If it’s a desirable Commander card, it’s probably worth something.
Despite being the last release of the year, Magic Foundations continues to be incredibly well-received, as the set accommodates new players with easy-to-parse design while also hitting the nostalgia for the enfranchised players. Given the nature of Magic Foundations and the (at least) five-year legality for Standard play, card circulation will remain healthy so prices should remain honest outside of a few outliers. That said, Magic Foundations is also excellent for budget-minded players due to the beginner focus of the release, meaning you can pick up cards such as Phyrexian Arena and Vengeful Bloodwitch at an affordable rate. If you’re eager to read more about some of the best budget cards you can buy from Magic Foundations, we’ve got you covered right here.
But today, we’ll run through some of the most expensive cards you can open in Magic Foundations Play Boosters right now. To simplify things, we will only discuss base printings rather than Japan Showcase Fracture Foil, Mana Foil, or Borderless variants from the recent release. Coverage around these treatments will happen in time, but there are a lot of variants in the set that would only complicate things further when discussing the value of the more common variants.
#10 Hare Apparent
Hare Apparent
Foundations, Common
It may seem unusual to have a common card featured here, but the reasons are strongly justified. Hare Apparent is one of the bestselling cards from Magic Foundations so far, as it plays into a theme that is incredibly popular in Commander which is being able to play more than one copy of a card. We’ve seen it in the past with Slime Against Humanity from Murders at Karlov Manor and even with the collector value of Shadowborn Apostle, who has nearly dozen-or-so Secret Lair printings to really make a Shadowborn Apostle Commander strategy really shine. Hare Apparent is no different, where demand for the card has amplified due to the widespread popularity of Bloomburrow, which is looking to become one of the bestselling Standard releases of all time. Essentially, players really love rabbits, and you know what? I don’t blame them.
Market Price: $15.09
And because of this evergreen demand for cards that break deckbuilding norms in Commander, the price of Hare Apparent has remained consistent and is beginning to increase in value. Even with Magic Foundations boasting a decent circulation due to Standard legality being lengthier than other releases — demand can overrule this sentiment — especially if you need three dozen (or so) copies to flesh out a meaningful Commander strategy. So, while you’re cracking (and sifting) through those Magic Foundations Play and Collector Boosters, double-check to see if you’ve opened any Hare Apparents and put them in your binder. It’s effortless to excuse the value of commons and uncommons due to rares and mythic rares being historically more valuable, but Hare Apparent is a strong exception to the rule and will remain so for a long time.
#9 Authority of the Consuls
Authority of the Consuls
Foundations, Rare
Magic Foundations boasts a fifty-fifty split of reprints and new cards, where Authority of the Consuls is one of the many desirable reprints players are snapping up from the release. For one white mana, Authority of the Consuls does quite a bit, where being able to gain life from your opponents playing creatures is a nice upside. Oh, and those creatures your opponents play enter tapped, meaning you can leverage the battlefield favorably and be aggressive when needed. Cards such as Authority of the Consuls often play out better than they read, where they remain a staple for Lifegain and Enchantment-focused Commander archetypes as the value outweighs the mana value paid for the card. Before the Magic Foundations reprint, Kaladesh printings of Authority of the Consuls eclipsed around $15 due to being a staple in the aforementioned archetypes. Now, players can find a copy for around $5, but that price is slowly beginning to climb as it was around $3 on Magic Foundations release day.
#8 Niv-Mizzet, Visionary
Niv-Mizzet, Visionary
Foundations, Mythic
Continuing to be one of the most popular Commanders from Magic Foundations (per EDHREC) is Niv-Mizzet, Visionary, a card that rather aptly infinite combos with another version of Niv-Mizzet in Niv-Mizzet, Parun. What makes this particular printing of Niv-Mizzet so exciting is that any source of noncombat damage you control converts into card draw, meaning a Lightning Bolt can become an Ancestral Recall without much effort. This also applies to cards that passively deal damage to the opponent, such as Fiery Inscription and Coruscation Mage, allowing you to draw a ton of cards from just playing noncreature spells.
It’s worth noting that Niv-Mizzet, Visionary’s trigger isn’t a “may” ability, so you have to draw the cards each time you deal noncombat damage, which can lead to decking out unless you have a Laboratory Maniac or Jace, Wielder of Mysteries on the battlefield to convert this into a victory instead. Either way, Niv-Mizzet, Visionary is an excellent Commander to lead an Izzet Burn (or Spellslinger) strategy, and we’ve covered the Living Guildpact in more detail as part of our growing Commander Bestiary series.
#7 Quilled Greatwurm
Quilled Greatwurm
Foundations, Mythic
A desirable card for casual players is Quilled Greatwurm from Magic Foundations, which cares about adding +1/+1 to a creature you control whenever it deals combat damage. It doesn’t just have to be combat damage dealt to a player, it is any form of combat damage, which means you’ll be slamming a ton of dice onto the battlefield whenever you block or attack into creatures like it’s no tomorrow! Cards like Quilled Greatwurm don’t always see a ton of Commander play, but when they do, they tend to offer fantastic synergy, which is why Commanders such as Shroofus Sproutsire and Loot, Exuberant Explorer are some of the best choices to accommodate the Wurm card.
#6 Banner of Kinship
Banner of Kinship
Foundations, Rare
Banner of Kinship remains a desirable card from Magic Foundations as it plays into the Kindred theme, which is extremely popular in Commander. Kindred is a blanket term used in Magic whenever you play a strategy that utilizes creature cards of the same type. From Elves to Otters, there are several different ways to build a Kindred strategy in Commander, and Banner of Kinship plays a notable role as it rewards you for developing a wide board of threats (that happen to share the same creature type). Once Banner of Kinship enters play, you receive a fellowship counter for each creature you control of the chosen type, where those creatures will get +1/+1 for each fellowship counter on Banner of Kinship.
Market Price: $25.48
Essentially, Commander games can end real quick with the Magic Foundations Rare in play and serve as a better top deck compared to Door of Destinies, which is another popular card to play in Kindred builds. Historically, colorless cards with strong Kindred synergies tend to be the most resilient in terms of price and have a better chance of increasing in value over time. A recent example of this is Patchwork Banner from Bloomburrow, where the mana-generating artifact continues to rise in value as it is a must-have for Kindred strategies in Commander, where it wouldn’t be a surprise if Banner of Kinship follows suit soon.
#5 Blasphemous Edict
Blasphemous Edict
Foundations, Rare
Blasphemous Edict saw plenty of attention leading up to Magic Foundations’ release as it’s a nod to Blasphemous Act, which is one of the best sweepers you can play in Commander. However, Blasphemous Edict is exciting because it can evade frustrating effects such as Hexproof, Indestructible, and Ward, allowing a clean way to manage the battlefield by forcing the opponent to sacrifice (up to) thirteen creatures. And since Magic Foundations’ release, Blasphemous Edict is quickly becoming a staple for Black-based Commander builds because it is so effective at clearing the battlefield which unfortunately, does include your own creatures, but recurring them back to play is trivial for Black decks.
#4 Twinflame Tyrant
Twinflame Tyrant
Foundations, Mythic
Any card that encourages the ability to double-up on effects is often popular in Commander, so it isn’t a surprise to see Twinflame Tyrant be one of the more expensive cards from Magic Foundations. Twinflame Tyrant is also a Dragon, meaning it can be a devastating addition to The Ur-Dragon Commander decks, as being able to double up on any kind of damage dealt to an opponent is fantastic. Oh, and it’s a strong addition to Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm, where you can make copies of Twinflame Tyrant and deal double-double damage!
#3 Sire of Seven Deaths
Sire of Seven Deaths
Foundations, Mythic
Eldrazi continues to be a popular option in Commander thanks to the excellent Eldrazi Incursion Precon from Modern Horizons 3, which is in part why Sire of Seven Deaths from Magic Foundations remains an expensive card from the set. For seven mana, Sire of Seven Deaths elegantly has seven keywords, is a 7/7, and the Ward cost is a whopping seven life. The design flavor of this card is excellent, and one that is beginning to crop in flavors of Modern Tron as this a strong card to ramp into once you have Urza’s Tower, Urza’s Mine, and Urza’s Power Plant online. Oh, and if you’re feeling silly, Sire of Seven Deaths is a fantastic card to exile with Soulflayer if you want as much keyword soup as possible.
#2 Doubling Season
Doubling Season
Foundations, Mythic
One of the hottest reprints from Magic Foundations is Doubling Season, which remains a fantastic card to open in Play Boosters despite this version being the most affordable copy of the card at the time of publication. Doubling Season has remained a fixture of Commander since the format’s inception in 2011, where being able to double-up on token generation and counters remains a strong aspect of the format. And even though the card has dropped in value with the reprint, demand will eventually outstrip supply due to Commander’s popularity, where you can expect the Magic Foundations printing to settle at a similar to price that we’re currently seeing with the Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales printing of Doubling Season.
1# Bloodthirsty Conqueror
Bloodthirsty Conqueror
Foundations, Mythic
Along with doubling triggers of effects thanks to Twinflame Tyrant and Doubling Season, Commander players also love to initiate infinite combs, which is why Bloodthirsty Conqueror is the most expensive card from Magic Foundations right now. What makes Bloodthirsty Conqueror such an enticing card is that it shares similar text to Exquisite Blood, which is part of an infinite combo with Sanguine Bond for Vampire and Lifegain strategies in Commander. The infinite combo itself is simple enough and plays out as so below:
- Find a way to gain life.
- Sanguine Bond triggers, causing target opponent to lose life equal to the amount you just gained.
- Exquisite Blood (or Bloodthirsty Conqueror) triggers, gaining you life equal to the amount of life the opponent lost.
- Rinse and repeat.
Market Price: $26.59
Having access to a card that is essentially a second effect for Commander is fantastic, especially when it’s part of an easy infinite combo that is already commonplace in the singleton format. Furthermore, Bloodthirsty Conqueror is a massive evasive threat and essentially comes with pseudo-lifelink, meaning you will gain life whenever the Vampire Knight deals combat damage to an opponent. With cards such as Enduring Tenacity from Duskmourn: House of Horror, it’s even easier to “Oops, I win!” in Commander, and the addition of Bloodthirsty Conqueror makes it even easier. That said, Bloodthirsty Conqueror is the kind of card that will remain highly valuable for a long time because it’s an in-demand mythic rare and Exquisite Blood remains the expensive part of the popular infinite combo.