Metagame: 5 Final Fantasy Cards that Stood Out on Challenges

The first week of Final Fantasy in competitive formats is over, and testing around the new cards have already shown results that differentiate the pieces that were victims of community hype from those that over-delivered or solidified themselves as inherently strong cards for competitive Magic.

From Astrologian’s Planisphere as a potential staple to Joshua, Phoenix’s Dominant and Cecil, Dark Knight appearing in multiple formats, we have the first look at the cards that stood out the most in this weekend’s tournaments, and in this article, we present five Final Fantasy cards to keep an eye on in the upcoming events.

Please note that this article is not intended as financial advice on which cards to buy ahead of Pro Tour Final Fantasy, but rather as an analysis of how they stood out in this weekend’s tournaments and their potential to impact competitive Magic.

Astrologian’s Planisphere was Final Fantasy’s first breakout card, spiking over 600% in over a week after the set was released on digital platforms.

Available in Standard, Modern, and Legacy, the card turned out to be more efficient than expected and already has a home in almost every Tempo list in competitive formats, or even in combos like Emry, Lurker of the Loch in Modern — all for just two mana.

Another reason players are keeping an eye on Planisphere is the June 30th banned list: it’s unlikely that Wizards will ban the card from its latest set—especially one that’s a collaboration with a big-name franchise—but Izzet Prowess is clearly on the radar, with a good chance of Cori-Steel Cutter getting the hammer because, with so many tools, the deck has become too efficient.

The last test for Prowess decks to avoid bans is Pro Tour: Final Fantasy, which takes place next weekend. If its representation and win rates continue at their current levels, it’s very likely that this will be the archetype’s last moment of glory—and without Cori-Steel Cutter, Astrologian’s Planisphere is the next staple that puts all the tools together.

To be honest, Cecil, Dark Knight has been the Final Fantasy card I've tested the most in different decks so far, mainly because I am a huge Death's Shadow fan. Fortunately, I'm not the only one, and the consensus on it seems similar to what I've found: if you rework the Midrange mana curve and pair it with Dark Confidant, you have one of the most efficient one-mana threats in the format today, which is a lot like the aforementioned Death's Shadow or Tarmogoyf in terms of effectiveness.

Cecil tests the waters of whether these cards would be good enough against the two-for-one stacks we have today, and archetypes like Mono Black Midrange and Golgari Midrange, both of which run the knight with Dark Confidant to replicate the core of old Modern Jund decks, are starting to emerge as two-ofs in Dimir Midrange, which don't run Confidant but instead have a solid creature shell alongside Enduring Curiosity.

In other formats, the new black one-drop has revived the old Esper Legends, now in Pioneer, where it has also joined Mox Amber and Tinybones, the Pickpocket to enable a new version of Mono Black Aggro that has seen some success in Leagues. Cecil has also found a home in Legacy in some Dimir Tempo lists with Basim Ibn Ishaq.

Contrary to popular belief, Cecil is good against Red Aggro: except for the small response window where Lightning Strike resolves it at the time of the Trigger and/or if the opponent plays a Witchstalker Frenzy in the turn cycle in which it transforms, it is not difficult to have a 4/4 with Lifelink from the third turn onwards, and the damage caused by the opponent's threats is mitigated by it while we increase the pressure on the board and/or respond with removals.

Joshua, Phoenix's Dominant has shown up in some form in every competitive format. In Standard, it was mainly present in Monument to Endurance lists and made a few appearances in Jeskai Oculus variants, while it became one of the best allies of Greasefang, Okiba Boss in Pioneer.

Boros Energy lists have also tested Joshua, with some positive results—this was the second most-played deck with him this weekend—in Modern, while some Domain Zoo variants have used the card, but without significant results in Challenges. Joshua offers these decks the potential to come back into lost games while filtering their hand, despite the challenge of keeping him in play for a three-turn cycle until he can reanimate creatures from your graveyard — an especially lethal combination with the trio of Guide of Souls, Ocelot Pride and Ajani, Nacatl Pariah.

In Legacy, this same combination also guaranteed some slots for Joshua in the format, despite being less present and without results in Challenges. The point is that Joshua has proven his value and potential in several different scenarios, and should see some moderate play in the coming weeks.

Vivi Ornitier has already proven his potential in Standard and is, little by little, showing up in other formats. Many lists are divided in the rotating format between Vivi, Planisphere or Drake Hatcher, while Pioneer's Lotus Field Combo has run copies of it consistently and is currently the archetype tied with Standard's Izzet Prowess with the most Vivi in ​​its maindeck.

Modern has found ways to pair him with Emry, Lurker of the Loch and Flame of Anor in what was once the Izzet Breach. There have also been content creators running Vivi with Agatha’s Soul Cauldron and Geralf, the Fleshwright for an infinite loop, and a dozen other possibilities could emerge with the best Black Mage of all during the Pro Tour — even if it doesn’t happen, Vivi is potentially one of the beneficiaries of the end-of-month bans.

Yuna, Hope of Spira had a busy week: the hype around her has been building since Early Access due to her combination with Overlords and Summon: Knights of Round / Summon: Bahamut, but decks specifically dedicated to her have faced many barriers to reach the Top 8 of Challenges and have only made results in Leagues.

Her biggest highlight has been as an additional support for Domain Overlords, where she offers recursion and evasion/protection for her creatures. Perhaps some more creative player will find the right home for Yuna in competitive Standard, or she will eventually end up in the trade binders until rotation, where she will possibly replace Zur, Eternal Schemer.

That's all for today!

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

Thanks for reading!