On the plane of Kaldheim, omens guide everything. Whether a battle will be successful or whether a voyage will go to plan, prophecies given by the gods — particularly the God of Wisdom himself, Alrund — are a daily part of life for its denizens.
This reliance of omens is captured in Magic the Gathering through the Foretell mechanic, first introduced in January 2021's Kaldheim set. But what is it, and how can you make the most of it? Here is everything you need to know about Foretell.
Updated April 27, 2022: Since its debut, foretell has been a very powerful mechanic. So much so that numerous foretell cards have been changed in the digital-only Alchemy format. Those, and the new card from Alchemy: Innistrad, Lupine Harbingers, have been added to the count.
What Is Foretell?
Foretell is a mechanic that allows you to spread the casting cost of cards you play over multiple turns. If a card has Foretell, and it is your turn, you can pay two generic mana to put that card face-down in exile.
Once a card is foretold in exile, you can then play it on a later turn for the foretell cost listed on the card. For example, Behold the Multiverse would cost three generic and one blue to play normally, but if it has been foretold, you can instead pay just one generic and one blue.
There are a few key things to remember about Foretell: firstly, timing restrictions still apply. You can only foretell cards into exile on your turn, but if the card you've foretold is an instant, or has flash, you can cast it whenever you normally could. Otherwise, you must wait until your turn before you can cast it.
Secondly, you can't cast a foretold card on the same turn you put it into exile, even if it is an instant or has flash. The earliest you can cast a foretold card is on your opponent's next turn.
How To Use Foretell
Unlike a lot of mechanics, which are built for a specific strategy, Foretell is incredibly flexible and can find use in most decks. Almost every non-land, non-token card type has some sort of foretell card for it, from burn spells (Demon Bolt) and hand destruction (Skull Raid) to counterspells (Saw It Coming) and board wipes (Doomskar). There are even creatures (Battle Mammoth).
However, there are some ways to make the most of Foretell. Sage of the Beyond and Vega, The Watcher are two creatures that reward you from playing cards from anywhere other than your hand (Sage of the Beyond makes them cheaper, while Vega lets you draw), which includes casting a foretold card from exile. Cosmos Charger is also a great card for Foretell decks, as it allows you to pay only one generic to put a card into exile, and you can do it on other players' turns.
One deck archetype that doesn't get a lot of foretold cards is aggro, primarily because of how foretold cards can't be cast from exile straight away. Waiting around to play spells isn't in the spirit of aggro decks, meaning the only really aggro-friendly foretold card is Dwarven Reinforcements.
What Colours Is Foretell?
Mechanics tend to be inherently linked to certain colour identities, and Foretell is no exception. It has representation in every colour, but it is most prevalent in the Azorius colours of blue and white.
Counting cards that explicitly mention Foretell, the most common colour for Foretell is blue, with 13 cards. A close second is white, with 11. Black is third with nine, then red with six. Green has the fewest Foretell cards, with only five. However, there is one colourless card (Scorn Effigy) that can fit into any deck.
For multi-colour cards, Azorius is still the most common, with three (excluding Vega, who, despite being built for Foretell, doesn't specifically mention it). No other colour pairing has Foretell.