Foundations: The 5 Best Red Cards

Foundations Has So Many Cards For Aggro Decks

I think my bias for “Red Deck Wins” is obvious with my Foundations picks for red—but I also don’t think I’m the only one. The card list has so many low-to-the-ground little monsters who want to win games before control can do anything. It feels like the creators want the deck to always be around in standard—and, frankly, I agree with them. But which of the many aggro cards are the best?

Boltwave

I have a theory that they wanted to put Lightning Bot into Foundations but decided that would be too powerful. Or maybe it would make all the other burn spells too obsolete. So, they made this. And I still like this card. It does a lot of the same things that an aggro deck would want from Lightning Bolt.

Fanatical Firebrand

Just a useful creature. It can attack on early turns, sure—and you’ll want it to. But it’s also got a lot of timing things that are fun. Chump block with it, and then sacrifice it for a bit of damage. Mess with combat math. Or just use it like a burn spell if you need one more damage to win.

Searslicer Goblin

I love that this doesn’t need Searslicer Goblin to attack. There are a few good goblins in Foundations, but I like this one the most because of the pressure it causes. You’re going to attack anyway, and this keeps up a steady stream of bodies. It also combines super well with any lord cards you’re running.

Stromkirk Noble

That first clause comes up more often than you’d think. It’s occasionally even unblockable. But what I love about this one is how it snowballs. A lot of decks won’t have a creature on turn one, so, if you have this, you get a 2/2 for one mana. And then, if you have burn to clear away blockers, it just keeps getting better.

Viashino Pyromancer

A creature that has burn attached to it is really, really good—even if the creature itself isn’t that impressive. You’re just getting a lot of tempo and pressure. It also has the same edge case as Fanatical Firebrand: if you need just a little more damage to win, this is a winning top deck.

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For the last list—the best black Foundations cards—I said that you could feasibly put them all in the same list, and it would be powerful. With the red cards, I would be worried about a red deck that didn’t run most or all of these. They’re part of the usual aggro package and will be winning games on turn four or five for years to come.

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