Final Fantasy has had a major impact on nearly every format since its release. Cards like Vivi Ornitier and Astrologian’s Planisphere have shaped the Standard environment we know today and see play in older formats as well.
Outside of Standard, though, perhaps the competitive format most impacted by Final Fantasy is Duel Commander. From the main set, Cloud, Midgar Mercenary has emerged as a frontrunner in the format in a very short time. Other legends like Vivi and Tifa Lockhart are no slouches, either.
Furthermore, we’re even starting to see cards from beyond just the main set play an important role. One particular legend from the Revival Trance Precon just won a Magic Online Duel Commander Trial. This Commander has helped the Reanimator archetype have a bit of a resurgence, so if you enjoy getting huge bombs into play on the cheap, this shell could be right up your alley.
Reanimator Theme
As is typical with most Reanimator decks, the goal here is to cheat some of your enormous haymakers into play and ride them to victory. This is a strategy as old as time, but it has had its struggles in Duel Commander recently.
This is, in part, because of the contents of the banlist. Both Entomb and Reanimate are banned, which are two of the cards that lead to your most explosive draws. On top of that, with Vampiric Tutor and Imperial Seal on the banlist, assembling all the pieces necessary to set things up (a big creature, a discard outlet, and a reanimation spell) isn’t always easy.
The one positive here is that many of the best fatties are still legal. Unlike in traditional Commander, Grislebrand is here to stay. Add in Archon of Cruelty, Iona, Shield of Emeria, and some newer additions like Summon: Bahamut, and you’ve got plenty of creatures that can win games almost singlehandedly.
You also have access to a lot of reanimation effects, even with Reanimate gone. Animate Dead, Necromancy, and Corpse Dance all suffice, and there are lots of other options.
With this in mind, the idea behind running Celes, Rune Knight as the Commander of choice is that you’ll have access to an elite discard outlet every game. You’ll still find some other cheap discard options such as Currency Converter and Bitter Reunion in the decklist, but with Celes at the helm, you’re able to focus more attention on threats and ways to get them into play.
Unlike most “loot” effects, Celes always puts you ahead on cards. You have complete agency over how many cards you want to discard, which is a huge luxury to have. If you have a big creature in hand but are missing a way to get it into play, discarding your entire hand and drawing a fresh one is a perfectly fine play to make.
It’s also nice having access to three colors worth of cards. With a Mardu card in the Command Zone instead of a Rakdos one, you’re free to splash for Priest of Fell Rites and play bombs like Iona and Ashen Rider that you otherwise wouldn’t have access to. Celes more than pulls its weight.
Interaction
To bolster your objective of resolving a reanimation spell, you do want to play a handful of disruptive elements to clear a path. Your best cards in this department are your discard spells. Efficient ways to strip your opponent of their best resources and ensure the coast is clear, including Grief and Thoughtseize, are essential to the deck’s success.
Removal spells are critical, too. You need to stave off early pressure from aggressive Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury decks in order to buy yourself time to cast Celes and stabilize the board. In black, Collective Brutality and Bone Shards are among your best removal spells, since they also double as discard outlets.
In red, Flame Slash and Lightning Bolt do a good job picking off early plays from the opponent. Playing white then lets you play Swords to Plowshares and Oust, which can answer even the beefiest of creatures on the cheap. Toxic Deluge is a solid catchup mechanism in the event your opponent gets on board too quickly.
Midrange Battles
As much of a dedicated Reanimator decklist as this is, it should be noted that all of these removal spells do give you a chance to win a midrange battles. In some games, you’ll simply disrupt the opponents early, then follow up with Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, and Chaos Defiler which excel in fair fights.
Many of your big bodies are also castable in the late game. Dihada, Binder of Wills is capable of providing a burst of mana.
This means that you aren’t just cold to graveyard hate. There’s more play to this deck than you might expect.
Celes’s excellent performance goes to show just how diverse Duel Commander truly is. Final Fantasy had a massive impact on the format. Could Edge of Eternities follow a similar trajectory? We’ll just have to find out.
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