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Foundations (FDN) released in 2024, designed as a beginner-friendly product meant to replace Magic's Core Set releases.
Instead of a typical Core Set that would go away in a year's time. Instead, it would allow players to continue playing with the cards for a minimum of five years. As with any Core Set, Wizards worked hard to create a product that was perfect for not only attracting people to the game, but giving them an accessible way to learn.
Foundations takes what made classic Magic so awesome and revamps it with a mix of brand-new cards and classic favorites. Today, we're going to look at the twelve Mythic Rares printed in the set and see which ones are the best.
12. Chandra, Flameshaper
Chandra Planeswalker cards have always been hit or miss in terms of power level. Chandra, Flameshaper is certainly one of the bigger misses.
At seven mana, this is way too expensive for the abilities she offers. Each one barely impacts the board the turn she lands, even when you can ultimate her the turn she comes into play.
There can be some play for her first two abilities. Making mana to cast spells off the top of your deck and make tokens of powerful Creatures is good. Unfortunately, the game offers better ways to do this at a far lower mana investment.
Because of this, Chandra, Flameshaper just doesn't go anywhere. She's too pricey for Constructed play in any format, is questionable for Cube, and is laughable in Commander. This leaves her feeling more like a Planeswalker Deck face card than a major new release. Reprinting something like Chandra, Pyromaster would've been better.
11. Valkyrie's Call
Going through the list of brand new Mythic Rare cards for this set, Valkyrie's Call was the card that surprised me the most.
One read on this Enchantment feels like you've got the perfect card for Casual Commander players. After all, it brings back your Creatures as Angels when they die with a +1/+1 counter attached. That means you get a pumped-up threat and can double up on "enters" triggered abilities.
Sadly, the numbers don't quite agree. It has no Competitive pedigree and is among the lowest rated Mythics in for Commander from the set. Despite this, it feels like an underrated card. It's got a lot of awesome things going for it and reads like something players will be begging for reprints of in a few years.
10. Sphinx of Forgotten Lore
When you look at Sphinx of Forgotten Lore, it probably doesn't seem like much. A 3/3 for 
and no protection gets picked off pretty easily.
What makes it so appealing is its ability to be Flashed in on an opponent's end phase. If your opponents tap out, you'll usually guarantee this stays in play and gets to attack once. That means you can make use of the Flashback effect and inflict some damage, even if it's only the one time.
This made the Sphinx a fringe player in select Standard decks, as well as an absolute bomb in Limited.
9. Herald of Eternal Dawn
Casual players love Platinum Angel and Herald of Eternal Dawn plays in the same space. It's a card that only really fits in Commander and has some bomb potential in Limited but is still very eye-catching.
While Herald of Eternal Dawn lacks some elegance of Platinum Angel, it's perfect for someone just getting started in Magic. "You can't lose the game and your opponents can't win the game" is the kind of effect that blows a new player's mind.
Even if it isn't as good, it carries on Platinum Angel's tradition as an excellent introductory piece. Just don't expect it to make a lasting impression beyond that.
8. Zimone, Paradox Sculptor
Zimone, Paradox Sculptor is a Creature that gets out of hand fast. She's a 1/4 Human Wizard in Simic 
colors but her abilities is what really makes her shine.
Every turn you can pump two Creatures on your board, which could even include Zimone. From there, you can activate her ability to put even more +1/+1 counters on your Creatures or Artifacts.
It's a fun way to boost your board's power, especially compared to long-time Commander favorite Vorel of the Hull Clade. It's not likely that you'll play her in the Command Zone, but in the 99 she's the perfect kind of role player.
If you play her (or Vorel, for that matter) I highly recommend you combine her with Darksteel Reactor and The Millennium Calendar. When you pair those with Zimone, you may find yourself winning games at breakneck speeds.
7. Rite of the Dragoncaller
Magic players love Dragons and Rite of the Dragoncaller is an outstanding way to make them.
Once upon a time, Dragon Roost was a popular Casual card for its ability to spit out big Dragon tokens every turn. Now, you can make them by simply casting an Instant or Sorcery. That means if you play enough spells in one turn, you can generate a board full of huge threats at once.
Imagine putting this into a deck with cheap cantrips like
Or tons of others. It's super easy to chain those together alongside burn spells and counter magic.
If you're playing a Red Commander deck, especially a Spellslinger strategy, this is a pretty great inclusion. Even in a Dragon-themed deck that's more all-in on Creatures, you'll still probably manage to cast a few Instants and Sorceries along the way.
6. Quilled Greatwurm
Quilled Greatwurm is like if Vigor were just a little more fair. Seeing as Vigor is a beloved Commander staple, it's not hard to see how popular this one is as well.
The key difference is that Vigor prevents damage dealt to your Creatures and replaces them with +1/+1 counters. Quilled Greatwurm, on the other hand, gets a little more exponential as it grants the counters when your Creatures dish out damage, as long as they survive.
Even if you can only pull it off once, you'll likely crush your opponents.
If you play it, you're probably shoving it into a deck full of +1/+1 counters. That means that even if it dies, chances are good that you'll be able to keep it coming back. A 7/7 Trampler is no slouch either, so, it's bound to give your opponents trouble in any game it comes down in.
5. Niv-Mizzet, Visionary
Commander players and Dragon lovers everywhere love Niv-Mizzet. The Izzet Parun is so popular that it made perfect sense to give him a new card in a set aimed at newer players. After all, those newbies should see the glory of this mighty Dragon. That is how Foundations ended up with Niv-Mizzet, Visionary.
Typically, past versions of Niv-Mizzet let you deal damage as you drew cards. This version ends up a lot closer to Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius from Return to Ravnica but can easily draw you far more cards. You'll need to run some form of burn spells to make it work, but if you can pull it off, the card advantage is massive.
Despite - or perhaps because of - how new this version is, it's the second most popular Blue-Red Niv-Mizzet Commander. The first remains Niv-Mizzet, Parun.
4. Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator
Kaito, the Ninja Planeswalker from Kamigawa, has been taking over Standard for quite some time. Generally, this is due to the power of Kaito, Bane of Nightmares - a card that's powerful enough to see play in Legacy.
Despite how strong that card is, Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator followed right behind and became a potent roleplayer. Mono-Blue, Izzet, and Dimir decks would all run copies of this Kaito as an additional threat. The more damage you could deal, the more out of control he'd get.
If you manage to use his ultimate ability, your opponent almost always has a hard time coming back. After all, the Emblem he makes triggers from everyone's spells, not just yours. That means every time your opponent casts a spell to deal with the tokens, you just get more.
It's a great card that's sure to only get better as his Blue-Black counterpart exits Standard in 2027.
3. Bloodthirsty Conqueror
Bloodthirsty Conqueror brings with it a fairly unique effect: the Exquisite Blood ability.
Exquisite Blood is famous for its ability to combo when paired with Sanguine Bond. If you deal damage to an opponent, you'll gain that much life. Since you gained life, Sanguine Bond makes your opponent lose that much life, and you have an infinite loop.
This is the first time this effect has been printed onto another card. That gives Commander and Cube fans more ways to try setting up the combo. More importantly, it's a great inclusion to Foundations to give new players something to aspire to.
Gaining life for dealing damage is great on its own. It's the sort of thing that appeals to all kinds of players, but especially newer ones who love gaining life. Then, at some point, they put it with the copy of Enduring Tenacity or Starscape Cleric they opened out of a pack. It's a fun light bulb moment that teaches the kinds of wild things you can do in Magic on top of being a great card.
2. Twinflame Tyrant
Players may love Dragons, but they might just love doubling effects even more. That's what makes Twinflame Tyrant so awesome.
These kinds of effects have been popular ever since the first one with Furnace of Rath in Tempest. Many cards with similar effects have gone on to become fan favorites, including:
Shivan Dragon just doesn't cut it anymore and this does a great job of modernizing it and making a Dragon that's extra splashy. Stick it in a Torbran, Thane of Red Fell deck and watch that damage output climb higher and higher.
1. Sire of Seven Deaths
By and large, the new Mythic Rares of Foundations have been little more than Casual fodder. That makes sense given that it's aimed at newer players, but there was one card that had a different fate.
Sire of Seven Deaths stands head and shoulders among the competition. Sure, it's just a giant threat with a ton of keywords, but sometimes that's all you need. These "Keyword Soup" Creatures have been popular since the days of Akroma, Angel of Wrath though, so it was always going to be a winner.
It's even better given that it's a Colorless Eldrazi that can go into any deck. Casual fans love it for basically anything in Commander because it's so easy to include. Even better, it's got some Competitive pedigree thanks to the various Eldrazi decks in Modern and Legacy.
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