Lorehold Spirit Upgrade Guide: Powering Up Quintorius, History Chaser
Lorehold Spirit is one of the five Commander precons from Secrets of Strixhaven, and it breaks the Boros mold entirely. Your commander, Quintorius, History Chaser, is a planeswalker who turns graveyard recursion into an army of 3/2 Spirit tokens with haste. Every time one or more cards leave your graveyard, you get a free attacker. His +1 discards, draws two, and mills one, filling your graveyard while keeping your hand full. His -4 gives all your Spirits double strike and vigilance for a devastating alpha strike.
The precon is solid out of the box with powerful recursion engines like Sevinne's Reclamation, Sun Titan, and Karmic Guide. However, some slots are filler that can be swapped for cards that better synergize with Quintorius's graveyard-exile triggers. Below we break upgrades into three budget tiers, each with 10 cards to add and 10 to cut.
Budget Tier (~$25 total)
These affordable swaps dramatically improve the deck's graveyard synergies and Spirit token output without breaking the bank. Focus on cheap looting effects, flashback spells, and graveyard exile triggers.
Cards to Add:
- Illuminate History (~$0.25) - This Strixhaven sorcery creates a 3/2 Spirit and gives +1/+1 counters equal to your Spirit count. Cast it from the graveyard and you trigger Quintorius for another Spirit first. Double duty at bulk pricing.
- Reconstruct History (~$0.25) - Returns up to one of each non-creature card type from your graveyard to hand. In a deck full of instants, sorceries, enchantments, and artifacts, this routinely returns 3-4 cards for four mana.
- Sacred Fire (~$0.25) - Deals 2 damage and gains 2 life for two mana at instant speed. The flashback for five mana deals 3 and gains 3 while triggering Quintorius by exiling itself from the graveyard. Versatile removal that feeds your engine.
- Rally the Peasants (~$0.50) - Gives all creatures +2/+0 for three mana. The flashback costs one red mana and gives +2/+0 again. With 4-5 Spirit tokens, that is 8-10 extra damage from the graveyard, triggering Quintorius along the way.
- Cathartic Reunion (~$0.25) - Discard two, draw three. Fills the graveyard with two cards while drawing into more gas. The best rate on a red looting spell, and the discarded cards become fuel for recursion.
- Thrill of Possibility (~$0.25) - Instant-speed discard one, draw two. Lets you fill the graveyard on opponents' turns and keep up interaction. A staple looting effect that Quintorius decks need in multiples.
- Shenanigans (~$0.25) - Destroys an artifact for two mana, and has dredge 1. The dredge is the real prize: every time you would draw, you can mill one card instead and return Shenanigans. This lets you repeatedly fill your graveyard with fuel.
- Scrabbling Claws (~$0.25) - A one-mana artifact that taps to exile a card from any graveyard. The exile triggers Quintorius, and you can sacrifice Scrabbling Claws to exile your own graveyard and draw a card. Repeatable Spirit production for a quarter.
- Relic of Progenitus (~$1.50) - Similar to Scrabbling Claws but with a stronger sacrifice ability that exiles all graveyards. The tap ability exiles one card at a time from any graveyard, producing a Spirit each activation. Also shuts down opposing graveyard strategies.
- Tormenting Voice (~$0.25) - Discard one, draw two for two mana. Another efficient looting spell that turns dead cards in hand into graveyard fuel and fresh draws. Redundancy in your discard-draw package is essential.
Cards to Cut: Secret Rendezvous, Advanced Reconstruction, Primary Research, Fateful Tempest, Naktamun Lorespinner, Ceaseless Conflict, Kirol History Buff, Patchwork Banner, Staff of the Storyteller, Lorehold Archivist.
Mid-Range Tier (~$50 total)
Step up the power level with explosive recursion spells, resilient threats, and graveyard engines that generate multiple Spirit tokens per turn. These cards provide the consistency and explosiveness that stronger pods demand.
Cards to Add:
- Underworld Breach (~$8.00) - The single most explosive upgrade for Quintorius. This enchantment lets you cast any nonland card from your graveyard by paying its cost and exiling three other cards. Every cast exiles cards from the graveyard, triggering Quintorius. Chain multiple spells in one turn and create an army of Spirits.
- Past in Flames (~$2.00) - Gives all instants and sorceries in your graveyard flashback until end of turn. Cast three spells from the graveyard and create three Spirits. Past in Flames itself has flashback, so you can do it all again next turn.
- Firemane Angel (~$0.50) - A 4/3 flying first striker that gains you 1 life during your upkeep while in the graveyard. More importantly, you can pay six mana to return it from the graveyard to play, triggering Quintorius. A recursive threat that provides value whether alive or dead.
- Mizzix's Mastery (~$4.00) - Exiles a sorcery from your graveyard and lets you cast a copy for free. The overload cost exiles ALL sorceries and casts copies of each one. Every exile triggers Quintorius. Overloading with 5 sorceries in the graveyard creates 5 Spirits and replays all your best spells.
- Loyal Retainers (~$5.00) - Sacrifice to return a legendary creature from your graveyard to the battlefield. In a deck that runs Sun Titan, Karmic Guide, and other legendary recursion targets, this provides yet another way to move cards from graveyard to play and trigger Quintorius.
- Brought Back (~$2.00) - Returns up to two permanents that were put into the graveyard this turn back to the battlefield. After a board wipe or sacrifice, this brings back your best pieces and triggers Quintorius for each one that leaves the graveyard.
- Thrilling Discovery (~$0.25) - Discard two cards, draw three, and gain 2 life. Better than Cathartic Reunion with the added life gain. More graveyard fuel at an incredible rate.
- Sunset Revelry (~$0.50) - If an opponent has more life, you gain 4. If they have more cards in hand, you draw a card. If they have more creatures, you create two 1/1 tokens. Remarkably flexible catch-up card for a deck that sometimes falls behind while setting up its graveyard engine.
- Bag of Holding (~$0.50) - Whenever you discard a card, Bag of Holding exiles it instead. Sacrifice the Bag to return all exiled cards to your hand. This pairs perfectly with Quintorius's +1 ability: discard goes to exile via Bag, building up a massive hand reload.
- Tormod, the Desecrator (~$0.50) - Whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard, create a tapped 2/2 Zombie token. This is a second copy of Quintorius's passive ability on a creature. Every recursion spell now makes a Spirit AND a Zombie, doubling your token production.
Cards to Cut: Tocasia's Welcome, Monologue Tax, Wave of Reckoning, Tragic Arrogance, Claim Jumper, Rip Apart, Seize the Spoils, White Orchid Phantom, Remorseful Cleric, Vanguard of the Restless.
High-End Tier (~$100+ total)
For the ultimate Lorehold experience, these premium upgrades push the deck into high-power territory with land recursion engines, premium protection, and a mana base that never stumbles.
Cards to Add:
- Crucible of Worlds (~$15.00) - Play lands from your graveyard. Every land you play from the graveyard triggers Quintorius, creating a Spirit token during your land drop. Combined with fetch lands or self-mill, this generates a Spirit every single turn at no additional mana cost. The most synergistic premium upgrade available.
- Sword of Fire and Ice (~$15.00) - Equip to a Spirit token for protection from red and blue, plus 2 damage and a card draw on every combat hit. Your 3/2 hasty Spirits become evasive threats that generate card advantage. Premium equipment that ends games fast.
- Land Tax (~$8.00) - If an opponent has more lands, search for three basic lands. Thins your deck, ensures land drops, and fills your hand. Combined with looting effects, the extra lands become graveyard fuel. Essential white card advantage.
- Smothering Tithe (~$20.00) - The best white ramp card in Commander. Generates Treasure tokens every time opponents draw cards. Fuels your expensive flashback costs and recursion spells. In a four-player game, this generates 3+ Treasures per turn cycle.
- Teferi's Protection (~$15.00) - The ultimate defensive card. Phases out your entire board and makes you untouchable for a full turn cycle. Protects your Spirit army and your planeswalker commander from board wipes.
- Flawless Maneuver (~$5.00) - Free if you control your commander. Gives all your creatures indestructible until end of turn. Since Quintorius is a planeswalker and is almost always on the battlefield, this is nearly always free protection for your Spirit army.
- Inspiring Vantage (~$8.00) - Enters untapped if you control two or fewer other lands. Perfect for aggressive Spirit openings in the early game. No drawback, perfect mana. The gold standard for Boros mana bases.
- Arid Mesa (~$12.00) - Fetch land that finds any Mountain or Plains. Fixes your mana perfectly, thins your deck, and with Crucible of Worlds, you can replay it from the graveyard every turn for a free Spirit token.
- Sacred Foundry (~$8.00) - Shock land that counts as both Mountain and Plains. Fetchable with Arid Mesa and enters untapped for just 2 life. A significant mana base upgrade over taplands.
- Deflecting Swat (~$12.00) - Free if you control your commander. Redirects any spell or ability that targets a single target. Protects Quintorius from removal, redirects opponent's tutors, or steals beneficial effects. One of the best red protection spells in Commander.
Cards to Cut: Fellwar Stone, Mind Stone, Perpetual Timepiece, Millikin, Balefire Liege, Guardian of Faith, Guardian Scalelord, Kami of Ancient Law, Selfless Spirit, Drumbellower.
Final Tips
Regardless of budget, the key to upgrading Lorehold Spirit is leaning harder into what Quintorius does best: moving cards out of the graveyard for Spirit tokens. Every flashback spell, every recursion effect, every graveyard exile ability is another 3/2 haste attacker. Cut cards that are generically good but do not interact with the graveyard, and replace them with cards that fill the graveyard, exile from it, or recur cards from it.
The most important synergy to build around is Quintorius's +1 combined with graveyard exile effects. Use looting to fill the graveyard, then use Underworld Breach, Past in Flames, or Mizzix's Mastery to replay everything for a massive Spirit explosion. Protect your army with Teferi's Protection or Flawless Maneuver, then activate Quintorius's -4 for double strike to close the game.
Check out the full Lorehold Spirit decklist on MTG Picker to plan your upgrades, and browse all five Secrets of Strixhaven Commander precons for more upgrade inspiration.