When you think of iconic elements from the Final Fantasy series, the humble Chocobo will always be near the top of the list. Nearly every game in the series has them, and they’re nearly always a highlight. Naturally, there are a lot of powerful Chocobo cards in the Final Fantasy Magic: The Gathering set, too. Traveling Chocobo, in particular, is exceptional. It’s not just the higher rarities that get to feel the Chocobo love, mind you. Down in Pauper, the two common Final Fantasy Chocobo Summons are tearing it up.
Both Summon: Choco/Mog and Summon: Fat Chocobo are cards that most players glossed over during previews. Turns out they’re both ideal fits for some of the best decks in the Pauper format. When everything’s a common, even minor utility and value over time can be enough to propel a card to greatness. While the last common Summon from the set, Summon: G.F. Ifrit, hasn’t found the same success yet, it likely won’t be long before that changes. Summons just play extremely well in Pauper, it seems.
Summon: Choco/Mog In Mono-White Aggro
Summon: Choco/Mog is by far the biggest surprise we’ll be discussing today. A 3/3 for three that provides an anthem effect for a few turns is pretty much the dictionary definition of underwhelming. It turns out, however, that it slots perfectly into Mono-White Aggro decks in Pauper. Over the last few weeks, it’s been a consistent four-of in many 5-0 Mono-White lists, including the one above from Ankylosaur.
This deck, also commonly known as White Weenie, is one of the cornerstones of the Pauper format. It plays a ton of cheap white creatures, Novice Inspector, Raffine’s Informant, etc., and aims to swarm the board early to overwhelm the opponent. Two of its best cards are Battle Screech and Prismatic Strands, which let you leverage your wide board to cast them for free via Flashback.
Summon: Choco/Mog makes a pretty solid curve-topper for the deck. Since you’re going wide, that anthem effect is going to have a serious impact every time it triggers. With Battle Screech tokens in play, you’re looking at four to eight damage in the air from just two cards. Each of your Inspectors will hit for double damage on the ground, too.
The card is pretty great alone, but it also plays very nicely with Mono-White’s self-bounce package. Kor Skyfisher has been a consistent staple in the deck from day one, letting you recycle your Inspectors and other enters-the-battlefield triggers while providing a great body in the air. Now, you can use it to return Summon: Choco/Mog to your hand before it sacrifices itself. This also allows you to get two anthem effects on the same turn, which can really help when turning the corner.
Summon: Fat Chocobo In Gruul Ramp
Of the two common Final Fantasy Chocobo Summons, Summon: Fat Chocobo is definitely the better card on paper. Five mana for a 4/4 and a 2/2 isn’t bad at all, especially when the 2/2 comes with a Landfall ability. Giving your whole board Trample for a few turns is great too, especially in decks that play chunkier creatures on average.
Gruul Ramp is the quintessential ‘chunky creatures’ deck in Pauper, and it’s also where Summon: Fat Chocobo is seeing success so far. While not as widespread as Summon: Choco/Mog just yet, it is seeing regular play in 5-0 lists. Frecuenza12’s above is just one example.
Gruul Ramp isn’t a deck that has any trouble getting to five mana regularly. Thanks to Utopia Sprawl, Wild Growth, and Arbor Elf, it can even get there as early as turn three. This makes Summon: Fat Chocobo a solid early play, giving you an immediate board presence that can both threaten damage and hold down the fort. A 4/4 is huge in Pauper, only really losing out to opposing Writhing Chrysalis and Tolarian Terrors.
The Trample element is very relevant in Gruul Ramp, too. Ram Through is one of the best cards in the deck, offering removal and direct damage on a single card if you have a big Trampler in play. Most of the deck’s creatures have Trample built in, but for the few that don’t, most notably Writhing Chrysalis and Eldrazi Repurposer, this ability is a big deal.
There are no fancy bounce-and-replay shenanigans here. Summon: Fat Chocobo is just a great creature for the cost, and one that gives Gruul Ramp a nice extra boost in the card quality department. It may only get two swings in twice itself, but by that point, the game should really be over anyway.
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