Foundations

Overview

Whether you're taking your first steps into Magic, finishing up your Standard deck, or diving deep into Modern, Commander, and more—Magic: The Gathering Foundations is where to start playing.

Your favorite legends and Planeswalkers are here with quintessential magic from across the Multiverse. This set was made for past, present, and future Magic players, featuring products for players fresh or famous and filled with cards legal in Standard, at least until 2029! — First Look at Magic: the Gathering Foundations

Rules Update: Damage Assignment Order

Affects Comprehensive Rules §509.2–3

With the new rules, players don't make any decisions about assigning combat damage during the declare blockers step. Instead, once the combat damage step begins, each attacking creature assigns combat damage among all creatures blocking it, divided as its controller sees fit at that time. Lethal damage has no bearing on how players may assign combat damage (with the sole exception being that an attacking creature with trample still needs to assign lethal damage to all blockers before it can trample over). — Foundations Update Bulletin

Archetypes

Azorius: Flyers

Assemble a squadron of winged allies to strike down your enemies from the skies!

Falcons, faeries, and feathered folk of all forms are the faces of the flying deck. Fliers are an easy way to get damage past your opponent's creatures, so focus on aggressive creatures that can close out the game. A card like Healer's Hawk may look innocuous, but a one-mana flier that gains life is just what this deck needs.

Dimir: Graveyard

Control the battlefield using removal spells and card draw, while filling your graveyard to enact your master plans.

Just because something has gone to the graveyard doesn't mean it's gone for good. Sometimes, dead is better when you're playing blue-black. Churn through your deck as you draw and discard cards. Then, utilize those cards you discarded with creatures like Dreadwing Scavenger or Soul-Shackled Zombie.

Rakdos: Raid

Attack relentlessly with resilient creatures, whittling down your opponent's life total and triggering your Raid abilities.

Charge! Barrel down on your foes with an unstoppable horde of red and black creatures. Several cards in this color pair have the raid ability word, which cares about if you've attacked this turn. This is one of the most aggressive decks in Foundations, so keep an eye out for cards that can clear a path forward like Gorehorn Raider.

Gruul: Power

Generate extra mana to play large creatures and outsize your enemies.

Harness unlimited power with this aggressive color pair. This archetype wants you to control creatures with a power of 4 or greater. While some cards might not have that much power, they may be able to buff another creature or make you a large token, such as Dragon Trainer.

Selesnya: +1/+1 Counters

Command efficient creatures that grow ever larger as you boost them with +1/+1 counters.

Just because a creature is small doesn't mean it will stay that way. Anything can become a massive threat as green-white builds up its creatures with counters. Low-power creatures with useful abilities, such as trample on Beast-Kin Ranger, can hit hard with a stack of counters on them.

Orzhov: Life Gain

Support your forces by healing yourself, putting you out of the opposition’s reach while you strengthen your creatures.

Not only does life gain help you outlast your opponents for long enough to cast massive creatures, but it can also be spun into a defensive tool. Several cards care about when you gain life, so a card like Dazzling Angel can trigger Fiendish Panda's ability.

Izzet: Spells

Channel your inner spellslinger—cast instants and sorceries to empower your Prowess creatures and outmaneuver your opponent

This deck spells defeat for your opponent. Commonly referred to as a "spellslinger deck," this strategy cares about casting several instant and sorcery spells on a single turn. Some of those spells can even be cast from your graveyard. Inspiration from Beyond can be cast twice, each time returning another card and enabling powerful turns.

Golgari: Morbid

Get the most out of the cycle of life and death! Morbid turns the long game in your favor, adding value when you sacrifice your disposable minions or remove enemy threats.

Live, die, and repeat in the black-green morbid deck. Cards with the morbid ability word care if any creature has died, whether it was your creature on an opponent's creature. You can remove an opponent's creature with the concisely named Stab, then use that creature's death to trigger Wardens of the Cycle.

Boros: Aggro

Attack your opponent quickly with fast, low-cost creatures and buff them up to surge to victory!

Play fast, do smash, and have a blast at your local Prerelease. Rather than working toward a singular, massive creature, this deck wants you to create a large board of small creature tokens, then buff them up with large anthems. Cat Collector will continue to procure purring pals, then give them a massive boost with Heroic Reinforcements.

Simic: Ramp

Defend yourself early and accelerate your mana, then go over the top with huge creatures and the most impressive spells in the Multiverse.

Mana is the backbone of Magic, and green-blue decks understand this better than anyone else. Playing out more lands allows you to cast massive creatures while also triggering effects that care about lands entering. Tatyova, Benthic Druid will swim through your deck and dive down for powerful cards. Combine her with Grow from the Ashes for a card-drawing, land-ramping, game-winning deck.

Mana Fixing

Non-Green Ramp

Combat Tricks

Top Commons

White

Blue

Black

Red

Green

High Value Cards