<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER" href="#" target="_blank">Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/justynadura">Justyna Dura</a></em></p>
<p>For such a prevalent archetype in fiction, Rebels don't feature often in <em>Magic.</em></p>
<p>Across decades of releases, there are specific bursts of rebellion cropping up across sets. <em>Mercadian Masques,</em> <em>All Will Be One,</em> <em>Final Fantasy,</em> and <em>Avatar: The Last Airbender</em> all incorporate good swaths of Rebels. But across the majority of sets, Rebels feature rarely if at all.</p>
<p>Which makes sense, doesn't it? Rebels are clandestine by nature, operating in cells to avoid notice, so it's quite thematic for them to avoid the spotlight and only arrive in force and en masse when the time is right.</p>
<p>Though that certainly isn't the only way to play them.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ace, Fearless Rebel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Barret, Avalanche Leader"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jet, Rebel Leader"></div></div>
<h2>What Is Playing "Out Of Type?"</h2>
<p>In a sense, playing Out Of Type is rebelling against the established meta.</p>
<p>There are many different ways to construct a deck, and the ways to pilot them are nearly endless. While, yes, there are well-trodden paths and certain staple cards will see more play than others, they aren't requirements.</p>
<p>At higher brackets? Most definitely.</p>
<p>But if you're playing for fun with other players who want to have a good time, sticking to lower brackets where experimentation is welcome? That's exactly where you can "suboptimal" strategies.</p>
<p>And that's exactly where you can play Out of Type.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trenching Steed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aven Riftwatcher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Duke, Rebel Sentry"></div></div>
<h2>What Rebels Do Well</h2>
<p>The strengths of each group of Rebels relies entirely on the circumstances they're rebelling against. As a result, each set that features Rebels not only ascribes them a primary mechanic, they also swap around which color the Rebels are. As a result, Rebels as a creature type are extremely disorganized, only loosely tied together by their shared cause of pushing back against the establishment.</p>
<p>Which is a narrative win, if nothing else.</p>
<h3>Tutoring</h3>
<p>When they were introduced in <em>Mercadian Masques,</em> Rebels acted as a white-aligned creature type specializing in recruiting cheaper Rebels once played. This meant that Rebels relied heavily on maintaining tempo, which white facilitated via its many forms of protection. Once you had a mid-sized Rebel down, you could rapidly tutor and deploy many more creatures to the field.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Defiant Vanguard"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Amrou Scout"></div></div>
<p>Interestingly, this same mechanic featured in the black-aligned Mercenaries creature type.</p>
<p>Seen as "evil" Rebels, Mercenaries functionally acted identical just on a different part of the color pie, though Mercenaries are considered outlaws while Rebels aren't, giving them a slightly more rounded-out support pool due to <em>Outlaws of Thunder Junction.</em></p>
<p>Over time, Mercenaries have become much less tied to their origins as "evil rebels" and are now flavorfully neutral. They've even expanded into other colors!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cateran Enforcer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cateran Slaver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cateran Kidnappers"></div></div>
<h3>Equipment</h3>
<p>Pushing back against the Phyrexians in <em>All Will Be One,</em> modern Rebels fight simply to survive. Without the luxury of tutoring, they rely on desperation and Equipment to deal with the Phyrexian invasion, particularly to the cry of "For Mirrodin!"</p>
<p>Rebels feature primarily in this set as 2/2 red creature tokens, spawned by the for Mirrodin! keyword upon playing certain Equipment. This automatically attaches the Equipment to the Rebel, who can then take on even more Equipment to be as powerful as you'd like them to be.</p>
<p>Something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Barbed Batterfist" href="#" target="_blank">Barbed Batterfist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a very straightforward numerical value change, while a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bladehold War-Whip" href="#" target="_blank">Bladehold War-Whip</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> actually allows for interesting synergies and strategies. Artifact affinity or a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragonspark Reactor" href="#" target="_blank">Dragonspark Reactor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> aside, the value of Equipment automatically coming into play with a 2/2 shouldn't be overlooked. Then the nontoken Rebels printed in the set all had some benefit to either the token spam or Equipment they deploy alongside!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rhuk, Hexgold Nabber"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Leonin Lightbringer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oxidda Finisher"></div></div>
<h3>More Artifacts</h3>
<p>Somewhat coincidentally, the <em>Final Fantasy</em> set also included red-aligned, Equipment-oriented Rebels. What are the odds?</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rinoa Heartilly" href="#" target="_blank">Rinoa Heartilly</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as the exception.</p>
<p>At least with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Barret, Avalanche Leader" href="#" target="_blank">Barret, Avalanche Leader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you can even get a generalized, slightly worse version of for Mirrodin! It doesn't automatically attach the Equipment, but his second ability compensates for that in an alternative way. It's actually more flexible than for Mirrodin! as it allows you to swap your Equipment around your Rebels instead of just giving each new one an empty vessel, though the themes of "a collection of small creatures supported by artifacts" continues with this set.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Barret Wallace"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Banon, the Returners&#039; Leader"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avalanche of Sector 7"></div></div>
<h3>+1/+1 Counters</h3>
<p>Of the most recent Rebels at the time of writing, there are two groups within <em>Avatar: The Last Airbender.</em> You have Jet's Freedom Fighters as well as Jeong Jeong's deserters. They keep up the trend of being primarily red-aligned, though the Freedom Fighters lean closer to Boros <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-rw" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> with how many white creatures they have.</p>
<p>The Freedom Fighters mostly revolve around +1/+1 counters and creature spam, strengthened in numbers.</p>
<p>Something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Freedom Fighter Recruit" href="#" target="_blank">Freedom Fighter Recruit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> strengthens off of your board state, which when combined with token spam is never a bad thing. This also builds off of a combination of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wartime Protestors" href="#" target="_blank">Wartime Protestors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treetop Freedom Fighters" href="#" target="_blank">Treetop Freedom Fighters</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to get a group of mid-range creatures. Then you can add <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pipsqueak, Rebel Strongarm" href="#" target="_blank">Pipsqueak, Rebel Strongarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for yet another mid-range creature if you'd like.</p>
<p>They synergize off one another in a very safe way, just creating weak creatures and giving minor buffs. It actually feels quite green-aligned, just a bit slower. It does have some more interesting synergies with some of the named Freedom Fighters, allowing for a more robust game plan, but most of them follow the same strategy.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Longshot, Rebel Bowman"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jet, Freedom Fighter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smellerbee, Rebel Fighter"></div></div>
<p>Jeong Jeong's deserters don't have as much meat to them as the Freedom Fighters, which makes sense given how few there are, but none of them particularly have a unifying theme, going for flavorful representations of the characters depicted over cohesive mechanics.</p>
<p>They continue the theme of +1/+1 counters, at least.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jeong Jeong, the Deserter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jeong Jeong&#039;s Deserters"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deserter&#039;s Disciple"></div></div>
<h3>Combat Buffs</h3>
<p>Then there are the various Rebels that focus on short-term benefits, mostly during combat. A rallying cry to take an underdog force up against an impossible foe is perfectly on-theme, and they tend to revolve around stat buffs.</p>
<p>These are important, notable inclusions for a Rebel insurrection, though none of them will win the game on their own. They're meant to facilitate an already-existing strategy and give it that push over the finish line, rather than something to be built around.</p>
<p>They're effective, but only insofar as the Rebels they're supporting, which is a thematic win for sure.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jor Kadeen, First Goldwarden"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dunerider Outlaw"></div></div>
<h2>But What If You Played Like A Rebel?</h2>
<p>Rebels on a narrative, mechanical, and even meta level rely on subterfuge! Why else would there be inconsistent cells of them scattered throughout the sets, always joined together by their adherence to the martial ideals of white and red? With a reliance on numbers, Equipment, and strengthening the weak? Surely this archetype was designed this way on purpose.</p>
<h3>Subterfuge</h3>
<p>There's actually quite a few ways for Rebels to simply mess with the plans of other players.</p>
<p>More than one blue card lets a Rebel copy an opposing creature, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flesh Duplicate" href="#" target="_blank">Flesh Duplicate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Infiltration is a necessity for any clandestine operation! Then you have the ability to tap other creatures as a means of shutting down the plans of others.</p>
<p>When running Rebels like actual rebels, you shouldn't try to take on the largest foe. It's a matter of taking the path of least resistance, striking when the iron is hot, and exploiting chinks in armor. Don't act like you have the resources of the institutions you're rebelling against!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blade of Shared Souls"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rathi Trapper"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bound in Silence"></div></div>
<h3>Sabotage</h3>
<p>There's actually a surprising amount of removal in the Rebel archetype. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ballista Squad" href="#" target="_blank">Ballista Squad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is but a single example, where various Rebels can destroy creatures. These usually have some restriction surrounding the target, but it's still removal.</p>
<p>Not to mention that Rebels love white and red, which have plenty of exiling and damage. Fewer Rebels find their home in black, which has more removal than your opponents have creatures, though there are some. And then there's always the evil counterparts to Rebels to consider.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Big Game Hunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lightbringer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lawbringer"></div></div>
<h3>Hired Help</h3>
<p>Mercenaries have no mechanical overlap with Rebels, despite being a dark mirror of one another. Rebels aren't considered outlaws, and there's very little mechanical support for counting both a Rebel and a Mercenary, but what Rebel group hasn't had some hired help from time-to-time?</p>
<p>So while not technically Rebels, Mercenaries can make a fine addition to make your Rebel deck feel more disjointed, which sounds like a negative, and mechanically it certainly can be. But flavorfully, it adds to the narrative of the archetype you're building.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overzealous Muscle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rathi Assassin"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kellogg, Dangerous Mind"></div></div>
<p>If you're trying to stick to specific theming, <em>Avatar: The Last Airbender</em> also brings some Mercenaries to the table! They each make for fairly potent single-creature inclusions, given they aren't even loosely organized.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Beifong&#039;s Bounty Hunters"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="June, Bounty Hunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rough Rhino Cavalry"></div></div>
<p><em>Final Fantasy</em> does the same, given the nature of its characters' work, and with a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloud, Midgar Mercenary" href="#" target="_blank">Cloud, Midgar Mercenary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it even has an Equipment synergy to line-up with your Rebels!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Squall, SeeD Mercenary"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloud, Planet&#039;s Champion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER"></div></div>
<h2>Rebels Are Scarce But Consistent</h2>
<p>Across all of the set releases, Rebels have the general tenants of being white or red, having an affinity for artifacts and particularly Equipment, and rarely having high base stats but gaining +1/+1 counters. They flourish when able to make many small creatures and buff a few heavy hitters, with a surprising amount of trickery to unfold.</p>
<p>None of those are bad things, but their rarity makes them hard to build an entire deck around. Their lack of synergy with Mercenaries might just be the most surprising thing about the archetype, given their history in the game as well as their similarities.</p>
<p>Not to mention, any significant artifact removal will <em>ruin</em> a Rebel deck. Even relying on +1/+1 counters, rare is the Rebel that doesn't stay strapped. There are other options to solve problems, of course, but Rebels simply don't have the numbers to effectively tackle those solutions, which, again, tells quite the compelling underdog narrative, but that makes them difficult to justify making a deck around, at least by themselves.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Children of Korlis"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skyshroud Poacher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ace, Fearless Rebel"></div></div>


How To Play Rebels Differently In Commander

Cloud, Midgar Mercenary Deck Tech

<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>


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