How Fun Are The Final Fantasy Precon Commanders?

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cid, Timeless Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Cid, Timeless Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/lasahido" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lius Lasahido</a></em></p>
<p>As mentioned in my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ardyn, the Usurper" href="#" target="_blank">Ardyn, the Usurper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-a-demon-typal-deck-with-ardyn-the-usurper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Demon Typal Deck Tech</a> last week, <em>Final Fantasy</em> is a cool IP that doesn’t speak to me. There are, however, tons of interesting designs, many of which are amazing as IP-agnostic game pieces. The one I’m focusing on today is a timewalking mechanist who reminds me of when I was just learning the game in high school. The school I went to has a mascot named Sidney Raider, after the Spanish hero El Cid. This timeless hero of gallantry, bravery, and sacrifice seems a fitting commander for a deck, so let’s learn how to build around <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cid, Timeless Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Cid, Timeless Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Interestingly enough, Cid reminds me of high school in more than just his name: he works with artifacts and cycling, which were themes of a couple of my early decks! I started playing with <em>Champions of Kamigawa</em>, right after <em>Mirrodin</em> block, which was a terrible time to learn. Damage went on the stack; mana burned if it wasn’t all spent; and broken-in-half artifacts enabled incredibly explosive starts. My first deck that could compete was a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grinding Station" href="#" target="_blank">Grinding Station</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Cheerios combo deck; my second was <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Astral Slide" href="#" target="_blank">Astral Slide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ETBs and Morphs. Somehow, someway, Cid manages to bridge my high school experience and my current deckbuilding kick: strange typal decks!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cid, Timeless Artificer"></div></div>
<h2>What Does Cid, Timeless Artificer Do?</h2>
<p>Cid is an intriguing card in the 99, and can even take multiple slots, as a deck can have any number of cards named <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cid, Timeless Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Cid, Timeless Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It also has cycling, which is another ability better served in the 99. So…why run Cid as a commander? Well, in addition to being an aggressively-costed four-drop, Cid gives artifact creatures and Heroes +1/+1 for each Artificer we control and each Artificer in our graveyard. This pump only happens if we have a copy out, so we can use our commander to take advantage of the waves and waves of Cid’s past lives we cycle away.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urza, Lord Protector"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urza, Prince of Kroog"></div></div>
<p>There are a number of legendary Artificers who could helm an Artificer-themed deck, most of whom involve adding or subtracting a color from our Azorius color identity. Ironically, the closest we can get to a predecessor to the kindly and paternal Cid is one of the incarnations of the curmudgeonly eugenicist, Urza. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Lord Protector" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Lord Protector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Prince of Kroog" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Prince of Kroog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are both in the deck, so we could tag them in as the commander if wanted. The Lord Protector reduces the cost of artifacts, instants, and sorceries we cast, although we already do have some cost reducers and we don’t run many instants or sorceries. The Prince of Kroog acts as a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tempered Steel" href="#" target="_blank">Tempered Steel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and a means of copying artifacts, but Cid already pumps the artifact creatures and we don’t have a glut of mana to pour into the Prince’s ability, so he doesn’t really add anything.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hare Apparent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragon&#039;s Approach"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Persistent Petitioners"></div></div>
<p>Trying to place this deck into known archetypes is a bit of a tough ask, as Cid has an ability that breaks a fundamental rule of singleton formats. The more successful cards that can have any number of copies tend to be focal points of their decks: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hare Apparent" href="#" target="_blank">Hare Apparent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon&#039;s Approach" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon&#039;s Approach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Persistent Petitioners" href="#" target="_blank">Persistent Petitioners</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slime Against Humanity" href="#" target="_blank">Slime Against Humanity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Cid is a bit more of a role-player and is the first to be able to go into the command zone. While cycling may be a blank on a commander (without committing to the bit), Cids do work together by offering flexibility. They need artifact creatures and/or Heroes to pump, however, so we can’t just pack our deck with a bunch of Cids. While there is probably a more Cid-focused cycling deck or a cheap, evasive artifact-focused aggro deck, our list is a moderate tempo-based version.</p>
<h2>Key Cards for Cid, Timeless Artificer</h2>
<p>One of the most important cards in a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cid, Timeless Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Cid, Timeless Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck is…<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cid, Timeless Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Cid, Timeless Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! Why is that? Well, it does the things we need, which is why we have it as a commander and why we’re playing a card where we can have any number of copies. But how many is enough? Is there such a thing as too many? Unlike other cards with similar effects, we don’t need more than 20, nor do we need a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thrumming Stone" href="#" target="_blank">Thrumming Stone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as we’re cycling instead of casting. We also have a version in the command zone, so we’re likely casting it as the primary copy and the rest will be cycled away to dig for the “real” spells. As a result, 15 Cids seems like a fair amount - one for each variant!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cid, Timeless Artificer|fin|407"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cid, Timeless Artificer|fin|409"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cid, Timeless Artificer|fin|414"></div></div>
<p>The other Artificers need to either produce or interact with artifacts, as Cid pumps them and many effects care about them. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Padeem, Consul of Innovation" href="#" target="_blank">Padeem, Consul of Innovation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sai, Master Thopterist" href="#" target="_blank">Sai, Master Thopterist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can draw us cards with our artifacts. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drafna, Founder of Lat-Nam" href="#" target="_blank">Drafna, Founder of Lat-Nam</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hanna, Ship&#039;s Navigator" href="#" target="_blank">Hanna, Ship&#039;s Navigator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combine to give the deck a fairly strong engine: bouncing, re-casting, copying, and recurring artifacts to slowly develop a wide board through synergy. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whirler Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Whirler Rogue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides evasive bodies that soak up the Cid boosts like a sponge and can also tap to punch through extra damage in a pinch.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Padeem, Consul of Innovation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drafna, Founder of Lat-Nam"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mishra&#039;s Bauble"></div></div>
<p>While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> isn’t usually an important card to go into detail about, the deck is mana-hungry and there are interesting combos and synergies with it. It both provides mana to fuel Drafna’s abilities and is an incredible outlet for them, as making extra Sol Rings is one of the more powerful things one can do. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mind Stone" href="#" target="_blank">Mind Stone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mishra&#039;s Bauble" href="#" target="_blank">Mishra&#039;s Bauble</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are similarly powerful artifacts to juggle around, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ornithopter of Paradise" href="#" target="_blank">Ornithopter of Paradise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can quickly go from a setup mana creature to a game-ending threat!</p>
<h2>How Does This Cid, Timeless Artificer Commander Deck Win?</h2>
<p>Ideally speaking, our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cid, Timeless Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Cid, Timeless Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck wins by powering up incidental bodies using copies of our namesake card. It’s worth noting that Cid cares about all Artificers, not just copies of himself, so we wind up with ways to add almost 40 power and toughness if we can flip our whole deck into play. While that's unlikely, it shows how many Artificers we're running, many of whom make bodies for us to pump.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cid, Timeless Artificer|fin|419"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cid, Timeless Artificer|fin|418"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cid, Timeless Artificer|fin|417"></div></div>
<p>When a single Thopter can slice off half of your life? Yeah, that’s a powerful aggressive line. When you factor in that that’s not even using our better cards? You better believe this deck has potential. While we’d prefer to win through cycling Cids to stack up boosts on evasive creatures, sometimes we need to rely on the synergies shared between members of the Artificer creature type, using spare copies of Cid to dig to our more powerful cards and to piece together the synergies needed to build inevitability.</p>
<h2>Cid, Timeless Artificer Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Cid, Timeless Artificer Commander Deck Tech" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Cid, Timeless Artificer
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Artificer&#039;s Assistant
*1 Aspiring Aeronaut
*1 Aviation Pioneer
*14 Cid, Timeless Artificer
*1 Digsite Engineer
*1 Drafna, Founder of Lat-Nam
*1 Esper Sentinel
*1 Etherium Sculptor
*1 Etherium Spinner
*1 Experimental Aviator
*1 Grand Architect
*1 Hangarback Walker
*1 Hanna, Ship&#039;s Navigator
*1 Inspired Sphinx
*1 Jhoira&#039;s Familiar
*1 Leonardo da Vinci
*1 Lita, Mechanical Engineer
*1 Losheel, Clockwork Scholar
*1 Master Transmuter
*1 Master Trinketeer
*1 Myr Retriever
*1 Oltec Matterweaver
*1 Ornithopter of Paradise
*1 Padeem, Consul of Innovation
*1 Renowned Weaponsmith
*1 Riddlesmith
*1 Sai, Master Thopterist
*1 Scrap Trawler
*1 Sharding Sphinx
*1 Thopter Mechanic
*1 Thought Monitor
*1 Urza, Lord Protector
*1 Urza, Powerstone Prodigy
*1 Urza, Prince of Kroog
*1 Whirler Rogue
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Cloud Key
*1 Crystal Skull, Isu Spyglass
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mishra&#039;s Bauble
*1 Retrofitter Foundry
*1 Shorikai, Genesis Engine
*1 Sol Ring
*1 The Mightstone and Weakstone
*1 Thopter Fabricator
*1 Whirlermaker
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Thopter Spy Network
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*20 Island
*20 Plains
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>There are some powerful cards in our deck, which enable fast starts. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esper Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Esper Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are the more egregious offenders, especially since <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esper Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Esper Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be annoying to track. At least, with its synergy with Cids, the Sentinel can get strong enough that most players will just not be able to pay its cost. While we do play some staples, we have ways to make those staples more interesting. And while we do play 15 of the same card, that card has a lot of “play” to it. When do you cast it? When do you cycle it? Do you cast a spare copy or the commander itself? We can even use the spare copies to have access to our commander without paying for tax!</p>
<p>This deck is one for those who enjoy tempo decks with a solid amount of flexibility and problem solving. It’s easy to play but tough to master, as every card has decision-making trees. If you enjoy Kaijudo/Duel Masters, you’ll love the decision trees that come with each copy of Cid, as those games are largely defined by the choices of how you want to play each individual card.</p>
<p>How would you build a Cid deck? And how many Cids is too many? Let us know in the comments.</p>


Building an Artificer Typal Deck with Cid, Timeless Artificer

<h6 style="text-align: right;">Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</h6>
<p>Ahh, Friday. The day when many people get the opportunity to begin winding down from the busy workweek. Well, our due diligence slows that downtime for us a little, because now it's time to showcase some <em>Final Fantasy</em> spoilers! These previews are from across the content dated Friday, May 23rd. In it, you'll see cards from <em>Through the Ages</em>, some fresh faces, and even some cards that are downright overkill. We aim to get these out to you ahead of their inclusion in the <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/final-fantasy/card-image-gallery">official Card Image Gallery</a> for the set, because we're cool like that. Are you ready? Let's venture forth!</p>
<h2>A Single Reveal From Thursday, May 22nd</h2>
<p>In our need to cover as many <em>Final Fantasy </em>spoilers from May 22nd as we could, we nevertheless saw that one made it out <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/best-final-fantasy-spoilers-from-thursday-may-22nd">post-publication</a>. This card, in particular:</p>
<div id="attachment_153918" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Gogo-Master-of-Mimicry.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153918" class="wp-image-153918" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Gogo-Master-of-Mimicry.jpg" alt="Gogo, Master of Mimicry, a new card from Final Fantasy. Previewed late in the day on Thursday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix." width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Gogo-Master-of-Mimicry.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Gogo-Master-of-Mimicry-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153918" class="wp-caption-text">Gogo, Master of Mimicry, a new card from <em>Final Fantasy</em>. Previewed late in the day on Thursday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix.</p></div>
<p>Gogo, Master of Mimicry is a very strong take on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strionic Resonator" href="#" target="_blank">Strionic Resonator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The main reason we didn't cover Gogo as an addendum is that we only had the Japanese render post-publication. But my oh my, this card is glorious for players who like doubling up on their abilities... Or tripling up. Or quadrupling. You get the idea.</p>
<h2><em>Final Fantasy Previews For Friday, May 23rd</em></h2>
<p>With Gogo out of the way, let's jump right in to cover today's spoilers! There are approximately twelve previews from the set proper, as well as one new reveal from the <em>Through the Ages</em> bonus sheet. Let's look at the <em>Final Fantasy</em> main set first:</p>
<h3>Raubahn, Bull of Ala Mhiga</h3>
<div id="attachment_153919" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Raubahn-Bull-of-Ala-Mhigo.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153919" class="wp-image-153919" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Raubahn-Bull-of-Ala-Mhigo.jpg" alt="Raubahn, Bull of Ala Mhiga, a new card from Final Fantasy. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix." width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Raubahn-Bull-of-Ala-Mhigo.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Raubahn-Bull-of-Ala-Mhigo-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153919" class="wp-caption-text">Raubahn, Bull of Ala Mhiga, a new card from <em>Final Fantasy</em>. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix.</p></div>
<h3>Vaan, Street Thief</h3>
<div id="attachment_153920" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Vaan-Street-Thief.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153920" class="wp-image-153920" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Vaan-Street-Thief.jpg" alt="Vaan, Street Thief, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix." width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Vaan-Street-Thief.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Vaan-Street-Thief-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153920" class="wp-caption-text">Vaan, Street Thief, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix.</p></div>
<h3>Tellah, Great Sage</h3>
<div id="attachment_153921" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/03-Tellah-Great-Sage.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153921" class="wp-image-153921" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/03-Tellah-Great-Sage.jpg" alt="Tellah, Great Sage, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix." width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/03-Tellah-Great-Sage.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/03-Tellah-Great-Sage-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153921" class="wp-caption-text">Tellah, Great Sage, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix.</p></div>
<h3>Hope Estheim</h3>
<div id="attachment_153922" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/04-Hope-Estheim.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153922" class="wp-image-153922" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/04-Hope-Estheim.jpg" alt="Hope Estheim, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix." width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/04-Hope-Estheim.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/04-Hope-Estheim-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153922" class="wp-caption-text">Hope Estheim, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix.</p></div>
<h3>Overkill</h3>
<div id="attachment_153923" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/05-Overkill.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153923" class="wp-image-153923" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/05-Overkill.jpg" alt="Overkill, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix." width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/05-Overkill.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/05-Overkill-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153923" class="wp-caption-text">Overkill, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix.</p></div>
<h3>Ultros, Obnoxious Octopus</h3>
<div id="attachment_153924" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/06-Ultros-Obnoxious-Octopus.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153924" class="wp-image-153924" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/06-Ultros-Obnoxious-Octopus.jpg" alt="Ultros, Obnoxious Octopus, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix." width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/06-Ultros-Obnoxious-Octopus.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/06-Ultros-Obnoxious-Octopus-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153924" class="wp-caption-text">Ultros, Obnoxious Octopus, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix.</p></div>
<h3>Ride the Shoopuf</h3>
<div id="attachment_153925" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/07-Ride-the-Shoopuf.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153925" class="wp-image-153925" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/07-Ride-the-Shoopuf.jpg" alt="Ride the Shoopuf, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix." width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/07-Ride-the-Shoopuf.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/07-Ride-the-Shoopuf-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153925" class="wp-caption-text">Ride the Shoopuf, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix.</p></div>
<h3>Sleep Magic</h3>
<div id="attachment_153926" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/08-Sleep-Magic.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153926" class="wp-image-153926" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/08-Sleep-Magic.jpg" alt="Sleep Magic, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix." width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/08-Sleep-Magic.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/08-Sleep-Magic-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153926" class="wp-caption-text">Sleep Magic, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix.</p></div>
<h3>Cargo Ship</h3>
<div id="attachment_153927" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/09-Cargo-Ship.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153927" class="wp-image-153927" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/09-Cargo-Ship.jpg" alt="Cargo Ship, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix." width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/09-Cargo-Ship.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/09-Cargo-Ship-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153927" class="wp-caption-text">Cargo Ship, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix.</p></div>
<h3>Ninja's Blades</h3>
<div id="attachment_153928" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/10-Ninjas-Blades.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153928" class="wp-image-153928" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/10-Ninjas-Blades.jpg" alt="Ninja's Blades, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix." width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/10-Ninjas-Blades.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/10-Ninjas-Blades-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153928" class="wp-caption-text">Ninja's Blades, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix.</p></div>
<h3>Clive's Hideaway</h3>
<div id="attachment_153929" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/11-Clives-Hideaway.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153929" class="wp-image-153929" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/11-Clives-Hideaway.jpg" alt="Clive's Hideaway, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix." width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/11-Clives-Hideaway.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/11-Clives-Hideaway-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153929" class="wp-caption-text">Clive's Hideaway, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix.</p></div>
<h3>Balamb Garden, SeeD Academy</h3>
<div id="attachment_153930" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/12a-Balamb-Garden-SeeD-Academy.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153930" class="wp-image-153930" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/12a-Balamb-Garden-SeeD-Academy.jpg" alt="Balamb Garden, SeeD Academy, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix." width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/12a-Balamb-Garden-SeeD-Academy.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/12a-Balamb-Garden-SeeD-Academy-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153930" class="wp-caption-text">Balamb Garden, SeeD Academy, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Friday, May 23rd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix.</p></div>
<div id="attachment_153931" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/12b-Balamb-Garden-Airborne.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153931" class="wp-image-153931" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/12b-Balamb-Garden-Airborne.jpg" alt="Balamb Garden, Airborne, the rear face of Balamb Garden, SeeD Academy. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix." width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/12b-Balamb-Garden-Airborne.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/12b-Balamb-Garden-Airborne-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153931" class="wp-caption-text">Balamb Garden, Airborne, the rear face of Balamb Garden, SeeD Academy. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix.</p></div>
<p>The addition of a rare dual land may imply the existence of other rare dual lands in the set. Will this come to pass? This remains to be seen, but it seems plausible that it will.</p>
<h3><em>Through the Ages</em> Bonus Sheet Reveal</h3>
<p>Finally, there was one card from the <em>Through the Ages</em> sheet revealed today:</p>
<div id="attachment_153932" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Gilgamesh-Weapon-Collector-Godo-Bandit-Warlord.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153932" class="wp-image-153932" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Gilgamesh-Weapon-Collector-Godo-Bandit-Warlord.jpg" alt="Gilgamesh, Weapon Collector, a reskin of Godo, Bandit Warlord. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Gilgamesh-Weapon-Collector-Godo-Bandit-Warlord.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Gilgamesh-Weapon-Collector-Godo-Bandit-Warlord-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153932" class="wp-caption-text">Gilgamesh, Weapon Collector, a reskin of Godo, Bandit Warlord. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<p>This leaves us with the following <em>Final Fantasy</em> games needing this many cards worth of representation from <em>Through the Ages</em>:</p>
<ul>
<li><em>FFIV</em>: 1</li>
<li><em>FFVII</em>: 1</li>
<li><em>FFVIII</em>: 1</li>
<li><em>FFIX</em>: 2</li>
<li><em>FFX</em>: 1</li>
<li><em>FFXI</em>: 1</li>
</ul>
<p>With only seven cards remaining in the game crunch, things are getting pretty down to the wire!</p>
<p>And now, let's ask you, dear readers: Have you played many of the sixteen main <em>Final Fantasy</em> games? Are you feeling good about the games you like most in the series, and namely, how well they're represented in this <em>Magic</em> set? And, if you haven't played a lot of the video games, has this set inspired you to do so? Sound off below!</p>


Best Final Fantasy Spoilers For Friday, May 23rd

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Fallen Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Fallen Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CIttoku%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ittoku</a></em></p>
<p>Hello! Welcome back to <em>Archetypes of Imagination</em>, the series where we build decks based on popular Commander archetypes. I'll be using Scryfall's tagging system and EDHREC's Tag pages to build around a new theme each week. Scryfall has a really cool way of categorizing cards, where each card has specific labels attached to it for later reference. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drakuseth, Maw of Flames" href="#" target="_blank">Drakuseth, Maw of Flames</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the burn tag and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scavenger Grounds" href="#" target="_blank">Scavenger Grounds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the graveyard hate tag. EDHREC's tag system is really cool too, letting users see popular cards associated with a given strategy.</p>
<p>This week we'll be building a deck focused on “flinging” creatures: sacrificing them to deal damage equal to their power to any target. To maximize the value of these <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fling" href="#" target="_blank">Fling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s, we're going to need some pretty big creatures to throw around. There's lots of ways to make big creatures in <em>Magic</em>, but I'd like to focus on a card from the most exciting upcoming set: <em>Final Fantasy</em>! This set has some super powerful cards, but one of them caught my eye for this week's article. So, this deck will be helmed by… <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Fallen Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Fallen Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sephiroth, Fallen Hero"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fling"></div></div>
<h2>What Does Sephiroth, Fallen Hero Do?</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Fallen Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is super strong, turning each of our modified creatures (creatures that are equipped, enchanted, or have counters on them) into big, bulky 7/5s every time he attacks. And, on top of that, it's easy to avoid paying extra to recast Sephiroth because he can return himself to the battlefield if we sacrifice a modified creature. But we need a little more direction than just modified creatures. We'll be focusing on pumping up our creatures with +1/+1 counters, and then taking advantage of their Sephiroth-boosted power to quickly reduce our opponents' life totals to 0. Let's get brewing!</p>
<h2>Key Fling Strategy Cards For Sephiroth, Fallen Hero</h2>
<p>This deck is focused on dealing direct damage to our opponents based on our creatures' power. Let's talk about the best ones. One of my personal favorites is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brion Stoutarm" href="#" target="_blank">Brion Stoutarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This big guy can take our 7/5s and sacrifice them for both direct damage and life gain. Plus, this is a repeatable effect, meaning we can cause a 14 point life swing on each table rotation. Similarly, I'm a big fan of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burning Anger" href="#" target="_blank">Burning Anger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Although this isn't a traditional fling effect, it lets our biggest creatures hit our opponents over and over again. Plus, the classics like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fling" href="#" target="_blank">Fling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kazuul&#039;s Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Kazuul&#039;s Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thud" href="#" target="_blank">Thud</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are all here. Although they're not necessarily as flashy as some of the other cards I've talked about, they're important role players in this deck's 99.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brion Stoutarm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Burning Anger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kazuul&#039;s Fury"></div></div>
<p>We want to get extra value when we fling a creature. There are a few creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cacophony Scamp" href="#" target="_blank">Cacophony Scamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fireblade Charger" href="#" target="_blank">Fireblade Charger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heartfire Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Heartfire Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, that can deal additional damage to our opponents when they die, making them ideal targets for our effects that require a creature sacrifice. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elenda&#039;s Hierophant" href="#" target="_blank">Elenda&#039;s Hierophant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be a big, evasive attacker once we modify it, and will explode into a bunch of valuable tokens when it dies. Similarly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gleeful Arsonist" href="#" target="_blank">Gleeful Arsonist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the ability to come back to life with a counter on it and start dealing extra damage to our opponents.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heartfire Hero"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elenda&#039;s Hierophant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gleeful Arsonist"></div></div>
<p>But we won't be sacrificing <em>all</em> of our creatures; we'd like to attack with our 7/5s too. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paladin Elizabeth Taggerdy" href="#" target="_blank">Paladin Elizabeth Taggerdy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ryan Sinclair" href="#" target="_blank">Ryan Sinclair</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can both let us cheat the mana cost of our spells once their powers are big enough, and our commander makes that a trivial requirement. Similarly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can flood the board with Goblins quite quickly and has the ability to grow larger as the game goes on.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Paladin Elizabeth Taggerdy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ryan Sinclair"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin"></div></div>
<h2>Ways to Modify Our Creatures</h2>
<p>In order to make a Sephiroth deck work, we'll need some extra ways to modify our creatures. One of my favorites is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mikaeus, the Lunarch" href="#" target="_blank">Mikaeus, the Lunarch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This Cleric enters the battlefield as a modified creature, and can tap to let us add +1/+1 counters to every creature we control. This is not only a super powerful buff, but synergizes perfectly with our commander's base power/toughness buff. I've also included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Felidar Retreat" href="#" target="_blank">Felidar Retreat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cathars&#039; Crusade" href="#" target="_blank">Cathars&#039; Crusade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for team-wide +1/+1 counter distribution. These cards are super strong in <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>-based creature decks, and they're a perfect fit here.</p>
<p>Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Uncivil Unrest" href="#" target="_blank">Uncivil Unrest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fantastic way to close out games. Because we've got so many ways to distribute +1/+1 counters among our creatures, this is essentially a damage doubler that can give our creatures haste if needed.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mikaeus, the Lunarch"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cathars&#039; Crusade"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Uncivil Unrest"></div></div>
<p>We'll also need a few ways to protect our board state, given how heavy we're leaning into having big creatures on hand at all times. One of my favorite new cards fits perfectly here: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duty Beyond Death" href="#" target="_blank">Duty Beyond Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We'll usually have at least one creature on board that we don't mind sacrificing, and this protection spell will also add some bonus +1/+1 counters to our creatures.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Duty Beyond Death"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bulwark Ox"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zack Fair"></div></div>
<p>Similarly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bulwark Ox" href="#" target="_blank">Bulwark Ox</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zack Fair" href="#" target="_blank">Zack Fair</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can add some counters to our creatures and protect them from our opponents' pesky removal spells. There's been a lot of cool board state protection tools printed recently, and I'd rather run these than the obviously-powerful <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in a lower-bracket deck like this.</p>
<h2>Sephiroth, Fallen Hero Fling Commander Deck List</h2>
<p>Here's the full decklist:<br />
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Archetypes of Imagination - Building a Fling Deck" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Sephiroth, Fallen Hero
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 Boros Charm
*1 Duty Beyond Death
*1 Fling
*1 Get Lost
*1 Kazuul&#039;s Fury // Kazuul&#039;s Cliffs
*1 Legion Leadership // Legion Stronghold
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Soul&#039;s Fire
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Take Up the Shield
*1 Untimely Malfunction
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Chandra&#039;s Ignition
*1 Damning Verdict
*1 Requisition Raid
*1 Thud
*1 Zenith Festival
[/Sorceries]
[Creatures]
*1 Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon
*1 Auron, Venerated Guardian
*1 Balduvian Berserker
*1 Blade Historian
*1 Bloodshot Cyclops
*1 Brion Stoutarm
*1 Bulwark Ox
*1 Cacophony Scamp
*1 Captain Ripley Vance
*1 Chocobo Knights
*1 Dragonhawk, Fate&#039;s Tempest
*1 Elenda&#039;s Hierophant
*1 Esper Sentinel
*1 Fireblade Charger
*1 Flaming Tyrannosaurus
*1 Gleeful Arsonist
*1 Guardian Scalelord
*1 Heart-Piercer Manticore
*1 Heartfire Hero
*1 Inti, Seneschal of the Sun
*1 Jacked Rabbit
*1 Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin
*1 Loran of the Third Path
*1 Loyal Warhound
*1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
*1 Ornithopter of Paradise
*1 Paladin Elizabeth Taggerdy
*1 Ryan Sinclair
*1 Spikeshot Goblin
*1 Stalking Vengeance
*1 Surtland Flinger
*1 Urdnan, Dromoka Warrior
*1 Voldaren Thrillseeker
*1 Winota, Joiner of Forces
*1 Zack Fair
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Burning Anger
*1 Cathars&#039; Crusade
*1 Felidar Retreat
*1 Spiteful Banditry
*1 Uncivil Unrest
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Archangel Elspeth
*1 Elspeth Resplendent
[/Planeswalkers]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Bitterthorn, Nissa&#039;s Animus
*1 Boros Signet
*1 Infantry Shield
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Worn Powerstone
[/Artifacts]
[Lands]
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Diamond City
*10 Mountain
*1 Nesting Grounds
*11 Plains
*1 Restless Bivouac
*1 Rugged Prairie
*1 Slayers&#039; Stronghold
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Sunbaked Canyon
*1 Sunbillow Verge
*1 Sundown Pass
*1 Sunscorched Divide
[/Lands]"></span></div></p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The End" href="#" target="_blank">The End</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>I hope you enjoyed this <em>Final Fantasy-</em>themed edition of <em>Archetypes of Imagination</em>. Before you go, I wanted to talk about this deck's board wipe package. I intentionally picked three wipes that work very well with the board states we plan to construct. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Damning Verdict" href="#" target="_blank">Damning Verdict</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is pretty close to being a one-sided wipe for just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, and that's hard to pass up. Similarly, if we cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spiteful Banditry" href="#" target="_blank">Spiteful Banditry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for X=4 after combat, we've got a good chance of hitting all of our opponents' creatures while sparing ours. And, finally, as one final fling effect, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chandra&#039;s Ignition" href="#" target="_blank">Chandra&#039;s Ignition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can both wipe the board and hit our opponents for some big damage.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Damning Verdict"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spiteful Banditry"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chandra&#039;s Ignition"></div></div>
<p>Thanks once again for reading. I'll see you all next week, for another edition of <em>Archetypes of Imagination</em>: a group slug deck!</p>


How to Make a Fling Deck, With Sephiroth, Fallen Hero

Top 10 Stax Effects for a G'raha Tia cEDH Deck

<h6 style="text-align: right;">Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</h6>
<p><em>Final Fantasy</em> previews for this week have been quite exciting! However, the week is starting to come to an end. That said, the preview season for this set is still going quite strong. We still have an entire <em>week</em> of previews after this week draws to a close! As such, here are the previews for Thursday, May 22nd!</p>
<h2><em>Final Fantasy</em> Previews From Yesterday's End</h2>
<p>Naturally, some of these spoilers came to light after we published <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/best-final-fantasy-spoilers-for-wednesday-may-21st">yesterday's recap</a>. As we wish to recap these cards as well, let's look at what we missed on Wednesday, May 21st:</p>
<h3>Stolen Uniform</h3>
<div id="attachment_153817" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Stolen-Uniform.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153817" class="wp-image-153817" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Stolen-Uniform.jpg" alt="Stolen Uniform, a new card from Final Fantasy. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Stolen-Uniform.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Stolen-Uniform-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153817" class="wp-caption-text">Stolen Uniform, a new card from <em>Final Fantasy</em>. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>Sidequest: Hunt the Mark</h3>
<div id="attachment_153818" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02a-Sidequest-Hunt-the-Mark.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153818" class="wp-image-153818" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02a-Sidequest-Hunt-the-Mark.jpg" alt="Sidequest: Hunt the Mark, a new card from Final Fantasy. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02a-Sidequest-Hunt-the-Mark.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02a-Sidequest-Hunt-the-Mark-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153818" class="wp-caption-text">Sidequest: Hunt the Mark, a new card from <em>Final Fantasy</em>. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<div id="attachment_153819" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02b-Yiazmat-Ultimate-Mark.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153819" class="wp-image-153819" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02b-Yiazmat-Ultimate-Mark.jpg" alt="Yiazmat, Ultimate Mark, the rear face of Sidequest: Hunt the Mark. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02b-Yiazmat-Ultimate-Mark.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02b-Yiazmat-Ultimate-Mark-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153819" class="wp-caption-text">Yiazmat, Ultimate Mark, the rear face of Sidequest: Hunt the Mark. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3><em>Through the Ages</em> Bonus Sheet Preview From May 21st</h3>
<p>In addition to the two cards previewed and shown above, one card from the <em>Through the Ages</em> bonus sheet became public as well:</p>
<div id="attachment_153820" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Warrior-of-Light-Adeline-Resplendent-Cathar.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153820" class="wp-image-153820" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Warrior-of-Light-Adeline-Resplendent-Cathar.jpg" alt="Hero of Light, a reskin of Adeline, Resplendent Cathar. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Warrior-of-Light-Adeline-Resplendent-Cathar.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Warrior-of-Light-Adeline-Resplendent-Cathar-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153820" class="wp-caption-text">Hero of Light, a reskin of Adeline, Resplendent Cathar. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h2>May 22nd <em>Final Fantasy</em> Previews</h2>
<p>May 22nd's previews were quite cool. We got the rest of the <em>FFXV</em> party, which was consistent on many people's largely varied wish lists, as well as their car, The Regalia. We got a few cool cards with flavor from other games as well, including the World Map from the first <em>Final Fantasy</em> game. World Map looks like it's a better iteration of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble" href="#" target="_blank">Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and a slightly less wieldy <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expedition Map" href="#" target="_blank">Expedition Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. That is to say, it's a strong staple in decks that lack or want additional ramp.</p>
<p>Anyway, here are the day's previews!</p>
<h3>Ignis Scientia</h3>
<div id="attachment_153824" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Ignis-Scientia.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153824" class="wp-image-153824" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Ignis-Scientia.jpg" alt="Ignis Scientia, a new card from Final Fantasy. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Ignis-Scientia.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Ignis-Scientia-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153824" class="wp-caption-text">Ignis Scientia, a new card from <em>Final Fantasy</em>. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>Prompto Argentum</h3>
<div id="attachment_153825" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Prompto-Argentum.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153825" class="wp-image-153825" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Prompto-Argentum.jpg" alt="Prompto Argentum, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Prompto-Argentum.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Prompto-Argentum-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153825" class="wp-caption-text">Prompto Argentum, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>The Gold Saucer</h3>
<div id="attachment_153826" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/03-The-Gold-Saucer.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153826" class="wp-image-153826" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/03-The-Gold-Saucer.jpg" alt="The Gold Saucer, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/03-The-Gold-Saucer.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/03-The-Gold-Saucer-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153826" class="wp-caption-text">The Gold Saucer, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>The Lunar Whale</h3>
<div id="attachment_153827" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/04-The-Lunar-Whale.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153827" class="wp-image-153827" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/04-The-Lunar-Whale.jpg" alt="The Lunar Whale, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/04-The-Lunar-Whale.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/04-The-Lunar-Whale-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153827" class="wp-caption-text">The Lunar Whale, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>Vayne's Treachery</h3>
<div id="attachment_153828" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/05-Vaynes-Treachery.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153828" class="wp-image-153828" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/05-Vaynes-Treachery.jpg" alt="Vayne's Treachery, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/05-Vaynes-Treachery.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/05-Vaynes-Treachery-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153828" class="wp-caption-text">Vayne's Treachery, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>World Map</h3>
<div id="attachment_153829" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/06-World-Map.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153829" class="wp-image-153829" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/06-World-Map.jpg" alt="World Map, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/06-World-Map.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/06-World-Map-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153829" class="wp-caption-text">World Map, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>Reach the Horizon</h3>
<div id="attachment_153830" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/07-Reach-the-Horizon.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153830" class="wp-image-153830" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/07-Reach-the-Horizon.jpg" alt="Reach the Horizon, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/07-Reach-the-Horizon.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/07-Reach-the-Horizon-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153830" class="wp-caption-text">Reach the Horizon, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>Weapons Vendor</h3>
<div id="attachment_153831" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/08-Weapons-Vendor.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153831" class="wp-image-153831" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/08-Weapons-Vendor.jpg" alt="Weapons Vendor, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/08-Weapons-Vendor.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/08-Weapons-Vendor-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153831" class="wp-caption-text">Weapons Vendor, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>The Regalia</h3>
<div id="attachment_153832" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/09-The-Regalia.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153832" class="wp-image-153832" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/09-The-Regalia.jpg" alt="The Regalia, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/09-The-Regalia.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/09-The-Regalia-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153832" class="wp-caption-text">The Regalia, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed late in the day on Wednesday, May 22nd. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>May 22nd's <em>Through the Ages</em> Preview Card</h3>
<p>Finally, we got another <em>Through the Ages</em> bonus sheet preview card on May 22nd as well. What better card to represent Noctis of <em>Final Fantasy XV</em> than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kenrith, the Returned King?" href="#" target="_blank">Kenrith, the Returned King?</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></p>
<div id="attachment_153836" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Noctis-Lucis-Caelum-Kenrith-the-Returned-King.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153836" class="wp-image-153836" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Noctis-Lucis-Caelum-Kenrith-the-Returned-King.jpg" alt="Noctis Lucis Caelum, a reskin of Kenrith, the Returned King. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Noctis-Lucis-Caelum-Kenrith-the-Returned-King.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Noctis-Lucis-Caelum-Kenrith-the-Returned-King-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153836" class="wp-caption-text">Noctis Lucis Caelum, a reskin of Kenrith, the Returned King. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<p>This preview from <em>Through the Ages</em>, paired with the previous day's, puts the current total number of revealed cards at 56 out of 64. That means there are only eight cards to go! As there are four cards per game represented in this bonus sheet, that means a crunch for games in this sheet is easy to track. Below is a list of the number of cards remaining for the sheet:</p>
<ul>
<li><em>FFI</em> 0</li>
<li><em>FFII</em> 0</li>
<li><em>FFIII</em> 0</li>
<li><em>FFIV</em> 1</li>
<li><em>FFV</em> 1</li>
<li><em>FFVI</em> 0</li>
<li><em>FFVII</em> 1</li>
<li><em>FFVIII</em> 1</li>
<li><em>FFIX</em> 2</li>
<li><em>FFX</em> 1</li>
<li><em>FFXI</em> 1</li>
<li><em>FFXII</em> 0</li>
<li><em>FFXIII</em> 0</li>
<li><em>FFXIV</em> 0</li>
<li><em>FFXV</em> 0</li>
<li><em>FFXVI</em> 0</li>
</ul>
<h2>Time For A Road Trip!</h2>
<p>With the <em>FFXV</em> gang all together at last, it is certain that players will want to make a deck based around the party, probably led by Kenrith as Noctis. Seems like a great opportunity for it!</p>
<p>So now, let's open the floor to you before these are all absorbed into the official <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/final-fantasy/card-image-gallery">Card Image Gallery</a> on DailyMTG, dear readers. Do May 22nd's <em>Final Fantasy</em> previews excite you as a deck builder? Do you have any plans to make decks with any of these cards? Are you anticipating any other important characters from the game series? Sound off below!</p>


Best Final Fantasy Spoilers From Thursday, May 22nd

Ranking the Five Crystals of Magic's Final Fantasy Set

<h6 style="text-align: right;">Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</h6>
<p>It's another fine Wednesday, and previews for <em>Final Fantasy</em> are continuing as expected! That means more bangers, some neat cycles, and some great callbacks, sometimes all at once! Let's not dawdle; here are the reveals from Wednesday, May 21st, as well as what we missed on May 20th.</p>
<h2>May 20th's <em>Final Fantasy</em> Previews</h2>
<p>So, shortly after publishing yesterday's recap article, we immediately caught wind of some other previews that slipped past us. It was only a small handful of cards, but regardless, we will show those right now:</p>
<div id="attachment_153684" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Lion-Heart-Arena.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153684" class="wp-image-153684" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Lion-Heart-Arena.jpg" alt="Lion Heart, a new card from Final Fantasy. Previewed on Tuesday, May 20th. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Lion-Heart-Arena.jpg 744w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Lion-Heart-Arena-215x300.jpg 215w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01-Lion-Heart-Arena-733x1024.jpg 733w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153684" class="wp-caption-text">Lion Heart, a new card from <em>Final Fantasy</em>. Previewed on Tuesday, May 20th. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<div id="attachment_153685" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Aettir-and-Priwen-english.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153685" class="wp-image-153685" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Aettir-and-Priwen-english.jpg" alt="Aettir and Priwen, a new card from Final Fantasy. Previewed on Tuesday, May 20th. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Aettir-and-Priwen-english.jpg 744w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Aettir-and-Priwen-english-215x300.jpg 215w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Aettir-and-Priwen-english-733x1024.jpg 733w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153685" class="wp-caption-text">Aettir and Priwen, a new card from <em>Final Fantasy</em>. Previewed on Tuesday, May 20th. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<p>Of note: Lion Heart looks pretty drastically different from how it does in <em>Final Fantasy VIII</em>. This is likely because of the policies Wizards of the Coast has to adhere to when depicting guns and gun-like items (such as Squall's gunblade). The art is still fantastic, make no mistake, but it's also very unlike how we expect Squall's weapon to appear, per se. On to May 21st!</p>
<h2>May 21st Reveals</h2>
<p>Wednesday, May 21st had a fair amount of neat cards for players to spoil themselves with. We got a lot of cards in white and blue, with a small peppering of black and green added as well. In addition, the tentpole uncommon dual land cycle previewed today as well. But enough talk; let's look at the previews!</p>
<div id="attachment_153688" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01a-Crystal-Fragments.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153688" class="wp-image-153688" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01a-Crystal-Fragments.jpg" alt="Crystal Fragments, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01a-Crystal-Fragments.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01a-Crystal-Fragments-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153688" class="wp-caption-text">Crystal Fragments, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<div id="attachment_153689" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01b-Summon-Alexander.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153689" class="wp-image-153689" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01b-Summon-Alexander.jpg" alt="Summon: Alexander, the rear face of Crystal Fragments. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01b-Summon-Alexander.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01b-Summon-Alexander-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153689" class="wp-caption-text">Summon: Alexander, the rear face of Crystal Fragments. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>Magitek Armor</h3>
<div id="attachment_153690" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Magitek-Armor.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153690" class="wp-image-153690" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Magitek-Armor.jpg" alt="Magitek Armor, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Magitek-Armor.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/02-Magitek-Armor-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153690" class="wp-caption-text">Magitek Armor, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>Slash of Light</h3>
<div id="attachment_153691" style="width: 407px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/03-Slash-of-Light.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153691" class="wp-image-153691" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/03-Slash-of-Light.png" alt="Slash of Light, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="397" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/03-Slash-of-Light.png 366w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/03-Slash-of-Light-213x300.png 213w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 397px) 100vw, 397px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153691" class="wp-caption-text">Slash of Light, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>Clash of the Eikons</h3>
<div id="attachment_153698" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/14-Clash-of-the-Eikons.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153698" class="wp-image-153698" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/14-Clash-of-the-Eikons.jpg" alt="Clash of the Eikons, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/14-Clash-of-the-Eikons.jpg 265w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/14-Clash-of-the-Eikons-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153698" class="wp-caption-text">Clash of the Eikons, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>Garnet, Princess of Alexandria</h3>
<div id="attachment_153697" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/13-Garnet-Princess-of-Alexandria.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153697" class="wp-image-153697" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/13-Garnet-Princess-of-Alexandria.jpg" alt="Garnet, Princess of Alexandria, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/13-Garnet-Princess-of-Alexandria.jpg 265w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/13-Garnet-Princess-of-Alexandria-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153697" class="wp-caption-text">Garnet, Princess of Alexandria, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>Qiqirn Merchant</h3>
<div id="attachment_153696" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/08-Qiqirn-Merchant.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153696" class="wp-image-153696" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/08-Qiqirn-Merchant.jpg" alt="Qiqirn Merchant, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/08-Qiqirn-Merchant.jpg 265w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/08-Qiqirn-Merchant-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153696" class="wp-caption-text">Qiqirn Merchant, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>Locke Cole</h3>
<div id="attachment_153695" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/07-Locke-Cole.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153695" class="wp-image-153695" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/07-Locke-Cole.png" alt="Locke Cole, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/07-Locke-Cole.png 716w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/07-Locke-Cole-215x300.png 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153695" class="wp-caption-text">Locke Cole, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>Ether</h3>
<div id="attachment_153694" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/06-Ether.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153694" class="wp-image-153694" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/06-Ether.jpg" alt="Ether, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/06-Ether.jpg 744w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/06-Ether-215x300.jpg 215w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/06-Ether-733x1024.jpg 733w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153694" class="wp-caption-text">Ether, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>Snow Villiers</h3>
<div id="attachment_153693" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/05-Snow-Villiers.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153693" class="wp-image-153693" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/05-Snow-Villiers.png" alt="Snow Villiers, a new card from MTGFIN. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/05-Snow-Villiers.png 265w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/05-Snow-Villiers-215x300.png 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153693" class="wp-caption-text">Snow Villiers, a new card from <em>MTGFIN</em>. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>Omega, the Heartless (English Name Currently Pending)</h3>
<p>Of note, there was one card spoiled that still doesn't have an English render yet. That card is (tentatively) called Omega, the Heartless. That card's gameplay mechanics are not in question, although the name and any added flavor text are, at current. However, here is what that card does, along with its Japanese render:</p>
<blockquote><p>Omega, the Heartless <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-5" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span></p>
<p>Legendary Artifact Creature - Robot (U)</p>
<p><em>Wave Cannon</em> - When Omega enters, for each opponent, tap up to one nonland permanent that player controls. Put X stun counters on each of those permanents and you gain X life, where X is the number of nonbasic lands you control. <em>(If a permanent with a stun counter would become untapped, instead remove a stun counter from it.)</em></p>
<p>8/8</p></blockquote>
<div id="attachment_153692" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/04-Omega-the-Heartless-Japanese.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153692" class="wp-image-153692" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/04-Omega-the-Heartless-Japanese.png" alt="Omega, the Heartless, a card from Final Fantasy, here shown in Japanese (actual name pending). Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/04-Omega-the-Heartless-Japanese.png 744w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/04-Omega-the-Heartless-Japanese-215x300.png 215w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/04-Omega-the-Heartless-Japanese-733x1024.png 733w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153692" class="wp-caption-text">Omega, the Heartless, a card from <em>Final Fantasy</em>, here shown in Japanese (actual name pending). Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h3>The Town cycle</h3>
<p>Finally, the Town cycle of uncommon dual lands has also been revealed! These don't have additional effects or anything besides entering tapped. Still, they're pretty nice callbacks to various locations in the <em>Final Fantasy</em> series' many games. Take a look!</p>
<div id="attachment_153699" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Town-lands.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153699" class="wp-image-153699" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Town-lands.jpg" alt="The cycle of ten Town dual lands from Final Fantasy. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="600" height="334" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Town-lands.jpg 2048w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Town-lands-300x167.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Town-lands-1024x570.jpg 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Town-lands-768x427.jpg 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Town-lands-1536x854.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153699" class="wp-caption-text">The cycle of ten Town dual lands from Final Fantasy. Previewed on Wednesday, May 21st. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<p>If you are looking at this article via a mobile device or otherwise can't see the names of these cards, we can offer nine of the ten (the tenth is in Japanese, so the name can't be confirmed):</p>
<ul>
<li>White-blue: Sharlayan, Nation of Scholars, from <em>FFXIV</em></li>
<li>Blue-black: Treno, Dark City, from <em>FFIX</em></li>
<li>Black-red: Vector, Imperial Capital, from <em>FFVI</em></li>
<li>Red-green: Gongaga, Reactor Town, from <em>FFVII</em></li>
<li>Green-white: Windurst, Federation Center, from <em>FFXI</em></li>
<li>White-black: Insomnia, Crown City, from <em>FFXV</em></li>
<li>Blue-red: Baron, Airship Kingdom, from <em>FFIV</em></li>
<li>Black-green: Gohn, Town of Ruin, from <em>FFV</em></li>
<li>Red-white: [Rabanastre], from <em>FFXII</em></li>
<li>Green-blue: Guadosalam, Farplane Getaway, from <em>FFX</em></li>
</ul>
<h2>Tomorrow Is Another Day</h2>
<p>We will assuredly have more <em>Final Fantasy </em>previews available tomorrow. Until then, we'll open the floor to you, dear readers. Are you currently building any particular <em>Final Fantasy</em>-centric decks? Are you doing so for Standard, Commander, or any other formats? Do the spoilers from today pique your interest when building them? Sound off below!</p>


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