While there are certainly plenty of interesting cards in it for constructed formats, Final Fantasy looks set to make the most impact on Commander. There are simply a ton of splashy effects in here that cost a little too much for Standard. There’s also a ton of new legendary creatures, which means a ton of new potential decks to be built. While he didn’t make our best Final Fantasy Commander list, Cloud, Midgar Mercenary has got a lot of players talking as a new option out of the command zone.
Cloud combines a low cost and two powerful effects, making him one of the most attractive Equipment Commanders we’ve seen in some time. It helps that he’s one of the most iconic, beloved video game characters of all time, too. Whatever your motivation for building a Cloud deck, the following guide should help you put a solid skeleton together. After that, all that’s left to do is make it your own.
Cloud, Midgar Mercenary In Commander
- Mana Value: WW
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Type: Legendary Creature – Human Soldier Mercenary
- Stats: 2/1
- Card Text: When Cloud enters, search your library for an Equipment card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
As long as Cloud is equipped, if an ability of Cloud or an Equipment attached to it triggers, that ability triggers an additional time.
While Cloud’s first ability is extremely open-ended, he’s actually quite a linear Commander all things considered. You want to be running a good amount of Equipment, ideally pieces that come with or grant triggered abilities. Since Cloud works best with multiple pieces of Equipment stacked on him, a Voltron strategy is the natural way to go here. Voltron, for the uninitiated, is a strategy all about stacking a single creature up with buffs and attacking with it for the win. This strategy is even better if that creature is your Commander, since you only need to land 21 Commander Damage to knock a player out.
With all of that in mind, we immediately have a solid foundation for building Cloud, Midgar Mercenary as a Commander. This is the lens we’ll be looking at Cloud through for this guide, though other strategies are technically viable as well if you want to experiment. A go-wide Artifact Aggro list utilizing creature Equipment with Living Weapon, For Mirrodin or Job Select could be worth a try, for example. Cloud really is perfect for Voltron, however, so that’s how we’ll be building him today.
Equipment For Every Occasion
No matter how you choose to build your Cloud, Midgar Mercenary Commander deck, a solid suite of Equipment is a must. You need targets for Cloud’s enters effect, as well as cards to abuse his trigger-doubling.
Most Voltron decks prioritize stats and protection above all else. They pile up power on a single creature, then swing in for devastating damage. You can definitely pursue this route with Cloud, running Equipment like Mithril Coat and Kaldra Compleat. With a few buffs and some protection, Cloud can easily knock players out via Commander damage.
The fact that Cloud serves as an Equipment tutor, however, lets you get a bit more creative. In addition to running standard buff Equipment, you can also include utility pieces that can help you out in different situations. Low on cards? Search up Skullclamp. Behind on mana? Grab Sword of the Animist. Facing down one of those pesky graveyard decks? Search up Lion Sash and get exiling.
There are plenty of other options too. Shadowspear can break through your opponents’ protection, and Umezawa’s Jitte can serve as both removal and life gain. Lost Jitte is a great pick too, as are pretty much all of the ‘Sword of X and Y’ cards. Fire and Ice, in particular, will serve you well in a wide range of situations. Make sure you include a good mix of utility Equipment like this in your Cloud deck, so you can grab what you need when you need it.
Getting Geared Up
Now that you’ve got an Equipment suite sorted, the next step is to add some ‘smoothers’ that make it easier to use. Equipment in Magic: The Gathering is notoriously clunky, since you need to pay both the cast and equip costs of each piece. Thankfully, there are a number of ways around this issue.
You may recognize some of these cards from Modern Hammer Time decks. Sigarda’s Aid is the best of the bunch here, letting the Equipment you tutor up with Cloud attach for free on entry, and even during your opponents’ turns for some sneaky tricks. Puresteel Paladin is similarly fantastic, giving you free equips permanently as long as you have three artifacts around. Between the usual mana rocks and all the Equipment you’re playing, this condition is trivial to fulfill.
Forge Anew is a pricier, less powerful option, but it still lets you skip equip costs, so it’s a great add regardless. It also brings an Equipment back from your graveyard, which adds some much-needed resilience.
There are plenty of other options in this category too. Codsworth, Handy Helper gives you a free equip each turn alongside ramp and protection. Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist can stack all of your Equipment on Cloud if you have to recast him. Brass Squire is another good option, albeit a less exciting one than the others we’ve covered here.
Cards like these are essential to make your Cloud, Midgar Mercenary Commander deck competitive. Without them, you’ll spend so much time paying for equip costs that your opponents will run away with the game. You’ll want to run enough of these that you draw them consistently, but not so many that they overpower your actual Equipment cards. It may take a bit of playtesting to nail the balance here.
He Protec, He Attac
With your Equipment and Equipment support pieces in place, your Cloud, Midgar Mercenary Commander deck is pretty much good to go. Cloud is a very simple Commander that wants you to play Equipment and swing in with it, and these two packages of cards let you do that. Before you call it a day, however, it’s worth adding in some protection for your core strategy and some interaction for your opponents.
These are two elements that Commander players often neglect, since they’re not nearly as exciting as just developing your plan further. Without protection, you’ll find yourself losing to individual removal spells, as well as powerful board wipes. This deck very much revolves around Cloud, so you’ll want to keep him in play as much as possible.
You can partially achieve this through your Equipment suite. Pieces like Darksteel Plate and Commander’s Plate are fantastic protection, and should keep Cloud alive in a lot of cases. You’ll want some additional ’emergency button’ options for tight spots, however, cards like Flare of Fortitude and Akroma’s Will. You can even throw in a Teferi’s Protection, if you feel like splashing out and protecting your Equipment as well.
In terms of interaction, white has no shortage of good options. Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, and Generous Gift are all mega-staple removal pieces. You can also run the white ‘counterspells,’ Rebuff the Wicked and Reprieve, to catch your opponents off-guard.
With a solid interaction suite like this, you’ll be able to execute your Voltron strategy much more consistently. You’ll also find that some of these cards, like Akroma’s Will, double up as ways to push through for the win.
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