Prerelease events for Final Fantasy MTG are right around the corner, and there’s a lot to look forward to. This set is jam-packed with legendary bombs and other exciting rares to open.
In order to have the most success at your Prerelease, though, it’s important to know what strong commons and uncommons could most help the cause. After all, these cards will provide the bulk of your deck and can often guide you in a particular direction.
So today, we set off to discuss some of the more pushed commons and uncommons that you should be on the lookout for. If you don’t open a great set of rares, at least these cards may lead you on the path to victory.
Game Changing Chocobo
To start, we should talk about the elephant (or more accurately, bird) in the room. Final Fantasy MTG went all-out with the Chocobo theme, and in a couple cases, did not hold back on power level at all. Choco-Comet, for example, quickly received a lot of hype for its Limited potential.
It’s hard to go wrong with Choco-Comet at any stage in the game. Early on, Choco-Comet gives you a very relevant body to help you push damage. In many cases, you’ll want to cast Choco-Comet roughly for X=2 to kill an opposing two-drop and get a Bird token out of the deal in a classic two-for-one scenario.
What sets Choco-Comet apart, though, is the fact that it’s also a late game finisher. It’s unusual in recent years to see an effect like this that is both flexible and can target the opponent. This makes sense, since Rolling Thunder set a dangerous president for Limited effects like these ones.
While Choco-Comet doesn’t let you divide damage to kill multiple threats, the fact that you get a Creature out of the deal means it’s much more impactful during the first few turns. This negates one of the weaknesses of this style of card in modern-day Limited, which is that it can be inefficient as a straight removal spell. Choco-Comet looks tailored for a slower Sealed environment, too, making it perfect for Prerelease.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have Sazh’s Chocobo, a card that threatens a ton of damage out of the gates. Sazh’s Chocobo certainly suffers from the fact that it’s a poor topdeck, but when played turn one, it can completely take over games. It’s not often we see a one-drop that scales as the game progresses in this manner at uncommon.
Top Gold Uncommons
Moving on from the all-powerful Chocobo cards, it’s important to talk about the gold uncommons. These multicolor cards typically give you a good sense of what each archetype’s main theme is. Most of these uncommons are strong cards worth putting in your deck. However, a few are a cut above the rest.
Locke Cole is at the top of the group for a few reasons. First, there is absolutely no build-around restrictions here. Some of the uncommons require you to play lots of Sagas or noncreature spells to maximize them. Locke Cole is simply an incredible card on rate.
Second, the combination of Deathtouch and Lifelink on a three-mana Creature makes Locke Cole exceptionally difficult to race. If you’ve ever faced down Vampire Nighthawk, you know how frustrating it can be if you don’t have a removal spell lined up.
Lastly, Locke Cole smooths out your draws when you connect in combat. This further incentivizes your opponent to want to trade off or use premium removal to get rid of Locke Cole. All this power on a three-drop is incredible.
Further up on the curve, Cloud of Darkness is an elite midrange card. You do need ways to get permanent cards into your graveyard, but Golgari is well set up to maximize Cloud of Darkness in Final Fantasy MTG. The reward of getting a kill spell attached to a beefy flier is well worth it.
In a slower Prerelease setting, Gladiolus Amicitia is also worth mentioning. Its Landfall ability breaks a board stall wide open and makes flooding less of a concern. All that value stapled to a 6/6? Sign me up!
Elite Sagas
Another category of card to be on the lookout for are the Creature Sagas. Dubbed “Summons,” these Enchantment Creatures feature a wealth of abilities. They will eventually succumb to getting sacrificed after a certain number of turns. Luckily, some of these Sagas are extremely pushed as a result.
The best Sagas are those that give you a lot of value up front. Summon: Primal Garuda fits the bill perfectly. Right away, when this Saga enters, you get to kill an opposing Creature. Assuming your opponent has a tapped Creature in range, you get your money’s worth right away.
From there, you’re left with a 3/3 flier that buffs another one of your Creatures and gives it evasion for the next two turns. The tempo advantage this card provides is real, so long as you kill something with the first chapter. Throw in cards like Garnet, Princess of Alexandria or Clash of the Eikons that let you remove Lore Counters from your Sagas, and you’re in great shape.
Summon: Esper Ramuh gives off similar vibes, albeit in the right deck. As long as you have a decent number of noncreature spells, Summon: Esper Ramuh will come down, kill a Creature, then give you some value and help push damage over the next couple turns. Both Rakdos and Izzet do a good job supporting the noncreature spell theme with cards like Black Mage’s Rod and Shantotto, Tactician Magician in the mix.
Removal and How to Beat It
Last but certainly not least, we can’t forget about removal. Black and red get access to a couple potent kill spells that you should absolutely check for in your Prerelease pool. At common, Suplex is a great, flexible answer to most Creatures your opponent can play in the early game.
Sephiroth’s Intervention and Overkill are a bit more expensive, but kill pretty much any bomb your opponent could play. If you don’t have any busted haymakers yourself, it’s in your best interest to have ways to answer any on the other end of the table.
It should be noted, however, that there is a decent amount of token production in the set. Cards like Dragoon’s Wyvern and Mystidian Elder that give you multiple bodies at common line up well versus removal, as do cards that feature the Job Select mechanic, since they leave something else behind when the Creature token dies.
Final Fantasy MTG seems very synergy driven, so make sure to look for powerful card combinations as you build your deck. Best of luck to everyone in Prerelease, and may the odds be in your favor.
Stick with us here at mtgrocks.com: the best site for Magic: The Gathering coverage!