Double Strike and damage doubling are mechanics that can create unexpected wins. These abilities are seldom printed on creatures, equipment, or instants because of how powerful and potentially warping they are to any environment.
Now, damage doubling and double strike may become critical parts of combat and Standard for the next 5 years, as the Foundations set will be legal until 2029 and includes a significant number of these abilities.
Here’s a rundown of 5 new double strike and damage doubling cards from MTG Foundations spoiled so far:
#1 Twinflame Tyrant – Double Damage on a Stick

We’ve never seen a creature card like this before. Solphim, Mayhem Dominus comes closest, but that card doesn’t double combat damage. Twinflame Tyrant, on the other hand, doubles both combat damage and all other sources of damage!
This is a huge upgrade and game-winning ability. It effectively doubles your board’s power when you play it. At only 5 mana, it serves as an Overrun-style card that remains on the board and can block, as well as attack on the next turn. I expect Twinflame Tyrant to dominate games in Standard for years to come, as well as in Commander.
#2 Leyline Axe – A Riskier Embercleave

First up, we have Leyline Axe. For Standard formats, this is basically a less consistent version of multi-format all-star Embercleave.
When you cast it for free from your opening hand, it costs 3 mana to equip at sorcery speed. In most situations, this makes it less powerful than Embercleave, as you would typically flash in Embercleave and pay only 3 mana if you had three attackers. Typically, this would end the game because you would equip it to deal lethal damage as a surprise.
Leyline Axe does have some advantages over Embercleave in a few situations:
- If you have fewer than 2 attackers, it costs less mana to equip
- It can be run in non-red decks
- It is non-legendary, so you can have multiple copies in play
If Leyline Axe is not in your opening hand, it is considerably worse and essentially a dead draw. If you run rummage or discard abilities, that downside is somewhat mitigated.
For Eternal formats, it can be a 0-mana artifact in your opening hand, which could provide considerable advantages over Embercleave.
#3 Twinblade Blessing – The White Embercleave

Wow, I have to say, Twinblade Blessing is pretty impressive. Most red double strike cards cost 2 mana to cast and only last for one turn. This enchantment has flash and stays on the creature permanently!
That’s a huge upgrade for only a single mana. Not having +1 and trample is a significant drawback compared to Embercleave, but this is fairly easy to cast at a guaranteed 3 mana.
Whereas Leyline Axe is a riskier version of Embercleave, Twinblade Blessing is a more consistent non-legendary version. Plus, it works well with white enchantment theme cards.
The biggest downside here is that it isn’t an equipment, but most of the time when you enchant with this, it acts like a burn spell or finishes the game, so re-equipping isn’t as important. Plus, additional copies of Embercleave are dead cards, whereas multiple copies of Twinblade Blessing practically make up for the single-creature restriction.
#4 Bulk Up – The Best Power Doubling Instant

There are very few cards printed in the game that double a creature’s power or give it double strike at instant speed. Bulk Up is our choice for the best ever printed in the 2-mana slot. That’s because you can theoretically use it twice! Late game, that could make all the difference between winning and losing.
The closest we had to this before was Psychotic Fury, since it draws a card, but it can only be cast on a multicolored creature, which is a significant limitation.
#5 Kellan, Planar Trailblazer – A New Red Staple

Kellan is a formidable double striker in the mid to late game and an ambitious card for Foundations. Red needs powerful turn-1 creatures to ensure they get aggro going early enough to close out games versus control and mid-range. Typically, this means you’ll want 8-12 creatures in this slot. Surprisingly, MTG decided to print this in Foundations, which means Red and Red/X aggro decks have a powerful option to consider for the next 5 years.
Because of its Legendary status, you might limit yourself to 2 or perhaps 3 copies in a deck. A 2/1 is a decent starting point for a one-drop. The upside here is you can use it to draw cards in the mid-game after emptying your hand, and also as a finisher if it’s a late topdeck. Its abilities are notably all at instant speed.
Those are all the new power doubling and double strike cards revealed so far for MTG Foundations! We didn’t include Foundations Jumpstart cards, as those are only legal for Commander, Legacy, and Vintage.
There are, however, some notable double strike and power doubling reprints in Foundations as well. They are: Ajani, Caller of the Pride, Zetalpa, Primal Dawn, Terror of Mount Velus, Gratuitous Violence, Boros Charm, Drogskol Reaver, and Fireshrieker.
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