Just cracked my first Foundations of Magic 2 box. Baneslayer Angel is back—and she's not the only bomb. This core set packs fifteen mythics ranging from format-warping staples to bulk rares. I've been grinding all week in paper and on MTGA. Here's the honest, no-fluff breakdown based on real games.
The Elite (A Tier)
Baneslayer Angel - 4/4 flying, lifelink, first strike, protection from Demons and Dragons. She's a five-mana powerhouse that just dominates the board. Curve her on turn 5 and watch your opponent's life total soar while their board disappears. Auto-include in any white-based midrange or control deck looking to stabilize and push for lethal. In today's Standard, where Izzet Lessons leads at 10.8% and Dimir Excruciator is at 8.6%, Baneslayer provides a crucial blocker against aggressive flyers and a resilient threat against removal-heavy control. Pure house in today's meta, often swinging for lethal in just two turns.
Ugin the Spirit Dragon - 5 colorless and 2 generic for a 7/7 flyer with hexproof and annihilator 1. Enters? Each opponent exiles a permanent. With a Dragon or Spirit in play, it costs 1 less. This card is absolutely nuts. Pair with Dragon's Rage Channeler for turn 5 devastation. Imagine this: Turn 1 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer. Turn 2 Dragon's Rage Channeler. Turn 3 you're already digging, maybe even enabling a turn 4 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon. Dropping Ugin, exiling their best permanent, and then swinging for 7 with annihilator is a back-breaking play. He's seeing play in Modern Eldrazi Tron, which is trending up at 5.6%, and even in some Pioneer ramp shells. This is a game-ender.
Terror of the Peaks - 4RR 4/4 flying dragon with haste. Attacks? Deal damage equal to your Mountain count to any target. One-shot by turn 6 in landfall or dragon decks. This card is a great top-deck in the late game, acting as a strong finisher. The downside: a 4-drop with no immediate board impact can sometimes brick on the draw against super aggressive decks, but the damage potential is too high to ignore. In a Mono-Red Aggro Standard meta that's trending up at 3.9%, Terror can be a surprise lethal threat out of nowhere. Still A tier for its sheer power.
Elder Gargaroth - 4GG 4/4 trample. Attacks? +1/+1 counter, gain 3 life, make a 1/1 Saproling. This is a value engine that becomes a 10/10 by turn 7 if left unchecked. Perfect curve after a 3-drop like a Llanowar Elves into a Badgermole Cub. It provides continuous value, making it incredibly hard for opponents to deal with. In a Mono-Green Landfall Standard meta trending strongly up at 8.3%, Gargaroth slots right in as a top-end threat that brings its own army. A-tier beater that demands an answer immediately.
Omnath Locus of Creation - 1GURW 4/4 Elemental. Tap a land? Add one mana of that color. Attacks? Return a target land. Mana dork on steroids that bounces lands. This is the engine of five-color good-stuff. Cast it? You're winning. The sheer value generation, land recursion, and mana fixing make it an absolute staple in any deck that can support its four-color cost. In Modern's 4/5c Omnath decks, this card is the heart of the strategy, leading to explosive turns and overwhelming board states. The price tag on this one, around $25, reflects its omnipresence in various formats. It’s a complex but incredibly rewarding card to play.
The Playables (B Tier)
Avacyn, Angel of Hope - 5W flying, indestructible, and other permanents you control have indestructible. Bomb finisher but 5 mana is slow. She's a staple in casual and EDH, and a solid finisher in white-based control. Avacyn is the ultimate 'no more removal' button, but her high mana cost means you need to survive until turn 7 or 8 to cast her and protect her. In Standard, where control decks like Izzet Lessons are prevalent, she can be a strong late-game play, but you need to ensure your board is already established. She's a B tier because while strong, her impact isn't immediate enough for every competitive shell.
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn - 13 annihilator 2, can't be countered. Attacks? Reveal top; if permanent, put it onto battlefield. One-card win condition in ramp, but hard to cast by turn 7 consistently. This is a casual and high-mana ramp bomb. The dream is to cheat her out with something like Through the Breach in Modern, or just hard-cast her in Commander. In Modern, Neobrand decks (3% of the meta) aim for this kind of explosive win, but it's a niche strategy. Her 13-mana cost makes her a non-factor in most constructed formats, but when she lands, the game is usually over. Definitely a B tier for her format-defining power in the right (very specific) context.
Karn, Scion of Urza - 4 Planeswalker: +1 create 0/0 Golem with loyalty counters; -3 search artifact with mana value ≤ loyalty; -7 emblem gives artifact creatures indestructible. Good in artifact-heavy decks but slow in fast meta. Karn is a solid value engine in decks that can leverage his artifact synergy. Eldrazi Tron, which is currently trending up in Modern, often runs Karn, the Great Creator, but Scion is a different flavor. He's great at digging for key artifacts or creating a steady stream of blockers. However, in a meta dominated by Boros Energy at 16.8% and Affinity at 5.9%, a four-mana planeswalker that doesn't immediately affect the board can be too slow. A decent B tier, but not a universal inclusion.
Prime Speaker Zegana - 4GU Merfolk. Enters? Draw X where X is highest power among your creatures. May put +1/+1 counters on target equal to cards drawn. Card-drawing machine in Merfolk or counter decks. Fragile at 4 mana, not auto-include. Zegana offers incredible card advantage, especially in a deck that can power up a creature before she enters. Imagine dropping her after a Master of Waves in Pioneer Mono-Blue Merfolk (which is slightly trending up). Drawing 5+ cards can be game-winning. The issue is her vulnerability; at 4 mana, she's susceptible to removal before you get value. She's a B tier for her potential, but requires specific deck-building to shine.
The Great Henge - 3 artifact. Cast creature? Pay 2: draw, gain 3 life, and +1/+1 counter. Amazing value engine in any creature deck. Cheap and self-paying. Not a threat, easily removed, but still B tier. The Henge is an absolute powerhouse in creature-heavy strategies. Being able to cast it for cheap (or even free with a big creature on board) and then gaining life and drawing cards every time you play a creature is just absurd value. It's not a threat on its own, and can be removed by artifact hate, but the engine it provides is undeniable. It would slot perfectly into a Standard Mono-Green Landfall deck alongside Elder Gargaroth, constantly fueling your hand and growing your threats.
The Bulk (C Tier)
Nissa, Who Shakes the World - 4G Planeswalker: +1 untap two lands; -3 three 1/1 Elementals; -7 emblem adds three mana of any color from each land. Strong in ramp but easily answered. Not mythic-worthy. Nissa is fine in casual ramp strategies, but for competitive play, she just doesn't cut it. Her untap ability is good for big mana plays, but her loyalty abilities are slow and don't protect her well enough. In a Standard meta where aggro is 60% of the field, a five-mana planeswalker that needs time to generate value usually dies before it can do anything impactful. A definite C tier.
Chandra, Flame's Heart - 3RR Planeswalker: +1 2 damage; -2 two 1/1 red Elementals; -6 4 damage to each opponent and each creature they control. Okay in aggro mirrors but board impact lacking alone. Chandra is an aggressive planeswalker, but her abilities are underpowered for a mythic. The 2 damage is often irrelevant, and the 1/1 Elementals are easily outclassed. Her ultimate is strong, but you'll rarely get there. In Pioneer Mono-Red Prowess (19% of the meta), you want cards that immediately contribute to damage or protect your board, not a slow planeswalker. She's a C tier because she doesn't do enough for her cost.
Teysa, Orzhov Scion - 3WB Human Advisor. Whenever another creature dies, pay 1W to return it from graveyard with +1/+1 counter. Fun graveyard synergy but too slow for competitive. Bulk mythic. Teysa is a cool card for Commander or casual black-white sacrifice themes, but her ability is too slow and mana-intensive for competitive play. You need creatures to die, then you need to pay mana to bring them back. This is not the kind of immediate impact you want from a mythic. In Orzhov Midrange in Pioneer (5.4% of meta), you're looking for cards like Thoughtseize and Fatal Push, not slow graveyard recursion. C tier all the way.
Yarok, the Desecrated - 2BGUB Sphinx flying. Cast instant/sorcery? Copy it. strong, but 5-drop with no immediate impact. House in spellslinging decks, but those aren't dominant. Yarok is a classic 'build-around' card that promises big effects, but in practice, it's too difficult to make consistent. A five-mana 2/5 flyer isn't impressive on its own, and you need to cast expensive instants or sorceries to get value. While copying a Scapeshift would be epic, getting there reliably in Pioneer Sultai Scapeshift (3% of the meta) is tough. C tier for being too niche and slow.
Jace, the Mind Adept - 3UU Planeswalker: +2 scry 3; -1 bounce creature; -8 extra turn, draw seven, cast nonlands free. Solid in control but squishy at 3 loyalty. Often dies same turn without backup. Not mythic-worthy. Jace, the Mind Sculptor he is not. This Jace is okay, but his abilities are too weak for his cost. Scry 3 is nice, and bouncing a creature can buy time, but he comes down with only 3 loyalty, making him incredibly vulnerable. In a format like Standard, where Dimir Midrange is at 7.4% and wants strong early interaction, a five-mana planeswalker that dies to a single attack is a liability. C tier for being outclassed.
Strategic Implications for Standard and Beyond
Baneslayer Angel now flies straight into a Standard meta where Izzet Lessons and Dimir Excruciator rule the skies and the late game. Her lifegain and protection make her an absolute brick wall against aggressive flyers and burn strategies. Turning lifelink into a life-battery on turn five means she is both stabilizer and win-con, letting you swing for lethal after trading a single time. Imagine playing her on the back of a Bloodline Keeper or in a Boros Dragons shell (3.7% of Standard), where she helps you race. Pair her with The Great Henge so each attack also nets a +1/+1 counter plus a fresh card, and the angel curves into a 7/7 flyer without ever risking a wrath. This is a strong, proactive threat that demands immediate interaction, which many current Standard decks struggle to provide efficiently.
Meanwhile, Ugin the Spirit Dragon and Terror of the Peaks shout 'ramp-me!' from the rooftops. In Modern, where Eldrazi Tron is trending up at 5.6% and Eldrazi Ramp at 3.7%, Ugin is a natural fit. Curve Sol Ring into Birds of Paradise into Ugin on turn four and exile their only blocker, dropping Terror the very next turn for 6–9 direct damage to face or their remaining threats. Players are already brewing four-color shells with Dragon’s Rage Channeler fueling graveyard count while keeping the cost reducer active on Ugin. The ability to cast Ugin a turn early with a Dragon or Spirit in play is huge. Imagine a Turn 3 Ugin in a Tron deck that has somehow assembled the mana. That's a lights-out play against almost any deck.
For Pioneer, the new mythics offer some interesting angles. While Mono-Red Prowess (19% of the meta) and Abzan Greasefang (16.8%) are currently dominating, the value engines like Elder Gargaroth and The Great Henge could find homes in Selesnya Company (6.3% of meta) or even a revitalized Mono-Green Landfall. Gargaroth coming down on turn 4 or 5 can quickly outgrow anything the aggro decks put out, forcing them to spend multiple cards to answer it. This kind of value is what midrange decks need to compete in a combo-heavy meta like Pioneer (45% combo decks). The new mythics, especially the A-tier ones, are designed to disrupt established strategies and create new avenues for victory.
Decklist Spotlight: Foundations White Weenie
This list aims to curve out efficiently, leveraging Baneslayer Angel as its top-end finisher. It's a solid choice for Standard, aiming to go wide and then go tall.
This build of White Weenie, splashing red for a few strong effects, uses Baneslayer Angel as the absolute top-end. Hopeful Initiate and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben are your early plays, disrupting your opponent and building a board. Adeline, Resplendent Cathar goes wide, creating an army, while Brutal Cathar and Skyclave Apparition handle threats. Then, you slam Baneslayer Angel on turn 5. She immediately stabilizes your life total and presents a flying, lifelinking, first-striking threat that's incredibly hard to remove, especially with protection from Dragons (looking at you, Terror of the Peaks!).
The sideboard is geared to handle the top Standard threats. Portable Hole comes in against cheap aggro pieces, while Redcap Melee is a brutal answer for other red creatures. Sunset Revelry helps stabilize against aggressive starts, and Rest in Peace shuts down graveyard strategies, which are seeing an uptick with Sultai Reanimator at 2.3% of the meta. The Wandering Emperor is a versatile threat and removal spell that can come in against control or midrange. This deck aims to be proactive while having the tools to react, making Baneslayer Angel an absolute star.