Foundations

We’re less than a week away from Pre-Release events for Magic’s latest set. Foundations is an interesting that will remain Standard Legal until at least until 2029.

As usual, when a new set comes out, I take a look at what new Clerics are in it to plan for any adjustments to my Standard B01 Orzhov Cleric deck. Whereas Duskmourn only offered three new cards, Foundations brings eight new cards for consideration, three being completely new and five being reprints from previous sets. Seven are playable in an Orzhov deck, with only Vizier of the Menagerie, falling out of immediate consideration being a green card.

Let’s first take a look at the new cards.

Hinterland Sanctifier will fit nicely into decks focused on Lifegain but aside from being a cheap 1/2 at a single , I’m not sure that it is a compelling addition or replacement for Evolved Sleeper in the one mana slot.

Infernal Vessel is a little more interesting. For , you get a 2/1 that comes back as a 4/3 Demon Cleric when it dies. With the right other cards on the battlefield, it could be a worthwhile addition. I think I will try it but I’m not sure what to pull out for it. I don’t think it is strong enough to replace either Shadow-Rite Priest or Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim. Maybe I pull Essence Channeler or Phyrexian Missionary but both have proven useful. I’m leaning instead to cutting Moonrise Cleric, a three mana card.

Sun-Blessed Healer is an interesting card. A close look at it and you realize that it is very similar to Phyrexian Missionary. The main difference is that it can bring back any target nonland permanent for a kicker whereas the Missionary can only bring back a creature for . More flexibility but at a cost of two white pips. In this deck, it really does not make a big difference as it comes down to the mana I have available to work with. My statistics days are far behind me but something tells me that I should stick with Phyrexian Missionary.

Let’s take a look at the reprints.

Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim is a card I will want to try out. a 2/3 with Deathtouch for is not bad but the Sacrifice options offer some good options. Gaining a bit of life could trigger a few abilities, eg, another +1/+1 counter on Essence Channeler, or some useful removal, albeit with a difficult condition, namely having 10 more life than my starting total.

Marauding Blight-Priest is a pretty simple card. I think I will try it as an alterative to Moonrise Cleric if that card is not replaced by Infernal Vessel or something else.

Nullpriest of Oblivion is less compelling. It functions like Phyrexian Missionary in that paying its Kicker cost lets you bring back a creature. Except that it comes in with weaker stats and its Kicker is a much heavier price at compared to . Maybe I’ll dust it off at the next rotation if I still want the ability to bring creatures back from my graveyard.

One change that I made during Duskmourn that I did not mention before was that I retooled the mana base, taking out the three Three Tree City in favour of The Fair Basilica, The Dross Pits Scoured Barrens, and Valgavoth’s Lair. I may tweak it further with one or more Secluded Courtyards when Foundation comes out.

I’ve also added a few more cards to the Sideboard in the anticipation that I may try this in B03 at some point.