The uncommon cards in Final Fantasy have been seriously impressive. Diamond Weapon is an incredible payoff for Golgari mill decks, and The Gold Saucer looks like a strong way to ramp mana if you’re lucky. Despite all these reveals, the best uncommon in Magic’s Final Fantasy crossover may have just been revealed. It’s shocking that Rydia got an uncommon treatment instead of something rarer, but her card looks powerful enough to see even Modern play.
There is one catch with this particular spoiler: it’s not an official one. While this card looks very real to us, there is a chance that it’s a clever ruse. For that reason, it’s good to keep in mind that this card could technically be a fake. Thankfully, since the Final Fantasy spoiler season ends tomorrow, it won’t be long before we know whether this card is real or not.
Rydia, Summoner of Mist
Rydia, Summoner of Mist offers two abilities that both excel in Modern. Thanks to Fetch Lands, you’ll be able to Rummage a fair amount with Rydia, but her Summon ability is certainly the main attraction. You can Rummage Sagas into your graveyard and resurrect them by paying X for their mana value. Rydia already works as a self-contained engine, but the fact that she works particularly well with Magic’s best Saga catapults her to Modern consideration.
Rydia, Summoner of Mist is capable of resurrecting Urza’s Saga for zero mana. Capable of creating massive Constructs, Saga is a win condition, land, and a tutor all in one. Considering that, like all Sagas, Urza’s Saga will naturally depart to the graveyard after resolving its third chapter, you’ll have a lot of opportunities to resurrect it with Rydia, Summoner of Mist. You’ll even get to Rummage when you resurrect the Saga.
Adept Modern players may note that Wrenn and Six is already capable of playing a similar role. The card can pick up Urza’s Saga and other lands with relative ease. Fortunately for Gruul players who want to try both cards, there’s enough room. Rydia primarily plays as a value engine, and is much better at getting cards into the graveyard to get value with.
In comparison, Wrenn and Six can only create value with cards already in the graveyard. That said, it does have a very valuable -1 ability that deals with a lot of problem creatures like Ocelot Pride, Orcish Bowmasters, and Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer. In other words, the cards play a different enough role that they shouldn’t step on each other’s toes.
These two cards create a fantastic baseline for Jund Saga. Not only will Rydia be able to easily create value thanks to Fetch Lands, but filling the graveyard is beneficial for Nethergoyf and Tarmogoyf. The archetype has always been fringe playable, and could make another appearance thanks to Rydia, Summoner of Mist.
Exdeath, Void Warlock
Exdeath, Void Warlock was another Final Fantasy card leaked alongside Rydia, Summoner of Mist. Sadly, this card is somewhat difficult to evaluate, as its viability almost entirely depends on what it transforms into. Gaining three life in Golgari is valuable, and the transforming condition should be easy enough to satisfy in Standard using cards like Overlord of the Balemurk.
Allegedly, the backside of Exdeath (Neo-Exdeath), is just a creature that has power equal to the number of permanents in your graveyard. If this is true, this card is probably not great in constructed.
Beatsticks haven’t done too well in constructed lately – otherwise, we would be seeing a lot more of Souls of the Lost in Standard Golgari Roots decks. That card has an extra casting cost, but with multiple ways to cheat it into play, like Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler, that already see play in the archetype, that’s no excuse. Besides getting chump-blocked with ease, these cards die to commonly played removal in the format, like Go for the Throat.
While Exdeath probably isn’t going to see constructed play, Rydia Summoner of Mist looks fantastic. Wizards of the Coast mentioned creating cards in this set targeted at multiple different formats, and Rydia seriously seems to deliver on that promise.
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