My Top 10 Cards for Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy is finally upon us! Whether you’re a fan of the series or Universes Beyond in general or not, it’s one of the most anticipated sets in Magic history and it’s sure to shake things up in Commander. Although this is the first Universes Beyond set to hit Standard, there are still plenty of powerful cards. In this article, I’ll go over my picks for the top 10 cards in Final Fantasy (FIN) and its accompanying Commander decks (FIC).
Suplex
A sorcery speed targeted removal spell has to be pretty good in order for me to consider it in Commander. Suplex captures an iconic moment from Final Fantasy VI that has been endlessly memed on by fans, but it’s also a very solid removal spell that lets red completely remove certain problems with minimal fuss. Being a sorcery means that it’s not a one-for-one swap with Abrade, but it can be invaluable against The One Ring or creatures that just don’t stay dead such as Gravecrawler.
Cloud, Midgar Mercenary
Cloud is interesting as a card in the 99 for decks that play Equipment or as a commander on his own. He’s really good at holding equipment such as Sword of Hearth and Home or Umezawa’s Jitte to get extra triggers when he deals damage, but you can also use him to tutor up Skullclamp in your tokens deck and then immediately equip it to him to draw four cards when he dies. I’m expecting Cloud to see a lot of play because he’s very versatile and he works so well with a lot of popular Equipment cards.
Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER // Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel
If you’ve been waiting for a highly playable Blood Artist in the command zone, you need look no further than Sephiroth. There’s a combo build here with Forsaken Miner and Phyrexian Altar or Warren Soultrader, or you can just flip him over to his One-Winged Angel side and go to town sacrificing tokens and other fodder to draw tons of cards. I enjoy when commanders offer you multiple different avenues so you’re not always locked into your deck trying to play out the same way each time.
Louisoix’s Sacrifice
I find Stifle effects to be hit or miss in Commander, because they’re only really worth casting in specific situations. Louisoix’s Sacrifice feels different, because it can be used to counter abilities and noncreature spells for only one mana, provided you’re willing to sacrifice a legendary creature to cast it. In a format like Commander, you’ll usually be able to meet this requirement. I’m even hearing some rumblings about this card in cEDH for decks that have Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh in the command zone.
Cloud’s Limit Break
I’m loving the new direction we’re seeing for white sweepers. We received Final Showdown and Split Up last year, and Cloud’s Limit Break is a little bit of each of those cards rolled into one. You won’t always need a board wipe, so you can always cast it for one of the cheaper modes if there’s a problem that needs to be dealt with, but I definitely don’t mind destroying all tapped creatures for six mana at instant speed. I’m looking forward to seeing continued experimentation in this design space.
Celes, Rune Knight
Celes is a great Mardu graveyard commander, providing card advantage, an easy way to get cards into your graveyard, and a payoff for returning creatures to the battlefield after you discard them. I think we’ll see her in higher power tables as an Underworld Breach deck, but she can also combo with persist creatures like Murderous Redcap to win the game. This card does a great job of showing Celes’s growth as a character and desire to rebuild the world from ruin in the second half of Final Fantasy VI.
Noctis, Prince of Lucis
I’ve never played Final Fantasy XV, so I’m not familiar with Noctis. As an artifact-centric commander, he certainly opens up a lot of different build paths from Equipment voltron to artifact combo. In particular, the unusual combo that he brings to the table with Mox Diamond and Aetherflux Reservoir to storm off and blast your opponents into oblivion. I’d miss having red and the tools it brings, but he still feels like an interesting option that might have legs in cEDH. Maybe I should play Final Fantasy XV.
Terra, Magical Adept // Esper Terra
Terra is my favorite character in Final Fantasy. While I think that Terra, Herald of Hope is an interesting commander, I think that this version is a much better representation of who Terra is and what she can do. For casual EDH, I’m excited to see her as a five-color commander that can do interesting things with enchantments. I think there might also be an option for a five-color turbo Ad Nauseam deck in cEDH featuring Food Chain lines and the other usual suspects for turbo win conditions.
Kefka, Court Mage // Kefka, Ruler of Ruin
Kefka is one of the most sadistic villains in any video game, so it’s hardly a surprise that he appears in such a spiteful form on a Magic card. Kefka’s ability to wear down your opponents while helping you keep a steady supply of new cards feels extremely relevant to the current midrange meta in cEDH, although I’m not sure that he will outperform Tymna the Weaver // Kraum, Ludevic’s Opus. His transformation seems very impressive for casual EDH as well, so I’m expecting to see him all over the place.
Vivi Ornitier
Vivi is an enticing commander for storm or spellslinger decks because he produces mana and pings your opponents whenever you cast a noncreature spell. He’s a powerful engine in the command zone, especially in conjunction with Curiosity effects. Vivi also combos with Quicksilver Elemental to create infinite mana and can even win the game if you have a way to cast infinite spells to ping down opponents. Aside from lacking a way to draw cards on his own, he’s basically the whole package.
Honorable Mention: The Crystals
I think that these cards are going to be very fun in casual EDH. Each of these legendary artifacts discounts spells of the relevant color, provides a useful passive ability, and has an activated ability that synergizes with its passive ability. I don’t think that these cards are auto-includes by any means, but you should definitely consider them if you’re playing a mono-color deck that greatly benefits from all of the text found on your color’s Crystal. These are some of my favorite card designs in this set.
Final Fantasy: Through the Ages Reprints
This reprint sheet offers a number of desirable reprints reskinned to offer a way to add more flavor to your Final Fantasy deck while still having access to these Commander staples. While the full list of reprints is incredible, I’m not sure that these will wind up being affordable and accessible for most players. I’m hoping that I’m wrong about this, because there are so many great cards here with original concept art and moments captured directly from the games themselves.
I definitely think that this set brings a lot of interesting cards to the game and I can tell that this was a labor of love from the folks at Wizards of the Coast who worked on the set. I’m sure that I missed some of the cards that you’re most excited about, but I hope that you found my list intriguing. If you’re not a fan of Universes Beyond, remember that you can dislike something quietly without spoiling it for other people. After all, Commander is a game that most people play to escape from stress and have a good time.
P.S. This set is as expensive as it is beautiful. Don’t feel pressured to buy a box at these prices. If you really want something, wait until prices stabilize and you can get it for a price that makes sense.
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