Foundations

It's been a slow few weeks here, with my attention focused elsewhere . . . but I do have an upcoming set on my mind. Foundations is due out in mid-November. It will be the first core set since Magic 2021 (released in 2020), and it will be standard-legal for five years (vs. the normal 2-3). Accompany the typical set releases (booster boxes and bundles), we'll see Jumpstart packs (which have been really fun in the past), and two new concepts:

- a beginner box (with 10 predetermined jumpstart packs designed for beginners)

- a starter collection (with 350 cards, 3 boosters, basic lands, tokens, and more)

The official announcement, with more information, is here. We've seen 37 card previews to date; this will be a great set for new players or people, like me, who prefer simplicity.

I've blogged before about core sets, highlighting my enjoyment of them, trends in them, and doing some analysis on reprints. One thing I enjoy is their comparative simplicity. This hit home recently during a few games with my children. 

Playing with Commander preconstructed decks with my boys, I enjoyed them (the decks) well enough, but was surprised by how complex they were. A number of cards had a lot of abilities on them, which enabled cool combos and 'chain reactions,' but also led to long and confusing turns where I had to explain the (say) three things that triggered by playing one card. Ultimately, I felt it diminished the experience. (I sold 8 precons later that week in response.)

With 20,000+ unique cards, Magic already has plenty of complexity due to the unique interactions of cards that may arise in a given game. And that can be with relatively simple cards! Add complex individual cards to the mix, and things can get crazy.

I'm looking forward to Foundations. Cards like Helpful Hunter, below, promise to be useful but simple. It should be a good time to get new players into the game, or just enjoy Magic at its core. Going back to the basics is generally a good idea, in life or in Magic.