Announced at MagicCon: Amsterdam, Magic: The Gathering Foundations is a surprise addition to the MTG release calendar. Launching on November 15, this set is poised to reinvent the Standard format for years to come. If you’ve been missing Core Sets, you’re in luck, as Foundations aptly lays the groundwork for Standard’s latest new dawn.
MTG Foundations Release Date
MTG Foundations is currently planned to be released on November 15th, 2024. This all-important detail was confirmed during The Preview Panel at MagicCon: Amsterdam. While not yet confirmed, it is expected that Foundations will have prerelease events on November 8th. The set is also expected to launch on MTG Arena on November 12th.
For those not watching the 2024 release calendar like a hawk, this release date may seem rather odd. After all, recent years have had the Q4 premier set launching around this time. Thankfully, this set hasn’t been replaced, as it’s instead just been moved up in the release calendar. Duskmourn: House of Horror, released at the end of September of this year.
Currently, it is unclear if 2025 and beyond will follow a similar release cadence. Given Wizards is planning to release two Universes Beyond sets each year, however, Foundations may herald a new normal for MTG.
MTG Foundations Legality
First and foremost, Magic: The Gathering Foundations is designed as a Standard-legal set for new players. To make the set as approachable as possible, there are multiple new-player-focused products alongside an altered rotation schedule.
In a major change to the established order, MTG Foundations will not rotate out of Standard until “at least 2029.”
In almost every single way, the legality of Foundations is different from a normal Standard-legal premier MTG set. Not only is it legal for five years instead of three, but the rotation date isn’t even fixed. According to MTG’s Lead Designer, the Standard legality of Foundations could be extended if desired.
MTG Foundations Spoilers
Following the First Look at MTG Foundations, we’ve been given a handful of spoilers to whet our appetites. From what we’ve seen so far, Foundations will provide a variety of staples that will help develop existing and classic Standard archetypes. Ideally, this should provide a base that future premier sets can easily build on and expand.
Out of the five MTG Foundations cards that have been revealed thus far, Llanowar Elves is arguably the most exciting. Not only is this card an iconic staple, but it massively boosts the viability of mono-green and ramp-based decks. Since this card is going to be legal for at least five years, Standard will undoubtedly feel this card’s presence.
Alongside Llanowar Elves, Wizards also confirmed that Day of Judgment and Omniscience are both being reprinted in Foundations. Boasting similarly iconic effects, it appears Foundations will have both support cards and major threats to keep archetypes alive.
On top of having a plethora of exciting reprints, MTG Foundations also contains a fair few new cards. While we have only seen Nine-Lives Familiar and Anthem of Champions for now, these cards are nonetheless interesting. Offering a unique yet simple reanimation effect and a staple buff, Foundations should have a lot of incredibly interesting cards.
While we have only seen five cards right now, Wizards has confirmed the set will feature five Planeswalkers. Looking at the art on the set’s product page, it appears Ajani and Liliana will be two of those Planeswalkers. It’s believed that Chandra is a third, implying that Jace and Nissa or Garruk will complete the five.
MTG Foundations Spoiler Season
While the spoiler season kickoff for MTG Foundations has not yet been confirmed, hints have been left for MTG players that suggest we’ll get our first real taste of MTG Foundations spoilers during Magic Con Vegas at the end of October. On our calendars, that means that players should expect MTG Foundations spoiler season to kick off on October 25. Considering that the release date for MTG Foundations is shortly afterwards, this is likely to be the start of spoiler season for the new set.
MTG Foundations Products
The product lineup for MTG Foundations appears to be rather unique. With a few new products catering specifically to new players, there is a unique mix of things MTG players don’t typically see, as well as common inclusions that are missing from MTG Foundations’ lineup.
Here is a list of products that will appear for MTG Foundations:
- Beginner Box (includes 10 Jumpstart packs and a scripted experience to teach Magic to new players. This is the best way to learn how to play MTG)
- Starter Collection (Contains 350+ new cards, 95 basic lands, three MTG Foundations Play Boosters, and the fan-favorite Click Wheel life counter accessory)
- Play Booster Packs
- Collector Booster Packs
- MTG Foundations Bundle
- MTG Foundations Prerelease Pack
Astute players may notice that Commander Preconstructed decks, something normally included in larger releases like MTG Foundations, are strangely missing from this lineup. We talk more about that here.
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