The Ultimate Foundations Limited Set Review

Bryan Hohns (Veveil) November 4, 2024 Deckbuilding, Draft, Limited, Strategy

Last updated on December 27, 2024

Liliana, Dreadhorde General | Illustration by Chris Rallis

An unexpected greeting, planeswalkers! Our regular Limited set reviewer, Andrew Quinn, has a busy schedule right now, so the review for Foundations has fallen into my hands. I won’t be changing the format for this review though; expect an opinion and numerical rating for every card in this set. I’m excited to hear your thoughts on this review, as I’ve been wanting to write one for years!

Table of Contents show

Introduction to Foundations

Day of Judgment | Illustration by Vincent Proce

Foundations has been billed as an “evergreen core set” and will serve as an entry ramp for new players for the next five or so years, and it's hands down the best MTG set to draft for beginners. This is a great Magic set to get back to the basics of Limited MTG: card evaluation, drafting, assembling synergies, attacking, blocking, playing around pump spells and combat tricks, etc. Evaluating cards in this set is mostly going to be a question of rate/function, though I’ll mention synergy/build-arounds whenever they’re relevant.

A Word on Foundations’ Contents

One odd thing about Foundations is that it appears to have a lot of cards in it. Search Scryfall by Set Number descending, for example, and you’ll note that Maze's End is listed as #727! However, this number is ultimately deceptive for the purposes of Foundations Limited. Every card in the set past #271 is either a basic land, alternate art, or a card from either the Beginner Box or Starter Collection (which are separate products for teaching brand new players and providing an initial collection of Standard cards). For this review, I’ll only be covering those 271 cards plus 10 Special Guests that you’ll see on very rare occasions.

Ratings Breakdown

This set review uses a comparative rating system on a scale from 0 to 10. Here’s a rough guide to what each rating means:

10: The absolute best cards in the set. 10s are uber bombs that crush when you’re ahead and can single handedly catch you up when you’re behind.
Examples: Overlord of the Mistmoors, Valgavoth's Onslaught, Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber.

8-9: Extremely good cards. These are usually bomb rares that you’d be thrilled to P1P1 or open in Sealed. The best 9s often fall just a tiny bit short of true 10/10 power level.
Examples: Ghostly Dancers, Overlord of the Boilerbilges, The Swarmweaver.

6-7: Strong cards. This bracket is typically a mix of good rares and the best uncommons. These cards are often a major driver towards a particular color or strategy.
Examples: Enduring Courage, Optimistic Scavenger, Unnerving Grasp.

4-5: Above average cards. Cards which you’d be happy to include in any deck. This bracket is usually made up of solid uncommons plus the set’s best commons.
Examples: Piggy Bank, Trapped in the Screen, Glimmerburst.

2-3: Filler cards. Cards that are generally average. They certainly aren’t unplayable, but they usually lack the power, efficiency, or flexibility of better cards. These often make up the bulk of your deck.
Examples: Stalked Researcher, Fanatic of the Harrowing, Slavering Branchsnapper.

1: Mostly unplayable cards. This tier is reserved for cards that are unplayable in most decks. These are generally either classic sideboard-only cards (i.e., Naturalize and Plummet), or heavy build-arounds with incredibly specific deck building requirements.
Examples: Leyline of the Void, Doomsday Excruciator, Leyline of Resonance.

0: Truly unplayable cards. These should never be played under any circumstances, and you’ll dread opening them in Sealed or Draft.
Examples: Dazzling Theater // Prop Room, Leyline of Transformation, Leyline of Mutation.

Set Mechanics

As a modern Core Set of sorts, you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that Foundations features zero new mechanics. Instead, the set focuses on several popular mechanics from past sets. They’re a surprisingly light focus in the set, but I’ll still give a brief rules recap here for each one.

Flashback

Spells with flashback can be recast from your graveyard by paying their flashback cost (rather than their original mana cost), and they’re then exiled afterwards. Flashback appears mostly on blue cards, and exclusively on instants and sorceries (unless you count Sphinx of Forgotten Lore).

Threshold

Threshold is another graveyard mechanic that’s active when you have 7+ cards in your graveyard. Threshold exclusively appears on blue creatures and black creatures in this set. Threshold is the core mechanic for UB’s Draft archetype.

Prowess

Creatures with the prowess mechanic get +1/+1 whenever you cast a noncreature spell. Prowess appears on a handful of blue creatures and red creatures to help support the color pair’s spellslinger theme (which is about as UR as it gets).

Raid

Cards with raid simply care whether you attacked this turn. If you have, they do something beneficial for you either when they enter or sometime after your combat step. It appears mostly in BR in Foundations, though there’s one blue exception (Skyship Buccaneer). Raid is the core mechanic for BR’s Draft archetype.

Morbid

Cards with morbid care if a creature has died this turn. If this is the case, you’ll get some kind of reward when your creature enters or at the beginning of your next end step (similar to raid). Morbid can be tricky to set up in practice, as you’ll often be leaning on your opponent to block for it to trigger. Cheap removal spells like Stab and Bushwhack are also ideal.

Morbid appears on a small number of black creatures and green creatures, with one red exception (Slumbering Cerberus). Morbid is the core mechanic for BG’s draft archetype.

Landfall

Landfall triggers whenever a land you control enters. This ability word plays well with cards that can put multiple lands into play like Evolving Wilds and Grow from the Ashes. Though not officially billed as a core mechanic for GU in Draft, the color pair has one of the best landfall payoffs in the set in Tatyova, Benthic Druid.

Draft Archetypes

I won’t be describing these in any detail here (leaving that for the Sealed/Draft guides later!), but I’d be remiss not to include WotC’s official Draft archetypes. These give you a rough idea of what to focus on (and expect) from each color pair in Foundations. Anyways, onto the actual cards!

Source

White

Ajani, Caller of the Pride

Rating: 8/10

Ajani, Caller of the Pride is a strong planeswalker that shines in aggressive base white decks with lots of creatures. Using the +1 is always a safe choice, while its -3 is a riskier but more powerful option for dealing a ton of evasive damage. A good play pattern for Ajani, Caller of the Pride is to +1 if your opponent seems to want you to -3 (i.e., they’re holding up mana for instant speed removal, they seem antsy, etc.), as you can create safe pressure this way.

Ajani’s Pridemate

Rating: 5/10

Ajani's Pridemate is a simple but strong build-around that wants to play with cards that gain life. The most practical support cards for it are Dazzling Angel, Healer's Hawk, and the common gain-1 dual lands (i.e., Scoured Barrens). Food tokens from cards like Bake into a Pie can also be effective.

Angel of Finality

Rating: 5/10

Angel of Finality is a well-statted flier for its cost that also happens to be a great answer to any of your opponent’s graveyard plans. UB Threshold players won’t enjoy playing against this, and its stats are good enough that you can happily start it either way.

Arahbo, the First Fang

Rating: 6/10

Arahbo, the First Fang is a strong rare, even without too much support. The floor here starts above average (3 mana for a pair of 2/2s), and there are several good common cats like Helpful Hunter, Prideful Parent, or Wary Thespian for some extra value. Just don’t get carried away trying to build a “Cats deck,” as there’s only this and Claws Out for direct payoffs.

Armasaur Guide

Rating: 2/10

Armasaur Guide is filler. Not filler par excellence, just plain old filler. I wouldn’t hate having one of these to top my curve, but by no means will I ever prioritize it. Note that it doesn’t have to attack on its own to trigger its ability, so you might occasionally be able to get value from this by playing it before combat.

Authority of the Consuls

Rating: 1/10

Authority of the Consuls is usually a trap card in Limited. Unless you’re stopping multiple haste creatures, it’s tough to justify spending a card to gain a bit of life over the course of the game. I might consider starting this with enough lifegain payoffs like Ajani's Pridemate, but that should be far from the norm.

Banishing Light

Rating: 5/10

Somehow we keep getting this card with upside at common in newer sets (i.e., ward 2 on Trapped in the Screen), but that doesn’t mean that old Banishing Light is anything but excellent. This Oblivion Ring variant a fairly costed answer to anything you need gone, though it’s of course sorcery speed and vulnerable to cards like Cathar Commando and Broken Wings. Always an easy pick for one of white’s best commons!

Cat Collector

Rating: 5/10

I aspire to be like Cat Collector in real life, so it’s a pleasure to see that the card itself is also pretty good. This is a strong lifegain payoff that also works with the set’s small cat theme. Even if you have no other way to gain life, 3/2 for + a Food + a 1/1 later is a solid rate.

Cathar Commando

Rating: 3/10

Cathar Commando is a solid 2-drop with a bit of finesse to it. It does a decent Ambush Viper impression early in the game and can also free your stronger threats from Banishing Light and Witness Protection. Its main drawback is 1 toughness, which makes it a poor attacker into cards like Helpful Hunter and Burglar Rat.

Celestial Armor

Rating: 7/10

Celestial Armor is an interesting card that falls somewhere between “bomb rare” and “premium combat trick.” It should win you the first combat you play it in, but even if you get blown out, you’ll still end up with a better Kitesail. I expect this card to force its opponents into many unwinnable races and highly recommend you play it!

Claws Out

Rating: 4/10

Me-OW that’s a lot of damage out of nowhere! If you can field just one cat, this is a strictly better Inspired Charge. Don’t forget that there are several good common cats in the set, too. It should be good in most white decks, which will generally be aggressive with lots of creatures.

Crystal Barricade

Rating: 3/10

Crystal Barricade is an efficient blocker with powerful text against cards like Burst Lightning, Pilfer, and Vengeful Bloodwitch. It’s completely passive though, which makes it a poor fit in aggro decks. Given that white is mostly a proactive color, this is best either as a sideboard card or in unusual controlling builds.

Dauntless Veteran

Rating: 5/10

Dauntless Veteran buffs itself, which means this is a 3/3 for 3 with strong upside. It’s a premium uncommon for any white weenie deck. WW cost and poor defensive stats make it pretty underwhelming in anything else.

Day of Judgment

Rating: 6/10

Day of Judgment is a classic wrath effect that might end up being new players’ first experience with heartbreak. It's very powerful but also awkward to play with, especially if your deck is mostly aggressive/creature heavy otherwise. I usually err on the side of playing it anyways, but always prefer to build more controlling Day of Judgment decks when I can.

Dazzling Angel

Rating: 4/10

When compared to something like Lifecreed Duo, the base stats on Dazzling Angel are fairly impressive. As such, this is a card that every white deck should be happy to play, though it shines brightest in WB decks with lifegain incentives like Ajani's Pridemate and Fiendish Panda.

Divine Resilience

Rating: 3/10

Divine Resilience is a mediocre combat trick/protection spell that can also protect the entire squad. The dream is to blow out Day of Judgment with this, though in practice I’d expect it to be merely decent. Banishing Light and Eaten Alive are notable cards that get around indestructible, so you're not always completely safe with this up.

Exemplar of Light

Rating: 7/10

Exemplar of Light is a very powerful lifegain payoff and basically acts like a souped up Ajani's Pridemate. With support from cards like Dazzling Angel, this can grow into a game-winning threat while drawing you an extra card every single turn. It also has good enough base stats that you aren’t embarrassed to draw it if your Dazzling Angel died earlier.

Felidar Savior

Rating: 5/10

There’s a lot of potential stats here, although you’ll sometimes have to settle for just one target with this (as it can’t target itself). Either way, an easier to cast Basri's Acolyte seems like another clear candidate for one of white’s best commons.

Fleeting Flight

Rating: 2/10

We’ve come a long way since Battlegrowth! Fleeting Flight is a passable trick that should do its best work in GW decks, which can make extra use of the +1/+1 counter it leaves behind. I wouldn’t prioritize it though, as creature density seems more important given cards like Felidar Savior.

Giada, Font of Hope

Rating: 6/10

Foundations is a great set for Giada, Font of Hope as there are two common angels (Dazzling Angel and Vanguard Seraph) and another angel build around at uncommon (Youthful Valkyrie). Giada’s baseline stats are also decent either way, so I definitely recommend this one.

Guarded Heir

Rating: 4/10

Seven points of stats spread across three bodies, one of which has lifelink. I’ve certainly played much worse curve-toppers, so I’d expect this to be pretty good in bigger white decks. My main complaint is that Foundations has barely any flicker cards (just Kykar, Zephyr Awakener), which keeps this from “going off” so to speak.

Hare Apparent

Rating: 3/10

Hare Apparent is a simple build around (and excellent pun) that wants you to draft as many copies of it as you can. The first Hare Apparent is just Glory Seeker, the second is Dwynen's Elite, and anything above that is very good. I’m not generally taking this over Helpful Hunter, but look forward to trying to draft multiples rabbits to fill my 2-drop slot.

Healer’s Hawk

Rating: 4/10

Healer's Hawk overperformed in Guilds of Ravnica, so I once again expect great things from this unassuming bird. Healer's Hawk somehow fits into all 4 white archetypes: It’s a flier for WU, gains life for WB, a cheap aggressive creature for RW, and a great +1/+1 counter recipient for GW!

Helpful Hunter

Rating: 5/10

I love value and cats, so Helpful Hunter is exactly the kind of card I want to draft! Cantrip creatures like this are an excellent way to make your deck more consistent while maintaining creature density. It’s a great card in any deck but plays even better if you’re bigger/more controlling.

Herald of Eternal Dawn

Rating: 6/10

Now this is a swingy rare! WWW and 7 total mana is a real asking price, but the reward is a huge flash flier that can ambush an attacker and then demand a removal spell. If your opponent can’t get rid of this, well, they literally can’t win the game, so that’s always nice. Herald of Eternal Dawn is similar to Day of Judgment in that it plays better in atypical white builds (i.e.: more controlling ones).

Inspiring Paladin

Rating: 3/10

Inspiring Paladin is an efficient, aggressive 3-drop that seems best in GW decks. Giving all your creatures with +1/+1 counters first strike makes blocking miserable for your opponent. If you don’t have any +1/+1 counter support, this is my least favorite common 3-drop in white (behind Dazzling Angel and Prideful Parent).

Joust Through

Rating: 4/10

Cheap, efficient white removal that can blow out combat tricks and pick off most creatures under 4 mana. The 1 life bonus looks trivial but offers a way to trigger stuff like Cat Collector for extra value.

Luminous Rebuke

Rating: 4/10

Seized from Slumber was an overperformer in Duskmourn, so it’s nice to see a functional reprint already. This works best in tempo decks and control decks, which are more likely to be facing down tapped creatures than hyper aggressive ones. I’m down to start a copy in just about any deck though, as having the option to overpay for this helps.

Make Your Move

Rating: 3/10

Make Your Move is a reasonably priced answer to a variety of problematic permanents, although you won’t be able to use it against small creatures. This is my least favorite of white’s three common removal spells, but I’d still start one in most decks. It shines in BO3/sideboard games where you can adjust how many of these you’re playing based on your opponent's deck.

Mischievous Pup

Rating: 4/10

Mischievous Pup is a dog’s best friend, and it offers a simple but effective value combo. Bigfin Bouncer, Burglar Rat, and Resolute Reinforcements are also great pairings. This is pretty underwhelming without support, but I still like it since most of the support cards are great on their own anyways.

Prideful Parent

Rating: 4/10

Two bodies on one card is very appealing with cards like Felidar Savior, Claws Out, etc. Prideful Parent isn’t winning awards on power level, but it’s still a card I look forward to curving out with.

Raise the Past

Rating: 1/10

You’d need a lot of 2s before this is worth playing. I’m talking 10 or more 2-drops, which would ideally include Hungry Ghoul, Vampire Gourmand, and Vengeful Bloodwitch for some aristocratic action. It’s a sweet build around, but it’ll probably only get there in one out of 20 drafts or so.

Resolute Reinforcements

Rating: 4/10

Similar to Prideful Parent, though it’s cheaper, smaller, and has flash. Resolute Reinforcements is another great card to make sure your Felidar Savior is getting maximum value. It also does a great job of ambushing cards like Cathar Commando.

Savannah Lions

Rating: 2/10

How the mighty have fallen, I suppose. We get Savannah Lions with upside regularly these days (i.e., Recruitment Officer, Veteran Survivor), plus this set seems hostile to 1-mana 2/1s thanks to Helpful Hunter, Prideful Parent, and the like. I still might play this in white weenie, but it’s not a priority even there.

Serra Angel

Rating: 5/10

Even in 2024, our beloved Serra Angel is still a pretty decent Limited card! This is a much better curve topper than something like Armasaur Guide, as it can hold off smaller creatures while bashing for 4 repeatedly (when things go right). I wouldn’t prioritize it over more efficient/synergistic cards though.

Skyknight Squire

Rating: 7/10

Skyknight Squire is a humble 2-drop with a big dream. With the right support cards (i.e.: Prideful Parent), this kills fast and outsizes removal like Burst Lightning and Stab. It’s not the best topdeck later on, but I’d still highly recommend it.

Squad Rallier

Rating: 3/10

The stat line here is only 2/10 worthy, but mana sinks are nice to have in Limited. Math-wise, if you have eight hits, you’re about 60% to draw a card off this. Adding more/less adjusts the odds by about 5% each time, so how good this is your deck is often a function of how many 2-power creatures you have. While I prefer Felidar Savior, I’d be happy to start a copy of Squad Rallier as well.

Stroke of Midnight

Rating: 3/10

Stroke of Midnight is a solid all -purpose answer to anything you need gone. While it does give your opponent a 1/1, this is a manageable drawback given how flexible the card is. I wouldn’t take it over Banishing Light or Luminous Rebuke, but it’s not terrible if you need more removal. Try to avoid playing it in aggressive decks when you can, as the extra blocker is more punishing there.

Sun-Blessed Healer

Rating: 6/10

Sun-Blessed Healer is an efficient 2-drop that scales well over the course of the game. Getting back Helpful Hunter is my goal with this one, but any other 2-drops will do just fine.

Twinblade Blessing

Rating: 4/10

Twinblade Blessing is a powerful but risky combat trick that leaves behind a dangerous aura afterwards. You can win most combats with this or even combo kill with it and another pump spell. I like it if you have the right support for it, but it definitely falls short of something busted like Celestial Armor.

Valkyrie’s Call

Rating: 3/10

Cards like this are always challenging to evaluate, as there’s a huge amount of variance to how good they can be. Valkyrie's Call really wants you to hunker down and trade off several creatures with your opponent; if you can do this, it’ll win you the game. If you can’t, it’s a 5-mana do-nothing. This set seems aggressive enough that I have my doubts on this one, though I reserve the right to be wrong here. If you do play this, you’ll want a high creature density plus lots of non-angel creatures that are good to return like Helpful Hunter and Prideful Parent.

Vanguard Seraph

Rating: 3/10

Phantom Monster has also been power crept out, as we regularly get Phantom Monster with upside at common now. Vanguard Seraph is the latest iteration of this, and it throws in some free card selection if you can gain life for it. It’s a reasonable 4-drop anywhere that works best in WB decks.

Youthful Valkyrie

Rating: 4/10

As I mentioned with Giada, there are a surprising number of angels in this set. It takes just one counter for Youthful Valkyrie to have strong stats for its cost, too. If you don’t have any other angels, this is a 2/10 at best.

Blue

Aegis Turtle

Rating: 2/10

Aegis Turtle is an efficient blocker for decks that need some early defense. It’s completely one-dimensional though, so I can’t give it high marks even if I expect to play it sometimes. You could also consider sideboarding this on the draw to stem the bleeding against aggro decks.

Aetherize

Rating: 4/10

Aetherize is a sweet card that makes for a dream answer to mass pump spells like Claws Out and (gulp) Overrun. The mere existence of this blue card makes 4 open mana much scarier in Foundations, so expect to see people playing around this even when it’s not in your 40. It works best in decks with other instants to mitigate the risk of Time Walking yourself if your opponent plays around it.

An Offer You Can’t Refuse

Rating: 1/10

Negate isn’t usually the best Limited card, but An Offer You Can't Refuse is definitely worse than Negate in 40-card formats. The drawback here is simply too high, and the efficiency is usually wasted in the average Limited game. This is at best a niche sideboard answer to uber bombs like Liliana, Dreadhorde General and Chandra, Flameshaper.

Arcane Epiphany

Rating: 6/10

The base rate of Jace's Ingenuity isn’t bad, but getting this to 4 mana just seems trivial to me. There are three playable wizards at common and several uncommon/rare wizards as well. Powerful card draw is rare in core set Limited, so it’s impressive to see something this easy and efficient. If this rating seems high to you, just wait until you’ve drawn three cards for 4 mana!

Archmage of Runes

Rating: 7/10

Beefy base stats and two great abilities makes for an excellent spells payoff. You can run Archmage of Runes in any blue deck, though it obviously wants to be played alongside a pile of instants and sorceries.

Bigfin Bouncer

Rating: 5/10

Bigfin Bouncer is an easy pick for blue’s best common. While it can’t bounce your own stuff, it has an extra point of power over the usual Separatist Voidmage. I expect great things from Bigfin Bouncer in both aggressive and controlling decks.

Brineborn Cutthroat

Rating: 5/10

Brineborn Cutthroat is a powerful build around that wants to play with countermagic and other flash creatures. Refute, Elementalist Adept, Think Twice, and Spectral Sailor are some great pairings for it. If you don’t have many other instants, this drops to a 3/10 or so.

Cephalid Inkmage

Rating: 4/10

There’s enough card selection here for me to be interested, even if you aren’t technically drawing anything. You might find yourself binning three cards to make this unblockable sooner as well. Cephalid Inkmage works best alongside other threshold/graveyard incentives, but it seems playable anywhere.

Clinquant Skymage

Rating: 4/10

This starts very small, but it threatens to get out of control quickly with the right support. Arcane Epiphany is a great combo with this if you’re lucky enough to have it. I’d also encourage you to play this alongside smaller card draw spells like Think Twice, Refute, and Fleeting Distraction. My main worry with Clinquant Skymage is that it trades down horribly with common removal spells like Stab and Burst Lightning.

Curator of Destinies

Rating: 9/10

Big dumb card advantage on a big dumb flying creature is a big dumb recipe for winning games of Limited. This sphinx gets even better when you consider that it ignores Refute and Essence Scatter, since it's uncounterable. As for how to play the subgame that Curator of Destinies, that’s mostly up to you. The easiest approach is to balance the piles so you’re happy either way, but there’s also room for Hollywood action if you can sell that one pile is “better” than the other.

Drake Hatcher

Rating: 6/10

Drake Hatcher is a scary prowess creature that plays well with instants like Burst Lightning and Fleeting Distraction. There’s a substantial reward for connecting with this a couple of times, and it’s also tough to block with mana open.

Elementalist Adept

Rating: 3/10

If you aren’t getting extra value from this having flash/being a wizard, Elementalist Adept feels pretty average. One toughness is low enough that this still trades with bears even if you can trigger prowess. It’s solid filler, but not premium in the way something like Helpful Hunter is.

Erudite Wizard

Rating: 4/10

Erudite Wizard is a minor build around that shares the second card draw theme with a handful of compatriots like Mischievous Mystic. I like the sizing on this card, as it takes only one Fleeting Distraction or Icewind Elemental for this to be above average. It compares favorably on rate to something like Lat-Nam Adept, so I expect good things from Erudite Wizard.

Essence Scatter

Rating: 4/10

Essence Scatter is a great, cheap blue counterspell that can be tough to play around. This is best when tagging bomb rares, but I’d be happy to tag anything from Helpful Hunter to Erudite Wizard with it.

Extravagant Replication

Rating: 6/10

Extravagant Replication is a powerful board stall breaker that makes for a good win condition in a controlling deck. Though you’ll have to take a turn off before it gets going, making a copy of your best thing every turn is big game. One pairing I really like here is Extravagant Replication plus copyable removal spells like Witness Protection and Banishing Light, which can buy you the time needed for this to bury your opponent.

Faebloom Trick

Rating: 5/10

Flash Wind Drake spread across two bodies plus a free tap is a great rate for 3 mana. Faebloom Trick shines in aggressive decks, but I’d happily play it anywhere.

Fleeting Distraction

Rating: 3/10

While Fleeting Distraction looks underwhelming, it can do solid work alongside prowess and “draw a second card” creatures. You won’t usually swing combats with -1/-0, but your opponent will certainly feel bad if you do!

Grappling Kraken

Rating: 4/10

As a fat kraken with a powerful landfall ability, Grappling Kraken works best as a ramp payoff in GU decks that can play it ahead of schedule. It’s playable in other decks, though definitely most exciting in GU Ramp. Kicking Grow from the Ashes with this out makes for a Frost Breath of sorts!

High Fae Trickster

Rating: 7/10

High Fae Trickster hits hard out of nowhere and packs some impressive utility to boot. This is a fragile but dangerous rare that you’ll hopefully have Stab or Burst Lightning for when it hits the table.

Homunculus Horde

Rating: 4/10

Fleeting Distraction is vital here, as I’d love to get this blue card going as soon as possible. Part of the joke here is that the copies of course have the same ability as the original, meaning that this snowballs quite well if given the chance. If you don’t have the right support for Homunculus Horde, don’t bother playing it as 2/2 for 4 is an awful rate.

Icewind Elemental

Rating: 4/10

This is a great common curve-topper compared to something like Armasaur Guide. Fair stats and a free loot (that can trigger Erudite Wizard) is well worth a copy or two in most decks.

Imprisoned in the Moon

Rating:

4/10

Imprisoned in the Moon is similar to Stroke of Midnight, as both are broad removal spells with drawbacks. The drawback here is painful if you use it early, but mostly negligible when answering cards like Grappling Kraken. Still, you don’t usually get actual removal in blue, so blue mages should take what they can get!

Inspiration from Beyond

Rating:

2/10

If you have strong instants and sorceries, Inspiration from Beyond offers a way to get them back twice, albeit at a pretty unimpressive rate. It works best in decks that care about threshold due to the bonus self-mill.

Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator

Rating: 6/10

The latest version of Kaito should be good for a Ninja token or two in most games. This blue planeswalker works best with small, evasive creatures, plus bounce/removal spells to keep them safe. This may prove impossible in some games, so don’t be afraid to cash in your Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator for creatures if you’re under pressure.

Kiora, the Rising Tide

Rating: 8/10

Kiora, the Rising Tide is probably the strongest threshold incentive in the set. You won’t usually be getting the 8/8 early, but it’s an incredible ability on top off a 3/2 double looter like this. This happily goes in every blue deck and has me drafting every other self-mill card that I can!

Lightshell Duo

Rating: 4/10

Lightshell Duo was a solid card in Bloomburrow and makes a quick but welcome return in Foundations. This should be a great card in UR Spells and UB Threshold decks, where it has obvious synergy. The rate here for 4 mana is pretty good either way.

Lunar Insight

Rating: 6/10

Lunar Insight is a neat build around that plays best with token generators and removal spells that leave a permanent in play like Witness Protection and Banishing Light. With the right deck, it doesn’t seem hard to get 3+ cards from this, which is an absurd rate for . Just be prepared to occasionally settle for Divination in tough spots.

Micromancer

Rating: 5/10

Micromancer is a fun “micro” build around that wants you to draft 1-drop spells for it. Foundations isn’t short on good options, some of the best of which are Fleeting Distraction, Stab, Eaten Alive, Burst Lightning, and Bushwhack. This can be good in any deck/color pair if you have 2+ targets for it.

Mischievous Mystic

Rating: 6/10

Mischievous Mystic looks quite strong, as it has good base stats and a powerful triggered ability that makes more fliers. This is among the best of the set’s card draw incentives and provides a great reason to draft cards like Fleeting Distraction.

Mocking Sprite

Rating: 3/10

The stats here aren’t great defensively, but the cost reduction does play well with several powerful instants and sorceries. I expect this to be a bit better in this set than it was in Wilds of Eldraine. Burst Lightning, Refute, and card draw spells are ideal pairings for Mocking Sprite.

Omniscience

Rating: 0/10

I don’t see any ways to cheat this into play in Foundations, so without hesitation I give Omniscience a true 0/10 rating. It’s a cool card, but strictly unplayable!

Refute

Rating: 4/10

Cancel has received a nice buff, as throwing in a free loot really sweetens the deal. UU can be problematic for some decks, so try to play 9+ Islands alongside it. It works best alongside cards like Think Twice to keep your opponent guessing. There’s also some matchup variance to Refute, as Cancel variants typically shine against bigger decks while underperforming against aggro.

Run Away Together

Rating: 2/10

Run Away Together is another cute build around that wants to play with cheap enters creatures like Helpful Hunter. It’s also a great answer to Witness Protection. If you can’t set up value sequences with this though, it’s pretty weak.

Rune-Sealed Wall

Rating: 5/10

I love a good durdle fort, so I expect good things from Rune-Sealed Wall. Sitting behind this with Refute up is a blue mage’s dream, especially if your deck has some bomb like Curator of Destinies to dig for. It’s obviously not an aggressive card, but even fliers decks can appreciate a good wall.

Self-Reflection

Rating: 4/10

Value is always appreciated, even in a clunky form like Self-Reflection. This seems best in threshold decks, as it’s cheaper to cast from your graveyard anyways. Try to use this when your opponent is tapped out if possible, as getting your creature bounced or killed in response fizzles this.

Skyship Buccaneer

Rating: 5/10

Blue’s sole raid card makes for a great curve topper. Attacking once on turn 5 is a pretty easy requirement, though you might occasionally have to play this unraided. It works best alongside other fliers for a safe raid.

Spectral Sailor

Rating: 5/10

Spectral Sailor is a surprisingly annoying card that works really well with countermagic. The activated ability will pull you ahead in the card advantage race while also disguising your instants like Refute and Essence Scatter.

Sphinx of Forgotten Lore

Rating: 8/10

Good base stats with flash and recasting Burst Lightning make for one sick mythic rare. Even if you can’t cast anything that exciting off it, a 3/3 flash flier for is a tough offer to refuse. Sphinx of Forgotten Lore can ambush smaller creatures, but you’ll usually want to play it safe and go for value by flashing this in at the end of turn. Even something as simple as recasting Fleeting Distraction with this puts it well above rate.

Strix Lookout

Rating: 2/10

I do love owls (and the flavor text, too), but Strix Lookout seems pretty mediocre. It doesn’t hit hard, can’t really block anything, and is also expensive to loot with. I’d play it alongside cards like Erudite Wizard and Homunculus Horde, but expect it to underperform otherwise.

Think Twice

Rating: 4/10

Think Twice is honest, fairly priced blue card draw that plays well with prowess/draw incentives. It’s not efficient enough to wow me, but I’d still be happy to play a couple of copies in most decks.

Time Stop

Rating: 4/10

Time Stop is a clunky card with a lot of play to it. It plays out kind of like a Cancel plus Fog in most cases, though it has an incredibly high ceiling if your opponent plays into it. The dream is to stop their Overrun turn with this, though I’d certainly settle for less. This and Aetherize are very important cards to remember in this format, as both could be absolutely devastating if you're caught pants down.

Tolarian Terror

Rating: 5/10

Tolarian Terror is a good rate with just two instants and sorceries in the yard, but it has real potential to be cheaper than that, too. It’s yet another incentive to play cards like Fleeting Distraction. I expect this to be one of blue’s best commons, like it was in Dominaria United.

Uncharted Voyage

Rating: 3/10

Vanish from Sight overperformed in Duskmourn, so I’m not counting out Uncharted Voyage by any means. It’s a bit worse though, as you won’t be able to tag enchantments or artifacts with Uncharted Voyage. A copy or two of this alongside countermagic like Refute provides welcome security against big creatures.

Witness Protection

Rating: 4/10

Probably a little worse than Unable to Scream, as a 1/1 creature can still attack you. Witness Protection is still a good answer to a variety of expensive things though. Try not to use it early unless you have to, and be aware that it won’t always last forever thanks to cards like Broken Wings and Run Away Together.

Black

Abyssal Harvester

Rating: 8/10

Abyssal Harvester is a must-kill bomb that’s fragile but incredibly dangerous to leave in play. Once you untap with Abyssal Harvester, combat becomes a true nightmare for your opponent. Avoiding combat won’t always save them either, as Bake into a Pie plus this means you get to create a copy of whatever you just killed with it. And as a wicked bonus, you don’t even lose the token when this dies!

Arbiter of Woe

Rating: 6/10

With the right fodder (Helpful Hunter, Burglar Rat, Infestation Sage, etc.), Arbiter of Woe is an excellent rate. It’s also a premium Zombify target if you can mill/discard it somehow, as reanimating it skips the additional cost. My only gripes are that you sometimes might not have fodder, and cards like this are always awkward against Refute.

Bake into a Pie

Rating: 5/10

Bake into a Pie kills whatever you need dead at a fair rate and even throws in a Food token as a useful bonus. You’ll occasionally get extra value from this black removal in WB, but every black deck wants it. It’ll likely be among the best commons in the set like it was in Throne of Eldraine, though I have it a bit behind Burst Lightning and Llanowar Elves.

Billowing Shriekmass

Rating: 3/10

Billowing Shriekmass isn’t efficient without threshold, so ideally you’ll have other ways to self-mill. Flashback cards are also nice with this to occasionally pick up free value. I like this in UB Threshold, but I’m not sure if I’d play it outside of that archetype.

Blasphemous Edict

Rating: 7/10

Blasphemous Edict is the second sweeper we’ve covered so far, after Day of Judgment. You won’t be paying just for this black board wipe very often, so it’s best evaluated as : “Each player sacrifices all creatures.” That’s definitely a bomb in Limited though, especially since black is usually better at leveraging this kind of card than white is.

Bloodthirsty Conqueror

Rating: 10/10

Rating: 5/10

Hero's Downfall is only slightly better than Bake into a Pie in most cases, though none of that applies when you’re killing Liliana, Dreadhorde General with this. I of course like and recommend this card, but I’d temper my expectations. Sometimes I can’t believe this used to be a chase rare in Standard!

High-Society Hunter

Rating: 7/10

Clunky but very powerful flier that wants to play with fodder cards like Burglar Rat and Infestation Sage. You’ll have to untap with High-Society Hunter either way, but the reward is certainly there for doing so.

Hungry Ghoul

Rating: 4/10

This is a great sacrifice outlet, especially for a common. It’s cheap to use, gets permanent sizing, and works well with the usual suspects like Infestation Sage and Involuntary Employment.

Infernal Vessel

Rating: 5/10

Solid creature that’s somewhere between fodder and a real threat. You can trade this off manually with bears sometimes, but it works even better with sacrifice outlets like Hungry Ghoul and Eaten Alive.

Infestation Sage

Rating: 3/10

Good fodder creature that you won’t usually want to play if you don’t have Hungry Ghoul, Eaten Alive, and the like. I’d expect most black decks to want it, but I’m rating it as though your deck lacks too much synergy.

Liliana, Dreadhorde General

Rating: 10/10

I looked this black planeswalker up out of curiosity, and to no one's surprise, it was the highest rated rare in War of the Spark! Liliana, Dreadhorde General is easily one of the most broken bombs in FDN Limited, as it protects itself well and gets obscene amounts of value from combat and/or its -4.

Macabre Waltz

Rating: 3/10

The first copy of Macabre Waltz is usually appealing, as it isn’t hard to discard a land to this midgame while picking up some good creatures. It plays much better when you have exciting bombs that your opponent will want to remove, too.

Marauding Blight-Priest

Rating: 2/10

Outside of the infinite combo with Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Marauding Blight-Priest is actually pretty underwhelming. Free damage is nice, but it has weak base stats and depends heavily on certain cards to do anything. I like this in dedicated WB lifegain decks and expect to rarely play it otherwise.

Midnight Snack

Rating: 4/10

Midnight Snack is a strange card that’s somewhere between lifegain payoff/delayed burn spell. With just Food tokens, the goal here is probably to get to seven lands, gain 6 off two Foods, then sac this for 6 damage to the face. You could increase this number by attacking with lifelink creatures as well. These are some impressive numbers, but Midnight Snack also doesn’t affect the board in any tangible way.

Nine-Lives Familiar

Rating: 6/10

Who’s a good unkillable kitty? Nine-Lives Familiar is, as you can chump block or sacrifice this thing over and over. The synergy with cards like Hungry Ghoul is delicious, and well worth building around.

Painful Quandary

Rating: 0/10

Cards that don’t affect the board are already dubious, but punisher cards that don’t affect the board are just embarrassing. Opening this in Sealed or Draft is truly a Painful Quandary, as you’d have rather opened just about anything else.

Phyrexian Arena

Rating: 5/10

High-variance card draw that’s amazing when you’re ahead, capable of breaking parity, and embarrassing when you’re behind. I’d err on the side of starting this, especially if you have good cheap removal like Stab. Ways to gain life are also appreciated to counterbalance the life loss from this black enchantment. Don’t be afraid to board this out if your opponent seems too aggressive for you to get away with it!

Pilfer

Rating: 3/10

Pilfer is a common now, eh? This is a fairly costed discard spell with some fair variance to how it plays out. The main issue with Pilfer is that it effectively becomes dead later in the game, even if it’s a pretty solid turn 2 play. I’d be fine starting one in most decks, but I think it’ll do best as a sideboard card against controlling blue decks. Stranding your opponent with Aetherize that you saw off this sounds excellent to me.

Reassembling Skeleton

Rating: 4/10

This is infinite sacrifice fodder that also plays well with self-mill. It’s worth including with cards like Hungry Ghoul and Eaten Alive. Reassembling Skeleton also makes for a great chump blocker either way.

Revenge of the Rats

Rating: 3/10

“Tapped” is a rough word to put on a card like Revenge of the Rats, and it dampers a lot of my enthusiasm for it. It can still work as a win condition for threshold/self-mill decks, but it requires a lot of setup and a blank turn before the rats can block.

Rise of the Dark Realms

Rating: 2/10

There’s no great way to cheat on the cost here (though Mocking Sprite helps a little), so go big or go home with Rise of the Dark Realms. I don’t expect the format to be slow enough for this, but I reserve the right to board it in for grindy matchups.

Rune-Scarred Demon

Rating: 9/10

Now this demon is a win condition worth durdling for. Rune-Scarred Demon is a huge flier that tutors your next best card, which is an almost insurmountable advantage for your opponent to overcome. Black just seems to have all the best bombs in this set for some reason!

Sanguine Syphoner

Rating: 2/10

Agate-Blade Assassin returns to minimal fanfare. This kind of card ends up outclassed on board fairly quickly, as double blocks mean that even combat tricks can’t always force this through. It’s pure curve filler that I’d hope to have Burglar Rat over.

Seeker’s Folly

Rating: 5/10

Mind Rot is probably a 2/10 at this point, but adding the option to sweep x/1s at sorcery speed sweetens the deal nicely. Seeker's Folly is also helped by this set’s excellent x/1s like Llanowar Elves, Mischievous Mystic, and Firebrand Archer.

Soul-Shackled Zombie

Rating: 3/10

Free burn and graveyard hate helps make up for the lackluster base stats here. You can also use your own cards if needed, so it should be trivial to get the 4 life swing off Soul-Shackled Zombie.

Stab

Rating: 5/10

Stab early and Stab often, as there are many creatures that need answering. It also helps that this isn’t dead against larger creatures, since it can still work as a combat trick sometimes. All three of black’s common removal spells look great in Foundations, with Stab being the leanest and Bake into a Pie and Eaten Alive being better answers to bombs.

Stromkirk Bloodthief

Rating: 3/10

This can target itself, so it’s not especially important that you have other vampires for it. The rate Stromkirk Bloodthief gives you is fine in aggressive decks, but not especially impressive.

Tinybones, Bauble Burglar

Rating: 6/10

Tinybones, Bauble Burglar is an annoying little guy that plays great with other discard effects like Pilfer. It can also set itself up, though this is mana intensive and won’t affect the board. Slow decks definitely need to answer this card, while aggro decks can probably just keep bashing. Either way, it’s a good deal for just 2 mana.

Tragic Banshee

Rating: 6/10

Tragic Banshee is a devastating card to play into, as the difference between -1/-1 and -13/-13 is basically an “is this a Nekrataal or not?” question. You’ll sometimes be able to set this up on turn 6 either way, using either Stab or Eaten Alive (from sacrificing your own creature, as it exiles). The upside here is just so high, even if you’ll occasionally have to play this as 5/3 for . Oh and don’t forget that you can just kill x/1s with this too!

Vampire Gourmand

Rating: 5/10

Unblockable 2-drops… in black? Weirdness aside, Vampire Gourmand is a great 2-drop alongside the usual suspects like Infestation Sage and Burglar Rat. It gets easy value and pecks (bites?) for reliable damage, so what’s not to like?

Vampire Nighthawk

Rating: 7/10

Vampire Nighthawk is back! This is an awesome creature with a great combination of abilities. It swings the race well on its own and can also trade with large creatures if need be. The only drawback to this card is you’ll want 9+ Swamps for its BB cost.

Vampire Soulcaller

Rating: 3/10

“Can’t block” is a cruel line to put on a value creature like this, and it makes Vampire Soulcaller less of an auto-include than it’d be otherwise. I’m still down to play a copy in most decks, but the rest of your deck needs to protect you.

Vengeful Bloodwitch

Rating: 4/10

The latest Zulaport Cutthroat makes for a solid value card in a deck with lots of fodder. Vengeful Bloodwitch only triggers off your creatures (including itself) dying, so having a high density of fodder/sacrifice effects is key to making this good.

Zombify

Rating: 4/10

Zombify is an efficient reanimation spell that wants to play with fatties plus self-mill and discard effects. Your best bet for pulling off Zombify in Foundations is probably in either UB or BR, which have cards like Icewind Elemental, Refute, and Thrill of Possibility to set this up sometimes. It helps that Zombify is priced reasonably enough that you can instead just get back a 3- or 4-drop with it and not feel embarrassed.

Zul Ashur, Lich Lord

Rating: 4/10

Zul Ashur, Lich Lord is the only zombie incentive in the set. It’s not a huge build around, but I’d still happily play it with Hungry Ghoul, Soul-Shackled Zombie, and the like. Note that there are only four other zombies in the set, all of which are in black.

Red

Abrade

Rating: 5/10

Abrade is a solid red removal spell that also destroys artifacts if needed. There aren’t many of those to worry about here, though a couple of exceptions like Celestial Armor exist. Either way, you’re happily picking/playing this.

Axgard Cavalry

Rating: 4/10

Granting haste is fair upside on a 2/2 for 2, so I was usually happy to play Axgard Cavalry in Kaldheim. It works best in RG decks, which will have big fatties for you to haste out.

Battlesong Berserker

Rating: 5/10

Most Valuable Slayer was a solid 4-drop in Duskmourn, so it’s nice to see that templating continue with Battlesong Berserker. This is a great card in aggressive decks, both to push through damage and to act as an effective 4/4 menace on its own.

Boltwave

Rating: 2/10

Raw burn like this is mostly a trap in Limited, though Boltwave is definitely an exciting card for Standard burn players. It might be correct for dedicated mono-red/near mono-red decks to play it, but I’d want a great curve and several copies of Burst Lightning to back it up. It’s always safer for burn to be able to go after creatures in Limited.

Brass’s Bounty

Rating: 0/10

The last thing I’d usually want when I have 7+ lands in play is more mana. The set also doesn’t have any real artifact/Treasure payoffs, so Brass's Bounty is pretty much a dud unfortunately.

Brazen Scourge

Rating: 5/10

Strong, no questions asked rate that rewards you for being base red with 9+ Mountains. Brazen Scourge is a great aggressive card that puts your opponent on the backfoot immediately.

Rating: 3/10

Surprisingly similar to Firebrand Archer, though Firespitter Whelp is bigger and more expensive, and it gets a minor bonus from other dragons. There aren’t many of those though, so for all intents and purposes, this is about as good as Firebrand Archer and goes in similar decks.

Frenzied Goblin

Rating: 4/10

Truly aggressive decks enjoy this red card, but by all means leave this one at home if your deck doesn’t fit the bill. Frenzied Goblin is a dangerous card to fall behind against, as tapping out for blockers plays right into its hands.

Goblin Boarders

Rating: 2/10

Filler that plays best in aggressive decks. I don’t love Goblin Boarders anywhere, but I’ll certainly play it if my curve needs it.

Goblin Negotiation

Rating: 4/10

This isn’t a particularly aggressive card, as you’ll want to dump a lot of mana into your Goblin Negotiation before it does anything impressive. Still, I’m willing to overpay for my removal a bit when it comes with 1/1s, particularly if I have enough extra mana/card draw to set this up.

Goblin Surprise

Rating: 4/10

Getting to play Trumpet Blast without sacrificing creature density is a treat for aggressive decks, so I expect Goblin Surprise to be an excellent role-player. This underperformed at 4 mana in The Brothers’ War (Mishra's Onslaught), but it should play much better for 3.

Gorehorn Raider

Rating: 3/10

Decent curve topper that probably won’t be a high priority over cheaper cards. Gorehorn Raider may be an important card to play around sometimes, as careless blocking can let this finish off important creatures.

Heartfire Immolator

Rating: 5/10

Strong, efficient prowess creature that can also be a removal spell if need be. Good in any deck, though Heartfire Immolator is probably at its best in UR for obvious reasons.

Hidetsugu’s Second Rite

Rating: 10 life/10 (3/10 for real rating)

This is a spicy way to kill someone, though the requirement for your opponent to be at exactly 10 life is harder than it sounds. It works best alongside a lot of other burn spells, plus ways to deal exactly 1 damage like Fanatical Firebrand. I personally hope Hidetsugu's Second Rite isn’t good, as it seems like a frustrating way to lose games if it happens too often!

Incinerating Blast

Rating: 3/10

I’m tempted to say, “Removal is removal,” but this is a set with Burst Lightning, Abrade, and many other great options outside of red. You can certainly play this, but you’re never thrilled to. I’d probably start one copy of Incinerating Blast in most decks, then board up/down based on the kind of creatures my opponent has.

Involuntary Employment

Rating: 2/10

The rating here is deceptive, as Involuntary Employment is probably a 5/10 or 6/10 in a BR deck with sacrifice setups. You might occasionally play it otherwise in non-sac aggro decks, as a threaten effect can definitely mise your opponent if they aren’t careful.

Kellan, Planar Trailblazer

Rating: 7/10

My, my, how far we’ve come from Jackal Pup! Kellan, Planar Trailblazer is an incredible way to start a game of MTG, and a great draw at any point in the game.

Krenko, Mob Boss

Rating: 7/10

Krenko, Mob Boss is a terrifying goblin payoff that’s also playable with minimal support. You’re likely to have plenty of other goblins anyways though, with red having three common goblins and Goblin Surprise to choose from. I’d also love to have Axgard Cavalry for this, as it’s yet another red rare that really appreciates haste.

Rite of the Dragoncaller

Rating: 4/10

This is a dedicated win condition for a controlling red deck, usually in UR but perhaps sometimes in BR (with enough Stab and Bake into a Pie). It’s quite powerful if you can untap with it, but it requires a specific deck and a turn off on turn 6. Most decks won’t be interested, but Rite of the Dragoncaller is certainly powerful.

Searslicer Goblin

Rating: 6/10

Searslicer Goblin is about as easy to build around as it gets. One-drops like Fanatical Firebrand are ideal, but even without them, this is just no-frills value that every deck wants.

Seismic Rupture

Rating: 3/10

Small sweepers like Seismic Rupture make for an excellent answer to the cheap, aggressive starts red is known for. It’s best in controlling red decks or as a sideboard card. Don’t forget about the “non-flying” clause, which makes this a poor answer to threats like Mischievous Mystic.

Shivan Dragon

Rating: 5/10

Serra Angel couldn’t just show up alone! Shivan Dragon is a dated “bomb” of sorts by today’s lofty standards, but it can still get your opponent dead fast if they don’t have an answer to it. I’m happy to play it in bigger red decks but would consider leaving it in the sideboard if my deck is lean enough.

Slagstorm

Rating: 5/10

Much better than Seismic Rupture, as this hits fliers and x/3s which covers much of the format. Slagstorm plays best in a bigger red deck, particularly if you can field x/4s like Spitfire Lagac and Lightshell Duo. You’ll have to be base red to play it though, as RR makes this more or less impossible to splash.

Slumbering Cerberus

Rating: 4/10

This is undercosted and fairly easy to untap, as all it takes is one Burst Lightning or trade in combat for it to do so. Slumbering Cerberus will often trade with bears or Burst Lightning itself, but it’s efficient enough that I’d happily play it. You can also use stuff like Hungry Ghoul alongside this, though that shouldn’t be necessary in most games.

Sower of Chaos

Rating: 4/10

The ability here is good enough to justify fairly mediocre stats for its cost. Your opponent must either answer this with a removal spell, start racing you immediately, or play an awkward game of leaving extra stuff back to try and play around activations. That’s a lot of pressure for a common 4-drop!

Spitfire Lagac

Rating: 3/10

Reasonable stat line plus free damage makes for decent filler, even if I prefer Sower of Chaos to Spitfire Lagac in most decks. Probably best in controlling red decks or RG, which can cast this ahead of schedule with a mana dork like Llanowar Elves.

Strongbox Raider

Rating: 5/10

Red doesn’t get many 2-for-1s, let alone easy ones like Strongbox Raider! The body trades down in combat, but getting the best of two of your top cards is a great deal for 4 mana.

Sure Strike

Rating: 3/10

Sure Strike is a solid combat trick that outright wins most combats. I’d be singing its praises if it were 1 mana, but at 2 it’s a bit clunkier. The first copy or two are usually good in aggro, but creatures are usually more important to draft first.

Thrill of Possibility

Rating: 3/10

Average rummaging card that can get extra value via discard (Zombify), draw matters stuff (Erudite Wizard), or prowess creatures. If you don’t have any of those, Thrill of Possibility can still work as a 23rd card, though you wouldn’t be thrilled to play it.

Twinflame Tyrant

Rating: 9/10

Twinflame Tyrant is a 6/5 red dragon for on its own, but also doubles all damage you do via any source to your opponents or their permanents. That’s a pretty ludicrous ability, so it’s not hard for me to call Twinflame Tyrant the best red card in the set. Generally speaking, your opponent either kills this within a turn or two or it kills them. Untapping with this and Burst Lightning is 8 damage to the face!

Green

Eager Trufflesnout

Rating: 4/10

This little piggy probably went face and ended up trading with a 2-drop and making a Food token for your troubles. That’s not a bad outcome for 3-mana, so I expect Eager Trufflesnout to feel solid in most decks.

Rating: 6/10

A powerful morbid incentive that really punishes your opponent for blocking. Note that Needletooth Pack triggers on each of your turns, so having it stick around makes combat miserable even if your opponent sniffed it out once.

Nessian Hornbeetle

Rating: 6/10

Certainly among the best of the set’s 4+ power incentives, Nessian Hornbeetle is efficient and convenient to use. Best in RG decks for obvious reasons, though I’m happy to play it anywhere if I have some partners for it.

Overrun

Rating: 7/10

Overrun is back, I guess! This is a terrifying card to play against, particularly in a set with Llanowar Elves and so much good green support. It’s tough to block and even tougher to survive, so be ready for it!

Preposterous Proportions

Rating: 5/10

Seven is a lot more than 5, so I’m less impressed by the rare version of Overrun than the uncommon one. Preposterous Proportions can still be a game-ending bomb, but it probably requires a bit more to go right for you. Look to combine this (and Overrun) with Llanowar Elves, Dwynen's Elite, or anything else that makes mana/multiple bodies.

Quakestrider Ceratops

Rating: 5/10

It doesn’t get much bigger, dumber, or more vanilla than this. Quakestrider Ceratops is probably an upgrade to Apothecary Stomper, as it should do an excellent impression of The Abyss if it sticks around.

Quilled Greatwurm

Rating: 7/10

Quilled Greatwurm is a big fatty with a bit of recursion thrown in. It’s not easy to recast this (as your opponent will likely be dead if this triggered enough), but hey, some GW player will get to live the dream once. Either way, trample and great stats have this absolutely priced to move.

Reclamation Sage

Rating: 3/10

I’d feel reasonable maindecking a copy of Reclamation Sage, as there are some targets like Banishing Light in FDN Limited (though the fail case is pretty bad). It obviously works best as a sideboard card.

Scavenging Ooze

Rating: 7/10

You Scooze, they lose, as the saying goes. This ooze is just a wickedly efficient card in Limited play, and good no matter what you’re doing with it. Scavenging Ooze also comes with the bonus of making threshold players want to throw their Draft deck in the nearest trash can, too.

Snakeskin Veil

Rating: 4/10

I’m glad to see Snakeskin Veil isn’t a common, though I’m not sure whether that’ll make being blown out by it feel better or worse! Either way, this is an efficient protection spell that can also work as a combat trick in a pinch, and it’s well worth including a copy of if you have anything worth protecting.

Spinner of Souls

Rating: 7/10

Solid base stats, reach, and a powerful ability make for a strong rare. Spinner of Souls wants to stick around and see you trade off other creatures for value. It also works well in BG alongside fodder and sacrifice outlets like Hungry Ghoul, though that’s more of a bonus than a requirement for this to be good.

Sylvan Scavenging

Rating: 8/10

This reminds me of Fight Rigging, Luminarch Aspirant, Innkeeper's Talent, and other silly Limited bombs, so it’s already off to an elite start. You’re hoping to get Raccoons from this eventually, but even counters are a delightful bonus if you can get this down fast enough. Turn 1 Llanowar Elves, turn 2 Sylvan Scavenging, good game go next?

Treetop Snarespinner

Rating: 4/10

Treetop Snarespinner couldn’t distribute its 5 stat points any better. It’s a premium answer to fliers, and even acts as a mana sink for the board stalls its own body creates! I quite like this one.

Vivien Reid

Rating: 8/10

Vivien Reid threatens to quickly bury your opponent in card advantage while working its way towards a (mostly) unbeatable emblem. Its -3 also lets Vivien act as an out to fliers, Banishing Light, and certain bombs like Twinflame Tyrant. This green planeswalker’s well worth picking first, ramping to, and protecting.

Wary Thespian

Rating: 3/10

Solid filler card, though I expect it to perform worse in this set than it did in Duskmourn (Wary Watchdog) or March of the Machine. Helpful Hunter, Fanatical Firebrand, Burglar Rat, and a couple of other cards are clean answers to a 3/1 like Wary Thespian, and there are fewer reasons to care about surveil than in either of its past sets.

Wildwood Scourge

Rating: 4/10

Strictly better Ivy Elemental that picks up extra value with other +1/+1 counter cards. GW players will really want Wildwood Scourge, but it’s reasonably costed so you can play it anywhere and be fine with it.

Multicolor

Empyrean Eagle

Rating: 6/10

With a solid base body and exciting potential, Empyrean Eagle is an excellent payoff for focusing on fliers. It’s a simple card, but a good one!

Kykar, Zephyr Awakener

Rating: 7/10

This take on Kykar is a different kind of build around, and it feels more like a UR card than a WU one. Kykar, Zephyr Awakener is an excellent card either way, with great stats for its cost and powerful output for stringing together some noncreature spells. The first ability works great with cards like Helpful Hunter when you have them, but I imagine you’ll mostly be choosing the second mode.

Consuming Aberration

Rating: 6/10

Even over a decade later, Consuming Aberration should still be pretty powerful. This becomes The Abyss quickly, and it also threatens to mill your opponent out if the game goes long enough. It probably won’t be quite as bomby as last time (especially as there’s next to no other mill support), but I’d still recommend it.

Dreadwing Scavenger

Rating: 5/10

That’s a lot of free looting on a Wind Drake, and Wind Drake is merely the baseline here. Dreadwing Scavenger provides valuable card selection and helps scale itself into an efficient threat later on. It’s also an excellent setup for Zombify.

Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate

Rating: 7/10

The latest Alesha is a powerful creature that seems difficult to match in combat. Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate is also quite rewarding to attack with, which means your opponent probably needs a kill spell or else they’ll find the game slipping out of reach.

Perforating Artist

Rating: 5/10

Perforating Artist is pretty easy to trigger, though its base stats are somewhat unremarkable. It works best when you can safely attack with other creatures and force your opponent to make awkward sacrifices each turn.

Ashroot Animist

Rating: 7/10

Ashroot Animist hits hard, and that’s before you throw in setups like this and Giant Growth. This is a terrifying card to let your opponent untap with, so hopefully you have a kill spell for it when it rears its ugly lizard druid head.

Rating: 6/10

Wardens of the Cycle is similarly rewarding with removal, but bigger and easier to get value out of. I look forward to drafting this with as many Stabs, Bushwhacks, and Bake into a Pies as I can get!

Heroic Reinforcements

Rating: 6/10

Heroic Reinforcements is a dangerous card to curve out with, and it hits for a ton of damage out of nowhere. If you’ve played with Midnight Mayhem recently, this is pretty similar in function and power level.

Swiftblade Vindicator

Rating: 6/10

For just 2 mana, you can live the dream with not one, not two, but three keywords! Swiftblade Vindicator is a very exciting card to combine with pump spells, equipment, and +1/+1 counters. It’s passable with no support, but ideally you’ll have at least something powerful to do with it.

Koma, World-Eater

Rating: 9/10

This Simic card () isn’t quite Koma, Cosmos Serpent, which was pretty much a 10/10 in Kaldheim. Don’t let that comparison fool you though; Koma, World-Eater is still very messed up! It takes a ridiculous 8 mana to Bake into a Pie this legendary serpent, so your opponent often helplessly watches as this connects once then basically “wins the game” by dumping 12/12 worth of stats into play. Be ready to see some desperate stack blocks from your opponent!

Tatyova, Benthic Druid

Rating: 7/10

One of the best commanders reprinted in Foundations, Tatyova, Benthic Druid was definitely a “mythic uncommon” in Dominaria and should be almost as good in Foundations. This is a premium card to ramp to/splash, particularly if you can combine it with Evolving Wilds, Grow from the Ashes, etc.

Muldrotha, the Gravetide

Rating: 4/10

Muldrotha, the Gravetide is another sweet reprint from Dominaria. You’re forced to splash this to play it, but the reward of casting a creature every turn off a 6/6 for 6 is pretty good. While you can also play lands/enchantments/artifacts from this, Foundations lacks many options beyond Evolving Wilds, Witness Protection, and Burnished Hart.

Progenitus

Rating: 1/10

Progenitus is very, very sweet, but sweetness doesn’t always translate into won games of Magic: The Gathering. You can’t even Zombify this due to the shuffle clause, so your only real option to get this into play is the old-fashioned way, aka . If your opponent ever Refutes this, you have my blessing to complain about it.

Zimone, Paradox Sculptor

Rating: 8/10

Rating: 4/10

These gain 1 dual lands are perfectly balanced mana fixing at common. They also have extra upside in Foundations, thanks to cards like Exemplar of Light and Vanguard Seraph. I’d happily play a couple of these in any 2-color deck. I also recommend playing these off-color if you have several lifegain payoffs.

Evolving Wilds

Rating: 4/10

I’ve mentioned Evolving Wilds a lot for its synergy with landfall, but it’s also decent fixing in general that helps with threshold a bit. Entering tapped isn’t totally free, so try to only play 1-3 taplands total if you aren’t splashing.

Rogue’s Passage

Rating: 3/10

Rogue's Passage is a cool source of inevitability that comes at the cost of one colored basic. I wouldn’t play it if I were splashing, but in a 2-color deck with some big beaters, this makes for a great 17th land.

Secluded Courtyard

Rating: 1/10

Despite this set’s small typal theme, I can’t really recommend Secluded Courtyard. Most of the groups in this set belong to just one color, so you’d probably be better off playing their respective basic land instead (i.e.: another Forest instead of this naming “elf”).

Soulstone Sanctuary

Rating: 5/10

Soulstone Sanctuary is a solid utility land that can become a hasty Hill Giant later in the game. Note that I said can become; if you read Soulstone Sanctuary carefully, you’ll see that there’s no “until end of turn” clause (which caught me by surprise). Like Rogue's Passage, it works best as a 17th (or even 18th) land on top of an already functional mana base.

Special Guests

Let’s cover the 10 cards that have a tiny chance to appear in your Play booster’s “wildcard” slot. The Special Guests in Foundations seem stronger than those in most past sets, as I don’t see a single unplayable card here.

Condemn

Rating: 6/10

Condemn is an excellent removal spell that has the benefit of being extremely rare; good luck playing around it the first time your opponent uses it! This is a devastating card to get your pump spell blown out by and generally great in just about any white deck.

Sphinx’s Tutelage

Rating: 7/10

Sphinx's Tutelage is a very powerful in Limited, as the smaller deck size lets this kill pretty quickly. There isn’t really any other mill to pair it with (just Consuming Aberration), so instead focus on card draw and removal/counterspells to find this and stall once you have it.

Grim Tutor

Rating: 3/10

Slow and painful, but Grim Tutor is definitely more playable than something like Diabolic Tutor. I wouldn’t play this tutor in every black deck, but I’d certainly consider it if I had a bomb like Liliana, Dreadhorde General.

Embercleave

Rating: 10/10

Tempted to just write “lol” and move on.

Why is Embercleave in Foundations? Did WotC want to set a record for “most bad beats stories from a single rare?”

If you’ve never played with this red artifact, it’s a completely ridiculous aggro/stompy equipment that ends games in record time. Your opponent almost never has it, but they’ll occasionally manifest dread and bring your nightmares to life!

Goblin Bushwhacker

Rating: 3/10

Aggro is an honest business, as Goblin Bushwhacker would tell you. It’s a 2/1 with haste for on its own, though you could combo it with something like Goblin Surprise if you’re patient enough. It’s definitely the weakest of the Special Guests, but still a card that some red aggro decks would be happy to play.

Bloom Tender

Rating: 4/10

Welcome reprint for the EDH crowd that can also do passable work in Limited. Bloom Tender always adds at least one color of mana, and sometimes two (or even three) later in the game. It’s no Llanowar Elves, but Llanowar Elves isn’t paying for your draft, is it?

Paradise Druid

Rating: 6/10

Safe mana is the best kind of mana, and Paradise Druid is as close to safe mana you can get on a creature. You’ll always be able to use this at least once, plus it bashes for 2 (or trades with x/2s) when needed.

Akroma’s Memorial

Rating: 3/10

Akroma's Memorial gives just about everything except for stats, which is an awkward place to be for a card like this. It’s a powerful card to ramp to, but it definitely wants you to play it ahead of schedule for best results. As a bonus, you could make a BR opponent absolutely miserable with this!

Temporal Manipulation

Rating: 6/10

A powerful card that plays best with ramp and/or spells matter cards like Mocking Sprite. Note that you can actually take multiple turns in a row with Temporal Manipulation and Inspiration from Beyond, Sphinx of Forgotten Lore, or even Thousand-Year Storm!

Fiend Artisan

Rating: 5/10

Really cool creature that works great with sacrifice/threshold synergies in this set. I was always bummed that Fiend Artisan never did anything in its Standard, but I know from experience that it’s at least solid in 40-card Magic formats. The dream is to sacrifice Burglar Rat to this and tutor up something excellent like Elvish Regrower!

Wrap Up

Anthem of Champions | Illustration by Chris Rallis

And we’ve reached the end of the set review! I hope this review has laid a great foundation for your experience with this set, and wish you the best of luck playing it.

Which cards are you looking forward to drafting, opening, and playing in your Foundations prerelease and Limited games? Which cards are you dreading to see on the other side of the table? Let me know in the comments below, or come join the conversation on the Draftsim Discord.

Until next time, may you always open crazy Sealed pools!

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Bryan Hohns (Veveil)

Bryan "Veveil" Hohns has been playing Magic since 2013, and plays several formats while preferring Limited whenever possible. He can be found grinding away in yet another Draft League, which he probably happens to be streaming at this very moment! You can book Bryan for coaching directly on Metafy.

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2 Comments

TimberTrannel November 4, 2024 9:49 am

Looking forward to playing with Apothecary Stomper for one, Feabloom Trick for when I am looking to be blue and Leyline Axe is my kind of card for sure. Dreading to see on the other side? Well, Koma being a rare makes me want to take Quakestrider Ceratops highly just for the hope of easier combat-solutions.

- Timothy Zaccagnino November 5, 2024 8:19 am
  
  Koma not being a mythic is a travesty for sure.
  Agree Apothecary Stomper looks solid!