Artifact · Strategy
Artifact Classic or Foundry: check the edition before copying a card-access guide
Valve's Artifact page offers Classic and Foundry with different card-access rules. Classic makes its cards available to all players, while Foundry unlocks cards through gameplay without pack purchases. Check the edition before diagnosing a missing collection or following a deck guide.
Reviewed 2026-10-15 · Valve's published Classic and Foundry rules; this is one game-directory entry covering its editions
Identify the edition used by the instructions
Read the launched edition and the guide's stated target. A Classic collection instruction is not automatically a Foundry unlock instruction. For example, seeing a Foundry card still unavailable does not contradict Valve's separate statement that Classic cards are available to everyone.
Use Foundry's learning content for its own rules
Valve lists an extended tutorial, hero demo scenarios and beginner PvE content for Foundry. Use those to learn the chosen edition's actions before assuming an older match explanation applies unchanged. Foundry's card access is described as gameplay-based, so an obsolete pack-purchasing plan does not resolve that unlock path.
Account for the shared mana decision
Foundry displays all three lanes together and uses a unified mana pool across them. When planning a sequence, account for what remains after a spend in another lane. Keep the edition and resource model explicit when reviewing a copied sequence; a list of card names alone does not explain the decisions supporting it.
When your plan breaks
| What happens | What to change |
|---|---|
| A card-access claim does not match my client | Compare Classic and Foundry before treating it as a collection error. |
| An old guide tells me to buy card packs | Check the current edition's published free-card or gameplay-unlock system. |
| A Foundry sequence ignores spending in another lane | Recalculate the remaining shared mana before the next action. |
Quick answers
What should a deck guide identify?
The edition and the rules supporting its sequence, not just the card names.
Are Classic and Foundry counted twice here?
No. This directory has one Artifact entry explaining the edition distinction.
Sources & version notes
Edition rules and learning options come from Valve's current Steam description. The missing-card example is illustrative; matchmaking population and competitive balance are not assessed.
- Valve — Artifact on Steam ↗
Classic and Foundry card access, Foundry tutorials, three-lane view and unified mana.