Early impressions of MTG Foundations suggested that the set was going to be a slew of reprints that would be Standard legal for the next five years. That is not the case at all.
We now know that about 50% of MTG Foundations cards are brand new. That obviously means that there are a ton of new MTG cards hitting the scene. Between these and the shocking new reprints that will impact Standard for the foreseeable future, MTG Foundations is not a set to sleep on.
In that vein, here are all the new MTG Foundations spoilers that have been revealed in the set’s official debut.
Some New Cards
MTG Foundations is meant to teach players about the more common things that can be pulled off in a game of MTG. The card choices selected for this set are meant to represent those things in a simple way. That said, if MTG designers decided that a concept could not be represented simply with an existing card, they would create a new one instead.
Take Twinflame Tyrant, for example. Doubling effects have become very commonplace in Magic thanks to their popularity in Commander. Twinflame Tyrant explains the idea of doubling damage very cleanly.
As far as effectiveness goes, Twinflame Tyrant seems like a Commander powerhouse. This card really needs additional support to shine, but Twinflame Tyrant is not picky. This doubles any damage going in your opponent’s direction, as long as you control it. As a result, this could end up being a strong curve-topper since it will double the damage all of your other creatures are dealing as long as it’s in play.
Exquisite Blood Updated
Bloodthirsty Conqueror is a new take on the five mana infinite combo powerhouse Exquisite Blood. Now, we have the exact same effect as Exquisite Blood, but on a creature.
Exquisite Blood has traditionally been the rarer effect of the two-card infinite combo between itself and Sanguine Bond. These create a feedback loop, essentially draining all of your opponent’s life. Sanguine Bond as an effect already has a few different cards that host it, like Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose. Exquisite Blood, on the other hand, did not have other cards that shared its effects up until now.
Is Bloodthirsty Conqueror better than Exquisite Blood? Yes, but not strictly. As a one-for-one card, Bloodthirsty Conqueror provides boatloads of value compared to Exquisite Blood. The card essentially has Lifelink, but it’s technically even better than that. This will convert all damage done to your opponent into life for you. Bloodthirsty Conqueror’s effect can also stack with Lifelink, essentially granting double Lifelink.
In comparison, Exquisite Blood needs other things happening in order to provide other value. Since Bloodthirsty Conqueror is also a creature, it can make its own passive ability do work.
The downside for Bloodthirsty Conqueror comes in a setting where you want to use it for an infinite combo. Creatures are the easiest things to remove in Magic because they are traditionally the most threatening type of permanent in play. As a result, players may have an easier time getting Bloodthirsty Conqueror off the board than Exquisite Blood. So, the trade-off comes with a more fragile combo piece that can provide value on its own, outside of the combo, versus a card that cannot provide as much value, but is more difficult to remove.
You Can’t Lose the Game 2.0
As a new player, Platinum Angel is one of the scariest cards you can experience. Being unable to lose the game can make you feel so powerful, and trying to beat someone when you can’t win the game can feel like an impossible battle.
Of course, older players know that, while Platinum Angel can be scary, indeed, you don’t need much to kill it. One well-placed Abrade can end this thing’s life. As such, we now have a new Platinum Angel with a minor upgrade.
Herald of Eternal Dawn is a white Platinum Angel with Flash. The creature is also a bit bigger than the previous Angel, which makes it very good at doing one specific thing – revenge killing.
Granting Herald of Eternal Dawn Flash gives it the unique ability to swing combat on its head. Should your opponent try to knock you out, you can Flash in Herald of Eternal Dawn, let all of the damage go through, and swing back on your turn to win the game. Of course, if Herald of Eternal Dawn gets removed, you’ll die anyway, but this is an application that the new card has that Platinum Angel did not.
If Magic Displayed ‘Arrogance’ as a Card
Have you ever met an MTG character who could create an infinite combo with itself? The new Niv-Mizzet, Visionary can do just that. By combining this card and Niv-Mizzet, Parun from War of the Spark, you can continually draw cards and deal damage until you deck out or your opponent dies.
Past fun infinite combo shenanigans in Commander, this Niv-Mizzet is unlikely to see much constructed play. This is a combo-y card that cannot provide a lot of value without outside assistance. For six mana, that is too high of an ask. The creature does have decent stats and some evasion, but it’s just not worth the trade-off in constructed formats.
MTG’s Cat Origin Returns
All felines in the MTG universe originate from Arahbo. Arahbo, First Fang is an absolutely incredible cat lord, capable of buffing all your cats while creating even more cats when you play your cats. This should have an instant spot in any Cat Typal Commander decks, which means players are going to want it.
In our opinion, Arahbo is strong enough to potentially stand its ground in a constructed format as long as it receives enough support to make Cat Typal a real deck. Considering that Cats appear to be a larger theme in MTG Foundations, there’s a non-zero chance that this archetype could make it to Standard.
A Long-Time Character Finally Shows Its Face
Zul Ashur, Lich Lord may not be a character that you’re familiar with, but they have been a part of the game for a long time, specifically lurking in the flavor texts of ancient MTG cards. Nine different MTG cards have quotes in their flavor texts from the Lich Lord. Now, we finally get the character themselves in MTG!
Similar to Arahbo, First Fang, Zul Ashur, Lich Lord seems like a no-brainer upgrade for a Zombie Typal strategy. Being able to cast Zombies from your grave is powerful in a typal deck, but doesn’t hold a lot of water outside of it. While we expect to see this card appear in Commander, Zul Ashur does not provide as much raw power as a card like Arahbo, First Fang. The Ward effect is a nice treat, and the redundancy can be good in a combo deck, but this particular card likely screams Commander.
Tinybones, Bauble Burglar
Tinybones seems to get a rise out of nabbing your opponent’s stuff. This time around, Tinybones wants you to discard things from your opponent’s hand. From there, he’ll let you recast their stuff with any color of mana!
As fun as Tinybones seems, we’re not sure how powerful this card will be. Tinybones does theoretically have a strong 1/2 punch when lined up with Liliana of the Veil. This would be an incredibly powerful way to pull ahead of your opponent on resources. There is a discard-themed Standard deck in the fringes of the format, and Tinybones could be what that deck needs to break out. That said, if Tinybones bites the dust, so does your chance to use your opponent’s cards!
New Cards With Old Tricks
Understandably, since MTG Foundations is meant to be used as a teaching tool for new players, no new mechanics were introduced in this set. That said, new cards using old mechanics can be found all over the place.
Crystal Barracade is a rather unique MTG card that offers all kinds of protection. Granting the owner Hexproof prevents burn and hand destruction effects from targeting them until the Barracade gets removed. Damage-dealing boardwipes can also be stopped cold by this Wall. This is an odd card that answers specific problems, but if you can surprise your opponent with a card like this, it can completely turn off their strategy. Sadly, Leyline of Sanctity will likely remain the anti-hand-destruction king since Thoughtseize could easily take the Crystal Barracade out of your hand before it enters play.
Archmage of Runes is far too expensive for constructed Magic, but the card is going to be an absolute menace in Commander. Not only will it reduce the cost of all your instants and sorceries, but Archmage of Runes also turns them into cantrips. If you have a spellslinger deck that can utilize cost-reduction effects, Archmage of Runes is going to shine.
Searslicer Goblin introduces Raid into MTG Foundations. The card itself is ok – granting a constant stream of Goblins as long as you attack. Considering most Goblin Typal decks are aggressive decks, this could be a decent inclusion. Goblin Typal is a niche archetype in the Pioneer format, so it could see some love there perhaps.
Mossborn Hydra will be a Commander fan favorite and has some potential in constructed formats. A 1/1 for 3 is disgustingly expensive, but as long as you can play a couple of lands, Mossborn Hydra will definitely pull its weight. One Fetch Land can immediately grow this bad boy into a 4/4. Other +1/+1 counter-doubling effects like Hardened Scales can make this Hydra become an uncontrollable problem rather quickly. This card needs the right archetype to shine, but it could be good enough to see some Standard play over its five-year stay.
Snapcaster Mage is Not Coming Back
Sorry, folks. That MTG Foundations hint from Mark Rosewater likely refers to this Solemn Simulacrum promo. Considering that Domain Ramp is still a popular archetype in Standard, Solemn Simulacrum could easily see some play in that deck.
We also have a Phyrexian Arena reprint. This card is technically still legal in Standard, but this particular reprint means that the Arena is going to be Standard legal for a long time yet. The card is currently outshined by the Duskmourn Room Unholy Annex but could return if Demons fall by the wayside.
Shocking Reprints
Don’t let their rarities fool you! Hero’s Downfall and Think Twice are some crazy MTG cards to make legal for the next five years. These were historical tournament staples, but MTG has changed a lot since their prominence. In particular, the game has become a lot more efficient. As a result, even though Hero’s Downfall offers some powerful versatility, it may be too slow at three mana.
Think Twice isn’t something we’ve seen in Standard for quite some time. Ironically, we already have a better Think Twice in Standard – Deduce. Unless you specifically want to cast spells for some triggers, Deduce is actually a better deal for the same effect.
Time Stop is an incredibly flashy card that can have the same sort of impact that Platinum Angel has on new players. The card could see some Standard play. Ending an opponent’s turn abruptly is basically an extreme counterspell. That said, six mana is undeniably expensive. Before you start thinking about Time Stop loops, this card sadly exiles itself on the stack. That’s the price for abruptly ending a turn.
Why is this in MTG Foundations?
Ever want to play with Progenitus in Standard? You can do that now. I’m more excited about Omniscience, but even that card doesn’t have quite the same overbearing energy as a resolved Progenitus.
This card is an absolute nightmare to deal with. Protection from Everything goes a really long way. You can’t target, block, or deal damage to this thing. You can, however, board wipe it, which makes it Sunfall food. How tragic.
Hidetsugu’s Second Rite is another funny card to see a reprint in MTG Foundations. MTG Arena players are going to die from this. Some will laugh. Others will be furious. It may become a rite of passage. Be very careful about going to ten life in the near future.
Special Guests!
MTG Foundations will have Special Guests returning to the set. No, these will not be Standard legal. Yes, these cards are pretty cool!
Embercleave is a rather exciting reprint for many who have fond memories of it. This is one of the stronger aggressive closers that MTG has to offer. Considering that its an equipment, this card may have some surprising demand thanks to Captain America, First Avenger.
Temporal Manipulation appearing in MTG Standard is likely something that players are unaware of how much they don’t want to see. This card can be cast, returned from the grave, and cast again. Infinite turns have been a problem over the years. It’s likely not a play pattern Standard wants to see.
