Most Final Fantasy fans have probably heard about the upcoming FF-themed set coming to Magic the Gathering on June 12th. One of the biggest products of the collaboration is a collection of four pre-constructed decks for MTG’s popular “Commander” format. Each deck will focus on a different game in the long-running JRPG series including FFVI, FFVII, FFX and FFX. This guide will help give a quick explanation of what Commander is, and what to expect from each deck to help you pick the right one—assuming you don’t grab all of them, that is.
Commander is a spin on the standard Magic ruleset that is generally played with 3-5 players. It is great for those in a group who want everybody to be involved in a game instead of pairing off to play standard matches. The decks for Commander are also different, requiring exactly 100 cards with no duplicates (other than lands) as opposed to MTG’s standard ruleset which requires at least 60. The other interesting thing is that each Commander deck has a special card called a, you guessed it, Commander who the deck is built around to take advantage of their abilities. The nice thing about the FF pre-constructed Commander decks, is that these are ready to play so you and a couple friends can each pick one up for your next game night. But which one should you choose?
Before we dive into the decks, it’s important to be aware of the basics of Magic the Gathering. Each card has either one or a combination of five colors. These are blue, green, red, white and black.
Now that you know the basics of each color, let’s look at each deck!
Terra is the Commander for FFVI deck, which will be running red, black and white. Her abilities seem to mostly involve her red and black nature by allowing you to sacrifice cards to give her flying allowing her to directly attack your opponent or remove cards. This will be a good deck for those who want to play aggressively and have unique tricks to mess with your opponent, or if you love FFVI.
Cloud is going to be in a deck with red, green and white. To replicate the experience of equipping materia to your party in the original PSX game, Cloud is able to add equipment when he is played. He also allows you to draw a card for every creature you have that has something equipped that is attacking when he attacks. Cloud’s will be a great deck for those who want to power up their creatures while also having multiple strategies to choose from by consistently drawing cards. Also a good choice for those who love FFVII.
Tidus is a green, white and blue card with abilities that simulate the Sphere Grid by allowing you to place a counter on a creature you control. Then, he can use his ability “Cheer,” which allows you to draw and card and add a counter to another creature when a creature with a counter attacks. This is a great deck for those who want to build up resources by drawing cards which can then be used for counterspells. It’s also a good choice if you love FFX.
Finally, Y’shtola is a white, blue and of course black for the black mage. She is arguably the most powerful Commander of the four with two strong abilities. The first allows you to draw a card at the end of your turn if either player lost four or more life in that turn, allowing you to draw a potential counterspell for your opponent’s upcoming turn. Even more impressive is her second ability which deals two damage to your opponent while healing two damage from you everytime you play a card with a cost of three or greater. Y’shtola is a great option for those who want to chip away at their enemies health and be rewarded for it, or if you love FFXIV.
Magic The Gathering can be a little intimidating for new players, so if you’re just coming to it as a Final Fantasy fan, you’re likely to be a bit overwhelmed at first. Hopefully this guide will help you pick out the right deck so you can get a FF-themed taste of the long-running TCG.
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