The 51 Best Cards in Foundations Ranked

Last updated on May 17, 2025

Blasphemous Edict | Illustrated by Dmitry Burmak

Hey guys! Another new MTG set is right around the corner, and that’s MTG Foundations. A core set of the Core Sets, but a pretty exciting and different one!

This Magic set has around 120 new cards and 120 classic reprints, and they’ll all be legal in Standard for the next five years, at least. I’ve managed to filter the cards I think will make a bigger impact in formats like Cube, EDH, but especially Standard. I’m only including cards that can be found in Play boosters, which means no cards that are exclusive to Foundations Jumpstart, the Foundations Starter Collection, or the Foundations Beginner Box.

With that in mind, let’s begin!

#51. Drake Hatcher

The combination of a 2-drop 1/3 with vigilance and prowess is good, playing defense and offense. Drake Hatcher can easily be pumped with cards like Monstrous Rage and produce a drake token right away. This card gets better with combat tricks that give trample because you’re interested in dishing damage and building the counters.

#50. Sun-Blessed Healer

Sun-Blessed Healer is a combination of many good effects, being a 3/1 with lifelink that has a mini-Unearth mode attached to it. It’s good when you need to gain life, and the fact that you can reanimate a nonland permanent opens the possibilities for cards like Lunar Convocation, Builder's Talent, and Hopeless Nightmare, among others.

#49. Brineborn Cutthroat

Brineborn Cutthroat returns to Standard as a linchpin of flash decks. This card is typically much stronger than a 2/1 or even a 3/2, and it’s nice to have it in play when your plan revolves around counterspells or removal spells.

#48. Arcane Epiphany

Arcane Epiphany is a 5-mana blue instant that draws three cards and gets a cost reduction down to 4 mana if you control a wizard. This is hard card draw that can surpass cards like Farsight Ritual or Memory Deluge.

#47. Chandra, Flameshaper

I’m not very high on Chandra, Flameshaper just because it’s a 7-mana planeswalker, and that high mana value hampers its playability – Kaya, Intangible Slayer has hexproof and still isn't played much. That said, it’s a strong red planeswalker, and if there’s a reanimator deck in Standard using cards like Builder's Talent, it can see some play.

Once Chandra is in play, you can benefit from three strong activated abilities, giving you card advantage, mana, or a damage-based wrath.

#46. High Fae Trickster

Many cards in MTG allow us to play a spell as though it has flash. High Fae Trickster is a Vedalken Orrery that’s also a 4/2 flying faerie, with flash no less. There’s a flash deck in Standard looming around with cards like Faerie Mastermind and Errant and Giada that can benefit from this card, not to mention Commander decks like Alela, Cunning Conqueror.

#45. Skyknight Squire

Skyknight Squire starts small, but it gets bigger quickly, and you’ll attack with it as a 3/3 or 4/4 in no time. Hop to It and Gleeful Demolition exist as ways to create three tokens, or you can pair your Squire with cards like Resolute Reinforcements.

#44. Tinybones, Bauble Burglar

Tinybones, Bauble Burglar is a very interesting theft commander that’s also an outlaw, and it’s good in the late game with the forced discard ability.

That said, we already have a pretty powerful black discard deck in Standard, with cards like Liliana of the Veil and Bandit's Talent. Being able to play cards your opponents discard is huge, one of the reasons why Tergrid, God of Fright is so “frightening.”

#43. Kiora, the Rising Tide

Kiora, the Rising Tide reminds me of Champion of Wits, a card that offers immediate value when entering the battlefield or when blinked. Once you have threshold, you can start making 8/8 tokens, and you can engineer this situation quickly with fetch lands or self-mill. There’s already a threshold theme in Dimir () rats, so this card can slot right there. As for EDH, you can build around this blue commander or just add Kiora to the 99 with your sea monster commanders.

#42. Soulstone Sanctuary

Soulstone Sanctuary is a land that can become a creature with all creature types that’s still a land. It’s interesting that you can attack with it and tap for mana later because it has vigilance, but unlike normal manlands, it stays as a creature, so it’s more vulnerable to removal. This card is no Mutavault, but it’s a strong addition to mono-colored (or 2-color) typal decks.

#41. Herald of Eternal Dawn

Who would guess that giving flash to Platinum Angel would make it so much better? And of course, making it into a 6/6. Herald of Eternal Dawn can be a nice surprise threat, especially against red aggro and creature aggro in general, as these decks regularly lack the means to get rid of a 6/6.

#40. Anthem of Champions

Gone are the days where you’d pay 3 mana on Glorious Anthem. Anthem of Champions is a clean, 2-mana enchantment anthem that will make some noise in these rabbit go-wide decks. And of course, in most if not all Selesnya () EDH decks.

#39. Garruk’s Uprising

Garruk's Uprising is becoming one of green’s most played cards across multiple Magic formats, in great part thanks to creatures becoming bigger. It’s fairly easy to get a 4-power creature into play these days, or grow smaller ones, and this card supplies a steady source of card draw to green decks.

#38. Searslicer Goblin

Searslicer Goblin can make 1/1 goblins every turn, and that’s good on a 2-drop. Sequences where you attack with a 1-drop and follow it with this card will be good, and if you keep attacking, this red creature can generate more value. Goblins are also a strong creature type, so the more goblins you can make, the better.

#37. Sire of Seven Deaths

This colorless card is one of the coolest designs. A 7/7 Eldrazi for 7 mana with seven keyword abilities is nice, and Sire of Seven Deaths can be played in Eldrazi decks, or “keyword soup” decks. “Ward—Pay 7 life” is strong, but paying 7 mana for a creature without ETB is harsh for 1v1 formats.

#36. Quilled Greatwurm

Quilled Greatwurm is your big, stupid, 6-mana mythic that does stuff, which people are often quick to dismiss because it doesn’t have protection or haste or a good ETB. The aspect that sets this card apart is that you can take counters off your creatures to get it back, and that can be an interesting synergy in a Selesnya () or Simic () counters deck. I’d say it’ll see a lot of play in EDH, at least.

#35. Curator of Destinies

Getting a strong, flying creature with ETB upside that can’t be countered screams control finisher for me. That's Curator of Destinies. Plus, it has the little Atris, Oracle of Half-Truths minigame which I like very much.

#34. Exsanguinate

Exsanguinate is one of the most played black finishers in EDH. After all, what were you going to do with all that mana anyway, besides draining your opponents for X? This black sorcery is okay early in the game, recovering you some life, and it really shines when you have mana to spare or cards like Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose.

#33. Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator

Three-mana planeswalkers are often important in Standard environments. Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator has a few things going on for it, notably that you can give a creature unblockable and profit from your creatures hitting your opponents. You can think of this blue planeswalker for a variety of decks, be it ninjas, rogues, or even go-wide token decks. You can also loot at will, which means Kaito can be a serviceable discard outlet. EDH saboteur decks can benefit from this blue card as well.

#32. Archmage of Runes

Archmage Emeritus is a blue staple in spellslinger decks, and shaving off a mana from instants and sorceries is also something these decks are interested in doing. Archmage of Runes has a nice pedigree to see play, and being a 3/6 giant wizard helps, because you have good stats and good creature types.

#31. Twinflame Tyrant

Here’s your Foundations mythic dragon. Twinflame Tyrant isn’t that scary as a 3/5 flier, but adding the double damage rider on the card is huge. It doubles any source of damage, not just creature attacks, red sources, or burn spells. Remember Torbran, Thane of Red Fell? That’s an interesting comparison.

#30. Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate

Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate can trigger the raid ability that same turn if you cast it on your second main phase, returning a 1/1 or so. Next turn, you’re attacking with a 3/3 first strike that can get a 2-drop or better. There’s some synergies going on in Standard with Mardu () “creatures with power 2 or less,” so this Rakdos card () can fit there as well.

#29. Sylvan Scavenging

Sylvan Scavenging is an interesting card, if not a staple green enchantment going forward. You get to put a +1/+1 counter on a creature every turn or just make a 3/3. That’s insane value, and even if you lose your 4-powered creature, you get to put a +1/+1 counter on a 3/3 and start the process over again. This card can go into so many green EDH decks.

#28. Spinner of Souls

Spinner of Souls is an interesting payoff to ramp into on turn 2 following a mana dork. It’s a 4/3 with reach, which helps blocking small fliers, while also attacking well. But drawing a creature card whenever another one of your nontoken dies is very strong, and I expect it to see some Standard play, as well as to be a staple in EDH spider decks.

#27. Exemplar of Light

Exemplar of Light is a little subpar as a 3/3 flying for 4 mana, but just gaining life once means you get your card back. Cards like Essence Channeler and Case of the Uneaten Feast complement this strategy well, and it’s not hard to draw a card every turn while beating down with this white creature.

#26. Zimone, Paradox Sculptor

Zimone, Paradox Sculptor can be a very strong card in EDH counters decks, either as a Simic commander or in the 99. Putting two +1/+1 counters on creatures without needing any synergies is already quite an engine, and Zimone’s activated ability is much stronger than proliferate, or much faster than Vorel of the Hull Clade. It also works on artifacts, so you can have crazy charge counter synergies going on – the Everflowing Chalices of this world.

#25. Genesis Wave

Cards like Genesis Wave make us fall in love with green ramp decks. You don’t know exactly what you’ll get, but it’s going to be something good for sure, especially when X=7 or higher. It's one of the best X spells to dump your mana into.

#24. Mossborn Hydra

Mossborn Hydra needs to be neutered very quickly, or else it’ll be a giant threat. It also has trample, which is the natural downside missing from many giant creatures. Landfall is pretty easy to trigger with cards like Fabled Passage even in Standard, or creatures like Aftermath Analyst. Just playing a fetch land after this creature leaves you with a 4/4 trampler.

#23. Scrawling Crawler

Scrawling Crawler looks like the child of Howling Mine and Sheoldred, the Apocalypse. It’s interesting that you draw and get to use the cards first while draining your opponents in the process. If you’re the aggressor, you’re progressing your plan on two different fronts. This artifact creature can see play in many different EDH decks, and there’s a few synergies with pingers like Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin, even in Standard.

#22. Liliana, Dreadhorde General

Liliana, Dreadhorde General was one of my favorite planeswalkers back when it was legal in War of the Spark Standard. This black planeswalker comes out with a ton of loyalty and stabilizes your board while drawing you some cards. Even if you’re making a 2/2 every turn, it’s not that bad because you’re building up to a powerful ultimate. The passive ability matters a lot, too. 

#21. Crystal Barricade

Crystal Barricade gives you hexproof and prevents noncombat damage to creatures you control. It also makes for a serviceable blocker, often mitigating some damage while you develop your board. It’s also pretty useful against Thoughtseize/Duress decks.

#20. Vengeful Bloodwitch

Vengeful Bloodwitch has the Blood Artist/Zulaport Cutthroat pedigree. Getting to drain them every time your creature dies is a staple in black sacrifice/aristocrats decks in many MTG formats, and if you want more of this in your EDH decks, go for it.

#19. Koma, World-Eater

The old Koma card was a strong ramp/reanimation spell, and Koma, World-Eater is very interesting as well. You have a small gap to answer this card before it deals combat damage, but even then, it has ward 4, so good luck if you lack an edict effect. It’s an uphill battle once your opponent has four 3/3 tokens.

#18. Sphinx of Forgotten Lore

Sphinx of Forgotten Lore is a very interesting value card, being very similar to Snapcaster Mage. The main difference is that, unlike Snappy, you can’t cast it in response to something and counter a spell right away. That said, getting value whenever it attacks is strong, so you can draw more cards or kill a good threat.

#17. Giada, Font of Hope

Giada, Font of Hope will be the cornerstone of angel deck in years to come – it's already the best angel commander in town, and Giada offers exactly what you need to build around this creature type whether in Standard or Pioneer.

#16. Kellan, Planar Trailblazer

2/1 Jackal Pup cards don’t make the cut these days, so here’s Kellan, Planar Trailblazer, with plenty of upside. Just getting it to the second stage and exiling a card every turn is already pretty good for a 1-drop creature – you’re building up your own Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer. I like that the double strike ability combos nicely with the first activated ability.

#15. Reclamation Sage

Like Loran of the Third Path, green now has this effect in Standard too. Reclamation Sage is a classic ETB Naturalize effect to get rid of enchantments or destroy artifacts, and has the elf subtype, which can be relevant in elf typal decks going forward, or even in the sideboard of green decks in general.

#14. Day of Judgment

Day of Judgment is our standard 4-mana board wipe going forward. It’s going to be better than cards like No Witnesses most of the time while lacking any setup, unlike Split Up. It's a strong contender in Sunfall, but Sunfall will rotate from Standard before Day of Judgment unless it’s reprinted.

#13. Omniscience

Omniscience sees plenty of play in EDH decks that play spells without paying their mana cost, Legacy Show and Tell decks, and more. We had cards like One with the Multiverse which makes an interesting impression, or cards like Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant for creatures. Free spells are dangerous and powerful. 

#12. Doubling Season

Doubling Season is a green staple in EDH, allowing you to double tokens, double counters, and even cast planeswalkers ready to ultimate. It’s hard for the card to see 1v1 play, though, as it’s a slow 5-mana card, and if you’re building around something, it should cost 1-2 at most.

#11. Llanowar Elves

Llanowar Elves is an absolute staple and a trademark green MTG card. Many mana dorks exist, and quite a few are better than this one, but none are legal in Standard. Expect to see many green decks with four copies of this card in the days – and years – to come.

#10. Swiftfoot Boots

Swiftfoot Boots is one of the most played cards in Commander, and it makes a ton of sense in that format since so many commanders get better with haste and hexproof. This equipment is a cheap and efficient way to grant just that.

#9. Bloodthirsty Conqueror

Bloodthirsty Conqueror is an Exquisite Blood on wings, which is a pretty staple effect for black decks. It blocks very well, and each time it hits someone, you’ll immediately gain 5 life – not to mention that this extends the effectiveness of draining effects. For each 1 life you drain from an opponent, you’ll gain 2. Look for this card together with Enduring Tenacity and Unstoppable Slasher, as they make pretty good combos.

Bloodthirsty Conqueror is also a bomb in Foundations Limited, and also one of the most expensive FND cards… definitely a vampire you're happy to find in your Foundations draft!

#8. Banner of Kinship

Banner of Kinship is the second coming of Coat of Arms – no, just kidding!

The key difference here is that Banner of Kinship only enters with counters if you already have the creatures in play, so it’s more akin to an Overrun. That said, it’s almost like a staple in cards that care about going wide, tokens, and the like. Think Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver and its many zombies. Or Lathril, Blade of the Elves.

#7. Muldrotha, the Gravetide

Muldrotha, the Gravetide is one of the most popular Sultai Commanders (), and a good card to lead a casual Standard deck. Getting it into play and immediately recovering an egg or a fetch land is good value, and you make the most out of this card with self-mill.

#6. Lathril, Blade of the Elves

Lathril, Blade of the Elves is the most popular elf Commander and an excellent reprint for Foundations. If we’re getting a competitive Golgari () elf deck in Standard, that’s another matter entirely, and that deck will probably stay mono-green. It’s no Shaman of the Pack though; Lathril is way worse in 1v1 formats as a fragile 2/3 that needs to hit once at least.

#5. Raise the Past

I remember cards like Return to the Ranks or Immortal Servitude seeing play back in the day, and now we have Raise the Past. Getting all creatures for 2 mana is fantastic, be it in Standard or EDH, and I believe this white sorcery will find many homes.

#4. Niv-Mizzet, Visionary

Niv-Mizzet, Visionary allows me to do something I didn’t think I wanted before, and that’s to turn Lightning Bolts into Ancestral Recalls. It’s actually a little bit better since this Izzet card () gives you three cards and tempo. Niv-Mizzet, Visionary's also a simple and elegant design that goes together with previous Niv-Mizzet cards that care about drawing cards, and as an Izzet commander it's probably one of the best commanders in Foundations.

#3. Loot, Exuberant Explorer

Loot, Exuberant Explorer clearly cares about lands, and you can even play two lands a turn. Not bad, right? But wait, its ability is like a mini Collected Company, especially if you have many lands in play. Add this card to your decks if you need the extra ramping, and cards that are good early and late are extra interesting.

#2. Boltwave

Boltwave is another version of Lava Spike, a staple in many Magic formats. Cards like Play with Fire and Skewer the Critics see plenty of play in burn decks. With prowess cards and Boros Charm, you might get tired of taking 3 to the face and losing pretty soon. Note that not targeting means this gets around effects like Leyline of Sanctity.

#1. Blasphemous Edict

Paying 5 mana in black to cast Blasphemous Edict and “destroy” all creatures is very strong, to the point of seeing Constructed play in many formats. One mana is a steal, however, as shown by cards like Blasphemous Act. This black sorcery’s also way better when you make players sacrifice creatures, because that also gets around indestructible and you have added synergies with cards like Mayhem Devil.

Wrap Up

Niv-Mizzet, Visionary | Illustration by Dan Scott

I’m incredibly excited for Foundations, guys. It delivers plenty of new exciting cards and reprints, almost to the point where it looks like a low-power Cube. Strong cards are everywhere, and we could talk much more about the many implications of the cards. That’s not counting the 250+ or so reprints I’ve left behind that you can find in the Foundations Starter Collection.

If I didn’t include one of your favorite cards from this set, please let me know in the comments section below, or over Draftsim Discord.

Thanks for reading guys, and stay safe out there!