Here's The Full Wizards Deck From Magic: The Gathering's Foundations Beginner's Box
An exclusive look inside MTG's new Foundations...
Even though Wizards Of The Coast revealed most of its 2025 release schedule at the recent MagicCon in Las Vegas, there's one more set coming this year to check out. Foundations is being developed with old and new players in mind, with some elements designed to be an onboarding set for those dipping their toes into the game for the first time ever.
One of those tools, the Beginner's Box, includes 10 different decks of 20 cards each, all of which are built to support quick matches that will teach players what Magic: The Gathering is all about. This gallery looks at one of those 10 decks, the aptly-named mono-blue deck Wizards, and its spell-slinging themes that run across every card.
This deck and the rest of the Beginner's Box will be available when the full Foundations set launches on November 15.
Mystic Archaeologist (Creature - Human Wizard)
- Costs one generic and one blue mana to cast.
- 2 power / 1 toughness
- Ability: Pay three generic and two blue mana to draw two cards.
Card draw is a powerful tool in MTG, as being able to draw extra cards at any given moment provides more options for your next play. Mystic Archaeologist here lets you draw two cards whenever you wish, provided you can pay the five mana to do so. That's an expensive ask, but well worth it if you can spare it.
Arcane Epiphany (Instant)
- Costs three generic and two blue mana to cast.
- This spell costs one generic mana less to cast if you control a Wizard.
- Draw three cards.
Both this and Mystic Archaeologist hammer home the fact that one of blue's most consistent tools is card advantage. Again, the price is steep, but if you have five mana ready at the end of an opponent's turn, simply cast this on their end step--it is an Instant, after all--then draw three cards and immediately untap those lands on your turn. It's hard to be value like that.
Clinquant Skymage (Creature - Bird Wizard)
- Costs three generic and one blue mana to cast.
- 1 power / 1 toughness
- Flying
- Ability: Whenever you draw a card, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
Imagine drawing extra cards from the abilities of the previous two reveals with this on the board. If you complete the strategy we suggested earlier one time and cast Arcane Epiphany--which will be discounted thanks to the Skymage being a Wizard--on your opponent's end step while Clinquant Skymage is active, by the time your next attack phase rolls around, you'll have a 5/5 flyer ready to attack, as it'll add three +1/+1 counters for Arcane Epiphany, then one more for the card you'll draw for your turn.
Erudite Wizard (Creature - Human Wizard)
- Costs two generic and one blue mana to cast
- 2 power / 3 toughness
- Ability: Whenever you draw your second card each turn, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
We hope it's starting to become clear what this deck is all about: drawing cards and pumping up creatures for doing so. Erudite Wizard isn't as simple to capitalize on as Clinquant Skymage, as the Wizard only gains one counter each turn, but it's still a creature an opponent will need to keep an eye on as a match progresses.
Icewind Elemental (Creature - Elemental)
- Costs four generic and one blue mana to cast
- 3 power / 4 toughness
- Flying
- When this creature enters, draw a card, then discard a card.
There are more card draw mechanics here with Icewind Elemental, but the card is also teaching an important part of Magic's mechanics with its ability. "Looting"--where a player draws a card, then immediately discards one--is a common way for players to tune their hand exactly how they wish while being able to select the cards that must be thrown away. If you're playing with this deck, be sure to experiment with how this mechanic can help you out.
Mischievous Mystic (Creature - Human Wizard)
- Costs one generic and one blue mana to cast
- 2 power / 1 toughness
- Flying
- Ability: Whenever you draw your second card each turn, create a 1/1 blue Faerie creature token with flying.
Here's another card that offers a benefit to those who draw a lot of cards, though here, the benefit is slightly different than what we've seen so far. A second card draw here will net you another creature in the form of a 1/1 blue Faerie with flying, and that's a nice tool to have when someone has a big attacker that needs blocking. Just send the 1/1 Faerie at it, and you'll live to fight another day.
Fleeting Distraction (Instant)
- Costs one generic and one blue mana to cast.
- Target creature gets -1 / -0 until end of turn.
- Draw a card.
Fleeting Distraction gives you two benefits at once, as it depowers an enemy's attacking creature while also netting you an extra card. While this may not be the most effective defense thanks to only one damage being reduced, every little bit helps.
Burrog Befuddler (Creature - Frog Wizard)
- Costs one generic and one blue mana to cast
- 2 power / 1 toughness
- Flash
- You may cast this spell any time you could cast an instant.
- Ability: When this creature enters, target creature an opponent controls gets -1/-0 until end of turn.
- You may cast this spell any time you could cast an instant.
The froggy wizard known as Burrog Befuddler lets you experience the Flash mechanic for the first time, which allows you to cast any spell with Flash the same way you can cast an Instant spell. The Befuddler isn't the largest body at 2/1, but its ability to temporarily debuff an enemy creature is solid in a pinch.
Exclusion Mage (Creature - Human Wizard)
- Costs two generic and one blue mana to cast.
- 2 power / 2 toughness
- Ability: When this creature enters, return target creature an opponent controls to its owner's hand.
Exclusion Mage is a fitting name for this wizard, as it can immediately send any opposing creature back to the hand that cast it as soon as it hits the battlefield. Play this with only one creature on the opponent's board, and you have free reign to attack with every creature you've summoned to that point.
Into The Roil (Instant)
- Costs one generic and one blue mana to cast.
- Kicker: One generic and one blue mana
- This means that if you pay the kicker cost along with the casting cost, you get another effect.
- Return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand. If this spell was kicked, draw a card.
- This means that if you pay the kicker cost along with the casting cost, you get another effect.
This is a jack-of-all-trades sort of card, as it can remove a creature from the field and, if you choose to kick it, can draw you a card in the process. Into The Roil is equally effective in the early and mid game, so you should be able to find a great time to use it.
Quick Study (Instant)
- Costs two generic and two blue mana to cast.
- Draw two cards.
There are few cards in Magic: The Gathering less complicated than Quick Study here. Pay three total mana to draw two cards; that's it. We've discussed how drawing cards benefits you, and this fits right into that scheme too.
Starlight Snare (Enchantment - Aura)
- Costs two generic and one blue mana to cast
- Enchant creature
- Attach this to a creature on the board, either on your side or your opponent's side.
- When this Aura enters, tap enchanted creature.
- Enchanted creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.
- Attach this to a creature on the board, either on your side or your opponent's side.
Starlight Snare introduce Auras, a special kind of enchantment that affects single creatures or players rather than the entire board state. In this case, whichever unlucky creature ends up enchanted by this will instantly be tapped and unable to untap for as long as Starlight Snare is attached, rendering it useless for the duration.
Uncharted Haven (Land)
- This land enters tapped. As it enters, choose a color.
- Tap this land to add one mana of the chosen color.
The only non-basic land in the entire deck, Uncharted Haven offers you a single mana of any color every time you use it. However, that versatility comes at a cost, as the "enters tapped" clause means you can't use it on the first turn you play it from your hand. It's a slight drawback, but unless you're completely strapped for mana, you should be able to manage.
Island (Basic Land - Island)
- Tap for one blue mana.
The basic land type for the Wizards deck is, of course, the Island, which taps for one blue mana every time it's used. There are seven Islands included in the deck, which should be plenty of mana to cast Arcane Epiphany and Mystic Archaeologist's ability with little issue.
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