Where Should I Start Playing Magic? Foundations or Aetherdrift?
Looking to start playing Magic: The Gathering, but don't know where to start? Two of our latest releases—Foundations and Aetherdrift—are excellent first steps into the Magic Multiverse. But which is best for a new player? Well, it's both! A huge part of Magic is building your collection and combining cards from across releases. Today, we'll go through some of the ways you can boost your decks with high-octane goodness from Foundations and Aetherdrift.


Aetherdrift releases on February 14, with Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Commander decks, and more available for preorder now at your local game store, online retailers like Amazon, and elsewhere Magic products are sold.
What is Aetherdrift?
Aetherdrift is Magic's latest release, showcasing a race across three planes of the Multiverse. With an emphasis on Vehicles and fast-paced gameplay, it's an incredibly exciting set to start off the year. Magic releases six major sets each year, with each one being centered around a location in Magic's Multiverse or an iconic piece of media. You can read more about 2025's upcoming sets here.
How Can I Learn Magic with Foundations and Aetherdrift?

Foundations is designed to make learning to play and love Magic as easy as possible. The Beginner Box provides a step-by-step tutorial game, along with ten themed Jumpstart decks that offer a sampling of some of Magic's most popular themes. Magic Academy events at your local game store will also teach you how to play, helping you refine your skills with your local gaming community.

After learning how to play, you can put those skills to the test on the racetrack at Aetherdrift Prerelease events! These let you be among the first to play with the cards from Aetherdrift in a casual, friendly environment. We've got your guide to Aetherdrift Prerelease events right here, so get ready to pull ahead of the competition at your local game store.
The cards you get from your Foundations Beginner Box or at Magic Academy and Prerelease events can be played together, letting you discover what parts of Magic you love most. For example, if you love the Vampires in the Beginner Box, you can combine them with the Vampires from Aetherdrift! Magic is a vast and vibrant game, so don't be afraid to try new things with your cards!
How Can I Combine Foundations Cards with Aetherdrift Cards?
Looking for the best ways to give your Foundations decks an infusion of aether? There are plenty of ways for you to mix and match cards from across Magic releases. An easy way to do that is to look at prominent themes in one release and look for where they pop up in another release.
Some things show up in nearly every Magic release, like +1/+1 counters! Aetherdrift's
Cats! Who doesn't love them? Certainly not our designers, who included tons of Cats in Foundations, like
Once you've collected enough Cat cards (did you know a group of cats is called a clowder?), you can even build a Cat-themed Commander deck! Commander is a format where you play with a 100-card deck that's led by a legendary creature. Find your favorite Cats from throughout Magic's history, pick your favorite legendary Cat, and get ready for some fun!


If you want to skip the Commander deck-building process, no worries! As part of Aetherdrift's product lineup, we're releasing two ready-to-play Commander decks so you can start playing Magic's most popular format right away. For casual and fresh Commander gameplay, try taking one of Aetherdrift's Commander decks to your local game store's Commander Party events!
Power Up Your Aetherdrift Commander Decks
These decks, like all Magic products, aren't meant to just stay as-is. You can also customize them with cards from your collection. If you've got cards from your Foundations Play Boosters or the Starter Collection, why not bring a personal touch to these decks?
Living Energy, a green-blue-red deck, utilizes the energy mechanic with
Eternal Might, a white-blue-black deck, wants to go wide by swinging with an army of Zombies.
By adding your own cards to Aetherdrift's Commander decks, you'll be able to build toward the kind of gameplay you enjoy most. See what combinations you can find when you take your Foundations cards into overdrive.
Aetherdrift's release is fast approaching, with Prerelease events starting February 7 and the set's full release arriving February 14. You can preorder everything you need to start building your Aetherdrift decks at your local game store, online retailers like Amazon, and elsewhere Magic products are sold.