Magic: The Gathering is going back to school in the Strixhaven: School of Mages set, which focuses on the five competing schools of magic at the elite Strixhaven university. Many cards cycles and unique mechanics make up this set, but there is also the matter of creature tokens. More than ever before, creature tokens are giving distinct flavor to a Magic expansion set.
Nearly all sets make creature tokens, from 2/2 black Zombies to 1/1 Myrs to 1/1 green Saprolings. Strixhaven's creature tokens aren't just extra creatures; they are also mascots that embody their respective schools of magic. Rarely (if ever) has a Magic set used tokens in such a way. Which previewed cards can make these tokens?
Each of Strixhaven's schools of magic will make two-color creature tokens to fit the school's color identities. Silverquill's tokens aren't huge, but they are evasive, since these Inklings all have flying. Blot Out the Sky is a huge sorcery that can make any number of such Inkling tokens, and if X is six or higher, then Blot Out the Sky will also destroy all permanents except for creatures and lands, acting as a partial boardwipe. If the Silverquill player is smart, they will minimize their use of costly artifacts, enchantments or planeswalkers so they don't stumble into their own Blot out the Sky. Of course, if this card is cast for cheap, that shouldn't be an issue.
Umbral Juke is a cheap modal spell of the Silverquill school. It can force a player to sacrifice a creature or planeswalker to act as removal that gets around hexproof, protections and even indestructible. Or, it can make one of those Inkling creature tokens, a solid choice if the opponent doesn't even have anything to sacrifice. This ensures that Umbral Juke is always useful in games of booster draft Limited.
The Prismari school is all about huge, flashy instants and sorceries, and many of these mega-spells will make the Prismari school's mascot tokens: 4/4 blue and red Elementals. These Elementals have no abilities, but their sheer size makes up for it. Magma Opus has many effects at once, and one of them is to make a 4/4 Elemental, which can help reinforce the caster's board state. Elemental Masterpiece is another high-end spell that will make two of those tokens. If the player can't afford to wait for seven mana, they can cash in Elemental Masterpiece for a lovely Treasure token instead. It's good to have a plan B, and Prismari students always think ahead.
The Witherbloom school is noted for caring a lot about gaining or losing life, and creating creature tokens or pumping creatures according to changes in everyone's life totals. Given these colors, it is likely that Witherbloom will also have a distinct "aristocrats" build later on. This noxious but creative school makes 1/1 black and green Pest creature tokens that all have "when this creature dies, you gain one life," neatly embodying the cycle of life and death in these colors.
Among other things, Pestilent Cauldron can make these Pest creature tokens, at the cost of tapping and discarding a card. Of course, black/green decks can easily make use of the graveyard, so those discarded cards aren't a total waste. Containment Breach is a lesson, with "learn" being one of Strixhaven's new mechanics. Containment Breach will destroy an artifact or enchantment, true to its color, and make a Pest if that destroyed permanent had a converted mana cost/mana value of two or lower.
The Lorehold school is flexible, caring about everything from early-game aggro to artifacts and digging in the graveyard for resources (despite its colors). As for creature tokens, the Lorehold school likes to make 3/2 red and white Spirit creature tokens with no abilities, and Reduce to Memory is a white Lesson that will exile a nonland permanent, replacing it with such a Spirit as compensation. This is like the white mana version of Beast Within. Meanwhile, Quintorius, Field Historian is the Lorehold member of the five legendary student creatures, making a 3/2 Spirit anytime a card leaves the graveyard (and giving it +1/+0 as well). It doesn't even cost extra mana to make that token.
The Quandrix school makes 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature tokens, and every token-creating card will give +1/+1 counters to newly-created Fractals in true style. Body of Research is color-heavy but can put an incredible number of +1/+1 counters on a Fractal, though the player is urged to also give that Fractal evasion (flying, trample, etc) to push all that damage more easily. Biomathematician will make a Fractal, then give a +1/+1 counter to each friendly Fractal, pumping the whole team.
Serpentine Curve makes a Fractal, then boosts it according to the number of instants/sorceries that player has in their graveyard and exile alike. Last up is Leyline Invocation, a costly but powerful spell that makes a Fractal token, then pumps it according to how many lands the player has. By now, it's becoming clear that (among other things) the Quandrix school cares deeply about how many lands the player has. Many Quandrix creatures benefit from having lots of land cards on their side, and that includes the Fractal tokens.
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