Unlike its artifact-reanimation predecessor Lorehold Legacies, Lorehold Spirit leans hard into the cards-leave-your-graveyard strategy with a strong Spirits-matter subtheme to back it up. This precon boasts some of the best reprint value of the 5 colleges and 16 brand new cards – let’s dive in!
Read Ahead:
College Philosophy
Lorehold is the college of Archaeomancy – they study history and seek ancient sites to discover the secrets of the past. There is a heavy emphasis on conferring with the spirits of the dead to learn the stories and structures of what came before. Being a red and white college, there is focus on both Chaos (red) and Order (white) and the balance between. Red’s more reckless approach is to dive in headfirst into any excavation, while White wants to study the structure and sequence of the past.
I feel the best example of this balance in card design is Quintorius, Loremaster. With the graveyard acting as the history we’re chasing, Quintorius confers with spirits of the past (exiling a card from the yard to raise a spirit) and learns their secrets (can play the exiled card later).
Face Commanders
Quintorius, History Chaser
Quintorius, History Chaser is the Loxodon’s latest iteration as a Planeswalker. Passively, he cares when cards leave your graveyard, giving you a 3/2 spirit each time one or more cards leave the yard. His +1 generates some card advantage while filling the graveyard. His only other ability, -4, gives your spirits double strike and vigilance until end of turn.
This is easy to miss: despite looking like red’s many variations of Thrill of Possibility, Quint’s +1 is actual card advantage since you don’t have to spend a card casting a spell. The +1 is also a nice balance of the Order and Chaos of the college, letting you choose one card to discard and leave one mill up to chance.
His -4 gives your spirits some punching power but one of the primary weaknesses of these spirits is they don’t have any evasion. So while this makes them more lethal, it doesn’t make them any less chumpable, so that’s one of the weaknesses we’ll aim to cover in the rest of the deck.
Excava, the Risen Past
While Quintorius is more of an engine inviting you to pick cards to maximize his passive, Excava gives you a clear reanimator strategy with key downsides you’ll look to mitigate. Excava, equipped with flying and haste, reanimates an artifact, creature, or non-Aura enchantment with mana value 3 or less as a 1/1 flying spirit with a finality counter when it attacks.
Finality counters can be removed with cards like Nesting Grounds and flicker effects like Cloudshift, giving you interesting ways to play around this commander’s downsides.
Deck Gameplay
The game plan for Lorehold Spirit is two major acts:
- Act 1: Get cards out of your graveyard. This gets you 3/2 spirits with Quintorius. He partially helps you here by putting 2 additional cards in your yard each turn. The deck has a number of ways to get cards out of the yard, but can occasionally sputter. As you look to upgrade this deck, consider adding cheap ways to get cards out of the yard (see upgrades section below) to add consistency to Act 1.
- Act 2: Use big-buff/evasion spells combined with Quintorius’s -4 to take people out. Cards like Moonshaker Cavalry and Hofri Ghostforge provide trample or evasion to help your spirits connect. Combined with Quint’s double-strike, it can be devastating.
I will say that out of the box, there are not nearly enough finishers in the deck. This deck does come with a few cards that will buff singular creatures over time (think Augusta, Order Returned), so you should look to swing in whenever someone’s open to help whittle down life totals.
Key Cards
Currency Converter, Containment Construct and Conspiracy Theorist are all great engines in this deck. They all let you exile discarded cards from the graveyard, which triggers Quintorius’s passive, and then have some secondary purpose for the card.
Squee exits your graveyard for free on your upkeep, getting you a spirit. Discard him again with Quintorius to repeat the process next turn. Vanguard of the Restless gives you the opportunity to cast him from the graveyard, which would also get you a spirit.
Combine Moonshaker Cavalry with Quint’s double strike to swing in with lethal damage with your spirit army.
Brand New Cards
Creatures
Augusta, Order Returned
Augusta’s back, this time turning passive graveyard hate into +1/+1 counters. It is interesting that they made the Order dean permanently exile cards from the graveyard – this feels more Chaos to me.
She makes a great lieutenant in this deck, letting you exile the cards you’re unlikely to reuse from your graveyard to get spirits from Quintorius. There are a number of cards in this deck that really want to deal combat damage for their effects (like Venerable Warsinger), so Augusta being able to beef them up synergizes real well with them.
Kirol, History Buff // Pack a Punch
Kudos for the pun – Kirol’s here to show both meanings of the word Buff. Coming down for 2 mana and being relatively easy to prepare is solid. Kirol’s prepared spell – Pack a Punch – lets you mill a card, give a +1/+1 counter and trample to a creature until end of turn. Perhaps a bit over-costed but does synergize decently well with the deck’s overall strategy.
Lorehold Archivist // Restore Relic
Lorehold Archivist has a high ceiling. Being able to exile and create a token of any artifact or creature in your graveyard for 4 mana with her prepared spell, Restore Relic, is a big deal. She does require a bit of setup, but can be back breaking if left alone in the right deck.
Naktamun Lorespinner // Wheel of Fortune
Wizards are cleverly reprinting Reserved list cards as prepared spells. Naktamun Lorespinner has Wheel of Fortune – but the requirement to prepare the Jackal so you can cast it is one you’re likely going to have to build around yourself. Unless you’re playing against a discard deck, it’s rare players will have one or fewer cards in hand.
This would go well in a deck that wants to actively discard its hand for some payoff. For example, use a discard outlet to pitch your hand and deal 2 damage per card with Cool but Rude Lorespinner then becomes prepared on your upkeep, you can Wheel of Fortune, then pitch your hand again to do another 14 damage to everyone.
Relic Retriever
I really thought this was a dog – but it’s a spirit monkey! So many spirits in this deck.
Gets you one treasure on anyone’s turn as long as a card left your graveyard that turn. For 2 mana? Great early play.
Spirit of Resilience
Spirit of Resilience is a very cool card, passively buffing itself and giving you the option to temporarily clone artifacts or creatures that leave your graveyard. Turn it into a Triplicate Titan or something massive and scary to capitalize on its value.
Vanguard of the Restless
This card is clearly asking to be discarded or milled by Quintorius. You’ll have so many spirits entering, you can pay the 
to bring him back from the yard and get rewarded with a 3/2 spirit on top.
Enchantments
Advanced Reconstruction
This card works well with Quintorius in that it’s guaranteeing you a spirit each turn. It’s also technically card advantage since you get to play whatever it ends up exiling. Love the random nature of the exile – really exemplifies Red’s head-first philosophy. The later levels of this class are also natural fits for this deck’s overall theme.
Primary Research
This is a reanimation spell and card draw effect stapled into one card – including the mana value. 5 cmc for this effect isn’t amazing but does mean you can curve into it right after playing Quintorius the turn before. The card draw only happens on your turn, further limiting its usefulness. Not a bad card for a longer game.
Instant
Lorehold Charm
This is a solid overall modal card, especially for this deck. Early it can knock out greedy sol rings, mid game it can get you spirits from Quintorius by pulling things out of the yard, and late game it covers Quint’s biggest weakness – no evasion on those spirits. Pair the +1/+1 and trample with Quint’s double strike for a big alpha strike to take someone out.
Ceaseless Conflict
This is a weird card in this deck. It feels like it wants to be in an Orzhov-y blood artist-y reanimator deck instead of here. A lot of what you’re doing is building up a board of 3/2 spirits, so wiping them away just to get a few back from your non tokens feels odd.
That said, you usually deploy board wipes when you’re behind. Maybe you haven’t been able to get stuff out of your yard, maybe Quintorius is out but you’re light on protection for him. Cast Ceaseless Conflict then – your board will look like your deck was doing its job all along!
Fateful Tempest
Also kind of a weird card in this deck – people can vote to have you mill and take damage or give you some card advantage. It feels like the second mode should pull cards out of your library to hand or something. Not sure what they were thinking here! These two themes (big mana mill/reanimator and play-from-exile) aren’t that common together, so it’d seem like your opponents will just pick the one your deck is obviously not trying to do.
Lands
Turbulent Steppe, Fields of Strife
The Octopus Land – Turbulent Steppe – is an excellent addition to commander-playable lands. It’s fetchable, it’s likely to come in untapped; let’s just hope they print enough of these so they don’t end up like the battlebond land.
Fields of Strife – destined for the bulk bin.
Notable Reprints
Big Money Winners
Lorehold Spirit comes with a number of very pricey reprints. The big winners are Bitterthorn, Nissa’s Animus, Emeria, the Sky Ruin, Moonshaker Cavalry and Currency Converter – none of which are likely to lose too much value long term.
Bitterthorn, Nissa’s Animus goes in tons of commander decks.
Emeria, the Sky Ruingoes in nearly any mono-white commander deck – though honestly I’m not sure how often it will be relevant in this precon.
Moonshaker Cavalry is white’s Craterhoof Behemoth, viable for a broad spectrum of decks.
Currency Converter is played for only 
! and provides value constantly for any deck that is actively discarding cards.
Off Theme But We Love To See It
Drumbellower is an all-star in any deck that cares about tapping creatures. It’s not quite Seedborn Muse but it’s still very strong. With only one prior printing, it’s been creeping up in price and is due for a reprint. Doesn’t synergize well with this deck though – you’re not heavily incentivized to swing out early and often with this deck, especially since the spirits only have 2 toughness. Feels like Reconnaissance is the obvious play here – give everyone pseudo-vigilance and prevent the blocked creatures from dying.
Wave of Reckoning – I really don’t understand the board wipe options in this deck. Did they mean to print Hour of Reckoning?? That’s so much more on theme! But, Hour is less than a buck and Wave is around $20, so while your gameplay might not be happy, your wallet will be. Throw it in your Felothar the Steadfast deck!
Monologue Tax – subtle tax seems more Silverquill than Lorehold. Still, curves nicely into Quintorius and generates passive value. Doesn’t hurt.
Other Banger Reprints
Guardian of Faith is only on theme because he’s a spirit, but his real value is his utility – 3 mana flash, protect your board from a wipe.
Guardian Scalelord has Backup 1, giving another creature a +1/+1 counter and all of the Scalelord’s abilities for a turn. That includes Flying and the reanimation effect. Put this on one of Quint’s spirits to make a 4/3 flyer, get in for damage, bring back a 4> mana value creature, get another 3/2 spirit. Then the scalelord will start bringing things back on his own next turn.
Angel of Indemnity is decent to outright cast, better to reanimate, and is an army-in-a-can to encore. With the potential to bring back 3 permanents along with 3 3/2 spirits from Quint, the Angel can help close out a long grueling game, especially off the back of a board wipe.
Lorehold Spirit Precon Upgrade Recommendations
Existing Graveyard Mechanics
There are a lot of ways to get cards out of your yard with existing mechanics. As you upgrade this deck, browse scryfall for effects that Dredge, Unearth, Flashback, Retrace or Delve. Retrace and Dredge don’t exile the cards, making them good repeatable ways to trigger Quintorius.
Unfortunately there aren’t a ton of existing Dredge/Retrace options I’d actively advocate for – but there are some:
Shenanigans is the only Dredge card available to 
at this time. Destroy artifacts with it, or discard it to Quintorius only to dredge it back later and get a spirit for your trouble.
Decaying Time Loop lets your wheel yourself from your yard, good to trade out your hand when you’re digging for answers.
Flame Jab is modest but basically lets you trade the lands in your hand for damage and spirits for each time.
More Triggers, More Spirits
Yidaro, Wandering Monster – cycle him for for a card and a 3/2 spirit.
Bag of Holding – Easy way to get spirits every time you discard. Just be careful someone doesn’t blow up the bag before you get to use those cards!
Trove Warden – Play lands, get spirits. Similar to the Bag of Holding, ideally you can make sure this cat dies and doesn’t get exiled so you get those cards into play.
Banon, the Returners’ Leader – Discard a creature with Quint, play it with Banon, get a spirit.
Crucible of Worlds – This deck comes with a number of fetch lands and even a Lotus Field. Playing lands from your graveyard is an easy way to ensure land drops, get spirits, and use the lands in your hand as discard fodder. This card is pricey because it’s completely bonkers in multiple-lands-per-turn landfall decks, but it would be fair magic in this deck.
Get These Spirits Some Evasion
In red and white, flying and trample are going to be your primary sources of evasion. On Wings of Gold, Toby, Beastie Befriender and Stary-Eyed Skyrider give your spirits the flying they’re sorely missing. Ferocity of the Wilds and Archetype of Agression give them trample – potent, especially with double strike.
Token Doublers
White has numerous options to double (or triple) up your token production. None of these effects are budget friendly, so buyer beware.
Other Options
Drogskol Reinforcements – Blasphemous Act and other damage based board wipes now bounce off your spirits. Also can make it so your spirits get +3/+3 on combat.
Deification – This is a pretty excellent way of keeping Quintorius alive as it makes it very challenging to get him below 1 loyalty.
Idol of Oblivion – Staff of the Storyteller was reprinted in this set, but Idol of Oblivion is almost strictly better.
Permanent Exile
Pay and play into the reckless Red side of the college and start permanently exiling stuff from your own yard for spirits. They each tap to exile a card, getting you a steady flow of spirits or some graveyard hate against your opponents should you need it.
Recommended Cuts
The below cards just don’t mesh well with the theme of the deck.
Perpetual Timepiece does help mill stuff, but you could be running red discard-to-draw effects or looters like Plargg, Dean of Chaos instead. You still get cards in your graveyard, but you get to sculpt your hand as well.
Staff of the Storyteller is typically worse than Idol of Oblivion. Sure, you get a 1/1 spirit, but you’re paying for every card you draw.
Laelia and Naktamun Lorespinner – neither of these synergize well with this deck.
Fateful Tempest – I just don’t know what deck even wants this card. Secret Rendezvous is a fun card at casual tables, so if politics is your thing, keep it – or try the Silverquill deck where this type of politics is the main theme. Otherwise consider a more on theme option.
White has so many board wipe options. You can pick and choose ones that best fit your plan or that are the most flexible. Ceaseless Conflict and Wave of Reckoning are just not that good for this deck. Consider Hour of Reckoning for a more appropriate board wipe or Austere Command for some flexibility in options.
End Step
Lorehold Spirit is a solid starting point with a clear identity and real upgrade potential. The graveyard engine is fun when it hums, the reprint value is among the best of the five colleges, and Quintorius is a legitimately interesting commander to build around. History has a lot to teach us – just make sure you get those spirits some evasion before someone’s 1/1 deathtouch token ruins your entire archaeology project.