MathemagicsMathemagics | Art by Liiga Smilshkalne

There’s a maxim in Magic that’s been popularized by the Professor of Tolarian Community College: “reading the card explains the card”.

As a teacher, tutor, and college professor myself, I’d like to explore whether reading the card can do more than that. What if reading the cards could make you not just a better player, but a better student?

To this end, we’re going to explore the Foundations preconstructed decks from the perspective of an educator. We’ll look into the philosophies behind the standards from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and use data to determine the educational value of the Foundations precons.

What Defines a Text?

With the changes to the SAT recently, the passages have gone from five passages with 11 questions each to 44 much-shorter passages, divided into two modules, the second of which is modular, meaning it adjusts in complexity to how the student did on the first module.

The standards from the NCTE give a range of text types, including classic, contemporary, and popular narratives, poems, songs, and plays.

But can Magic cards count as a text?

According to the NCTE:

"Broad reading also includes informational and academic texts, such as textbooks, lab manuals, papers, and reference materials; student-produced texts, including peer writing, journals, and student newspapers and literary magazines; technological resources, such as computer software, computer networks, databases, CD-ROMs, and laser disks; mass media and other visual texts, including films, selected television programs, magazines, and newspapers; socially significant oral and written texts, such as speeches, radio and television broadcasts, political documents, editorials, and advertisements; and everyday texts, such as letters, bulletin board notices, memos, and signs."

Suffice it to say, there’s plenty of leeway here to squeak them in. And, from my experience as an SAT tutor and proctor, I can attest that even Reddit posts have been used as texts.

Foundations Precons as Texts

With such a wide variety of texts, what makes a text SAT-worthy?

SAT passages are renowned for their Lexile Level, a standardized measurement that evaluates both a reader's comprehension ability and a text's difficulty on the same scale. It works by evaluating a text’s complexity by looking at sentence and word length.

Examples of Lexile Levels

So, what do these Lexile Levels mean? And what do they look like?

The Scarlet Letter, often taught in High Schools, ranks at 1400L. Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery is often read by Middle Schoolers and ranks at 700L.

The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth is often read by Upper Elementary Schoolers and ranks at 500L. SAT Passages wind up just under The Scarlet Letter, averaging 1050L.

So how do the Foundations Precons rate? And how do they compare to an SAT passage?

Foundations Precons Lexile Levels

In order to get an accurate read on the Lexile Levels of each Foundations precon, I plugged every card into Scryfall and copied and pasted every card’s rules and flavor text into a Lexile converter app, which gave a readout that I logged in a spreadsheet. I did this for all 100 cards in all 5 precons. It was a lot of work.

Here’s what I found:

Calling All Angels had an average Lexile Level of 864.49L, including basic lands. This means that reading every single card in the deck is the equivalent of reading a high Middle School or low High School book. 

But that’s a bit misleading. You see, PlainsPlains has a Lexile score of 720L, which is well below the average. In fact, there are six cards in the precon with Lexile scores over 1000L, including Segovian AngelSegovian Angel, which has a Lexile score over the SAT average, at 1109L.

Keen Engineering is a bit higher, with an average Lexile Level of 887.9. It has 17 cards over 1000L, highlighted by Darksteel JuggernautDarksteel Juggernaut, Foundry InspectorFoundry Inspector, and Whirler RogueWhirler Rogue all at or over 1040L, really close to the SAT average.

Wretched Ranks has the lowest Lexile Level, at 858.4L. It only has nine cards over 1000L, and none over the SAT average.

Reign of Dragons has the highest average Lexile Level, at 891.3. Firespitter WhelpFirespitter Whelp and Dragonlord's ServantDragonlord's Servant both have Lexile Levels at or above 1040, but none above the SAT average.

Finally, Tramplesaurus Rex has an average Lexile Level of 871.2, with Thrashing BrontodonThrashing Brontodon above the SAT average at 1055, but it’s dwarfed by Regal ImperiosaurRegal Imperiosaur’s whopping 1136, which is the highest Lexile Level of any card in the Precons.

Verdict: the precons might not be SAT level, but they are great help for those struggling with reading comprehension. And if it seems like someone is struggling to understand what their cards do or say, bear this in mind.

Foundations Precons as Math Texts

But the Foundations precons aren’t just helpful in reading, they’re also really interesting sources for developing math fluency.

The NCTM has both Content and Process Standards, which apply across the grades. The Content Standards include: Number & Operations, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement, and Data Analysis & Probability. The Process Standards include: Problem Solving, Reasoning & Proof, Communication, Connections, and Representation.

So which apply to the Foundations precons?

While there are some that can apply but are a bit of a stretch to see in the average game, like Algebra and Communication, and some that are evident by virtue of the analogical reasoning, like Connections, others can be more tangibly proven.

In particular, we’re going to look at Number & Operations from the Content Standards and Problem Solving from the Process Standards.

Number & Operations in the Foundations Precons

On the base level, Magic involves a lot of numbers, like the amount of mana in the mana pool, the cost of a spell, the power and toughness of a creature, life totals, commander damage, and more. Heck, the trample keyword is in the name of one of the precons, and it requires knowing the total attacking power and the toughness needed to inflict lethal damage. Two of the decks feature flying prominently, so the amount of blockable damage becomes relevant.

So number sense is integral to playing a game of Commander with these precons. But what about Operations?

In addition to telling what the numbers are, players need to do a lot of adding and subtracting on the fly. Players add mana to the mana pool, subtract mana to pay for spells, add up total attacking damage, subtract what can’t be blocked, subtract unblocked damage from life totals, compare attacking power with defending toughness, determine if a creature’s toughness reaches zero…and that’s a pretty basic turn.

And that’s all in a player’s head.

So yeah, Magic is an amazing game for developing number sense and working through basic mathematical operations, and that’s without factoring in the amount of multiplying effects that have been printed recently.

In fact, Endless Ranks of the DeadEndless Ranks of the Dead, from Wretched Ranks, uses division, while Unnatural GrowthUnnatural Growth in Tramplesaurus uses multiplication.

But does Magic help with Problem Solving?

The Foundations Precons and Problem Solving.

There are a bevy of decisions that a player makes over the course of a game: do I attack? With how many creatures? And what happens on the crack back?

We will focus on cards that make players have to make decisions. What modes to use, and when, are key to determining how prevalent problem solving is.

Calling All Angels has tons of decisions to make over the course of a game.

Angel of the RuinsAngel of the Ruins makes the player choose whether to cast it or plainscycle it. Sephara, Sky's BladeSephara, Sky's Blade makes the player choose whether to cast it for its mana cost or its alternate cost. 

Austere CommandAustere Command and Cleansing NovaCleansing Nova both make the player determine which board wipe to use to affect opponents while protecting their own board. Destroy EvilDestroy Evil and Valorous StanceValorous Stance have multiple modes, including what to destroy and whether to destroy or protect.

Keen Engineering has a bevy of choices to make, mostly related to instant-speed spells and activated abilities. How and when to tap becomes integral to playing the deck properly. But there are also cards like Misleading SignpostMisleading Signpost, which make the player reselect where attackers are going, resulting in some tough decisions.

Wretched Ranks has some interesting choices, like what to sacrifice and when. But Sign in BloodSign in Blood and Consumed by GreedConsumed by Greed are juicy choices. Sign in BloodSign in Blood can be card draw, a political tool, or even a win condition. Meanwhile, Consumed by GreedConsumed by Greed lets the player gift a card to an opponent, leading to some interesting decision trees.

Reign of Dragons has a variety of abilities to use when Atsushi, the Blazing SkyAtsushi, the Blazing Sky dies, as well as which mode to choose on Outpost SiegeOutpost Siege and what to pitch to Thrill of PossibilityThrill of Possibility and Unexpected WindfallUnexpected Windfall.

Finally, Tramplesaurus Rex might seem like it has a simple plan, but Elder GargarothElder Gargaroth comes with a suite of choices and Collective ResistanceCollective Resistance can find any number of solid targets.

Every deck comes built in with a variety of problems to solve, from those that naturally arise over the course of a game to those that come up intentionally because of the specific card choices. All of these choices involve problem solving skills to parse.

Conclusion

So…do the Foundations precons have tangible educational value?

Well, the reading level isn’t quite to SAT level, but it is at the High School level, which is enough to be challenging. Heck, even adults can learn a lot from reading the cards!

They require number sense and use of basic mathematical operations, so they’re definitely challenging. They also challenge problem-solving skills with a range of choices, intended and otherwise.

Overall, I’d say that, yes, they are relevant tools for educators and a solid way to work on skills students need to be successful.

But they don’t replace schoolwork.

Sorry, kids.

But what do YOU think about the Foundations Precons as learning tools? And how has Magic helped you with Reading and Math?