Answers
Bake into a Pie
Destroy a creature and create Food for a later life-gain event. If the only target becomes illegal, the spell does not resolve and no Food appears; the Food itself still costs two to activate.
18 answers →
Foundations
One-pick Draft · Cards, plans & rules · Arena win rates (Premier Draft, Nov 12–Dec 15, 2024)
Released November 15, 2024
The ten-second pick check
4 questionsAsk them in this order.
Does this fill a missing job?
Choose an early creature, answer or supported finisher according to the deck's actual gaps, not the gold card's theme alone.
What must happen first?
Check attack, death, life-gain and graveyard conditions before committing mana; order can determine whether you receive the reward.
Can I cast it on time?
Budget double-colored costs and kicker totals. A strong late card does not fix an opening hand that cannot affect the board.
Which pool am I using?
Only original Play-eligible cards belong to this Limited comparison. Learner products and Commander lists are separate card pools.
What job does this card do?
All 79 card notes →Look past the power level. Name the job before deciding whether it belongs.
Answers
Burst Lightning
One mana deals two to any target; kicking it costs five total mana for four damage. Use the cheaper mode when it already answers the threat rather than holding every copy for the larger mode.
18 answers →
Answers
Stab
One black mana gives a creature -2/-2, killing small threats or finishing a damaged larger one. The reduction also changes combat power; it is not two damage and can defeat indestructible small creatures.
18 answers →What matters in Foundations
All mechanics →Build the complete deck first
The ten pair themes help identify support, but curve, interaction and reliable mana still determine whether the deck functions. Prefer a useful early body over an unsupported reward.
Learn Foundations mechanics →Sequence before the trigger point
Attack before raid entries, cause a death before morbid end steps, and place life-gain payoffs before the events that grow them. Later actions cannot create a trigger whose check already passed.
Keep the original pool distinct
This guide's Limited pool uses original Foundations Play Boosters. Beginner Box packets, Starter Collection fixed cards, Jumpstart 2025 and later Commander decks are separate products.
Commons with strong Premier Draft results
Bake into a Pie: 58.4% GIH over 120,518 instances; Burst Lightning: 58.1% GIH over 106,854 instances; Stab: 58.0% GIH over 128,452 instances. Games recorded 2024-11-12–2024-12-15. The all-dataset baseline is 54.6%. These recorded Arena results are observational, not a causal ranking or a promise for paper Draft.
Before your event & where to play
Draft with friends
Event rules
Use three Play Boosters per player for ordinary Booster Draft, take one card per pick, and build at least 40 cards. Sealed starts from six Play Boosters.
Take with you
Outside strategy notes cannot be consulted during sanctioned drafting, construction or games. Brief prewritten notes may be reviewed between games; public Oracle lookup follows separate rules. Ask your organizer about devices and note use.