Final Fantasy takes its turn to Team Up with Magic!
Fantasy Personified
The announcement of Final Fantasy joining the ever-growing roster of popular franchises that have been added to Magic the Gathering has sent ripples throughout the entire fandom. Old-time fans of the Final Fantasy games, as well as established Magic the Gathering players, both had strong opinions on the beloved roster of established Final Fantasy characters joining other franchises such as Transformers, Fallout, and Assassin’s Creed as Magic the Gathering cards. The announcement left people divided, with some people criticizing the joining of the two franchises, concerned that with more sets than ever before being from properties outside of the Magic universe, it will take away the essence that made the beloved trading card game what it is today. Others were happy to see their favorite characters get revealed as Magic cards, eager to add the new cards to their decks. I am very excited about the new cards. I am always looking forward to new sets and finding cool new cards to slot into my existing decks. We’ve already had a few interesting cards revealed, so let’s look at some of my top picks from the cards revealed to us thus far.
5. Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed
To start my list, I’ve decided to put Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed. Not every card on this list will necessarily be taking the spot as the commander of the deck, but I’ve decided to give this funny feline a spot at the forefront of my list. Looking at the colors we are working with, Y’shtola offers us access to a powerful 3-color card pool. Having access to white, blue, and black is perfect for a deck that wants to combo off, and 4 mana to play our commander isn’t too much to ask either. Having Vigilance is great, allowing us to poke in early game to start ticking our opponent’s lives down, but both of her abilities are where she really shines.
Y’shtola’s first ability allows us to draw a card at the end of the turn if a player has lost 4 or more life this turn. Now, while drawing cards is always good, I have to point out that the ability is not once per turn. Stacking a few effects such as Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, and a few other cards and you are guaranteed to be drawing a card at the end of EVERY player’s turn, which is pretty powerful. As long as you can do damage, including to yourself, you will be drawing cards with this commander.
Now, while Y’shtola’s first ability is great, I think her second ability is where there is a lot of potential for creative deckbuilding. Every time you would cast a non-creature spell with mana value 3 or greater, Y’shtola deals 2 damage to each opponent, and you gain 2 life. That ability is great with your first ability, as just by playing a card, you are halfway to drawing another, provided you are playing non-creature spells. Y’shtola is a commander that can be built in many ways, and I think it is that second ability combined with the first that will make her a unique commander that is interesting and clever to build around.
4. Cloud, Planet’s Champion
Next up on my list is the face and iconic hero of the Final Fantasy franchise, Cloud. Recognizable by his giant Buster Sword and spiky haircut, there was no doubt we would get Cloud as a fantastic card along with the Final Fantasy set. At the time of writing this article, we have 2 different versions of Cloud available to choose from. The one that strikes my fancy is the one from the Starter Kit. While at face value, this Cloud might seem weaker than the one that we will get as face commander for the Limit Break commander deck, this Cloud also packs a punch. Unfortunately, unlike the other Cloud, we do not get access to green with this one, locking us into Boros colors. While having access to green would be nice, this commander can make do with Boros colors.
Often, when looking at commanders, I choose to make my decks; it’s common to see a singular commander built in many ways. Plenty of commanders offer us different playstyles, but I can’t deny that the simplicity of Cloud has an appeal that many players love. Simply bide your time, playing powerful equipment, and when the time is right, utilize Cloud’s passive ability to put your equipment onto him, Voltron style, and knock players out of the game. With him being 5 mana, you will be taking your early turns to get out cards like Helm of the Host, any of the Swords, or even something like Excalibur. Cloud even gives himself indestructibility on your turn if he is equipped, so he will be that much harder to take out when swinging. While the Voltron playstyle might not be for everyone, there is no doubt in my mind that this commander will be fun to build. Simply stack the equipment and watch as Cloud cuts down the competition!
3. Zell Dincht
The next card on my list is a card that, in my opinion better suited in the 99. No less powerful than the previous two cards, Zell is deceptively powerful. I think this card is deceptively powerful. What caught my eye when looking at this card is the first line of text on it. Normally, red is not known for having the ability to play multiple lands a turn, as that is usually restricted to green. However, I think the design of this card is very clever. Due to the nature of this card being red, there is a downside to the first effect that it has. We have seen red tap into the other colors and mechanics out of its color pool. With Zell, we are pushed towards a landfall deck.
While Zell might not be well suited to be our commander, I think he works perfectly in the 99 of any landfall deck that can play red. With Zell, we can play an additional land on each of our turns, triggering landfall every time. We are also able to turn his downside into an upside, as returning a land back to our hand means we can trigger all our landfall triggers again and again each turn. There’s plenty of great utility lands, with Bojuka Bog, Mortuary Mire, and Halimar Depths to name a few. You can even get creative with a card like Glacial Chasm, bringing it back to your hands when it accumulates too many counters to keep up. All in all, I think Zell Dincht is a powerful card that can provide you with plenty of advantage, provided you are able to run red.
2. Emet-Selch, Unsundered / Hades, Sorcerer of Eld
The second card on my list, I think, is arguably one of the best cards we’ve seen so far from the Final Fantasy set. One of the first things I look at when picking a commander is how much aggro they will draw from other players when played or out on the field, as well as the colors they provide you. Emet gives us access to Dimir colors, meaning that there is no shortage of cards that mill that we can utilize. Emet, in my opinion, is another very straightforward commander. For the first half of the game, we will be using every mill tool available to us, and when we have all the cards we need in the graveyard, we simply flip Emet during our upkeep and win with the cards from the graveyard. In a lot of card games, the graveyard is a second hand, and Emet doubles down on that, letting us play out of our graveyard if he’s transformed. As mentioned before, black and blue give us plenty of amazing cards that will mill all the cards that we need.
Naturally, building Emet as a commander will require a fine-tuned balance of mill cards and cards that win the game for us. He’s a very telegraphed commander, as players will be aware of what is in your grave, and they will have time to respond to you as Emet can only transform during your upkeep. Nevertheless, I think he is a super interesting new commander. We’ve had commanders that play out of exile before, but never really a commander that wants to toss most of the deck into the grave and play out of there. I think Emet-Sulch will be a fun commander to brew, where only the grave is your limit!
1. Jumbo Cactuar
Lastly, the final card on my list, and the card that I think will see the most play, both in Commander and in other formats such as Standard, is Jumbo Cactuar. While you can’t have this giant cactus as your commander, it is most definitely a threat in the 99 of your deck. Right away, it is easy to tell why this card is good. Going up to ten-thousand power when it attacks is no laughing matter. Just one hit spells out game-over for the opponent, and while this card is 7 mana total, with all the ramp green offers, you should have plenty of mana to play this creature, and that is if you’re not finding a way to cheat this out onto the field earlier.
While by itself this card is fearsome, when combined with other colors, it becomes even more game-breaking. Anyone casting Swords to Plowshares on it means you’ll have more life than you’ll ever need, and you can play cards like Dazzling Reflection to gain 10,000 life as well. If you’re combining it with red, dozens of Fling-esque cards can end the game on the spot if Jumbo Cactuar is not removed. Blue and black offer great evasion, letting Cactuar connect with our opponents without the threat of a creature blocking it or killing it in battle. Even just in green, there are plenty of cards that give creatures trample, and as I mentioned above, all you need is one hit from Cactuar to end an opponent.
Overall, I think Jumbo Cactuar is the most powerful card we’ve seen thus far from the Final Fantasy reveals, and my personal favorite. I’ve always enjoyed playing giant monsters that demand instant interaction from my opponents. Jumbo Cactuar is definitely a card I will be slotting into the 99 of a lot of my green decks. The 7 CMC cost is quite negligible when you consider there are plenty of ways to cheat out creatures, players have been cheating out expensive creatures since the original powerful Eldrazi, and Jumbo Cactuar is no exception. Offering plenty of versatility, no matter what color you add it to, being an immediate threat when played, and offering you plenty of fun ways to play with the card, Jumbo Cactuar is my top pick for this set.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, I think the first batch of Final Fantasy cards revealed to us is fantastic. While my list is strictly picking from new cards to Magic, there are also reprints in this set to look forward to, such as the Ancient Copper Dragon. There’s a plethora of new commanders to enjoy and build, and powerful cards to add to the 99 of your existing commander decks. Whether you are a Magic or Final Fantasy fan, there is something to pick up for everyone in this set. I will definitely be picking up some of these cards for my decks, and I will most definitely be doing a budget brew for one of the new commanders in the near future! I’m excited to see what other notable characters we will get from the franchise. Currently, we have a release date set for June 25th, so until then, I hope to see more exciting reveals to get us even more excited for this great set.
