WHITE

While White has been absent as a dominant color in Standard as of late, it does get a few new additions in this set, especially ways to stave off aggro and the potential influx of Burn decks to the format. Authority of the Consuls, Joust Through, and Crystal Barricade all serve as ways to slow down Mono-Red and other potential aggro decks like Rakdos Lizards. Crystal Barricade in particular is a nice way to protect against Screaming Nemesis, and while Joust Through may be worse against Mosswood Dreadknight, I do think the lifegain will be relevant against burn.

While Control has taken a bit of a hit with the prevalence of Unholy Annex midrange decks since the Magic 30th World Championship, Day of Judgment and Regal Caracal are nice additions to the deck. Traditionally in Midrange matchups, decks like Azorius Control end up cutting down on spells in favor of creatures, assuming that the Midrange decks cut cards like Go for the Throat in favor of more Duress-esque effects, and planeswalkers. Day of Judgment is a great way for Control decks to be faster on mana, allowing pivotal turns to double-spell, following a wrath with a draw or counter spell. Regal Caracal is a nice way to go wide against Midrange and Aggro, and is especially nice with Three Steps Ahead. It's not as fragile as a singular threat like Boon-Bringer Valkyrie, or the newly reprinted Lyra Dawnbringer.

Lastly, Skyknight Squire seems like a new Warden of the Inner Sky copycat, which already sees play in Boros Convoke variants. I expect to see this card slot into Convoke, but if not, it'll definitely see play down the line since its compatriot, Resolute Reinforcements, sticks around for five years in Standard as well. Celestial Armor is another solid White Aggro card, in the same vein of Maul of the Skyclaves. However, this card comes with a lot more text, allowing you to fade a Day of Judgment or Go for the Throat, or even trade up with a Sheoldred, the Apocalypse in combat. I think this card is very powerful, especially in Valiant decks.

BLUE

Blue gets a number of interesting cards in this set, and they can be divided into a few key categories. First up is the reprinting of a couple of Mono-Blue deck all-stars: Harbinger of the Tides, Tempest Djinn, Dive Down, Tolarian Terror, and Spectral Sailor. These cards have all seen play in high-performing Standard Blue-based decks of the past, with Tempest Djinn and Dive Down, as well as already Standard Opt and Chart a Course seeing play in Autumn Burchett's Mythic Championship I winning deck, back in 2019. Dive Down is of interest to me mainly for how well it slots into the Azorius Abhorrent Oculus deck, which utilizes lone threats like Oculus, Monastery Mentor, and Haughty Djinn.

Dictate of Kruphix might be a nice inclusion for a Mono-Blue Tempo deck, albeit a bit slow. I'd be on the lookout for any Curiosity-esque reprints in the future, which is probably what this deck needs to go over the top. Combat Research isn't a bad solution in the meantime.

Kiora of the Rising Tide serves a different purpose, as I can see this card slotting into Dimir Midrange. Kiora reminds of another Dimir Midrange player from Standard's past, Champion of Wits. While there's no Eternalize here, I do like that Kiora can pitch some of your excess lands for spells, while also netting you some life from a Sheoldred, the Apocalypse. Filling your graveyard up to seven cards seems like an easy feat, especially with Surveil lands and Restless Reef.

Lastly, Sphinx of the Final Word is a cool Control finisher, and I can see it having some play against Dimir and Golgari Midrange for various Control strategies in the near future. Flashfreeze is probably a fine card for Mono-Red and any Green stompy decks that pop up in the future.

BLACK

Black actually doesn't have too many heavy hitters here, which is fair since it's one of the best performing colors in Standard currently. Desecration Demon will be a nice Archfiend of the Dross replacement to pair with Unholy Annex once Archfiend hits the dust with rotation next year. Liliana, Dreadhorde General is a solid midrange threat, but I feel like the most we'll see out of it is a one-of in various decks over the years. I think there's a Mono-Black Discard deck somewhere in Standard, with this new Tinybones and Bandit's Talent. Abyssal Harvester is worth noting as another demon to pair with Unholy Annex, but I think not having decent stats or a powerful enter the battlefield ability make it just not good enough. Finally, Deathmark will help Black decks stave off any Green stompy or White aggressive decks, but for now it'll stay on the sidelines.

RED

Red gains a slew of new Aggro cards in addition to some combo pieces in Magic: The Gathering Foundations. Burst Lightning and Ball Lightning are Mono-Red's new friends, and while I think Screaming Nemesis is already a better three-drop than Ball Lightning, Burst Lightning definitely takes Shock's place. I think Burn is a very real deck with Magic Foundations, mainly due to Boros Charm, but for another Red card: Boltwave. Boltwave is the Lava Spike I never knew I needed, and while I'm definitely cooking up some Modern decks in the kitchen, Boltwave is exactly what this archetype needed to be competitively viable in Standard. With Ghitu Lavarunner and Viashino Pyromancer reprinted, there is a lot of space to explore in the Mono-Red Aggro/Burn archetype.

Outside of the Burn cards, Kellan, Planar Trailblazer is another Aggro card I've got my sights on. This new Figure of Destiny/Jackal Pup is a pretty powerful mana sink for Mono-Red, although you can't play many copies with him being legendary. I'd love to see this card paired with Hammerhand. Dragonmaster Outcast was a card that did see play in previous Standards, but I don't think there's a powerful enough Red Midrange deck to put it in, and Cut Down is its worst enemy.

Lastly, Electroduplicate is a card that I can't quite figure out. It feels like a card I should be scared of, especially in some Stormsplitter deck. I'll leave the actual pros to figure out this one, but it's a card that's high on my watchlist that seems very abusable.

GREEN

(Image of Scavenging Ooze, Vivien Reid, Llanowar Elves, Bushwhack, Elvish Archdruid)

Green also isn't packing in a ton of new powerful additions to the format, but there are few key ones worth nothing here. Scavenging Ooze has to be one of my favorite Standard creatures of all time, and while I think it's a nice reprint it feels outclassed compared to Tranquil Frillback, which can also deal with Artifacts or Enchantments. Llanowar Elves is another strong reprint that could definitely usher in some powerful Green stompy or Gruul monster-esque decks, but I'd feel wary about playing that kind of strategy with so many Cut Downs and Go for the Throats running around in the format. I can definitely see Llanowar Elves being crucial in a Smuggler's Surprise combo deck.

Bushwhack is a fine reprint that has seen play in a variety of Green decks of the last year or so. I'd be remiss in talking about Green without mentioning all the Elves cards printed in Foundations. While we may get Llanowar Elves, Elvish Archdruid, Dwynen's Elite, and Lathril, Blade of the Elves in Foundations, I don't think those cards can realistically beat a Day of Judgment deck. Standard has been hostile to Creature decks that aren't incredibly fast aggro decks for a while now, and I don't think that's going to change with so many new sets entering Standard next year. There are too many efficient options that can shutdown these decks, especially ones that don't have countermagic. I think I'd wait until a Shaman of the Pack-type card shows up before building any Elves deck in Standard.

Vivien Reid is probably the Green card from this set that excites me most, due to how prevalent it was during its last printing in Standard. Its versatility, especially with how well it lines up Unholy Annex, makes it such an auto-include into any Green strategy, regardless of if you're stompy or midrange.

MULTICOLORED

(image of boros charm, maelstrom pulse, mortify, heroic reinforcements)

All of these reprints are very positive additions to Standard. Boros Charm, along with the printing of Boltwave, gives Red decks a new identity in Standard, allowing for a Burn shell to exist, with already existing cards like Monastery Swiftspear, Lightning Strike, and Screaming Nemesis. Maelstrom Pulse, while a bit expensive, seems like a fine one-of or so in Golgari decks, and is a nice way of shutting down a fast aggro draw or getting rid of multiple Unholy Annexes. Mortify gives Orzhov Midrange a way to interact with enchantments like Unholy Annex and Stormchaser's Talent. Lastly, Heroic Reinforcements seems great as another Immodane's Recruiter in Convoke, or just the top end of any old Skyknight Squire Boros Aggro deck.

ARTIFACTS, COLORLESS, AND LANDS

(image of mazemind tome, sire of seven deaths, soulstone sanctuary, solemn simulacrum, leyline axe)

Lastly, there are a few colorless cards worth talking about. Mazemind Tome saw play in Standard, and sees play in Pioneer Midrange decks, so I expect it to hang out in some Standard decks over the next few years, especially in decks like Mono-Black Midrange or Discard. Soulstone Sanctuary, while Mutavault by no means, pairs nicely with Unholy Annex and as a new creature land Mono-Black can carry. Sire of Seven Deaths doesn't seem like it has a home yet in Standard, and is probably already worse than Phyrexian Fleshgorger, but it's at least a card I'm keeping my eye on.

Leyline Axe feels like a card that's either horrible, or incredibly broken, and I'm not sure which. I think this card obviously slots in Valiant decks, and is a nice turn three play, suiting up a Heartfire Hero or Cacophony Scamp. This is a weird one I can't put my finger on just yet. Paying a whopping 7 mana just to play and equip this card if it isn't in your opening hand feels like a hard ask for any Aggro deck, which is a hard bargain to sell. While I'm not convinced it'll see play, we all know what happened on MTG Arena with the last free spell that went into a Red Aggressive deck...

I'm also wary on how to evaluate Solemn Simulacrum. Solemn Simulacrum has seen play throughout its many lifetimes in Standard, however, the last time it was printed it only saw play in fringe ramp decks. I don't think this card is the powerhouse it used to be in the world, and I wouldn't know where to place this card outside of ramp decks in the current format. It feels like with so many powerful cards being printed these days, there just isn't enough space in decks for everything. I don't think this card really thrives in a format that already has Overlord of the Hauntwoods, but I hope this card finds a home.

Standard is back on the menu and won't be disappearing any time soon. While stuck in the shadows during the advent of MTG Arena and Covid pandemic, the Foundations era is about to usher in a new age for the format. While Foundations overall isn't the most broken set they've printed this year, there are a few key cards that I think will be worthy of having around as Standard will shift with releases almost every two months over the next year.