two-colour pairs in Magic. Every Commander player finds at least one deck in their wheelhouse. This breadth also means the prerelease window will have Commander players actively comparing all five decks simultaneously, which sustains community conversation and pre-order momentum.
Every Secrets of Strixhaven Commander Deck includes:
- 100-card ready-to-play deck
- 2 traditional foil mythic rare legendary creatures with borderless art (face commander and secondary commander)
- 12 never-before-seen Commander cards
- 10 double-sided token cards
- Deck box and strategy reference card
Retail price is approximately AU$75 to AU$95 per deck in Australia.
The Five Decks: Honest Breakdown
Silverquill Influence (White/Black)
Face Commander: Killian, Decisive Mentor Secondary Commander: Scriv, the Obligator Theme: Enchantments, Goad, political manipulation
Killian leads the most mechanically unusual deck of the five. The deck centres on Enchantments and a new mechanic called Repartee, which triggers powerful effects whenever you target a creature with an instant or sorcery. The strategy encourages goading opponents' creatures into attacking each other while you draw cards and control the board through Auras and enchantment synergies.
This is not a standard Orzhov sacrifice or life drain deck. It is a political, Enchantress-style deck with a combat manipulation angle that has genuine novelty. Killian himself synergises strongly with Eriette of the Charmed Apple from previous sets, which is a plus for players who already own that card.
The secondary commander Scriv, the Obligator, adds additional political mechanics and is expected to see play in the 99 of many decks outside this precon due to his unusual design.
Standout reprints: Eldrazi Conscription, Kor Spiritdancer, Sram Senior Edificer, Breena the Demagogue, Anguished Unmaking.
Best for: Players who enjoy political Commander games, Enchantress strategies, or white/black colour pairs. Also excellent for players who want to cause chaos at the table without being the biggest threat.
Pre-order verdict: Yes. The most talked-about deck mechanically and likely the highest demand given its unique design space.
Prismari Artistry (Blue/Red)
Face Commander: Rootha, Mastering the Moment Secondary Commander: Muddle, the Ever-Changing Theme: Big spells, Elemental tokens, Opus mechanic
Rootha rewards casting expensive spells. Her ability creates an Elemental token with power and toughness equal to the mana value of the largest instant or sorcery you cast, meaning a Magma Opus creates a 10/10 Elemental. The deck is built around the Opus mechanic from the main set: whenever you cast an instant or sorcery, get a bonus, with an even bigger reward if you spent five or more mana.
This is a high-variance, high-reward deck. When it goes off it creates enormous tokens and ends games. When it stumbles it can feel slow. The secondary commander Muddle, the Ever-Changing, provides flexibility to adapt the strategy as needed.
Standout reprints: Faerie Mastermind (approximately AU$35 with new art), Goldspan Dragon, Brazen Borrower, Dig Through Time, Veyran Voice of Duality, Curiosity Crafter, Rite of Replication, Harmonic Prodigy.
Prismari Artistry has the highest confirmed reprint value of the five decks based on current secondary market prices.
Best for: Players who enjoy Izzet (blue/red) strategies, spellslinger gameplay, or want a deck that can close games with big flashy turns.
Pre-order verdict: Yes, particularly if you enjoy Izzet or spellslinger strategies. The reprint package is the strongest of the five decks and the out-of-the-box experience rewards casting your best spells.
Witherbloom Pestilence (Black/Green)
Face Commander: Dina, Essence Brewer Secondary Commander: Gorma, the Gullet Theme: Sacrifice, Pests, life drain, Aristocrats
Dina is a generically strong sacrifice Commander. She rewards sacrificing creatures with life gain, card draw through a limited draw engine, and stackable counters. Pair her with Pest token producers and free sacrifice outlets like Ashnod's Altar and the deck generates substantial value from each sacrifice.
This is the most immediately legible deck of the five. Sacrifice strategies are among the most popular in Commander because they create consistent advantage through repeated small interactions. Dina does not break new ground but executes the archetype cleanly and the deck is designed to work well straight out of the box.
Standout reprints: Blood Artist, Beledros Witherbloom, Gilded Goose, Mazirek Kraul Death Priest, Jadar Ghoulcaller of Nephalia.
Best for: Players who enjoy Aristocrats strategies, sacrifice themes, Golgari (black/green) colour pairs, or want an approachable Commander deck that works consistently from game one.
Pre-order verdict: Yes. Sacrifice is one of the most popular Commander archetypes and this deck delivers a well-supported version of it.
Lorehold Spirit (Red/White)
Face Commander: Quintorius, History Chaser Secondary Commander: Excava, the Risen Past Theme: Spirit typal, graveyard exfiltration, cards leaving the graveyard
Quintorius is a planeswalker Commander, which is itself unusual. His static ability creates 3/2 Spirit tokens whenever cards leave your graveyard, whether through Flashback, reanimation, exiling, or other recursive effects. He enters with five loyalty, giving you immediate access to his abilities, including an ultimate that grants your Spirits double strike.
The deck weaponises graveyard recursion. Every time you exile a card from your graveyard or reanimate it, you get a Spirit. The deck supports this with cards like Serra Paragon and Currency Converter for consistent value generation, and closes games with Moonshaker Cavalry, which functions like a Craterhoof Behemoth for your board of Spirits.
Standout reprints: Moonshaker Cavalry, Serra Paragon, Karmic Guide, Sun Titan, Tocasia's Welcome.
Best for: Players who enjoy Spirit tribal, graveyard-based strategies, or Boros (red/white) strategies that go wide rather than relying on equipment.
Pre-order verdict: Yes. The Quintorius planeswalker Commander design is genuinely interesting and distinct from standard Boros builds. Strong for players bored with equipment strategies in this colour pair.
Quandrix Unlimited (Blue/Green)
Face Commander: Zimone, Infinite Analyst Secondary Commander: Primo, the Unbounded Theme: X-spells, +1/+1 counters, Fractals and Hydras
Zimone is a self-accelerating mana engine. X-spells you cast put +1/+1 counters on her, and those counters then make subsequent X-spells cheaper. Once she has enough counters, you are casting Genesis Wave or Hydroid Krasis for free or near-free mana. The deck supports this with Hardened Scales, Ozolith the Shattered Spire, Unbound Flourishing, and Benevolent Hydra to double and preserve your counters.
The secondary commander Primo, the Unbounded, provides an alternative angle that rewards 0-power creatures gaining counters, creating Fractals that continue the chain. Mechanically this is the most linear of the five decks but also one of the most explosively powerful when the pieces come together.
Standout reprints: Hardened Scales, Ozolith the Shattered Spire, Unbound Flourishing, Benevolent Hydra.
Best for: Players who enjoy ramp and combo-adjacent strategies, Simic (blue/green) colour pairs, or want a deck that can generate overwhelming board states in the mid to late game.
Pre-order verdict: Yes, especially if Simic is your preferred colour pair. A strong reprint package and a commander with genuine power ceiling make this deck worth picking up.
Which Deck Should You Buy?
The short answer is: the deck whose colour combination you already enjoy playing, or the one whose theme excites you most from the descriptions above.
If you are genuinely torn, here is a tiebreaker ranked by what each deck does best:
Best reprint value: Prismari Artistry. Faerie Mastermind alone pushes this deck ahead on raw card value.
Most unusual and interesting design: Silverquill Influence. Nobody else is building Repartee-based Enchantress-Goad decks. It offers something genuinely new.
Most accessible for new players: Witherbloom Pestilence. Sacrifice is a legible strategy that creates clear decisions. The deck works consistently out of the box.
Highest power ceiling: Quandrix Unlimited. When Zimone's engine activates, the deck can generate game-ending plays quickly.
Best for Spirit/graveyard fans: Lorehold Spirit. Quintorius as a planeswalker Commander with an unusual graveyard-exfiltration angle is worth exploring.
Amazon AU Availability
The Silverquill Influence and Witherbloom Pestilence Commander Decks are confirmed pre-order live on Amazon AU now. Check the MTG shop section for all five decks as they are listed.
Pre-order Strixhaven Commander Decks on Amazon AU
Should You Pre-Order or Wait?
Pre-ordering Commander decks is lower risk than pre-ordering booster boxes because the card list is known. You know what you are buying before you commit. There is no RNG element.
For popular Commander decks from high-hype sets, pre-ordering is the safer approach. Commander precons from celebrated sets can sell out or rise above retail in the first few weeks after launch, particularly for decks with a strong reprint package or unusual mechanical identity. Prismari Artistry with its Faerie Mastermind reprint and Silverquill Influence with its unique design are the two most likely to face supply pressure.
If you want one of these decks to play at your next Commander night, pre-ordering now at retail price is the sensible approach.
Pre-order MTG Secrets of Strixhaven Commander Decks on Amazon AU now. Silverquill Influence and Witherbloom Pestilence confirmed. More decks listing weekly. Releases 24 April 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cards are in each Commander deck? 100 cards, including 2 traditional foil mythic rare legendary creatures with borderless art, 12 new-to-Magic cards, and 88 cards from across Magic's history as reprints.
Are the five Commander decks balanced against each other? Wizards designs precons at a broadly similar power level but does not guarantee balance. Community power rankings typically emerge within two to three weeks of release. All five are expected to be competitive with each other out of the box.
Do I need to buy the main Secrets of Strixhaven set to play the Commander decks? No. Commander decks are standalone products. The 12 new cards in each deck are legal in Commander, Legacy, and Vintage regardless of whether you own any main set product.
Can the new Commander cards in the decks be used in the main set's Standard format? No. Cards unique to Commander decks (marked with a C stamp) are not Standard legal.
Which Commander deck has the best reprints for upgrade potential? Prismari Artistry. Faerie Mastermind, Goldspan Dragon, Brazen Borrower, and Dig Through Time are all directly upgradeable or useful in a wide range of other Commander decks, which means the reprints have value even if you choose to rebuild the deck around a different commander.