Now that players are seeing the contents of MTG Foundations, the set feels as though it was overlooked for a long time. All kinds of incredible reprints, new cards, and interesting takes on classic effects are making their way to the Standard format. Authority of the Consuls is another in a massive line of powerful, unexpected reprints.
Authority of the Consuls
If you’re looking for tools to slow down Hasty aggressive decks, it doesn’t get much better than this. Not only does Authority of the Consuls force all of your opponent’s creatures to enter tapped, but you gain one life each time they play a creature. This completely invalidates Haste since creatures cannot attack while tapped.
Despite this being a great foil to faster aggressive strategies, Authority of the Consuls does not see a ton of play outside of Commander. Despite this, the card has a surprising price tag. $7 for a nonfoil, and $20 for a foil, is no joke.
Part of the reason for this is, before now, Authority of the Consuls was not widely available. That will change with MTG Foundations, but the card only had one printing previous to this reveal. That printing is from Kaladesh, an MTG set released in 2016 known for its incredibly rare Masterpiece cards.
This was before Collector Boosters existed too. For that reason, foils were significantly rarer than their nonfoil counterparts since the only way you could open product was through Draft Boosters. Unlike Kaladesh, MTG Foundations will have Collector Booster packs. This means that the foil premium on Authority of the Consuls is likely to disappear.
Another Tool to Combat Burn
Burn is receiving a concerning amount of support in MTG Foundations. This Lava Spike variant is going to be Standard legal alongside Authority of the Consuls for the next five years. Combine this with cards like Screaming Nemesis, Monastery Swiftspear, and Boros Charm, and Boros Burn looks absolutely terrifying.
If you want to beat the burn menace out of the gate in MTG Foundations, Authority of the Consuls might be one of your best bets. Between life gain and tapping down Hasty creatures, you may buy yourself just enough time to turn the corner.
Regardless, this is a great reprint for Standard and for collectors. The scarcity factor that was the primary cause of Authority of the Consuls’ pricepoint will vanish, allowing the card to be much more accessible to the players who want it.