Gen Con 2024 — Exploring The ‘Magic: The Gathering Foundations Beginner Box’
by Anton Kromoff
Welcome to the table,
Magic: The Gathering has been a key component of my life for nearly 30 years. I can still recall some of the first few games I played on weather-worn picnic tables outside the church, where my Boy Scout troop met under a sky that was threatening to storm. The older kids from the higher ranks of scouting were playing a card game, and while all the kids in my group had run off to play kickball or something, I sat on the curb, my crutches close at hand, watching the kids my age play in a game that my body would not let me play.
The feeling of being on the outside looking in was normal for me. This kind of thing happens when you are a disabled kid in a society where there is not a lot of accommodation or consideration made for people who can’t walk or get around without mobility aids.
One of the older kids saw me sitting on the curb and called me over to sit with them on these super rough picnic tables while the kids my age ran around screaming and playing together in the field across the way. I crutched over and sat down looking at the stacks of cards sitting in front of them. They went through a couple of turns and I was transfixed. Plague Rats, Frozen Shades, Howling Mines, the art looked like it had been pulled from the corners of my mind. A mind that had been stuffed full of every fantasy novel I could get my hands on.
Over the next few weeks, whenever I would find myself at Boy Scouts and we had social time, the kids my age would go off to play war or baseball or something. I would go sit with the older kids as they played Magic. It was not long before they taught me to play with their cards and the first time I won a game the rush I felt was unlike anything I had experienced up to that point in my young life.
You see, as a kid in a society that venerated sports figures, and everyone at school, church, or scouts was involved in a sports team, this was the first time (outside of maybe Candy Land) that I had been able to play something competitive on an even playing field with another opponent. Magic, much like Dungeons & Dragons, was something that made us all equal. However, unlike D&D, Magic was not a group of players on a quest together. It was two players going head to head with wits, strategy, and a little bit of luck and to be able to sit and play something that made me feel as “normal” as the kid across from me was nothing short of life-changing.
I’m not even completely sure in those early days we were playing correctly at every game. I remember games where we played “Play all the land in your hand” or “You can only play one creature a turn.” But regardless of the chaotic rules we were playing with, no one could seem to find the rule book when we needed to dispute a move that would see them win. The bantering, the sense of community, and the feeling of being part of something bigger than me was so fulfilling to a little kid who really struggled with belonging in a world that was not exactly friendly to someone who was visibly disabled.
I would go on to eventually get my own cards, build decks, play daily, and build lifelong friendships with the people I played with. At one point I was able to donate my older cards to a friend who was opening a gaming and comic shop and with those cards he was able to stay open an extra few months while he got his feet under him. Magic has always been a part of my life. I played through college, I played with coworkers, I even taught my now wife to play and we would play together in our first apartment when I no longer had a gaming shop to play at.
These days the majority of the gaming shops in my area are not super wheelchair friendly so I don’t get to play as much as I would like and the lack of magic — be it opening new packs, building new decks, or getting to just sit back and watch the tides turn when you flip a fresh card from the stack — is for sure felt.
So when I was invited to come check out something new from Magic at Gen Con 2024, I made sure I was able to drop by and give a look at a game that has been such a fundamental part of my world.
What I had the pleasure of seeing was a new offering from the Magic: The Gathering team called Foundations. Out of the gate, it was immediately apparent that Magic: the Gathering Foundations was being positioned to not just cater to long-time players, but was always built and packaged in such a way that it’s perfect for those who may be new to the table. Every move that went into this product feels intentional and lovingly crafted to make coming to the table to play a welcoming and easily navigable experience.
The Beginners Box comes packaged with two 20-card decks, two playmats, two spindown counters to track life totals, cards, a rule book, and two “how to play” guides. They were not just put together to give the rules of gameplay but were done in a way that the Planeswalkers themselves were giving you tactics and advice giving a ton of personality to the whole ordeal and really helping bridge that lore to set to game connection in a meaningful way. None of this was fluff for fluffs sake, it had a purpose and was carefully built to be inviting and fun.
What was super cool about this box set was that it was built so that once someone new to the table has learned the basics, you can grab two of the themed jumpstart packs and shuffle them together to create a 40-card deck that can then get even more customization from the additional Foundations packs to help those getting into the hobby figure out what playstyle and theme they really enjoy. For me, I spent years playing with artifacts and angels only onto to find my home in the swamps with the rats and undead later on. What is so wonderful about Foundations is that it’s all so accessible and perfectly put together that a long-time Magic player could sit down with their kid, friend, or, someone who wants to get into the game and both sides of the table would be able to have a good time.
As someone who often has parents who are gamers looking for activities with their kids, or who have kids trying to get into the tabletop gaming space and are looking for a way to get them in without frustrating them with bogged down rules, I can tell you without a doubt that this is something that will be on the top of the stack as a suggestion for a place to start.
The whole box feels like it is intentionally constructed to take a player from their first game to a comfortable place at the table where they can play and enjoy themselves without feeling out of place or lost with other Magic players. The beginner box has two main themes, vampire and cat — and as far as cards go they have a really rounded showcase of what is available to someone getting into the Magic: The Gathering space.
I will always champion bringing new players to the game and the fact there is a push from the top down to open up the hobby to everyone was so heartwarming because I understand full well that there are not always older kids in bleach-stained band shirts willing to take someone under their wing and teach them how to take their next turn.
You can pre-order Magic: The Gathering Foundations at Amazon at this link. The cards are hitting world wide on November 15, 2024. You can also always go to your local gaming shop, if they are accessible to you, and ask them to pre-order a set for you.
Until next time, I feel like we are living in a true golden age of gaming. Those are not just empty words. When I had to move my meeting around, the point of contact, Jeff — and in truth the whole team that was on site at Gen Con — was nothing short of spectacular in every way. These are some of the most kind, welcoming people who moved things around and made sure I was still able to be locked in and looked after. Making sure everyone can sit at the table is front of mind and not just a fun thing to sell cards and for that, I’m hopeful to see what the future brings for our hobby.
