We've gotten some pretty strong cards spoiled for Magic: the Gathering's next set, Secrets of Strixhaven. There are new legendary dragons that make your instants and sorceries do some frankly silly things, there's a duo of powerful new planeswalkers, and then there are the two cards we'll be talking about today. Both of them possess effects that may sound familiar, as they reinterpret classic cards from the game's past.
First of all, let's talk about Erode. For only a single white mana, Erode can destroy a creature or a planeswalker. This incredibly budget removal effect does have a downside, as it permits the controller of the destroyed permanent to put a basic land from their deck into play tapped, but that's more than balanced out by its low cost.
Then there's Flashback, an instant which, as its name would imply, grants an instant or sorcery in your graveyard flashback until the end of turn. The designated card can be recast for a 'flashback' cost equal to its typical casting cost before going into exile.
If these cards seem familiar to you, it's because they're incredibly similar to some well known staples from MTG sets of the past.
Erode is a riff on Path to Exile. They're both incredibly efficient white removal spells that let the opponent search their deck for a tapped land. Erode loses Path to Exile's ability to send cards into exile, preventing it from getting rid of indestructible targets, and allowing the cards that it destroys to be reanimated. In return, it gains the ability to target planeswalkers, making it more versatile.
The parallels between Flashback and the card that it reinterprets are less direct, though still very apparent. Snapcaster Mage costs blue mana unlike Flashback, which is red, and is a two mana 2/1 creature rather than a one mana instant. Despite this, the two cards have identical effects, and Flashback is poised to become as valuable in Izzet spellslinger decks as its creature-based counterpart from 2011.
Can you see yourself casting either of these spells, or do you plan on sticking with the old classics? Share your strategies with us on the Wargamer Discord.
For more information on Secrets of Strixhaven, as well as the other upcoming MTG sets of 2026, check out our MTG release schedule.