cEDH: Final Fantasy Review

In this article, we'll talk about some powerful cards from Final Fantasy that might see play in cEDH.

We split them into two categories: the "generic" ones, and the ones you can use as a commander. So, without further ado, let's go!

By "generic", we mean "one of the 99 cards". Despite this name, many of these cards are quite specific, and are only great in their respective niche archetypes!

Travelling Chocobo

Starting this section with this card may seem a bit weird, but here we are, and there's a reason behind it: I've been playing Lumra, Bellow of the Woods a lot, and I'm anxious to see how Chocobo does in this strategy. At the moment, I believe it might be just a "win more" card, but it might as well also put this Bear so ahead in the match that it's worth the risk.

Besides Lumra, other Landfall strategies that show up occasionally, like Tatyova, Benthic Druid, could get a lot from this Bird.

Cloud, Midgar Mercenary

Cloud is also quite specific: he interacts with equipment. For instance, he will draw up to 4 cards with a simple Skullclamp, and can get you combo pieces, like Helm of the Host. He can do a lot in Stax decks with Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist or in other strategies, like with Koll, the Forgemaster.

However, we'll have to wait and see if he will actually revive these strategies.

Edgar, King of Figaro

Picture this: a Yusri, Fortune's Flame and this card in play. Do I need to say more? Well, probably.

We'll most likely use Edgar exclusively in coinflip Izzet decks, like Yusri himself or the familiar Krark, the Thumbless. An Omniscience effect, with five new cards, will certainly give you the win.

Zack Fair

Zack enters with a counter and offers you protection but doesn't force you to tap it for it, unlike Mother of Runes. To be honest, I still don't know exactly which deck could have space for him as one of its 99 cards, but maybe Tayam, Luminous Enigma could use him efficiently.

Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER

We've seen Aristocrat strategies in cEDH, most notably with Gev, Scaled Scorch. Sephiroth could show up in these lists, or even alongside a surprise commander we'll discuss soon.

Tataru Taru

Yeah, that's exactly right. This card is basically a second Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff, but a bit worse: it creates less Treasures, and they'll be tapped. The only real advantage seems to be its color, as this means we'll be able to use it in decks without black (and not losing life doesn't exactly count as an advantage).

Honorable Mentions

Here are a few cards that will probably not see play as commanders but might, just might, show up as one of the 99 cards in some decks. I'll be brief because they're a bit less relevant.

Garland, Knight of Cornelia: This is a second, more expensive copy of Dragon's Rage Channeler for decks desperate for this type of effect. I don't know which deck would want this, but there's probably at least one that does.

Shadow, Mysterious Assassin: Decks with Tymna, the Weaver may like this fella. This is a decent attacker that draws cards with his own effect. It is even better if you have a few Treasures lying around. It's like a worse Braids, Arisen Nightmare, but it has some value.

Noctis, Prince of Lucis

Noctis is in good colors and could be in various different combos that involve artifacts in the graveyard. One of them is Mox Diamond with Aetherflux Reservoir. As Mox can't enter play unless you discard a land, it will never get a finality counter. That's what makes the entire loop possible.

This commander seems promising: it can play combos, and create card advantage and recursion, all while it is in the command zone - three critical mechanics in cEDH.

Celes, Rune Knight

Celes is really similar to Gev, Scaled Scorch: her ability makes your creatures enter play with a +1/+1 counter if one of them entered or was cast from the graveyard. So, if she is in play when you put a creature with Persist into play, you'll basically cancel the -1/-1 effect out.

She seems even better than Gev because she also lets you filter your cards and draw even more, which is why she is more expensive as well. If Gev saw play, there's no reason Celes shouldn't!

Vivi Ornitier

This is the commander WotC forgot to test. It's an Izzet Nadu, Winged Wisdom. Everything in it seems broken. The counters stack, so you'll just create even more mana with it as time goes on. And, as you don't need to tap it, you can use it on the same turn you put it in play.

Furthermore, it interacts with any non-creature spell, which should be illegal - that's how powerful it is. Seriously: if Vivi doesn't show up in at least one event until the end of the year, I'll eat an MTG card and post it on the internet. That's a promise.

Oh, and, of course, this card is also absurd with Curiosity and similar.

Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed

Compared to Vivi, Y'shtola seems even simple. It costs more, doesn't create mana, and its ability is harder to activate. But that doesn't mean it's bad.

Though it also works with Curiosity, Y'shtola doesn't need it to create value. You'll draw cards with it whenever any player loses enough life - including you. As it is in better colors than Vivi and needs less support, she has better odds of finding success in cEDH.

Final Fantasy is a surprisingly strong set in Magic: The Gathering standards, and many cards in it, despite quite niche, have real potential for powerful formats and even cEDH.

From the obvious combos with Noctis, Prince of Lucis, the absurd Vivi Ornitier interactions, and even support cards like Traveling Chocobo and Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, we have enough reasons to pay attention to this set.

It is still too early to tell which of these cards will become key figures in competitive tournaments, but one thing is certain: this crossover wasn't just fanservice. It could really impact many MTG tables.

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!