Since time immemorial, mankind has looked to the stars and wondered, “Who would win in a fight—cats or vampires?” Well, wonder no more because Magic: The Gathering is putting this age-old conflict front and center in their new Foundations set.
Set to release on November 15, 2024, Magic: The Gathering Foundations isn’t just meant to appeal to the statistically horniest corners of the internet; rather, it’s designed with beginners in mind. As the name suggests, Foundations is intended to serve as the core of casual and competitive Magic: The Gathering play for the next 5 years—at least as far as Standard is concerned. The set is roughly a 50-50 split between new cards and older cards that will give players the, you guessed it, foundation they need for their collection moving forward.
While in Indianapolis at Gen Con, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Magic: The Gathering executive producer Max McCall, who gave us a detailed breakdown of the thought process behind Foundations, the biggest challenges in bringing it to life, and why it’s the perfect way to get beginners into the game.
I also tried out the Foundations Beginner Box, a package that includes basically everything that you and a friend need to start playing Magic. The box contains 10 themed Jumpstart packs that are predetermined to facilitate beginner play. The deck contains a guided learn-to-play experience with two 20-card decks (Cats and Vampires) that takes you through the first 6 or so rounds and introduces key concepts in an easily digestible manner.
Although I’ve been playing since Ice Age, I was impressed by how thoroughly the Beginner Box eases players into the rhythm of gameplay. Considering this is a game where you can have infinite combos or literally make your cards into a computer, ease of accessibility is paramount for attracting new players.
While the set is certainly geared towards newcomers with products like the Beginner’s Box, McCall is keenly aware that they need to provide value for veteran players as well. “Teaching aides become less useful over time,” McCall said. After graduating from the Beginner Box, players can move on to Starter Collection, which contains 350 cards that will help them continue to build upon the foundations a never-ending war between cats and vampires instilled in them.
Another way they’re hoping to ensure the longevity of this set is by making Foundations legal in Standard play through 2029—approximately double the usual amount of time. When designing a new set like Foundations, McCall said the key questions they ask themselves is “How should we think about how the cards in this experience can be relevant for a long time?” The idea of building for longevity makes sense, especially considering that McCall said sets like Foundations typically spend three to four years in development, going from concept to completion.
While Foundations was clearly meant to be a set with broad appeal to a wide range of skill levels, the design process is more often than not motivated by the setting rather than a desire to explore specific mechanics. In the case of Innistrad, McCall noted, it’s a world inspired by Gothic fiction, which lead them to vampires and bite mechanics.
As for McCall’s favorite card in Foundations? A self-confessed cat person, he immediately pointed to Helpful Hunter, a 1/1 cat who lets you draw a card when it enters the field of play. The artwork by Xabi Gaztelua features an adorable kitten with a feather in its mouth.
McCall said he likes it not only because of the adorable artwork but because it’s an efficient, low-cost card that facilitates drawing from your deck, giving it a wide array of uses for players.
Foundations will available in your friendly local game store on November 15 as well as Magic: The Gathering Arena, the digital version of the game. Does knowing that these cards will be used for both table play and virtual play have an influence on how McCall and company approach their designs?
Yes, but perhaps in subtler ways than one might think. “The power of tabletop is you’re playing with someone [face-to-face],” McCall said. In effect, it’s easier to speed things along in person than when you’re playing a stranger online. So, McCall noted, the team tends to “avoid elements that slow down pace of play.”
Of course, part of the joy of Magic: The Gathering is the genuinely bonkers combos that its players manage to assemble. Despite rotating what cards are legal in Standard play, it is impossible for designers to know exactly what kooky combinations people will cook up. “We must design systems where we don’t know all possible outcomes,” McCall explained.
As for what Magic players will cook up in the cardboard lab with Foundations, only time will tell. We will find out together when it comes to stores on November 15.