Top Trades: April 28 - May 5

Hardened Academic | Illustrated by Vincent Christiaens

Howdy, folks, and welcome back to Top Trades, the weekly series where we check in with the most popular cards here at Cardsphere. So, what's been moving? Let's take a look.

Honorable Mention - Flow State

Number of Trades: 17 --- Number of Cards Traded: 29

Well, it looks like Flow State really has broken through to the competitive sphere. For , this sorcery lets you look at the top three cards of your library, pick one, then you'll put the other two on the bottom. However, if you have an instant and a sorcery in your graveyard as Flow State resolves, then you get to keep two cards instead. Two cards for two mana, plus some selection to top it off? Yes, please.

#5 - Hardened Academic

Number of Trades: 9 --- Number of Cards Traded: 11

On to the main list for the week; first off, Hardened Academic.

For , this 2/1 Bird Cleric with flying and haste is Lorehold's attempt at something parallel to Baleful Strix: a cheap, efficient, valuable creature.

Beyond being an aggressive 2/1, Hardened Academic also has an activated ability and a triggered ability: first, you can discard a card to give it lifelink until end of turn. Second, whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.

On Strixhaven, the red-white archetype is all about having cards leave your graveyard. Hardened Academic is a great way to both fill your graveyard as well as convert synergy to damage across all points of the game.

#4 - Cauldron of Essence

Number of Trades: 11 --- Number of Cards Traded: 11

Cauldron of Essence is a sacrifice outlet, a reanimation outlet, and a death triggers synergy piece all in one. If you're doing graveyard shenanigans in Golgari, watch out.

For , this artifact has a triggered ability that drains each opponent for one life and gains you one life whenever a creature you control dies. Additionally, it has the activated ability ", , Sacrifice a creature: Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield." Couple the two together, and you've got a card that can sit comfortably alongside Aristocrats builds, eroding the table vis-a-vis Blood Artist, Reanimator suites, and just about anything else Golgari.

#3 - Erode

Number of Trades: 12 --- Number of Cards Traded: 15

Up next is Path to Exile, except, in exchange for hitting planeswalkers as well as creatures, this spell destroys things, rather than exiling them.

In all seriousness, Erode is exactly that: an instant-speed removal spell for that turns a creature (or planeswalker) into a tapped basic land. That's an incredibly solid rate.

#2 - Prismari Charm

Number of Trades: 12 --- Number of Cards Traded: 20

Our penultimate pick of the week is Prismari Charm, another efficient instant, albeit with a lot more text on it than Erode.

For , this modal instant lets you pick one of three options: either surveil two then draw a card, or Prismari Charm deals one damage to each of up to two targets, or return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand.

The first option is a classic cantrip, the second is removal that can theoretically put you up a card if you destroy two X/1s with it, and the third is a tempo move with essentially free range. All solid options, made all the better by the flexibility which comes with modality.

#1 - Grave Researcher

Number of Trades: 16 --- Number of Cards Traded: 16

Last but not least, what would a week full of Secrets of Strixhaven be without at least one prepared creature?

For , Grave Researcher is a 3/3 Troll Warlock with the following triggered ability: "At the beginning of your upkeep, surveil 1. Then if there are three or more creature cards in your graveyard, this creature becomes prepared." While prepared, it has access to the spell Reanimate, a sorcery for that returns a creature from any graveyard to the battlefield under your control, and you lose life equal to that card's mana value.

Grave Researcher is one of a handful of prepared creatures that do something amazing: they can prepare themselves, repeatedly. Sure, it may not enter with immediate access to Reanimate, but it does give you an opportunity once per turn to prepare it, filling your graveyard along the way.

Wrap Up

Secrets of Strixhaven is an amazing set that has made strides across all sorts of formats, from competitive to casual, rotating to Eternal. This week, that warm reception was on full display, as the set took up every slot on our list. Come check back next week for another Top Trades, and thanks for reading!