Best Magic Foundations Cards For Brawl In Magic: The Gathering Arena

Best Magic Foundations Cards For Brawl In Magic: The Gathering Arena

Key Takeaways

  • Building a Brawl deck with new Magic: The Gathering Foundations cards can add fresh strategies and fun to gameplay.
  • Selecting powerful commanders like Koma, World-Eater or Bloodthirsty Conqueror can dominate opponents in a Brawl deck.
  • Utilizing cards like Niv-Mizzet, Visionary or Doubling Season can create game-altering combos and maximize deck effectiveness.

As a seasoned Magic: The Gathering player with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must say that this list is a delightful blend of old favorites and new discoveries. Each card offers unique strategies, from the swarming hordes of goblins summoned by Bloodthirsty Conqueror to the infinite loop of card-drawing insanity created by Niv-Mizzet, Visionary and Niv-Mizzet, Parun.


the Gathering Foundations has introduced numerous high-quality cards suitable for both Commander and Brawl, expanding deck-building possibilities or fitting seamlessly into existing decks.

This discussion will focus on various cards suitable for the Brawl game mode, which can be placed in the command zone or as part of the 99 regular cards within a Brawl deck. Regardless of how you acquire them, these cards are definitely worth having and will bring an exciting twist to any deck they join.

1 Hare Apparent

Hop To Victory

Best Magic Foundations Cards For Brawl In Magic: The Gathering Arena
  • 2 Mana Cost in White
  • Creature

As a passionate magic enthusiast, I must say, the Hare Apparent has truly sparked excitement within our community! Primarily, what sets it apart is the unique feature allowing a player to include any number of these cards in their deck. Frankly, such flexibility is quite rare, as there are just a handful of cards boasting this capability.

In decks centered around generating or using tokens, having multiple instances of this card can significantly alter the battlefield by filling it with bunnies (rabbits). Although not suitable for all decks, a token creature deck would seem inadequate without incorporating some Hare Apparents.

2 Etali, Primal Storm

Steal Cards And Play Them For Free

Best Magic Foundations Cards For Brawl In Magic: The Gathering Arena
  • 6 Mana Cost in Red
  • Legendary Creature

Since 2018, Etali, Primal Storm has been causing trouble among players, and its latest reprinting continues the trend. Unlike before where it stole cards from a single opponent during combat, it now targets up to three opponents in commander format. Despite this enhanced ability, Etali remains a potential choice as a commander for a mono-red Brawl deck.

This costly creature works exceptionally well as a commander, allowing you to build a deck centered around large, red dinosaids. In terms of being part of the 99 (non-commander cards), it finds a spot in numerous decks that aim to steal cards from opponents, essentially committing theft in gameplay terms.

3 Liliana, Dreadhorde General

Demanding Sacrifice

Best Magic Foundations Cards For Brawl In Magic: The Gathering Arena
  • 6 Mana Cost in Black
  • Legendary Planeswalker

Nearly all iterations of Liliana have become essential commanders in Brawl, particularly for dominating mono-black decks centered around zombies. With her ability to provide free card drawing and effortlessly boost board presence, it’s challenging to refute the significant impact this Planeswalker exerts during neutral gameplay.

If a player manages to bypass Liliana, Dreadhorde General’s ultimate, it can significantly weaken an opponent’s battlefield position, and usually results in their loss. Despite being costly to deploy, the option of reusing Liliana from the command zone can be incredibly beneficial, maximizing her skills.

4 Muldrotha, The Gravetide

Play With The Dead

Best Magic Foundations Cards For Brawl In Magic: The Gathering Arena
  • 6 Mana Cost in Sultai (Black/Green/Blue)
  • Legendary Creature

Muldrotha, the Gravetide arrives with a commanding presence, not just because of its powerful role as a commander, but also because it offers an engaging gameplay style that some newcomers might find perplexing. In the Brawl format, there are numerous graveyard resurgence decks. However, Muldrotha stands out as a commander who simplifies this strategy and opens up access to cards across black, green, and blue color groups.

Constructing a deck that primarily utilizes cards involving sacrifice, discard, and milling will significantly enhance Muldrotha’s power, as it diminishes the perceived drawback of these mechanisms functioning as costs instead.

5 Koma, World-Eater

Coil Around The Battlefield

Best Magic Foundations Cards For Brawl In Magic: The Gathering Arena
  • 7 Mana Cost in Simic (Green/Blue)
  • Legendary Creature

Koma, World-Eater is a formidable commander that’s tough to confront. It’s essentially unbeatable, boasting an imposing size of 8/12, along with Trample and Ward 4. This makes it virtually indestructible once it enters the battlefield. If its attack manages to get through, which is usually the case due to the Trample ability, it spawns four powerful 3/3 creature tokens to reinforce the battlefield.

Constructing a deck centered around Koma primarily aims for rapid mana accumulation, which Simic decks are known for excelling in. This swiftly facilitates the commander’s entry into battle, allowing repeated attacks with it to overrun opponents while dealing damage through trample. Furthermore, the board is filled with serpents as a result of this strategy.

6 Zimone, Paradox Sculptor

Make Everything Bigger

Best Magic Foundations Cards For Brawl In Magic: The Gathering Arena
  • 4 Mana Cost in Simic (Green/Blue)
  • Legendary Creature

Among the commanders listed, Zimone, Paradox Sculptor by Simic stands out as an excellent choice for new players. Compared to others, it’s quite affordable to play and boasts two abilities that work well together without necessitating a highly specialized deck to perform optimally.

This deck, led by Zimone, regularly adds +1/+1 counters to creatures, and once activated, can boost these counters even further. The deck is user-friendly for beginners yet powerful enough to catch the attention of seasoned players.

7 Krenko, Mob Boss

Goblins, Goblins, Goblins, And More Goblins

Best Magic Foundations Cards For Brawl In Magic: The Gathering Arena
  • 4 Mana Cost in Red
  • Legendary Creature

As a dedicated fan, I’d highly recommend unleashing the fury with Krenko, Mob Boss! Stack your deck to the brim with red goblin creatures – the more, the better! Pepper in a handful of artifacts and enchantments that amplify specific creature types for good measure. Once you’ve set the stage, watch as Krenko becomes the relentless engine of chaos, tapping him turn after turn to unleash a torrent of goblin mayhem upon your unsuspecting opponents!

Krenko multiplies the number of goblins he controls by two each turn, so a player could quickly amass a massive army of goblins that’s hard to challenge. Add Impact Tremors for even more destruction, and you’ll likely be met with many opponents conceding to avoid dealing with this powerful deck.

8 Bloodthirsty Conqueror

Drain Opponents To Heal

Best Magic Foundations Cards For Brawl In Magic: The Gathering Arena
  • 5 Mana Cost in Black
  • Creature

A Fierce Airborne Slayer, unlike other creatures on this list, cannot serve as a commander, however, it exhibits power comparable to the commanders here. It’s a formidable adversary, boasting a large flying form that annihilates anything in its path. Moreover, its ability is exceptionally potent, making it a significant challenge in battle.

Experiencing a card that converts my adversaries’ harm into my own health restoration can be incredibly powerful, instantly drawing attention when it enters play, as it has the potential to swiftly shift the balance of the game in my favor.

9 Niv-Mizzet, Visionary

Too Many Cards

Best Magic Foundations Cards For Brawl In Magic: The Gathering Arena
  • 6 Mana Cost in Izzet (Blue/Red)
  • Legendary Creature

Niv-Mizzet, the Visionary is one of numerous Niv-Mizzet cards in Magic’s past, making it an excellent choice for expanding your collection. This Dragon Sorcerer can seamlessly integrate into any Izzet deck that emphasizes spell casting to inflict non-combative damage and draw a multitude of cards.

The true strength of this card is realized in decks that include Niv-Mizzet, Parun, because when used together, they form an unending combination of drawing cards and dealing damage through repeated pings. Essentially, one character inflicts damage whenever a card is drawn, while the other draws a card every time damage is dealt. This continuous cycle activates each character’s ability indefinitely until the opposing player either loses health or chooses to surrender.

10 Doubling Season

Everything, Times Two

Best Magic Foundations Cards For Brawl In Magic: The Gathering Arena
  • 5 Mana Cost in Green
  • Enchantment

The last card, once more, isn’t designed for commandership, yet it slots flawlessly into any deck focusing on token creation or countering permanents. The Doubling Season, a familiar name within the community, has become even more reachable following its recent re-issue.

So long as Doubling Season is active, its owner will produce twice the usual number of tokens and counters from all sources, a feature particularly beneficial for decks incorporating green mana. This card is almost always included in such decks, and it can quickly overpower an opponent with minimal effort.

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2024-11-24 22:04