Is it already the end of 2024? The last Magic: The Gathering set of the year – Foundations – will close off the year but also set the stage for 2025. Launching on November 15, the beginner-friendly set will indeed have an impact on the Standard format for years to come. Foundation cards will be Standard-legal until 2029, way longer than the current 3-year rotation. For any new player, it’s reassuring to know that these cards will last a good 5 years in Standard, and more for any other format.  

Foundations offers a mix of new cards and notable reprints, which is sure to please both veterans and newbies alike. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast, Geek Culture and Tap & Sac are thrilled to present a preview card courtesy of Wizards of the Coast – Sire of Seven Deaths – a monster Mythic Rare card that is as strong as it sounds. 

Sire of Seven Deaths certainly lives to its name, with 7 keywords (a new record?) built into a 7/7 body that costs 7 generic mana. By the way, the keywords include Ward, so you have to pay 7 life to target it.

With First Strike, Vigilance, Menace, Trample, Reach, Lifelink and Ward, Sire of Seven Deaths is going to be a pain to deal with. First Strike means it will almost always have the advantage in combat, and Vigilance assures that it can stay behind as a blocker. It doesn’t have Flying, but Reach will help it defend against your opponent’s flyers. 

And if your opponent ever wants to target it with a removal spell, it’s going to take 7 life points just to do it. That’s over a third of a player’s starting life total in Standard, so it’s not something that will happen very often. Sire of Seven Deaths is still vulnerable to the ubiquitous board wipes and sacrifice triggers, but it’s very resistant to anything else. 

It certainly lives up to its Eldrazi type, which is typical of scary monsters, but how does it compare to its brethren? 

Sire of Seven Deaths vs Bane of Bala Ged

If there’s one uncharacteristic note about Sire of Seven Deaths, it doesn’t feature that iconic Annihilator keyword that many others do. Annihilator forces the opponent to sacrifice a Permanent and is one of the most dreaded abilities when facing an Eldrazi.  

While it doesn’t have Annihilator, Bane of Bala Ged is a comparable Eldrazi that makes the defending player Exile 2 permanents on attack. However it doesn’t have any protection abilities, giving the opponent some time to find a solution. 

Sire of Seven Deaths works so well as an all-round attacker and blocker. Even if it were to be removed before it can engage in combat, the 7-life penalty due to Ward is enough to change the course of the game. If undealt with, you can also use Sire’s Lifelink ability to come back from a losing position. 

Winner: Sire of Seven Deaths

Sire of Seven Deaths vs Devourer of Destiny

Devourer of Destiny is a newly-introduced Eldrazi that offers a unique skill. If Devourer is in your opening hand, you can look among the top 4 cards of your deck and put one on top. It usually will fix Mana or Land issues, which you want to avoid in any game but especially so with high-costing Eldrazis. 

When you do eventually cast Devourer of Destiny, you also get to Exile a colored Permanent. Although it’s a one-time deal, the choice to get rid of your opponent’s biggest threat is not to be underestimated. Ironically, you cannot target Sire of Seven Deaths since it’s a colorless creature. You could argue there are also way cheaper costing cards that can remove threats. 

It’s a bit of a toss-up on who should take a slot in your deck. Devourer of Destiny’s 2-for-1 value is great, but it’s a high cost and cannot be used more than once. Sire of Seven Deaths is a trusty attacker and blocker that is going to gain a lot more value over many turns. 

Winner: Sire of Seven Deaths

Sire of Seven Deaths vs Benthic Anomaly

Also costing 7 mana, Benthic Anomaly is a 7/8 creature that also makes a copy of one of your opponent’s creatures. The copy has the accumulated Power and accumulated Toughness of chosen creatures for each opponent. In a Commander game, it’s not unfeasible to have a 10/10 copy with additional keywords or triggers. 

Interestingly, being a 7/8 in Power and Toughness, Benthic Anomaly can survive a direct confrontation against the Sire of Seven Deaths. That’s also not taking into consideration whatever copy you get to create with the Anomaly. Unfortunately, the Sire doesn’t have Deathtouch, otherwise it would be a no-content. 

Winner: Benthic Anomaly 

End Step

Sire of Seven Deaths is a force to be reckoned with and a worthy addition to the Eldrazi line. It doesn’t have Annihilator but it’s a steadfast attacker and blocker that will surely cost your opponent even if they want to remove it through targeting spells. It holds its own very well against other Eldrazi, its main downside being it doesn’t have triggered abilities to synergise with other cards. If you pull this in a Foundations pack, its versatility means you can slot into many decks, even non-Eldrazi ones.