10 Final Fantasy Cards to Keep an Eye on Post Rotation

Standard rotation is coming. Starting with the prerelease of Edge of Eternities, sets from Dominaria United to March of the Machines: Aftermath leave the format, and with them, a range of preexisting options and staples that have solidified in recent years: Temporary Lockdown, Cut Down, Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Monastery Swiftspear, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, Pain Lands, and half of the Fast Lands are just a few examples.

With this blank space and the clear Metagame shifts it brings, it's natural that some previously irrelevant cards may gain more space in Standard, whether due to their individual power level, interaction with a specific mechanic, or simply because their deck becomes more viable without certain cards in the metagame.

In this series of articles, we've listed cards from each set remaining in Standard that deserve a second look for the next season, and today we're covering Final Fantasy cards.

Battle Menu

Battle Menu is one of the easiest cards to explain its potential for the next season among all those listed during this series of articles: it does a lot with a single slot—it destroys large creatures, slows down Aggro, protects threats from damage-based removal, and can even serve as a 2/2 with Flash on the opponent's turn to block and/or pressure their life the following turn.

Modal spells like Destroy Evil and Exorcise had their place last season, and Battle Menu seems like the kind of card that's never useless, but like a Red Mage, it also doesn't do anything as well as more dedicated cards.

Zodiark, Umbral God

Zodiark, Umbral God makes up for its limiting mana cost with a dozen abilities that would easily have made it a staple in the past: it's indestructible, clears half the board when it enters, and grows whenever a player sacrifices a creature—in essence, it's the embodiment of everything a midrange could want.

Another important point is that Zodiark interacts well with cards like Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER or Jenova, Ancient Calamity to generate significant value upon entry and can even transform Sephiroth with a single card, depending on the number of creatures on the board.

Esper Origins

Esper Origins started seeing play after the bans in Naya Yuna's lists and should remain there throughout the new season. Its use may expand to other archetypes due to its Flashback side, which offers a 4/4 for four mana that gains life, generates card advantage, and has other two-turn abilities that interact with Midrange decks that run green.

Emet-Selch, Unsundered

It's hard to imagine a Yawgmoth's Will with legs going unnoticed in Standard, and that's precisely what Emet-Selch, Unsundered offers.

Its greatest challenge in the format is being in the same slot as Preacher of the Schism in Dimir decks. Preacher has the advantage of trading with any creature in combat and offering card advantage or increased board pressure, while Emet-Selch guarantees a looting effect that, in the long run, will translate into card advantage.

This long-term advantage is what makes Emet-Selch a card with potential in the new season. Standard is currently slower, and the latest Edge of Eternities previews suggest this will still be the new pattern post-rotation, where attrition mirrors will likely be more common. A Yawgmoth's Will with legs for a reasonable cost has enormous potential to shine in Midrange mirrors, and even if one copy dies, it will serve as fodder for the next copy, ensuring that one of them eventually stays in play and generates tons of card advantage.

Jenova, Ancient Calamity

Some Golgari Midrange lists are already experimenting with Jenova, Ancient Calamity as a one-of, and for good reason: it punishes favorable trades and instant-speed removal if it's not dealt with first, as it will turn the dead creature into many extra draws.

If we consider any version of Golgari Midrange, there's a space where Jenova is relevant: in Demon lists, it enables Demon Wall without paying mana and boosts other creatures later. In more traditional variants, the number of creatures preceding it demands an immediate response, and spending a resource on Jenova instead or saving a removal for her can be very troublesome on Midrange mirrors.

Kefka, Court Mage

Like other cards in the list, Kefka, Court Mage is strong on its own with a repeated discard effect that can generate card advantage for its controller every turn. Its biggest limitation will be its mana cost and how viable the mana base and available cards will enable a Grixis deck, but the card's inherent qualities—even ignoring the possibility of transforming it late-game into drawing five or more cards if it's not blocked—are enough to consider a home for the Final Fantasy VI villain.

Lightning, Army of One

In the right deck, Lightning, Army of One is one of those cards that, when she enters, can win you the game. Currently, the missing piece to expand her potential is a card similar to Arena of Glory, with the closest being Summon: Brynhildr.

It's possible she'll face some challenges in the new season if there isn't a go-wide aggro or creature-based archetype that can protect her and/or let her attack right away, but Lightning also fits the mold of cards too strong to ignore, and which ability demands an immediate answer.

Serah Farron

Last time I checked, Standard has 353 legendary creatures, and a natural trend for Universes Beyond sets is to have more legendary cards because important characters from the series and crossover that Magic partners need to be represented on the cards, opening up more space for a deck with cards like Serah Farron in the format with each release.

The Regalia

Lumbering Worldwagon saw some play in some Midrange and Ramp lists, and despite costing one more mana, The Regalia offers a mechanically similar effect in a colorless card with a 4/4 body that has immediate impact and can even be crewed by a Llanowar Elves.

Ramp for any color isn't usually enough to transform any artifact into a card worthy of the Standard Metagame, but with a potentially slower scenario and coupled with a body that attacks and accelerates mana the same turn it enters, The Regalia could become a potential staple.

Starting Town

Between Fast Lands and Shock Lands, Starting Town is the perfect manafix for archetypes that use more than two colors in their lists and/or even for Aggro decks that need more consistent access to colors without losing speed.

Since only five of the ten Shock Lands will be in Edge of Eternities, a dozen archetypes will also need Starting Town to make up for the gaps left by the rotation, which removes the Pain Lands and all allied Fast Lands.

That's all for today!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!