MTG Foundations features some pretty spicy cards, especially for a core set. So much so that we’ve already seen cards from the set show up in both Standard and Modern. It’s great to see that Magic’s new entry-level product isn’t quite as patronizing as core sets past.
That said, it seems MTG Foundations could’ve been much, much spicier. In a recent Blogatog post, Mark Rosewater revealed that the legendary Urzatron (Tron) lands were considered for inclusion in MTG Foundations at one point. If you’re an experienced player, that sentence alone probably set off alarm bells in your head right away.
The Urzatron Lands In MTG Foundations?!
For the uninitiated, this probably doesn’t seem like too big a deal. So what if MTG Foundations reprinted the Tron lands? If you know your Magic history, however, the answer to that question is obvious.
The Tron lands are a set of three nonbasic lands originally printed back in 1994’s Antiquities. Each represents a different Urza-related construct. You have Urza’s Mine, Urza’s Power Plant, and Urza’s Tower. Alone, these lands only tap for one colorless each. If you assemble all three, however, Mine and Power Plant tap for two colorless while Tower taps for three. That’s seven colorless mana total from just three lands.
Getting all three of these lands in play at once is known as “Assembling Urzatron,” and decks that aim to do so consistently are typically known as Tron decks. This has been an incredibly popular and powerful archetype throughout Magic’s history, particularly in the Modern format. These aren’t the kinds of cards you’d expect to see in a beginner-focused product like Foundations. Responding to a question about their absence, however, Mark Rosewater confirmed that they had in fact been considered.
“Play design didn’t want them in Standard. It was discussed.”
Mark Rosewater
This is a pretty wild revelation. We all know that Foundations is pushed for a core set but including the Tron lands would be another level entirely, particularly in light of recent designer comments on lowering the power level of Standard ramp. Tron is one of the most effective ramp decks of all time, consistently putting out endgame threats on the third turn of the game. With this in mind, its inclusion simply wouldn’t have gelled with play design’s current philosophy.
What If…?
That said, it is interesting to play out the alternative timeline scenario. What if the Urzatron lands were reprinted in MTG Foundations? The implications of such a move would be huge. You can’t just casually drop a Modern-level deck into Standard and expect no repercussions, after all.
One of the most important cards to consider in this thought experiment is Expedition Map. This was reprinted in the Foundations Starter Collection, meaning it’s now Standard-legal. Map is played in pretty much every Tron deck in Modern and beyond. You can cast and activate it using only colorless mana, and it can grab you the Urzatron land you need to finish your set.
So, you’d be able to assemble Urzatron fairly easily in Standard, but what could you actually cast with it? Quite a lot, actually. Sire of Seven Deaths is seeing play in Modern and Legacy Tron decks, so it’s certainly good enough for Standard. You could back it up with other powerful seven drops like Threefold Thunderhulk and Phyrexian Fleshgorger, to really lock the game up early.
If seeing these monsters on turn three wasn’t bad enough, Standard also has plenty of colorless powerhouses higher up the curve. The likes of Cityscape Leveler, Portal to Phyrexia, and even Darksteel Colossus are all well within reach for Tron decks. Suffice to say, the rest of Standard likely wouldn’t fare too well against this deck were it to actually exist.
Ultimately, Tron not making it into the set is probably for the best. The fact that it was even considered at all is remarkable, however. It’s also an exciting piece of potential foreshadowing. If Tron was considered for Foundations, what are Wizards considering for next year’s bumper crop of Standard sets?
