Founding the Third Path
Enchantment — Saga
Read ahead (Choose a chapter and start with that many lore counters. Add one after your draw step. Skipped chapters don't trigger. Sacrifice after III.)
I — You may cast an instant or sorcery spell with mana value 1 or 2 from your hand without paying its mana cost.
II — Target player mills four cards.
III — Exile target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard. Copy it. You may cast the copy.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Dominaria United
- Price
- $0.24
- EDHREC rank
- #13373
Founding the Third Path delivers three chapters of incremental value — loot, flashback setup, and a free instant or sorcery cast — all on one enchantment that does real work from the moment it enters. The cost is time: you need three upkeeps to collect the full payoff, which makes it a liability in fast metas where you won't survive to chapter III.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Founding the Third Path earns its slot in any spellslinger or graveyard-value build that wants looting, flashback enablement, and a free spell stapled together without spending extra cards — Mizzix of the Izmagnus, Kess, Dissident Mage, and Kykar, Wind's Fury shells all welcome it. In Modern and Legacy, the three-turn clock is simply too slow for formats that end games by turn four; niche reanimator or saga-synergy brews might experiment with it, but it's not a staple in either. Pioneer sits in a similar spot — Founding the Third Path is legal but competes with faster, more direct payoffs, so it only shows up in dedicated saga or self-mill decks that have room for patience. Oathbreaker, with its tighter game lengths, mostly mirrors Commander's verdict: fine in a controlling spell-value shell, cut it if your list is trying to close fast.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.24 bulk tier
At $0.24, Founding the Third Path is pure bulk — easy to pick up as a four-of or a Commander singleton without a second thought. Bulk enchantments with niche appeal rarely spike unless a new commander or combo pushes them into the spotlight, so expect the price to stay in this range.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.