<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zidane, Tantalus Thief|fin|405" href="#" target="_blank">Zidane, Tantalus Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/katanacanata/profile" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canata Katana</a></em></p>
<p><em>Final Fantasy</em> is already released, but I've still got a lot of awesome cards to look at, so we're checking out one more today. Today's deck is gonna be built around <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zidane, Tantalus Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Zidane, Tantalus Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a commander that incentivizes us to steal creatures, but just for a little bit.</p>
<p>I absolutely love theft decks, especially in Pauper, because they tend to match the power level of your opponents' decks. Of course, right? Because you're playing with their creatures. This means that I can play this deck against non-Pauper decks, because even though those decks are built with stronger cards than mine, I can just snatch them, and boom, my deck is just as powerful.</p>
<p>So this is gonna be a lot of fun.</p>
<h2>What Does Zidane, Tantalus Thief Do?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zidane, Tantalus Thief"></div></div>
<p>While Zidane is shiny and new, what he's doing isn't particularly fresh. We've had cards that snatch creatures from opponents' boards for years. But Zidane really gives us something to build around, and offers a payoff in the form of Treasure tokens when we give our creatures back.</p>
<p>Though having a big scary creature for a turn is a pretty decent payoff on it's own.</p>
<p>In addition to this, Zidane nearly doubles the amount of theft cards we can run in our deck, just by having that effect on an ETB. How? Because of the color white, which lets us run blink spells. Essentially, we can turn <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloudshift" href="#" target="_blank">Cloudshift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> into a one-mana copy of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Act of Treason" href="#" target="_blank">Act of Treason</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>And for whatever reason, Zidane also grants lifelink to our stolen creatures, making it even better.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloudshift"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Act of Treason"></div></div>
<h2>Key Cards for Zidane</h2>
<h3>Blink Spells</h3>
<p>So of course, we're gonna run all the blink spells we can. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrollshift" href="#" target="_blank">Scrollshift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, awesome. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flicker of Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Flicker of Fate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, even better. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ephemerate" href="#" target="_blank">Ephemerate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, hell yeah!</p>
<p>There are more than enough great options in Pauper, from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Justiciar&#039;s Portal" href="#" target="_blank">Justiciar&#039;s Portal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Acrobatic Maneuver" href="#" target="_blank">Acrobatic Maneuver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slip On the Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Slip On the Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We should be able to blink Zidane constantly, and reap the rewards of his theft ability.</p>
<p>And the Treasure we get afterwards just fuels further robbery. Unfortunately, some of these spells, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Otherworldly Journey" href="#" target="_blank">Otherworldly Journey</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, only return Zidane at the end of the turn, skipping combat. But this doesn't make them totally useless, and you'll see why in a bit.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrollshift"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ephemerate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Slip On the Ring"></div></div>
<h3>Theft Spells</h3>
<p>First though, let's complete our arsenal of theft spells. Obviously, our supply of blink spells isn't infinite, so we have to dip into actual theft spells, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hijack" href="#" target="_blank">Hijack</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. But that's no big worry, because some of these spells are quite decent.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goatnap" href="#" target="_blank">Goatnap</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for instance, gives +3/+0 if what we're stealing is a Goat. Haha, ok, obviously not that one, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Traitorous Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Traitorous Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give trample to something huge. That'll be particularly funny when you hear your opponent muttering that they "could win this game if they only had trample."</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hijack"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goatnap"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Traitorous Blood"></div></div>
<p>Then there are just some generic ones, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrangle" href="#" target="_blank">Wrangle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Price of Loyalty" href="#" target="_blank">Price of Loyalty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloody Betrayal" href="#" target="_blank">Bloody Betrayal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, etc. Nothing special, but it's not the spells that need to be big and threatening; it's our opponents' cards. And we can usually count on that.</p>
<p>Yes, I did consider running some cards that give our opponents big creatures, but I doubt that'll be necessary</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wrangle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Price of Loyalty"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bloody Betrayal"></div></div>
<h3>Evasion</h3>
<p>Anyways, now that we've got some big creatures on our side of the board, sometimes with lifelink, what are we gonna do with them? Well, we're gonna attack with them, obviously. So let's get some evasion in here.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin War Drums" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin War Drums</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a personal favorite of mine. Trust me, the difference between one chump blocker and two is huge. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orcish Oriflamme" href="#" target="_blank">Orcish Oriflamme</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is also a decent anthem that'll give us a boost if all we're doing is trading hits with an opponent.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin War Drums"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orcish Oriflamme"></div></div>
<h3>Sacrifices</h3>
<p>But attacking isn't all we can do. I mean, you can't reduce a creature's worth to just their power and toughness. That'd be so dehumanizing. Don't forget their value as sacrifice fodder!</p>
<p>Yes, if we sacrifice the creature, we don't get Zidane's Treasure token, but it's absolutely worth it to steal a creature for three mana, swing for a ton of damage, and then rob our opponents of a huge creature while gaining some bonus for ourselves.</p>
<p>There's plenty of ways to do this. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashnod&#039;s Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Ashnod&#039;s Altar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, of course, although two mana isn't really that helpful post-combat. We'd rather use something that's useful any time, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angelic Purge" href="#" target="_blank">Angelic Purge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tavern Scoundrel" href="#" target="_blank">Tavern Scoundrel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark-Dweller Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Dark-Dweller Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are pretty handy as well, sitting around until we need them.</p>
<p>And of course, we can't forget <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fling" href="#" target="_blank">Fling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the iconic game ender.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angelic Purge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dark-Dweller Oracle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fling"></div></div>
<p>I ultimately decided to go fairly light on the sacrifice outlets, because constantly stealing your opponents creatures and then sacrificing them over and over again is a pretty nasty game plan. And hey, it means Zidane triggers more. But if you really wanted to, it wouldn't be difficult at all to make an extremely powerful, if toxic deck.</p>
<p>The rest of the deck is just some support for the main game plan. A bunch of ramp, and a ton of removal for the things we can't steal. Our whole plan is essentially just to snatch the biggest things on the board and win with that, so there doesn't need to be a whole lot else here. As long as we make sure that we've always got the mana and cards to carry out that game plan, we should be golden.</p>
<p>And just for extra safety, we'll throw in a few protection spells, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gods Willing" href="#" target="_blank">Gods Willing</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Apostle&#039;s Blessing" href="#" target="_blank">Apostle&#039;s Blessing</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to protect Zidane, because he is a five-mana commander and we really don't want to be recasting him too often.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gods Willing"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Apostle&#039;s Blessing"></div></div>
<p>Yeah, the blink spells could double as protection, but we'd rather use them on our turn, and not in response to a removal attempt.</p>
<h2>Zidane, Tantalus Thief Pauper Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Pauper Commander - Zidane, Tantalus Thief" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Zidane, Tantalus Thief
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 Abrade
*1 Acrobatic Maneuver
*1 Apostle&#039;s Blessing
*1 Big Score
*1 Cloudshift
*1 Crib Swap
*1 Demand Answers
*1 Ephemerate
*1 Flicker of Fate
*1 Fling
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Gods Willing
*1 Justiciar&#039;s Portal
*1 Otherworldly Journey
*1 Scrollshift
*1 Slip On the Ring
*1 Thraben Charm
*1 Thrill of Possibility
*1 Unexpected Windfall
*1 Your Temple Is Under Attack
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Boros Signet
*1 Commander&#039;s Sphere
*1 Decanter of Endless Water
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Whispersilk Cloak
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bitter Reunion
*1 Fanatical Devotion
*1 Goblin War Drums
*1 Journey to Nowhere
*1 Makeshift Munitions
*1 Oblivion Ring
*1 Orcish Oriflamme
*1 Shiny Impetus
*1 The Shattered States Era // Nameless Conqueror
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Act of Treason
*1 Angelic Purge
*1 Bloody Betrayal
*1 Coronation of Chaos
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Glimpse the Impossible
*1 Goatnap
*1 Hijack
*1 Involuntary Employment
*1 Mark of Mutiny
*1 Pack&#039;s Betrayal
*1 Price of Loyalty
*1 Settle Beyond Reality
*1 Shackles of Treachery
*1 Traitorous Blood
*1 Witch&#039;s Mark
*1 Wrangle
[/Sorceries]
[Creatures]
*1 Blood Aspirant
*1 Dark-Dweller Oracle
*1 Icewind Stalwart
*1 Pegasus Guardian // Rescue the Foal
*1 Tavern Scoundrel
*1 Vanguard Seraph
[/Creatures]
[Lands]
*1 Boros Garrison
*1 Command Tower
*1 Forgotten Cave
*17 Mountain
*17 Plains
*1 Secluded Steppe
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<p>Welp, that's the whole deck. To be honest, I'm surprised it never occurred to me to make a theft deck before. I don't really have a Pauper pod, so I often have to hurl my commons at a bunch of rares and mythics. But this way, I can just steal those shiny cards for myself. Awesome!</p>
<p>Just due to the nature of the strategy, this deck is pretty strong, and I'm quite happy with how it came out.</p>


Pauper Commander - Zidane, Tantalus Thief

Building an Edgar, Master Machinist Commander Deck

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloud, Planet&#039;s Champion" href="#" target="_blank">Cloud, Planet&#039;s Champion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artofmtg.com/artist/magali-villeneuve/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Magali Villeneuve</a></em></p>
<p>Hello, and welcome back to <em>Beyond the Multiverse</em>. I'm Owain, and I'm here with a long-awaited article (one of three, in fact), featuring two Commanders. First up is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloud, Planet&#039;s Champion" href="#" target="_blank">Cloud, Planet&#039;s Champion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> who's all about Equipment. I've done Equipment decks before, but I'm going to make him slightly different from the others. More on that in a moment.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloud, Planet&#039;s Champion"></div></div>
<p>On the other side, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who absolutely doesn't have obsessively romantic feelings for Cloud. Not at all. Nothing to see here. Anyway, with Sephi here, we're killing off creatures, with perhaps some minor graveyard shenanigans along the way.</p>
<p>However, there's just one small problem: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aerith Gainsborough" href="#" target="_blank">Aerith Gainsborough</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, our third wheel, is in the way. How do we <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eliminate the Competition" href="#" target="_blank">Eliminate the Competition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Harmonize|fic|308"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sephiroth&#039;s Intervention"></div></div>
<p>Ah, thank you, Sephiroth. With Aerith now excused to be on a forever date with Sephiroth's sword, we can be on our way. Are you ready to rumble?</p>
<h2>Cloud, Planet's Champion Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Going Universes Beyond-Cloud" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Cloud, Planet&#039;s Champion
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Bloodforged Battle-Axe
*1 Brotherhood Regalia
*1 Colossus Hammer
*1 Endless Atlas
*1 Excalibur, Sword of Eden
*1 Inspiring Statuary
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mask of Memory
*1 Mithril Coat
*1 Shadowspear
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Sword of Feast and Famine
*1 Sword of Hearth and Home
*1 Sword of Light and Shadow
*1 Sword of War and Peace
*1 Sword of the Animist
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 The Spear of Leonidas
*1 Ultima Weapon
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Armory Paladin
*1 Bastion Protector
*1 Beatrix, Loyal General
*1 Bureau Headmaster
*1 Cid, Freeflier Pilot
*1 Codsworth, Handy Helper
*1 Freya Crescent
*1 Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms
*1 Gimli of the Glittering Caves
*1 Item Shopkeep
*1 Lightning, Security Sergeant
*1 Puresteel Paladin
*1 Raubahn, Bull of Ala Mhigo
*1 Rosa, Resolute White Mage
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer
*1 Weapons Vendor
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Battlefield Improvisation
*1 Big Score
*1 Boros Charm
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Crush Contraband
*1 Inventory Management
*1 Judgment Bolt
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Unexpected Windfall
*1 Wear // Tear
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cathartic Reunion
*1 Cleansing Nova
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Overpowering Attack
*1 Secret Rendezvous
*1 Seize the Day
*1 Single Combat
*1 Unfinished Business
*1 Wake the Past
*1 What Must Be Done
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Forge Anew
*1 Sigarda&#039;s Aid
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Abstergo Entertainment
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Furycalm Snarl
*1 Inspiring Vantage
*8 Mountain
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Opal Palace
*1 Path of Ancestry
*8 Plains
*1 Rabanastre, Royal City
*1 Rugged Prairie
*1 Rustvale Bridge
*1 Sacred Peaks
*1 Sunbaked Canyon
*1 Sundown Pass
*1 Sunscorched Divide
*1 Temple of Triumph
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Rebel With A Cause</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Beatrix, Loyal General"></div></div>
<p>We begin with Cloud himself. Boros Equipment decks are nothing new in this series, as this is the third iteration. That said, I'm doing this list a tad differently this time, a small restriction that extends to the Sephiroth list as well: this deck was built with the <em>Final Fantasy Starter Kits</em> in mind. Now, that product isn't made for Commander, but it's a small starting point (Or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Starting Town" href="#" target="_blank">Starting Town</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as it were). While, at time of writing, we don't have the lists, the contents were leaked a while ago. With all the rares officially revealed before the lists, the stars aligned, and all of them are in here.</p>
<p>Since the last time, we gained access to some new stuff. Firstly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beatrix, Loyal General" href="#" target="_blank">Beatrix, Loyal General</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will let us dump our Equipment on one creature during combat. This, ideally, would be Cloud, since he'll have double strike and indestructible. Moreover, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms" href="#" target="_blank">Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> compliments her very well, seeing as we can slam any number of Equipment we find from his trigger. Thirdly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Item Shopkeep" href="#" target="_blank">Item Shopkeep</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will give an attacking equipped creature menace, making them harder to block.</p>
<p>Thanks to the set's bonus sheet, we now have access to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sram, Senior Edificer|fca|3" href="#" target="_blank">Sram, Senior Edificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (skinned as Firion, Swordmaster), letting us draw cards. Next, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cid, Freeflier Pilot" href="#" target="_blank">Cid, Freeflier Pilot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who recurs Equipment, and makes them cost less to cast again.</p>
<h2>Expanding the Armory</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Embercleave"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sunforger"></div></div>
<p>If you're looking for some in-universe cards too add, there's plenty to tap into. The rest of the Sword of X and Y cycle (as well as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Wealth and Power" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Wealth and Power</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) becomes available to us. Further, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Embercleave" href="#" target="_blank">Embercleave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is brutal to put onto Cloud, if you can reduce the cost low enough to cast it during combat. Thirdly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Reaver Cleaver" href="#" target="_blank">The Reaver Cleaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will surely give us lots of Treasure tokens to use if the equipped creature connects.</p>
<p>If you want to retool Cloud, and give him a more controlling slant, look no further than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sunforger" href="#" target="_blank">Sunforger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. There's a lot of amazing spells that meet the criteria within Cloud's colors (including a couple of Game Changers, if that's what you're into). As long as you keep reequipping Cloud with Sunforger, and having mana open, you'd be in a good position to respond to someone who might try and disrupt your board.</p>
<p>Next, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fighter Class" href="#" target="_blank">Fighter Class</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was made for this kind of deck (an aside: DnD cards aren't <em>Universes Beyond </em>cards, but they're also not in-universe, but they still count for this section). Secondly, a number of the Nahiri planeswalker variants work for the deck. I'd pick <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nahiri, the Lithomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Nahiri, the Lithomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> because of the utility she provides (be sure to add <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as well if you do).</p>
<h2>Play the Victory Tune</h2>
<p>Concluding this half of the article, and looking back, there was a noticeable difference between the past article and this one (besides the Starter Kit restriction): One had you focus on going wide, but Cloud wants you to put all of your eggs into one basket, Voltron-style. The <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kassandra, Eagle Bearer" href="#" target="_blank">Kassandra, Eagle Bearer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck from that article was more about going wide, using as many legendary Equipment as possible (and <em>Final Fantasy </em>has those in spades!).</p>
<p>That said, let's see about his opponent...</p>
<h2>Sephiroth, Planet's Heir Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Going Universes Beyond-Sephiroth" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Archfiend of Depravity
*1 Baleful Strix
*1 Gaius van Baelsar
*1 Merciless Executioner
*1 Morbid Opportunist
*1 Pitiless Plunderer
*1 Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER // Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Summon: Anima
*1 Ultimecia, Temporal Threat
*1 Xande, Dark Mage
*1 Zenos yae Galvus // Shinryu, Transcendent Rival
*1 Zodiark, Umbral God
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blight Grenade
*1 Bone Splinters
*1 Deadly Embrace
*1 Deep Analysis
*1 Exsanguinate
*1 Extract from Darkness
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Great Intelligence&#039;s Plan
*1 Languish
*1 Lórien Revealed
*1 Mutilate
*1 Night&#039;s Whisper
*1 Quantum Misalignment
*1 Reanimate
*1 Rite of Replication
*1 Toxic Deluge
*1 Windfall
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Brotherhood Regalia
*1 Endless Atlas
*1 Genesis Chamber
*1 Gilded Lotus
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Magitek Scythe
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mithril Coat
*1 Shadowspear
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 The Masamune
*1 Thought Vessel
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bastion of Remembrance
*1 Black Market
*1 Black Market Connections
*1 Phyrexian Reclamation
*1 Propaganda
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse
*1 Counterspell
*1 Cyber Conversion
*1 Deadly Dispute
*1 Dismember
*1 Flatline
*1 Orcish Medicine
*1 Overkill
*1 Sephiroth&#039;s Intervention
*1 V.A.T.S.
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Abstergo Entertainment
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Choked Estuary
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Command Tower
*1 Contaminated Aquifer
*1 Darkwater Catacombs
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Fetid Pools
*7 Island
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Path of Ancestry
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 River of Tears
*1 Shipwreck Marsh
*1 Sunken Hollow
*1 Sunken Ruins
*7 Swamp
*1 Tainted Isle
*1 Temple of Deceit
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Treno, Dark City
*1 Underground River
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>It's Time To Bring Despair to <em>Magic: The Gathering</em></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER"></div></div>
<p>WARNING: If you love your friends, do <em>not</em> use this deck. You'll lose them by game's end.</p>
<p>In case you haven't figured out why, this is a removal-themed deck. We're blowing up everyone and everything (and stabbing Aeriths along the way) because it helps make our commander bigger and more lethal. That said, all that removal helps clear the way for Sephiroth to get through and impale our opponents with that massively long sword.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blight Grenade" href="#" target="_blank">Blight Grenade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> takes out a creature, then gives everything else -3/-3, perhaps wiping out an army of tokens. Next, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archfiend of Depravity" href="#" target="_blank">Archfiend of Depravity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will ensure no one's board gets monstrously huge. However, for a real wipe, cast a kicked <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rite of Replication" href="#" target="_blank">Rite of Replication</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on our commander (even better if it's a token made from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quantum Misalignment" href="#" target="_blank">Quantum Misalignment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>). This will kill our commander, but they all enter, essentially wiping the board.</p>
<p>All this said, I do want to give a paragraph to one card in particular: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card is the lynchpin of the deck. You want to trigger him as much as you possibly can so you can flip him and get the emblem (Am I the only one who thinks the <em>Super Nova</em> ability is a flavor fail? Nothing like in the games to me). That said, you also want to keep him (and/or our commander) around long enough to make them threats. Fortunately, there's a few ways to do so, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orcish Medicine" href="#" target="_blank">Orcish Medicine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>Looking Beyond <em>Final Fantasy</em></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Not Dead After All"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deadeye Navigator"></div></div>
<p>Firstly, I'd retool the deck to be akin to those infamous Scam decks that terrorized Modern in recent years. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Undying Evil" href="#" target="_blank">Undying Evil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Not Dead After All" href="#" target="_blank">Not Dead After All</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would be great to keep Sephiroth from perishing while we wipe the board. On the other hand, both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Massacre Girl" href="#" target="_blank">Massacre Girl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Massacre Wurm" href="#" target="_blank">Massacre Wurm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> clear the board to make Sephiroth bigger (provided he didn't die in the aftermath).</p>
<p>Secondly, we also gain access to blue's blink effects, abusing our commander's ability to wipe the board, and perhaps soft-lock it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Displacer Kitten" href="#" target="_blank">Displacer Kitten</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadeye Navigator" href="#" target="_blank">Deadeye Navigator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> stand among the best of these, repeatedly blinking Sephiroth and making our opponents (perhaps) very salty. While not a blink spell, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drivnod, Carnage Dominus" href="#" target="_blank">Drivnod, Carnage Dominus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will double up on Sephiroth's death triggers, making him huge very quickly. It's an ability very akin to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Masamune" href="#" target="_blank">The Masamune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (aka, Aerith's best friend), which is in the deck's 99 already.</p>
<p>Lastly, while we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flatline" href="#" target="_blank">Flatline</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the deck, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sudden Spoiling" href="#" target="_blank">Sudden Spoiling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Polymorphist&#039;s Jest" href="#" target="_blank">Polymorphist&#039;s Jest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will also make opposing creatures much easier to kill. For an alternate win condition, look no further than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Revel in Riches" href="#" target="_blank">Revel in Riches</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It ramps us with all the creatures hitting the bin, and hitting the critical number of Treasure tokens with this deck should be a breeze.</p>
<h2>I Will Never Be a Memory</h2>
<p>In summary, this deck has to be about the most evil, diabolical deck I've come up with so far. It might be something you play once in a blue moon, then perhaps never again. Your friends won't let you bring it out again, I assure you. Then again, it does its job well.</p>
<p>In any case, both of these decks tackle the archetype in different ways. One with a more traditional approach, the other a more controlling style. That said, this is a non-budget path one could take with the Starter Kit. A budget one would drastically change both decks.</p>
<p>Hopefully you enjoyed my take on both of these commanders (and survived my mischief throughout the article. It really came out in force here. No disrespect to Aerith intended). Perhaps they might guide you in creating your own builds. Tune in next time as we dive into the second of the three long-awaited articles (It won't be like today's).</p>


boros commander

Pauper Commander - Zidane, Tantalus Thief

Building an Edgar, Master Machinist Commander Deck

Beyond the Multiverse-Cloud and Sephiroth