MTG Final Fantasy’s First Look has come and gone, and Wizards of the Coast has seriously delivered. On top of spoiling some mechanically awesome MTG cards, there are tons of flavorful references too. It seems both MTG fans and Final Fantasy fans have reason to be impressed today.
As suspected, despite only being a first look, Wizards has revealed cards for many of Final Fantasy’s iconic characters today. The set’s full spoiler season may still be a ways away, however, there’s nonetheless a lot to digest today.
Jumbo Cactuar
Anyone who knows Final Fantasy should be able to figure out what the title is alluding to. Jumbo Cactuar is here, and the flavor is absolutely perfect. Every MTG player wants to swing out and deal 10,000 damage to a player, and now you can. Admittedly, Junbo Cactuar will require some additional help, such as Haste or a Fling effect.
Sadly, while awesome, this card is not good, and that is totally ok. Seven mana for a massive body, even if it destroys whatever it touches, is not good in MTG anymore. The card does not provide any value on entry unless there are other enablers available, and the Cactuar does not have Trample. While it is very easy to break a card like this, the seven mana body makes it difficult.
Stiltzkin, Moogle Merchant
Moogles are officially a new MTG creature type! Stiltzkin offers an incredibly cheap donation effect that can draw cards. Donating permanents generally isn’t the best plan, but can be very powerful when built around. Stiltzkin is the cheapest donation effect we’ve ever seen, which means that the card will definitely see play somewhere.
Tonberry
Tonberry isn’t an exciting card, but, once again, the flavor is absolutely perfect. Known as a little creature that kind of follows you around for a bit, if a Tonberry actually hits you, you are guaranteed to die. This design represents that perfectly.
As an uncommon, Tonberry is rather interesting. The card isn’t super impressive in a larger competitive context, but it is a Standard legal uncommon card.
Cecil, Dark Knight
Unlike Tonberry, Cecil, Dark Knight looks very powerful. This might be the most impressive card released in the set. A one-mana 2/3 is already incredibly impressive – even without additional text. Damaging yourself is debatably a downside, but you are rewarded by a massive 4/4 Lifelinker once you drop under half life with this effect. For one mana, the value that Cecil provides is insane, and the flavor is spot-on. I would expect Cecil to appear in Standard and beyond.
Emet-Selch, Unsundered
Emet-Selch brings Yawgmoth’s Will, a card banned in Commander, to Standard legality. This, alone, is incredibly scary, but it does represent just how impactful this character is. Emet-Selch starts as a mediocre looter, but once you have 14 cards in your graveyard, he flips into a 6/6 Yawgmoth’s Will. If you manage to get this online, you will have a very difficult time losing the game.
It isn’t difficult to get 14 cards in your graveyard. Emet-Selch certainly helps, but tons of different mill cards are all over every MTG format. Whether you’re playing Cache Grab, Dredger’s Insight, or Malevolent Rumble, there are so many enablers to make this card work.
Emet-Selch will definitely see some experimentation. It’s tough to know just how viable a card like this will be since he does need to survive for a rotation of the table to transform, but if he does, the payoff is worth it.
Sazh’s Chocobo
Chocobos are among the most iconic characters in Final Fantasy. From how this particular card was discussed, it appears that more Chocobos will appear in the Final Fantasy crossover.
Sazh’s Chocobo is a rather simplistic card, but it can get out of control with the right setup. This card can get silly with lands that create multiple Landfall triggers like Evolving Wilds, Fetch Lands, or Fabled Passage. The card will likely function as a signpost uncommon in Limited and could see some Standard application if manabases are efficient enough. The card simply seems fine, though, and is unlikely to be the strongest Chocobo in the set.
Sin, Spira’s Punishment
Sin is a rather interesting payoff for decks that are graveyard-centric. Seven mana does put this card on the backfoot for competitive viability, but Sin can be a rather serious Commander or reanimator target. This card provides immediate value on entry, which does raise its potential massively.
Sin’s effect repeating whenever it randomly targets a land opens it up for combo shenanigans in decks like Amulet Titan, but I don’t believe that this card does its job efficiently enough to show up in Modern decks. Regardless, this is a very fun effect that can generate a ton of extra land drops and other permanent-based value. At worst, Sin, Spira’s Punishment should reanimate something useful, depending on what’s in your graveyard already.
If Atraxa, Grand Unifier gets banned from Standard, Sin could see some play. Until then, a very specific synergy, perhaps with Insidious Roots, is likely the only shot that Sin has to see play outside of Commander.
Garland, Knight of Cornelia
Garland was the first card revealed in the Final Fantasy set that highlights the double-sided nature of it. It’s a shame that such an iconic villain is only available as an uncommon, but there are a ton of characters from 16 different games that need to appear in this set.
Garland’s two-mana variant is the more impressive one. Surveiling on noncreature spells is something we already know is good thanks to Dragon’s Rage Channeler. Unfortunately, Garland’s transformation effect isn’t very applicable, but it is a great flavor win.
Sidequest: Catch a Fish
This final double-sided uncommon represents a smaller cycle of cards found in the set. Five different minigames from various Final Fantasy titles will appear in the main set. The flip side of the card offers the rewards associated with completing the minigame.
This card itself is fine, but nothing special. It essentially replaces itself and can then start buffing your board, but the cost of sacrificing an artifact for 3 mana is very steep. Adding a Sorcery clause onto it slows things down even more. Without the tap or mana clause, Cooking Campsite would be problematically powerful, but a lot of different elements seem to bog this card down too much.
This Isn’t Everything!
While almost every Final Fantasy card revealed in the First Look is included here, a few cards needed a bit more explanation. For example, we’re getting a new fusion of card types never seen before that have big implications on future MTG play. There’s also a Starter Deck product that unveils the first Sephiroth card we’ve seen, and a Bonus Sheet reprints old favorites with Final Fantasy concept art. Finally, some Commander details about the MTG Final Fantasy crossover were revealed yesterday. Stay tuned for more information about MTG’s biggest Universes Beyond crossover so far this year!
