Magic: The Gathering Arena – 10 Best Foundation Cards for Standard
In Magic: The Gathering Arena (MTGA), building a competitive Standard deck requires a deep understanding of not just individual cards, but how those cards interact with the broader metagame. Some cards become foundational staples, serving as powerful engines for your deck, stabilizing your mana base, or providing essential control over the board. These “foundation cards” are versatile, impactful, and often find their way into multiple deck archetypes. Whether you are new to MTGA or an experienced player looking to fine-tune your collection, here are 10 of the best foundation cards for Standard.
1. The Wandering Emperor
Set: Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
The Wandering Emperor is an incredibly versatile planeswalker that fits into nearly any Standard deck. With the ability to flash in during your opponent’s turn, it provides an element of surprise and can immediately affect the battlefield. Its +1 ability allows for instant removal of attacking creatures by creating a 2/2 Samurai token with lifelink, while its -1 ability provides flexibility by allowing you to exile any target creature. The ultimate -2 can be devastating, especially in decks focused on creature-heavy strategies. Its flash and versatility make it a near-automatic inclusion in midrange, control, and even aggro decks.
2. Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
Set: Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
This saga has become one of the most powerful cards in Standard. The first chapter creates a 2/2 Goblin Shaman token that also produces treasure tokens when it attacks. This treasure generation is crucial for ramp decks or those looking to activate high-cost spells or abilities quickly. The second chapter allows you to discard a card and draw a card, smoothing your deck’s flow while also enabling card advantage. Its third chapter flips Fable into a copy of a creature on the battlefield, creating a powerful 2/2 token with haste. Fable is both an engine and a powerful late-game threat, solidifying its place in any Standard format.
3. Shildred, the Apocalypse
Set: Dominaria United
Shildred, the Apocalypse, is a powerhouse that serves both as a creature and a source of constant card advantage. Its ability to drain your opponent’s life every time they draw a card while simultaneously gaining you life whenever you draw is devastating. On top of that, its 4/5 body for five mana makes it a solid threat that requires immediate answers. Shildred’s presence on the battlefield is often game-winning, forcing your opponent to deal with it or lose. It fits naturally into midrange and control decks that want to close games out quickly or grind down opponents with card advantage.
4. Bankbuster, Machine
Set: Streets of New Capenna
Cruise control for Standard decks—this artifact doubles as both a card draw engine and a threatening creature. Bankbuster can tap to draw a card, which is especially helpful in slower, grindy matchups. Additionally, if left unchecked, it can be turned into a 4/4 vehicle that can attack or block. Bankbuster offers flexibility and an additional way to deal with stalled boards, ensuring that its controller can keep up in card advantage while also dealing with threats in the late game. Its low cost and utility make it a cornerstone in any Standard deck that values card advantage and board presence.
5. Invoke Despair
Set: Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
Invoke Despair is one of the most efficient and powerful removal spells in Standard. This sorcery costs five mana, but it offers a devastating combination of effects that make it worth every penny. When you cast Invoke Despair, your opponent must sacrifice a creature, a planeswalker, and a land, with the additional benefit of you drawing two cards. This card serves as both removal and card advantage, often leaving your opponent in a nearly unwinnable position, with their board in tatters and your hand full of fresh cards. Invoke Despair fits naturally in control decks and any deck that aims to outlast its opponent in the late game.
6. Sheoldred’s Edict
Set: Phyrexia: All Will Be One
Sheoldred’s Edict is a crucial tool in the arsenal of control and midrange decks. This one-mana instant forces your opponent to sacrifice either a creature or planeswalker of your choosing. It’s a powerful removal spell that can disrupt your opponent’s strategy at a moment’s notice. It’s particularly effective against decks reliant on a singular win condition, whether that’s a large creature or a planeswalker. Its flexibility makes it an easy inclusion in decks looking to control the early-to-mid game.
7. Raffine, Scheming Seer
Set: Streets of New Capenna
Raffine offers a powerful combination of card selection and aggression. As a flying 3/4 for three mana, Raffine is already a solid threat. Its ability to allow you to surveil whenever you attack with it or any other creature helps sculpt your hand, ensuring that you’re always one step ahead of your opponent. The deck manipulation combined with a flying body makes Raffine a staple in a range of midrange or aggro-control decks that look to capitalize on card selection, all while pressuring the opponent’s life total.
8. Lantern of the Lost
Set: The Brothers’ War
Lantern of the Lost serves as a versatile tool for dealing with graveyard-based strategies. While it may seem like a minor artifact, it can completely shut down reanimation strategies, keeping your opponent from accessing their graveyard for powerful plays. This artifact can be activated to exile a graveyard, stopping many strategies that rely on recursion. As graveyard-based decks continue to be a staple in Standard, having a tool like Lantern in your sideboard or mainboard provides a much-needed countermeasure.
9. Adanto Vanguard
Set: Zendikar Rising
Adanto Vanguard is one of the most resilient creatures in Standard. This 1/1 Soldier can become indestructible for just one white mana, making it difficult for your opponent to deal with. It works incredibly well in aggressive decks, where its low cost and indestructibility allow you to trade efficiently with your opponent’s creatures. Its resilience makes it perfect for creature-based strategies that aim to outlast removal spells while maintaining an aggressive board presence. Additionally, it’s a fantastic utility creature in any deck looking for an aggressive yet resilient early-game presence.
10. Teferi, Who Slows the Sunset
Set: Streets of New Capenna
Teferi, Who Slows the Sunset, offers a powerful array of abilities, with one of the most notable being the ability to untap lands, artifacts, and creatures. This can give you more mana on your turn or allow you to untap key creatures to protect you from combat or block effectively. His +1 creates a token creature that can help you stabilize, while his -3 removes any troublesome permanents from the battlefield. Teferi’s versatility ensures that he fits into a range of decks and can dominate the game once he reaches his ultimate ability.
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Conclusion
The best foundation cards for Standard are those that provide essential synergy, versatility, and stability to a deck, regardless of the archetype. These cards allow players to consistently execute their strategies, whether it be aggressive, midrange, or control. Each of these cards has earned its place as an integral part of Standard, enabling players to build resilient, adaptive decks that can dominate the ever-changing metagame of Magic: The Gathering Arena.
By including these cards in your deck, you not only improve your chances of victory but also develop a deeper understanding of how these interactions shape the flow of the game. Mastering these foundation cards will give you the edge you need to succeed in Standard competitions on MTGA, allowing you to adapt to different challenges with confidence.
