The Best Reprints In Foundations

Key Takeaways

• Foundations introduces powerful reprints, like Progenitus and Doubling Season, bolstering multiple deck types.
• Boros Charm and Halana and Alena offer unique abilities enhancing aggro and multicolor decks.
• Cards like Swiftfoot Boots and Maelstrom Pulse provide critical protection and removal options for Standard play.

There are plenty of amazing cards that entered Magic: The Gathering’s Standard format with the release of Foundations, with tons of them being reprints of cards from Magic’s extensive history. This set is intended to be a multi-year Core Set, one that will last through several rotations.

Helping to support players across various deck types and styles are a plethora of reprints to keep the game running smoothly. These are some of the best cards Magic has ever seen, each capable of creating all sorts of new decks in Standard.

10

Halana And Alena, Partners

A Powerful Duo

Few creatures have as much power packed into them as Halana and Alena, Partners. This legendary creature costs four mana and comes with first strike, reach, and an exceptionally powerful ability to give another creature X +1/+1 counters equal to their power and haste for the turn.

Halana and Alena are a huge target and likely won’t stick around for long on the battlefield, but if you’re able to untap with them and play another creature after them, that creature gets an upgrade. The downside is that they are a bit narrow in scope, lending themselves almost exclusively to red and green aggro lists.

9

Boros Charm

Lots Of Options

Red and white aggro decks have had a ton of great multicolor cards to get you ahead of the game, and one of the best ever printed has been Boros Charm. This red and white card gives you the choice of one of three modes, each one a strong contender to pick from.

You have pure damage in the first choice, dealing four damage to a player or planeswalker. You can also dish out a ton of damage by giving a creature double strike for the turn with the third option if the situation calls for it. The second option gives all your permanents indestructible for the turn, letting you dodge a board wipe, letting you come back on the next turn for a win.

8

Progenitus

The Soul Of The World

Easily one of the most powerful creatures Magic has ever released, Progenitus has long been one of the best reanimation targets for players looking to close out a game quickly. The main reason for this is that Progenitus has protection from everything, doesn’t matter what it is, or what creatures your opponents have out, nothing is stopping the Progenitus from coming in.

Specifically, protection protects Progenitus from DEBT: damage, enchanting or equipping, blocking, and targetting. Untargeted board wipes can still take out Progenitus.

Sure, you’ll probably never be able to cast Progenitus, since it costs two of each color of mana, but that’s not a problem so long as Magic gives you cheap ways to reanimate it.

Made For Walking

Losing your creatures is a horrible feeling in a game of Magic so a piece of equipment that can keep them safe no matter what is going to be huge for Standard decks. This two-mana equipment gives your equipped creature haste and hexproof, letting you attack as soon as it comes into play but also letting you dodge any removal your opponents might have.

Not every deck is going to run Swiftfoot Boots, but giving every deck access to protection makes the Boosts a valuable card to pick up.

6

Solemn Simulacrum

The Sad Robot Returns

While being a little slow, Solem Simulacrum is the perfect mana fixer for any deck while also rewarding you a little when it dies. When this Golem comes into play, you get to search your library for a basic land and put it into play tapped.

Once Solemn Simulacrum dies, you get to draw a card, so its always providing value no matter what it’s doing. Solemn Sumularcrum likely will pop up a lot in control decks, or ramp decks, where it provides more resources while soaking up an attack or two.

5

Doubling Season

Double Up On Your Effects

A card that always spirals out of control when left alone, Doubling Season is an exceptionally strong addition to Magic’s Standard format. Doubling Season lets you make twice as many tokens when you could make any type of tokens, while also doubling the number of counters you would put on a permanent.

You can of course use Doubling Season to make tons of tokens on the battlefield, there’s likely a better way to put this enchantment to use. When you play a planeswalker with Doubling Season on the battlefield, you double the number of loyalty counters that planeswalker would enter with. More often than not, this will let you activate their final ability the turn they come into play, giving you a huge advantage over your opponent.

4

Omniscience

You See Everything

For ten mana you would expect a spell to be exceptionally powerful, and that’s exactly what you get with Omniscience. This enchantment lets you cast spells from your hand without having to pay their mana costs, which is incredible.

The thing is, you need a way to be able to get Omniscience into play faster than turn ten. There aren’t many ways to do that quite yet in Standard, but given that Foundations is going to be around for the next several years, that’s plenty of sets to print something that returns an enchantment from the graveyard to the battlefield.

3

Llanowar Elves

Ramp Is Back

Easily one of the best and most iconic creatures for generating mana is the Llanowar Elves, a one-mana Elf Druid that does just one thing. It adds one green mana when you tap it, giving you access to three mana on turn two after your land drop.

There’s not much to talk about Llanowar Elves, but its potential for giving you a huge advantage in a game is huge. Playing as if you’re on turn four when you’re only on turn three puts you ahead of your opponent and potentially can help you win the game.

2

Maelstrom Pulse

Jund’s Premiere Removal Spell

A strong removal spell when used under the right conditions, Maelstrom Pulse had its time in the light last time it was in Standard. This three-mana sorcery lets you destroy any nonland permanent in play, as well as all other permanents with the same name.

The downside is that if you have anything in play that also shares the same name, that’s getting blown up too. But so long as you target something your opponent only has, you’re safe. You can turn Maelstrom Pulse into a two or three-for-one very easily so make sure you use it smartly.

1

Day Of Judgment

Here Comes The Sun

One of the best board wipes Magic has ever seen is back in Standard with the release of Foundations. Day of Judgement is a four-man sorcery that destroys all creatures.

It doesn’t do anything else, just blows up the battlefield, leaving it clear for you to rebuild or for you to drop a planeswalker or two on your next turn. Control decks are going to have a field day with Day of Judgement available for the next few years, so if you’re gearing up to play a creature-heavy deck, make sure you’re packing some protection spells while you’re at it.