games / Reviews
Magic: the Gathering Foundations Review
Image Credit: Wizards of the Coast
I’ll start this off with a preface: it’s been years since I’ve played a mainline entry in Magic: the Gathering. I did a few midnight releases about 10 years ago, my first foray into the card game since before they introduced Planeswalkers and several types of new abilities. Since those releases, I hadn’t delved back into MtG much unless you count the Universes Beyond products, mainly picking up some of the Fallout and Assassin’s Creed cards due to the universes they represented.
Now, thanks to Wizards of the Coast, I got a chance to check out some of the latest expansion, Foundations. Foundations is a great look back at the where MtG came from, where the current meta and trends in the card game are, and providing a good base for expansions in the future, as Wizards of the Coast stated a large portion of the cards will be legal in Standard play at least until 2019.
For me, cracking open several packs actually brought me back to cards I remember seeing years ago. I ran across Llanowar Elves early on, a staple that has been around since Alpha MtG. However, I then started running across cards like Twinflame Tyrant and Bloodthirsty Conqueror, cards that could be perfect centerpieces in their own decks.
Overall, the main set of Foundations features 271 new and returning cards to draw new players in to learn the game, as well as reward veteran players with some new cards worth checking out. Additionally, Wizards of the Coast has added another great way to get newer players into the game. Besides standard booster packs and boxes to buy, there is also the Beginner Box and Starter Collection to consider.
The Beginner Box features two decks that can be played out of the box, complete with instructions on what to do with each deck early on. Additionally, it features 8 jumpstart decks to try out once players have the basics down.
Once a player is ready to take a try building their own decks, there is the Starter Collection to move into. The starter collection features over 350 cards to build their own decks, including many staples for each color. Plus, it features 3 play boosters and a box for storage, along with a booklet with deck-building tips.
