Prismari Artistry Upgrade Guide: 30 Cards to Power Up Rootha, Mastering the Moment

Upgrading Prismari Artistry: Rootha, Mastering the Moment

The Prismari Artistry precon from Secrets of Strixhaven Commander is a thrilling Izzet spellslinger deck built around Rootha, Mastering the Moment. Rootha rewards you for casting big instants and sorceries during your first main phase by creating Elemental tokens with power and toughness equal to the highest mana value spell you cast. When those Elementals connect in combat, you draw cards, fueling your next wave of spells.

The precon comes loaded with powerful spells like Magma Opus, Mana Geyser, and Surge to Victory, but there is plenty of room to optimize. In this guide, we present 30 upgrade cards across three budget tiers, each with specific cards to cut from the precon. Whether you are working with $25 or $100+, these upgrades will make your Rootha deck a force at any Commander table.

How Rootha Wants to Play

Before diving into upgrades, it helps to understand what Rootha cares about:

• High mana value instants and sorceries - The bigger the spell you cast in your first main phase, the bigger your Elemental token. A 7-mana spell means a 7/7 flyer with haste.
• Spell-copying effects - Copying a big spell does not just double the effect; each copy can trigger additional synergies across your board.
• Elemental combat damage - Rootha draws cards when your Elementals deal combat damage, so evasion and extra combat steps are valuable.
• Mana acceleration - You need lots of mana to cast those haymaker spells. Treasure generation and ritual effects are key.

Budget Upgrades (~$25 total)

These 10 cards are affordable staples that dramatically improve the deck's consistency and power. Most cost between $0.25 and $3 each.

Cards to Add

• Guttersnipe (~$0.50) - Deals 2 damage to each opponent whenever you cast an instant or sorcery. In a deck casting 4-5 spells per turn, this adds up fast.
• Young Pyromancer (~$0.50) - Creates 1/1 Elemental tokens every time you cast an instant or sorcery. Builds a wide board alongside Rootha's big tokens.
• Solve the Equation (~$0.50) - Tutors for any instant or sorcery in your deck. Find your best haymaker or the perfect answer at any moment.
• Murmuring Mystic (~$0.35) - Creates 1/1 Bird Illusion tokens with flying for each instant or sorcery you cast. More evasive bodies to trigger Rootha's card draw.
• Sorcerer Class (~$1.00) - Level 1 lets you draw and discard when you cast a spell. Level 2 reduces your instant and sorcery costs by 1. Level 3 copies the next instant or sorcery you cast. Incredible value at every stage.
• Increasing Vengeance (~$0.75) - Copies one of your instants or sorceries. If cast from the graveyard, it copies the spell twice instead. Two-for-one spell-copying on a budget.
• Galvanic Iteration (~$1.00) - Has flashback, so you get two uses out of it. Copies the next instant or sorcery you cast this turn, perfect for doubling your big main phase spell to feed Rootha.
• Full Throttle (~$0.50) - A high-synergy card that gives your creatures haste and a power boost, ensuring your Elemental tokens hit hard the turn they enter.
• Double Vision (~$1.50) - An enchantment that copies the first instant or sorcery you cast each turn. A permanent Rootha amplifier that ensures every big spell counts double.
• Ral, Storm Conduit (~$1.50) - Deals 1 damage to an opponent whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery. His -2 also copies a spell. In a deck built around copying, Ral pings opponents down consistently.

Cards to Cut (Budget Tier)

• Aether Gale - Six mana to bounce six nonland permanents sounds good, but it is often too slow and does not advance your gameplan. Replaced by Solve the Equation.
• Deep Analysis - Drawing two cards for 4 mana (or 3 life from the graveyard) is decent but underwhelming compared to the card advantage Rootha already provides.
• Throes of Chaos - Cascade is fun but unpredictable. You want to control which big spell you cast, not leave it to chance.
• Resculpt - Instant-speed exile removal is nice, but giving an opponent a 4/4 token is a steep cost. Better options exist.
• Abrade - Solid but too small-impact for Commander. We need our slots for bigger effects.
• Prismari Charm - Flexible but none of its modes are truly powerful in this deck.
• Solemn Simulacrum - Good value creature but does not synergize with the spell-casting theme.
• Fellwar Stone - A fine mana rock, but we are upgrading to more impactful slots.
• Talisman of Creativity - Replaced by cards that do more than just produce mana.
• Dance with Calamity - Too random and unreliable for a deck that wants to cast specific high-impact spells.

Mid-Range Upgrades (~$50 total)

These 10 cards push the deck into serious territory. Most cost between $2 and $8 each, and each one dramatically increases your ceiling.

Cards to Add

• Magnus the Red (~$5.00) - Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery, Magnus deals damage equal to that spell's mana value to any target. With Rootha's high-MV spells, Magnus becomes a machine gun that finishes games.
• Archmage of Runes (~$3.00) - Draws you a card whenever you cast an instant or sorcery. Pure, consistent card advantage that keeps your hand full of haymakers.
• Metallurgic Summonings (~$3.50) - Creates X/X Construct tokens whenever you cast an instant or sorcery, where X is that spell's mana value. A second token maker alongside Rootha that scales with your big spells.
• Shark Typhoon (~$5.00) - Cycling it creates a flying Shark token equal in size to the mana you spent. Casting it as an enchantment creates Sharks for every noncreature spell. Flexibility and power in one card.
• Swarm Intelligence (~$2.50) - Seven mana enchantment that copies the first instant or sorcery you cast each turn. Stacks with Double Vision for triple copies of your biggest spells.
• Call Forth the Tempest (~$4.00) - A powerful spell that creates Elemental tokens and synergizes perfectly with Rootha's theme of rewarding big casts.
• Finale of Promise (~$3.00) - Casts an instant and a sorcery from your graveyard for free if X is 10 or more. Even at lower values, recasting two spells gives massive value and feeds Rootha with a high mana value cast.
• Sublime Epiphany (~$2.00) - Six mana for up to four modes: counter a spell, bounce a creature, copy a creature, draw a card. The mana value of 6 makes a 6/6 Elemental with Rootha, and the flexibility is unmatched.
• Vivi Ornitier (~$4.00) - From the Final Fantasy crossover, Vivi is a spellslinger powerhouse that rewards casting instants and sorceries with direct damage, perfectly complementing Rootha's strategy.
• Twinflame Travelers (~$3.50) - Creates token copies of creatures, allowing you to duplicate your best spellslinger payoffs or Rootha's Elemental tokens for devastating attacks.

Cards to Cut (Mid-Range Tier)

• Furygale Flocking - Decent token generation but outclassed by Metallurgic Summonings and Shark Typhoon.
• Replication Technique - Demonstrate is fun but giving opponents copies is dangerous. We have better copy effects now.
• Abstract Performance - Fractals are fine but we want tokens that synergize with the Elemental theme.
• Creative Technique - Another demonstrate card that is too unreliable for our focused strategy.
• Chain Reaction - Board wipes hurt our own token strategy. We want to keep our Elementals alive.
• Reality Shift - Decent removal but we need these slots for more impactful spells that feed Rootha.
• Arcane Denial - Giving opponents cards is a real cost. Our new additions provide better interaction.
• Muddle the Ever-Changing - Too narrow and often underperforms at the Commander table.
• Brazen Borrower - A fine card, but its mana value of 3 makes a small Elemental and it does not contribute to the spellslinger plan.
• Volcanic Salvo - 12 mana face value is great for Rootha, but it is often hard to deal enough targeted damage effectively.

High-End Upgrades (~$100+ total)

These 10 cards represent the ceiling of the deck. Expect to spend $8-$30+ per card, but each one is a genuine powerhouse that transforms how the deck plays.

Cards to Add

• Quantum Misalignment (~$8.00) - A premium copy effect that creates token copies of creatures, letting you duplicate your best permanents. Copying Rootha or a payoff creature is back-breaking.
• Irenicus's Vile Duplication (~$8.00) - Creates a token copy of a creature you control with flying. Copy your biggest Elemental or a key payoff creature and give it evasion for guaranteed damage and card draw.
• World at War (~$10.00) - Extra combat phase with rebound, meaning you get two extra combat phases over two turns. Your hasty Elemental tokens attack twice or more, drawing you a fistful of cards.
• Brass's Bounty (~$8.00) - Creates a Treasure token for each land you control. At 7 mana value, it creates a 7/7 Elemental AND gives you enough mana to cast another massive spell on the same turn.
• Thousand-Year Storm (~$8.00) - Copies each instant and sorcery you cast a number of times equal to the number of instants and sorceries you have cast before it this turn. In a deck built around chaining spells, this wins games outright.
• Fury Storm (~$9.00) - Copies a spell, plus an additional copy for each time you have cast your commander. With Rootha costing just 3 mana, recasting her is easy, making Fury Storm copy spells 3-4 times regularly.
• Jeska's Will (~$12.00) - If you control your commander, you get BOTH modes: add red mana equal to the number of cards in an opponent's hand AND exile the top three cards of your library to play this turn. Explosive mana and card advantage in one.
• Cyclonic Rift (~$20.00) - The best blue board wipe in Commander. Overloaded for 7 mana, it bounces all nonland permanents your opponents control. Clears the way for your Elementals to deal lethal damage.
• Mystical Tutor (~$12.00) - Instant-speed tutor that puts any instant or sorcery on top of your library. Find your biggest spell right before your main phase to maximize Rootha's Elemental.
• Fiery Emancipation (~$10.00) - Triples all damage your sources deal. Your Elemental tokens, Guttersnipe pings, and Magnus the Red triggers all deal three times as much. A 6/6 Elemental becomes an 18-damage threat.

Cards to Cut (High-End Tier)

• Volcanic Torrent - Cascade-dependent damage is unreliable. Cyclonic Rift is a strict upgrade for clearing the board.
• Treasure Cruise - Drawing three cards for 1 mana sounds great, but it exiles your graveyard, which conflicts with flashback spells like Galvanic Iteration and Increasing Vengeance.
• Dig Through Time - Same graveyard exile issue as Treasure Cruise.
• Rousing Refrain - Suspend is slow and unpredictable. Jeska's Will provides immediate explosive mana.
• Determined Iteration - Populating one token per turn is too slow compared to our new token strategies.
• Lightning Greaves - Shroud prevents you from targeting your own creatures with copy effects like Irenicus's Vile Duplication. Rootha's tokens already have haste.
• Cursed Mirror - A fine mana rock and clone, but we need these slots for bigger impact cards.
• Big Score - Drawing two and making two Treasures is fine but unexciting at 4 mana. We have better ways to generate mana now.
• Arcane Signet - Controversial cut, but our high-end upgrades provide so much mana generation via Jeska's Will and Brass's Bounty that we can afford to cut a simple mana rock.
• Expressive Iteration - A solid cantrip, but at only 2 mana value it makes a tiny Elemental. Mystical Tutor serves the same role of finding spells while being an instant.

Upgrade Priority Guide

If you can only make a few upgrades at a time, here is the priority order:

1. Spell-copying effects first - Galvanic Iteration, Double Vision, and Increasing Vengeance transform the deck immediately. Every big spell you copy creates extra value and bigger tokens.
2. Mana acceleration next - Jeska's Will and Brass's Bounty let you chain multiple big spells in a single turn, which is where Rootha truly shines.
3. Payoff creatures - Magnus the Red, Archmage of Runes, and Shark Typhoon provide additional reward for doing what the deck already wants to do.
4. Finishers last - Cyclonic Rift, Fiery Emancipation, and World at War are the cards that close out games, but they need the rest of the engine in place first.

Final Thoughts

The Prismari Artistry precon is one of the most exciting decks in the Secrets of Strixhaven Commander lineup. Rootha, Mastering the Moment rewards you for doing what Izzet mages love most: casting massive, flashy spells. With these 30 upgrades, you can take the deck from a fun out-of-the-box experience to a terrifying spell-copying machine that generates enormous Elemental tokens and buries opponents in card advantage.

Start with the budget tier and work your way up. Even the cheapest upgrades make a dramatic difference, and every tier builds naturally on the last. Happy spellslinging!

Check out all the Secrets of Strixhaven Commander precons for more upgrade ideas and decklists.