The Hottest Cards in the Final Fantasy Commander Decks

Universes Beyond: Final Fantasy has four Commander decks: Counter Blitz, Limit Break, Revival Trance and Scions & Spellcraft. These decks contain a whopping 100 new Magic cards between them. In today’s article, we break down the hottest cards from those 100 to help you zone in on the best singles worth taking a look at.

If you’re wanting to upgrade one of the Precons – or get an idea of which Precon might be fun to play – you can find our Precon upgrade & review articles here:

• Counter Blitz
• Limit Break
• Revival Trance
• Scions & Spellcraft

Without further ado, let’s get into the best new cards from the Final Fantasy Commander precons.

FINAL FANTASY COMMANDER: WHITE

We all loved Final Showdown in OTJ, and getting another instant speed wipe for 6 mana feels like a treat, especially when it has all of these modes. Still, best when paired with Vigilance and a board ready to attack. 

Coin of Fate is really neat. You don’t end up losing one of the creatures for good, and you also become the monarch, giving you some extra card draw. A really nice one off effect best suited to artifact matters decks and decks with redundant effects.

Selfless Squire prevents damage to face, but if you’re in the business of chump blocking with tokens, then Gatta and Luzzu can turn those forgettable combat steps into a rip-roaring success. It just so happens that a soldier typal build is the perfect place for this tech.

For blue-white and red-white reanimator decks, General Leo Cristophe offers an additional option for bringing back smaller creatures. I like this one much more in UW flicker decks than anything else, as having a surprise bigger blocker can be a fun trick.  Either way, nice redundancy of effect.

Helitrooper is a surprisingly good buddy for Fervent Champion, low on the curve, for equipment decks. Helitrooper wears Sword of the Animist well to get you the early ramp you need to power out bigger threats.  I am actually quite high on this one. 

Lord Jyscal Guado triggers at the beginning of each end step which means you will be getting significantly more value from this two drop than you’d think. The condition to trigger Guado isn’t so hard in the type of decks that will benefit from generating clues.  Two very good creature types and flying make this one quite the hit. 

I don’t think Protection Magic is going to be the best option for every deck, but in decks that can proliferate counters this one is going to do a surprising amount of work.  It has a lot of synergy with creatures and effects that can move counters between permanents.

SOLDIER Military Program is kind of cracked. It’s trivial to control your commander when this triggers which means that you will be getting not only a token but also growing your team significantly. Should you take extra combats or have a token doubler in play, things will get out of hand very quickly.  This seems like one of the better cards in white.

Good King Mog XII last looked out, on a board of Moogles, 
lifelink tokens lay around about, populating not frugal,
Don’t be so quick to dismiss, the chapters in the middle,
Take advantage and copy your board, then you’ll solve this riddle. 

Yojimbo comes down to enact the removal mode of Wandering Emperor. After that he, makes it harder to be attacked and eventually, basically refunds you the cost that you paid for it. In the intervening time you also have a 5/5 vigilance which is a pretty impressive body.  If you can copy or otherwise duplicate this saga you’ll be controlling the board with no issue.

I actually really love that we are getting some decidedly playable graveyard hate. Summoner’s Sending is eminently playable and doesn’t really feel like you’re taking a deck slot away to answer a problem that more often than not needs answering in most Commander games.

Tataru Taru is a reasonable mana generator in mono-white which is still the color that struggles the most with getting those more explosive turns where mana can be leveraged for big plays. It’s only one treasure in each turn, but if players across the table are in decks the predominantly draw cards in other people’s terms this could net you a solid 3 mana per turn cycle.

Ultimate Magic: Holy is the latest in a long series of spells in white at or around three mana that will protect your board and sometimes something else whether that’s your life total or giving hexproof. I can see myself running this one in decks that don’t really have the ability to block consistently. It’s also another redundancy piece for decks running combos around cards like Arcbond, which is nice.

FINAL FANTASY COMMANDER: BLUE

So if you were to look at Blitzball Stadium on the face of things it does seem a little over costed for the draw effect.  However if you read that piece of rules text again and discover that the limit on cards you can draw is not just on how many creatures you hit with, but potentially more in a dedicated counters deck, that things start to look a bit better. Really, though, it’s the unblockable ability which turns this from “okay” to “wow, pretty neat”.

Blue Mage’s Cane isn’t the strongest within the precon it comes in, but when you slide it into a dedicated build around strategy, you’ll find this equipment is better than it looks and can lead to some real tempo swings.

O’aka, Traveling Merchant is exactly what Saga decks want: a low drop that can draw cards. It just so happens to do so by helping synergize with your strategy.  there’s nothing more to say here. This card is good. 

Observed Stasis is both a fog and a draw spell in one. Not only that, but it leaves a lingering annoying effect in play which can hose both commanders and value engines. This is probably the most exciting blue card in the set for me.

Rikku, Resourceful Guardian brings the Pain and whatever else she can steal. Unblockable is a great way to get past clogged up board stains and occasionally you can screw with a planeswalker or a saga under an opponent’s control to help you achieve your goals. Rikku  will fit right in on curve in many decks that care about counters. 

FINAL FANTASY COMMANDER: BLACK

I mentioned playable graveyard hate previously, and Espers to Magicite is another solid example. As long as there is a creature in a graveyard that you would like to copy, getting to exile everybody else’s graveyard at the same time is a wonderful upside.  Being an instant is what tips this card into being pretty nice.

Eye of Nidhogg is pretty fantastic for decks that like to sit back and control the board.  Sometimes it’s best to leave a threat in play and by turning it into a flyer with deathtouch, and forcing it to attack your opponent each combat…  well that makes for quite a good aura. It even has the magic text that will return it to your hand from the graveyard. 

Are you a fan of Fandaniel? Well if you have a Toshiro Umizawa deck the answer is probably yes. Think of this Elder wizard as the Marionette Master of the spell Slinger archetype.  While he does leave a way out for opponents not to lose life,  in truth, your instants and sorceries should be the things keeping creatures off the board to remove the illusion of choice.

Getting a cheeky menace creature as a semi-free bonus for attacking can often be enough to push damage through.  Interceptor seems like a perfect fit for many of the new school Mardu legendary decks. Milling this with Dihada and then bringing it back it seems pretty solid as a starting point, and as an Assassin lord, it gives some extra utility. 

I would be very tempted to let you take Interceptor and Shadow, Mysterious Assassin as partners I’ll be honest with you. As for Shadow itself, card draw is nice but the real draw here is the fact you can repeatedly drain each opponent of life whenever you trigger this ability. And  given you’re in the colors of reanimator, you can quite reliably sacrifice some pretty high mana value permanents. 

The thing I like quite a lot about Rejoin the Fight is that you can prune your graveyard to ensure that you’re getting back the three best creatures that you could possibly get back. Even if you’re not getting back three haymakers you’re still able to get three creatures for six mana total, on an effect that can’t really be interacted with with single target graveyard removal –  they need to nuke your graveyard before the spell resolves. 

FINAL FANTASY COMMANDER: RED

We already have plenty of effects that punish your opponent for activating abilities,  but getting one of those effects stapled to a creature that can grow pretty large and with evasion is pretty sweet. Human and Rebel are two great creature types also.

If you can stick Tavern Brawler and your commander you’re gonna get some quite sizable damage boosts, which makes Tavern Brawler a pretty fun card. The issue with that background though is that it’s entirely linked to your commander. Cait Sith, Fortune Teller gives you that effect in general to whatever creature you like and throws in a cheeky scry as well for your trouble.

Gogo! Mysterious Mime, I choose you! 
Mysterious Mime used transform.
Mysterious Mime used Shift Gear. Its speed and attack went way up!

Ahem. Gogo is a four mana red card that I’m very happy to play, especially in decks that revolve around big haymakers like Etali, Primal Storm. +2/+0 and haste is sweet when it’s on two creatures. 

I love a good wheel, and sadly these days they all seem to be optional for your opponents. That said, getting a flashback option that will slide comfortably into decks that want to keep wheeling and filling the yard is nice, and Snort will do that for you. It also keeps the life totals moving if people do decide to indulge. 

Wand of Wonder is a really fun card, but what if it was on a body, and let you cast creatures as well? Well, you’d get Strago and Relm. Strago and Relm seems like a sweet card for untapped decks like Samut, Voice of Dissent and for decks that can set up copying spells. Not sure I’d run it in the zone, but its good in the 99. 

Esper Valigarmanda is a strong saga for spellslinger decks, and for decks that have ways to spend excess mana (on artifacts or abilities. The upside of recasting a strong spell and dipping into the opponent’s yard is too good to pass up. I think this will overperform. 

I get to blow up lands and artifacts as well as creature? I’m in. Any deck that cares about impulse draw will windmill slam this wrath, as the foretell mode is just that good. Again, another one for Etali, Primal Storm if you have ways to keep Etali indestructible. What a heater.

Vincent, Vengeful Atoner can get in for damage easily, and he will grow surprisingly quickly. If you throw in some equipment of counter proliferation, you’ll be doing damage to each opponent in no time. This design combines the damage dealing of Kediss with a body that can get it done by itself. I love aggressive cards like this. 

Yuffie, Materia Hunter is a thieving skydiver in red. While she can’t gain control of an artifact creature she can come in with ninjutsu. She keeps the auto attach equipment ability and overall this is a pretty solid curve out in a red deck. Decks that care about creatures entering and leaving the battlefield will be able to leverage Yuffie well.

FINAL FANTASY COMMANDER: GREEN

What deck that plays big creatures doesn’t want Bugehagen, Wise Elder? It’s a manadork that adds mana of any colour, that even draws you cards. The only thing going against Bugenhagen is the fact he isn’t an Elf, I guess.

The most reliable way to get extra time at the table when you’re playing green– excluding fogs –  is to play effects that will give you extra life. When that lifegain is stapled to effects that give you extra cards, it’s even better. Six mana is pretty steep, but in a green deck, that’s not that hard to achieve. You also have to keep in mind they can’t mess with your board in response to this to deny you cards, as it counts the greatest power you controlled as the spell was cast. 

Helitrooper is good, but so is Professor Hojo. For all intents and purposes, he’s the green Puresteel Paladin. Sort of. Okay, it’s the closest green gets right now, and I think that’s a good thing. Hojo is gooooood. It can be used alongside equipment, sure, but also in decks that care about activating abilities to put counters on things, for example. 

Troemll, Seymour’s Butler gives you counters on your team, but where we’re all pumped is in the tap ability to Proliferate X times, which is kinda insane. In flicker decks and reanimator decks is where he’ll perform best, but then you have to ask – how do you break him?

Yuna’s Decision is a decision I would be happy to make for four mana. Two cards back to your hand for four is a little overcosted, but with the option to instead cheat a creature in under counter magic? Well, that’s kinda spicy. Gets even spicier with the top end that green decks get to indulge in. Think Praetors and Eldrazi. 

FINAL FANTASY COMMANDER: MULTICOLOR

Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed is a card I’ve Thought quite a bit about. if you check out my pre-con upgrade article, you should be able to get a general idea of the direction that you want to take the deck. Suffice to say I think this commander could be quite popular and also prove to have a decent amount of finishing power. It doesn’t matter what kind of things you’re really doing to make those triggers happen because at the end of the day they are helping you progress your game plan while draining the opponents of their life. 

Tifa, Martial Artist seems to be one of the strongest commanders from the precons. the thing you need to remember when you read her rules text as that you want just limited to the one extra combat the first time that you attack. If you can somehow hit all three opponents or you have double strike then you can generate up to six extra combats that turn. I mean, at that point it’s probably overkill because if you’re hitting someone with 7/7 double strikers they’re probably not living to tell the tale.

Still, I quite like what Tifa can offer as a Naya Commander. 

I don’t think Aerith, Last Ancient is actually a good card within the pre-con that she comes in. However, if you take her out of that precon and slot her into any number of Life gain decks – or even put her at the helm of a deck itself – she’s going to prove to be a reliable and Powerful engine piece. Hitting seven life gained that turn is going to actually be pretty trivial in the right deck.

It’s always exciting to see red white commanders exploring mostly unexplored territory. Casting creatures from the graveyard in red white is a really exciting prospect and Banon is going to be able to slot into quite a few existing graveyard decks in Boros – I know for sure that I’ll be testing him in my Hofri deck. It’s also just really cool that he can fuel himself with his second attack ability. 

I’m not usually one to get excited about an equipment deck in red green, but Barrett is actually a card that I’m pretty hot about. By giving you a 2/2 rebel token every time you have an equipment enter you’re never going to be short for bodies to go to war.  When you couple that with some auto equip goodness, a 4/4 reach for four mana is really good deal.

There are some truly degenerate things you can do with this thing in the command zone.  Emet-Selch is a dastardly creature because not only does he reduce the cost of Spells you cast from your graveyard,  he also just lets you cast spells from your yard whenever your opponents have lost life. While it does have a once per turn limiter,  that won’t stop you from getting insane value.

If it’s possible I’m probably even more hyped for Kefka, Dancing Mad. Being indestructible makes investing in a seven drop  feel a little bit more comfortable, and that’s needed because this thing is kill on sight. Casting spells for free from your opponent’s graveyards is one thing, but then having them lose life equal to the mana value when you do  cast them is pretty nutty. 

Locke can swing in pretty easily against all but tokens and mana dorks, and the latter aren’t going to be readily blocking all of the the time. Either way, you get an attack trigger, not a combat damage trigger, so even if you lose Locke it’s not the end of the world if you were just digging for some treasure. At such a low mana value getting to dip into your opponent spells as well is pretty nice. 

Now I don’t think Setzer is that powerful on his own, and really I can’t get too excited about a Rakdos pilot that spawns a pretty average vehicle. That said, I know many people are going to be very excited about the prospect of making tapped treasure tokens every time that they win coin flips. 

FINAL FANTASY COMMANDER: ARTIFACTS & LANDS

Just a couple more cards to go in this section, and Conformer Shuriken is the first one to look at. Tapdown effects are quite common, and indeed have been seen on common equipment like Greatsword of Tyr. What makes the Shuriken so good is the massive power boost you could feasibly get off of it. This has synergy in decks outside of equipment decks, especially ones where putting counters on things or tapping things draws you cards. 

The Warring Triad is a phenomenal mana rock, and I’m sure  it’ll be played in a great number of decks. It’s the perfect card to end this article on – one that is going to do a lot of work for you in decks that care about keywords, like Odric and Kathril, in decks that care about delirium and Tarmogoyfs (think Disa!),  and will also be a great option for late game or midrange decks that just want a nice incidental blocker. 

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So, we’ve now covered the hottest cards in the Final Fantasy Commander decks. Hopefully this article helps you with deciding what singles to pick up if you’re not grabbing a precon. Let us know what you’re going to pick up on our socials.