Magic Foundations may just be the set we've been waiting for. Core sets have long been a grounding force for Standard, pumping in the... well, the CORE cards for the format. The blue-collar, lunch pail, sneaky good, gym rat cards that stabilize the format. In this case, Foundations is dumping a ton of cards that will be here for 5 years, so I expect cards to rotate in and out of decks as the format grows and changes. With this in mind, let's start looking at Foundations by looking at what I think are the ten most exciting cards that are being reprinted in the set.

Before we can figure out where we going, let's look back on where we've been.

Number 10

I think this one slipped under the radar but it has potential to see play. Simic decks often have trouble with decks that go wide, and this is a great equalizer. It's time for a new generation of Magic players to get anxiety about attacking into 4 untapped mana!

Number 9

Speaking of Simic, Tatyova is the most Simic card to ever draw extra cards and play extra lands. Between Aftermath Analyst and Lumra, Bellow of the Woods we already have the bones of decks that put a bunch of lands into play at once. Overlord of the Hauntwoods makes land tokens and can be timed to attack immediately after you play Tatyova. Simic Landfall may have a chance! I'm anxious to try this one out, and it will probably be one of the first decks I build.

Number 8

Just a good, old fashioned, straight forward removal card. It's not like Golgari decks needed it, but this should definitely make its way into the deck. I look forward to wiping out multiple copies of Caretaker's Talent with this. Since it wipes out everything with the same, "name" this can handle both an Enduring creature like Enduring Curiosity AND the enchantment version of the same creature.

Number 7

End. The. Turn. Just an incredibly simple text that is so subtly powerful. I expect this to see some sideboard play at first, and depending on how the format shapes up, it could see maindeck play. If nothing else, this exists as the best Fog effect in the format!

Number 6

I think this is a great reprint and should exist as the benchmark for mass removal in the format. We now have the baseline for the next half decade. If you're trying to kill your opponent with aggressive creatures, you have to do so in a way that compensates for a turn four Wrath effect.

Number 5

Hate cards are back, and this is probably the strongest of them. Every Red and Green mage will be looking over their shoulder for this card while building their decks over the next 5 years. Thank God for Cavern of Souls! This has the ability to warp post-sideboard games.

Number 4

Planeswalkers have really taken a back seat in Standard since War of the Spark, and I think we've reached the point where we're starting to miss them. Of the 5 Foundations 'walkers, Lilliana is the strongest, and the only one with a previous play pedigree. I expect to see this as a 1-2 of in many, many decks.

Number 3

Yikes. Boros Mice was already well positioned in the format, and combining this with Lightning Helix (and the top card on this list) gives the deck a TON of reach. Hell, it might be that you can just play Boros Burn at this point and have it be viable in Standard. All 3 modes on this card can be relevant, and I think we'll see many games end with the doublestrike mode of this cast on a Slickshot Show-Off over the next few years.

Number 2

I'm honestly shocked that this didn't end up in my top spot. Llanowar Elves has the power to be not only the best card in the set, but the best card in the format. The power is there, BUT... we are in a Standard format where everyone is building their decks in a way that they have the ability to answer or remove their opponents 1-drops. Hearthfire Hero is so good it's going to get legions of Llanowar Elves kille.d. And, I expect many, many Llanowar Elves to die to...

Number 1

Shock is seeing play, and this card is just waiting to give Shock a swirly and shove it in a locker. This provides every Red deck with some serious late game reach, protects them against mana flood, and will kill soooo many Llanowar Elves over the next 5 years. This fits perfectly on the playability scale between Shock and Lightning Bolt.

Foundations looks like a real stabilizing force after the tumult from some of the recent announcements. There are enough amazing cards in this set to push brewers through the holidays and into the new year. I look forward to diving in next week!

You can find more of my Magic musings on Twitter/X @travishall456