Magic Foundations: set code, card list and products
Magic: The Gathering Foundations (FDN): its dates, its 771 printings, the rarity counts, the Beginner Box contents and the products it came in.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 6 min read
Magic: The Gathering Foundations is the set Wizards of the Coast released on November 15, 2024, under the code FDN. Wizards pitched it at newcomers and longtime fans alike, with familiar legends and Planeswalkers, and its lineup has seven products, from Play Boosters to a Beginner Box and a Starter Collection. The set has 771 printings under 517 different names.
When did Foundations come out?
| What | Date |
|---|---|
| Card previews | October 28 to November 1 |
| Prerelease events | November 8 to 14 |
| Set release | November 15, 2024 |
| Foundations Commander decks | October 2, 2026 |
Our guide to Magic set release dates covers the 2025 to 2027 sets, and Reality Fracture covers the set the new Commander decks arrive with.
How are Foundations cards numbered?
Foundations has 771 collector numbers because the numbering runs well past the main card list, and many cards appear more than once. Every number from 1 to 771 is used, in five stretches:
| Collector numbers | Printings | New names | What sits there |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 271 | 271 | 271 | 271 different cards, ending with 13 nonbasic lands |
| 272 to 291 | 20 | 5 | Basic lands, four of each type |
| 292 to 487 | 196 | 0 | Repeats of cards from 1 to 271 |
| 488 to 730 | 243 | 241 | 241 more cards, plus 2 repeats |
| 731 to 771 | 41 | 0 | Repeats of earlier cards |
So Foundations has two stretches of new cards. A card numbered 292 to 487 or 731 to 771 is another printing of a card from earlier in the list.
How many printings can one card have?
Up to six. The 196 printings at 292 to 487 repeat only 75 different cards, all first numbered from 1 to 271, so some cards come back several times. The 41 printings at 731 to 771 are 41 different cards: 27 first numbered from 488 to 730 and 14 from 1 to 271. Across the whole set:
| Printings of one name | Names |
|---|---|
| 1 | 396 |
| 2 | 50 |
| 3 | 17 |
| 4 | 49 |
| 5 | 2 |
| 6 | 3 |
The three cards with six printings are Herald of Eternal Dawn (first at 17), Bloodthirsty Conqueror (58) and Twinflame Tyrant (97). Herald of Eternal Dawn, for example, also sits at 299, 368, 423, 433 and 446. Each of those is a separate card to a buyer.
Which cards sit at numbers 488 to 730?
Wizards published the contents of the ten Beginner Box decks, which hold 119 different cards besides basic lands. Of those, 78 are first numbered from 488 to 730, such as Jazal Goldmane (497) and Leonin Vanguard (499), and the other 41 are first numbered from 1 to 271. So the decks hold 78 of the 241 names in the stretch, which leaves 163 names outside them.
What rarities are in Foundations?
Rarity counts are by card name, not by printing:
| Rarity | Names in FDN | At that rarity at first number 1 to 271 | At that rarity at first number 488 to 730 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | 159 | 80 | 79 |
| Uncommon | 180 | 101 | 79 |
| Rare | 129 | 60 | 69 |
| Mythic Rare | 37 | 20 | 14 |
| Land | 15 | 10 | None |
The other five Land names are the basics, first numbered from 272 to 280. Of the 13 nonbasic lands that end the main list, 10 carry the Land rarity; the other 3 are Common or Uncommon. The first column adds up to 520, three more than the 517 names, because three cards appear at two rarities. Llanowar Elves (227) and Think Twice (165) are Commons at their first number and Mythic Rares at a later one (429 and 425), and a third card is Rare at 140 and Mythic Rare at 422. Our guide to Magic card rarities explains the symbols.
What products did Foundations come in?
The lineup has seven: the Beginner Box and the Starter Collection, then Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Jumpstart Boosters, the Bundle and the Prerelease Pack. Read the pack count on a display box itself before you buy. Wizards gives general figures for each pack type, the same for every set:
| Pack type | Cards of rare or higher | Foil cards |
|---|---|---|
| Play Booster | At least 1 | At least 1 |
| Collector Booster | 5 to 6 | 8 to 10, or more |
Jumpstart packs hold 1 to 2 cards of rare or higher.
A Collector Booster also holds showcase, borderless and extended-art cards, and a Jumpstart pack comes with the lands it needs. Our guide to Magic Collector Boosters sets the two main packs side by side.
What is in the Beginner Box?
Wizards’ Beginner Box article, dated November 1, 2024, lists the contents:
- 10 themed Jumpstart decks, each of 20 Foundations cards (200 cards, by Rip.fan’s arithmetic)
- 2 life counters and 2 printed mats
- 2 beginner guides
- A reference guide booklet and 2 reference cards
Two of the decks, Cats and Vampires, come in a set order for a guided first session, and Wizards says not to shuffle them; its article prints that order in case it is lost. The decks hold Foundations cards only, none from Foundations Jumpstart.
How is Foundations Jumpstart different?
It is its own set: Jumpstart 2025, code J25, with 779 cards, also called Foundations Jumpstart. So check whether a card from a Jumpstart pack carries J25 or FDN before you price it.
What should you check before you buy?
- The product name. Foundations’ lineup has seven products. Wizards calls the Beginner Box decks predetermined and prints every deck list.
- The code in a singles listing. FDN and J25 are different sets, so ask for the code and number if a seller writes only “Foundations”.
- The number against the rarity. A high number can carry a higher rarity than the card’s first printing, so check the symbol on the card itself.
- The seal. Buy sealed product with the maker’s wrap intact. Our guide to storing sealed product covers keeping it that way.
How do you check Foundations card prices?
Rip.fan’s price pages and card price lookup cover English Pokémon cards only, so use sold listings:
- Read the code and the number. FDN plus the collector number names one printing, and numbers run up to 771.
- Check the rarity of that printing. Llanowar Elves at 227 and at 429 carry different rarities.
- Match the finish. Price a foil copy against foil sales.
- Use dated sold prices. Our guides to checking Magic card prices, market, listed and sold prices and spotting fake Magic cards walk through it.
Our card number entry explains the idea using Pokémon’s numbering, and a booster box is sealed product, so buy one with the maker’s wrap intact. If you sell singles, the seller fee calculator shows what you keep after TCGplayer’s and Whatnot’s fees. For another Magic set, see our guide to Edge of Eternities, or the trading card hub.
Frequently asked questions
What are mana foil cards in Foundations?
Every borderless rare and mythic rare in Foundations has a mana foil version, stamped over with the 5 mana symbols: 43 rares and 17 mythic rares. They come only in Collector Boosters, and always in English, whatever the language of the pack.
What are the Foundations character lands?
Basic lands that each feature a character: 5 show Planeswalkers, and 5 show Giada, Zimone, Tinybones, Kellan and Loot. Play Boosters and Collector Boosters carry them, and the 387-card Starter Collection includes one of each.
What is in the Foundations Starter Collection?
387 cards, 26 of them traditional foil, including 90 basic lands with 10 full-art ones, plus 3 Foundations Play Boosters. It was sold in English only.
Which promos came with a Foundations booster box?
A traditional foil, extended-art Solemn Simulacrum and a double rainbow foil Sol Ring, each given with a Play Booster box or Collector Booster box while supplies lasted. Jumpstart booster boxes did not qualify.
What is in a Foundations Jumpstart Booster?
20 cards built around 1 of 46 themes, lands included, with 1 of 51 cards in anime-style art in every pack. A Jumpstart box holds 24 boosters, and the Jumpstart packs in the Beginner Box carry no anime cards.