Sphere of Influence: April 24, 2026

Airbender Ascension | art by Shiren 

Secrets of Strixhaven has hit the shelves, and with it we've gotten some brand new effects that'll make a big impact in several different metas.

As several commanders and new strategies enter your favorite formats, I have a feeling that a few cards will begin to become more popular. Whether you're looking to build new decks, or add some toys to an existing list, this week's Sphere of Influence is here to help.

Sedgemoor Witch - $4

With two new popular commanders looking to add this Warlock to their lists, it's likely that Sedgemoor Witch will rise in price or at least hold its value. Both Witherbloom, the Balancer and Silverquill, the Disputant are looking to flood the board with tokens as you cast spells, which makes this creature a perfect pairing for both of these Elder Dragons.

Airbender Ascension - $2

One of the new designs that Secrets of Strixhaven has brought our way are creatures who can become "prepared". Several of the more popular cards that have this ability, like Studious First-Year, enter play already "prepared" and ready to cast their spell.

This makes a card like Airbender Ascension perfect for your Commander or Standard deck that's looking to blink that creature over and over again in order to repeatedly cast its spell.

Sprout Swarm - $5

As previously mentioned, the commander Witherbloom, the Balancer is incredibly popular right now, with over 4,000 decks on EDHREC already. That rise in attention has made Sprout Swarm a very sought-after card. The team-up of these two cards helps players create an infinite number of Saprolings, with its combination of convoke, buyback, and a cost-reducer in the command zone.

Feather, the Redeemed - $1

On our return visit to Strixhaven, we've found the Silverquill college utilizing a new mechanic called repartee, which is all about targeting creatures with instants and sorceries, which made me think of Feather, the Redeemed right away, so if you've pulled some popular cards like Graduation Day or Informed Inkwright already, then that might be a sign to put this combat-trick loving commander together!

Until Next Time

Are you excited for any of the new cards from Magic's latest set? How about the spells I talked about today? Let me know in the comments below.