Magic's New Foundations Commander Decks Are Worth Buying — Here's Why I'm So Excited

If you’re caller to Magic, Foundations debuted successful 2024 arsenic a mode to laic a new, well, instauration for the modular format.

Its cards are made up of neat reprints and immoderate classical staples, each rolled into a acceptable that doesn’t rhythm retired arsenic regularly. In fact, it’ll inactive beryllium ineligible until 2029, but what astir Commander?

Magic’s astir fashionable format, Commander, has a deluge of precons launching each year. This twelvemonth unsocial (we’re lone successful August), we’ve had 12 crossed 4 sets, and we person much to travel (more connected those successful a moment). I'm keeping a keen oculus retired conscionable successful lawsuit thing is worthy adding to my "Most Powerful MTG Precon" database close present connected IGN.

The occupation is that, extracurricular of arguably the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles deck, ‘Turtle Power’, we’ve not had that galore that are casual to get to grips with for caller players. No mono-colored decks, mechanics similar Blight, Connive, and more, and an expanding terms constituent for Universes Beyond decks successful peculiar person made it pugnacious to present idiosyncratic to the format.

Thankfully, Foundations is getting its ain acceptable of Commander precons, and not a infinitesimal excessively soon.

Mono Madness

There are a fewer reasons I’m peculiarly excited for these caller decks, and nary of them person to bash with the cards included. Each platform is $30, and there’s 1 for each color, truthful you tin prime up each 500 cards for $150.

We’re not expecting pricey reprints, astonishing creation treatments, oregon thing similar that, but they should beryllium an perfect starting constituent for caller players — oregon for those of america looking to stock the Commander format with friends oregon family.

Calling All Angels is simply a mono-white Angels typal deck, helmed by Giada, Font of Hope. Reign of Dragons is simply a mono-red Dragon platform starring Lathliss, Dragon Queen, portion Tramplesaurus Rex volition ramp rapidly to bring retired large dinosaurs similar its Commander, Ghalta, Primal Hunger.

Then there’s Ghoulcaller Gisa, who helms the mono-black zombie/sacrifice platform Wretched Ranks, and finally, Sai, Master Thopterist, whose mono-blue deck, Keen Engineering, is each astir artifacts.

These are each well-worn playstyles, but the constituent present is the cohesion alternatively than the competitiveness. These decks are casual to manus to a person implicit the holidays and accidental “let’s play a game”, portion besides giving them a small spot of guidance towards their preferred playstyle.

Starter Decks for Commander are not a caller notion, but they’ve not been printed successful truthful agelong that there’s a chaotic disparity successful price. The Draconic Destruction platform from 2022 that kicked disconnected my postulation has surged to treble what I paid for it and past some.

In fact, for the terms it would outgo now, you could bargain the mono-green and mono-red Foundations decks and smash them unneurotic to let for big, stompy dinosaurs flanked by flying dragons. Would it gel perfectly? Unlikely, but it’s a bully commencement to learning however to creaseless retired a deckbuilding process.

Am I astir to walk $150 connected a clump of decks afloat of cards I already have? Almost certainly, but if it ends with maine giving 1 of the decks to my brother-in-law, oregon getting my Dad to beryllium down astatine the table, past it’s been worthy it.

Top 12 Best MTG Commander Decks

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer successful tech, gaming and fittingness seen astatine Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and galore more. He's a large instrumentality of Magic: The Gathering and different collectible paper games, overmuch to his wife's dismay.