First Day of Class MTG Card

First Day of Class - Strixhaven: School of Mages

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Learn
Released	2021-04-23
Set symbol
Set name	Strixhaven: School of Mages
Set code	STX
Number	102
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Paul Scott Canavan

Key Takeaways

First Day of Class enhances creatures and grants access to cards, optimizing play strategies.
Strategic use of this card can lead to dynamic board states and pressure opponents.
The card’s flexibility makes it a valuable addition to various MTG deck types.

Text of card

Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control this turn, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it gains haste until end of turn. Learn. (You may reveal a Lesson card you own from outside the game and put it into your hand, or discard a card to draw a card.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: First Day of Class provides a unique approach to card advantage as it essentially allows you to leverage future plays. By granting you a learn ability, you gain access to your sideboard or a way to cycle away less useful cards from your hand, optimizing your card quality as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: This spell swiftly enhances your board state by giving a +1/+1 counter to your next creature. This preemptive boost could translate into a more formidable presence early in the game, leading to more pressure on your opponent and potentially less resource commitment in later turns.

Instant Speed: While First Day of Class is not an instant, its ability to immediately affect the board upon casting a creature can catch opponents off guard, akin to having an instant speed effect. Moreover, the flexibility of casting it just before a creature allows you to adapt to the game’s current requirements efficiently.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: First Day of Class requires discarding a card to activate its Learn mechanic. For players who have curated their hands for strategic plays, this can pose a disadvantage, especially when crucial cards must be thrown away to access the sideboard.

Specific Mana Cost: Necessitating both red and white mana, First Day of Class can be restrictive for decks not running these colors. Its Hybrid mana cost means it cannot be seamlessly integrated into any deck, potentially limiting its versatility in deck-building.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of two mana, First Day of Class may be considered expensive for its effects when compared to other low-cost spells that provide similar benefits. Certain decks might opt for more cost-effective alternatives that fit better with their mana curve and strategy.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: First Day of Class is a flexible card that can be easily incorporated into various deck archetypes. It is particularly useful in decks that leverage +1/+1 counters or seek to capitalize on instant speed spells to surprise opponents.

Combo Potential: This card shines in decks that focus on creature-based combos. With its ability to provide a creature with haste, First Day of Class can be a game-changer in summoning creatures with impactful enter the battlefield effects or game-ending activated abilities.

Meta-Relevance: In an ever-evolving game environment, cards that manipulate the speed and impact of creature spells are always valuable. First Day of Class aligns well with a meta that rewards quick adaptation and explosive turns, thus ensuring its potential as a key component in competitive play.

How to beat

First Day of Class is a unique card that can give your Spellcraft creatures a leg up the moment they hit the battlefield by providing them with a +1/+1 counter and haste until the end of the turn. This instant trick not only accelerates your creature’s impact but also synergizes well with strategies that involve casting multiple creatures in quick succession. A well-timed First Day of Class can be pivotal, transforming your playing field into a more threatening state.

Countering this learn mechanic-enabler effectively requires understanding its timing and precision in play. Utilize instant speed removal or counterspells such as Negate or Disdainful Stroke to prevent First Day of Class from resolving and derailing its set-up. Alternatively, sweepers like Doomskar or Shatter the Sky can reset the board after adversaries deploy their bolstered creatures. Decluttering the board state neutralizes the immediate threat while hindering their longer-term plans of exploiting the +1/+1 counters gained.

Strategic plays and perfect counter timing are essential to overcoming the momentum that First Day of Class can generate. Recognizing the potential havoc it can wreak, opponents must proactively manage their resources and anticipate the optimum moment for intervention, ensuring this card doesn’t dictate the pace of the game.

Cards like First Day of Class

First Day of Class is an intriguing instant for players who love to dabble with spells that directly support creature strategies in Magic the Gathering. It’s quite akin to cards like Hordeling Outburst or Krenko’s Command, which share the theme of creating multiple creature tokens. However, First Day of Class uniquely confers an additional advantage, granting newly summoned creatures a +1/+1 counter and the skill of haste.

Exploring further, we find Mogg War Marshal, another card that also produces creature tokens. Like First Day of Class, it is focused on adding creatures to the battlefield, but without the immediate boost and speed that First Day of Class provides. Conversely, we have Dragon Fodder, which, at a lower cost, efficiently churns out creature tokens but falls short of the counters and haste offered by First Day of Class.

In synthesis, while noting the resemblance to various token-generating spells, First Day of Class stands out in MTG due to its ability to instantly upgrade creatures and propel them into the action, a striking blend that supports a more aggressive playstyle and synergizes with a token strategy.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase First Day of Class MTG card by a specific set like Strixhaven: School of Mages, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the First Day of Class and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where First Day of Class has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering First Day of Class card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2021-04-16	If a card is brought into the game from outside the game, it will stay in the game until it ends or until its owner leaves the game, whichever comes first.
2021-04-16	If instructed to learn, you may do nothing. Discarding a card and putting a Lesson card into your hand are both optional.
2021-04-16	If you bring a card into the game from outside the game in a Constructed tournament (or a Constructed game played under tournament conditions), you may select only a card from your sideboard. In casual Constructed games, the card comes from your collection.
2021-04-16	If you bring a card into the game from outside the game in a Sealed Deck or Booster Draft event, you may select only a card that is in the card pool that you built your deck from.