Scions &#038; Spellcraft Precon Guide - Final Fantasy

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fandaniel, Telophoroi Ascian" href="#" target="_blank">Fandaniel, Telophoroi Ascian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Illustrated by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pauliusdscr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paulius Dascioras</a></em></p>
<p>Have you always wondered what it would be like to raise armies for fun and profit? Has your research brought you to the brink of madness, delirium, or, at the very least, some other valid graveyard-based strategies? If so, dear reader, then you're in luck! This Commander deck tech revolving around <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fandaniel, Telophoroi Ascian" href="#" target="_blank">Fandaniel, Telophoroi Ascian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a character from <em>Final Fantasy XIV</em>, is sure to raise eyebrows, if not entire bodies!</p>
<p>In the context of <em>FFXIV</em>, Fandaniel is an <a href="https://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/a_realm_reborn/world/#!/threats/content?threats_08" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ascian</a>, or a "Bringer of Chaos," as it were. He's allied with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zenos yae Galvus" href="#" target="_blank">Zenos yae Galvus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, one of the game's central antagonists, and is a secondary antagonist in <em>Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers</em>.</p>
<p>In the context of <em>Magic: The Gathering</em>, Fandaniel is an excellent source of self-mill for you, and an even better source of life loss for your opponents.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fandaniel, Telophoroi Ascian"></div></div>
<h2>What Does Fandaniel, Telophoroi Ascian Do?</h2>
<p>To succinctly describe Fandaniel's abilities and how they measure in the context of Commander, we must look at them through the lens of his having <em>four</em> abilities, not just the two as printed. The first ability, which allows you to surveil 2 when you cast an instant or sorcery spell, can quickly fill your graveyard when you desire. However, this ability also grants you card selection. Surveiling, like scrying, doesn't <em>force</em> you to put the cards you see into the graveyard, after all. In fact, you put the cards back on top in any order if you don't put them there!</p>
<p>For that reason, the surveil ability is more like half of a copy of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Index" href="#" target="_blank">Index</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (rounded down) for the price of casting something entirely different! That's two abilities in one.</p>
<p>Now, let's look at his other ability. At your end step, your opponents choose how this ability affects them, with there being two choices. On an individual basis, your opponents will either sacrifice a nontoken creature or they will lose a <em>lot</em> of life. Usually abilities that allow opponents to pick their poison are not incredibly beneficial to you. Generally, a discerning opponent will choose the option that benefits them the most (read here as "hurts them the least"). However, if you can either a) limit their options or b) make both options positively sting, none of that will truly matter to you. You couldn't care less about the pain, but your opponents certainly will.</p>
<h3>Breaking the Chain With Fandaniel</h3>
<p>For this deck, we want to look at Fandaniel as an optimal reanimator commander. As a five-mana creature, my thoughts immediately go to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chainer, Dementia Master" href="#" target="_blank">Chainer, Dementia Master</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. However, as a mono-black commander that cares immensely about instants and sorceries, I have other thoughts as well (more on those shortly). For a moment, though, let's quickly talk about reanimation in a Chainer deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chainer, Dementia Master"></div></div>
<p>Generally speaking, I find Chainer to be utterly fascinating. Of all the content I've written throughout my writing career, he's been my most discussed commander. To date, I've written three whole articles on the card. However, Chainer is a reanimator commander that couldn't be further from Fandaniel in a variety of ways. For one, Chainer <em>actually</em> reanimates creatures, while Fandaniel fills your graveyard and potentially others' as well. Chainer isn't limited to your turn, while Fandaniel is somewhat stuck triggering at your end step. And, perhaps most damning of all, Chainer has downsides in costing mana to resurrect things as well as that nasty leaves-the-battlefield trigger he has. Fandaniel is all upside.</p>
<h3>A Common Link In Support</h3>
<p>Truth be told, they complement each other nicely for these reasons. Fandaniel enables Chainer (and others) as a more support-focused card, put simply. This is where that prior comparison I alluded to comes in: Fandaniel is Chainer support in a similar but slightly different way to <em>Portal Three </em><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><em>Kingdoms</em>'</span> own <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed" href="#" target="_blank">Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed"></div></div>
<p>Hear me out. Xiahou Dun might be a $90-$150 card (depending on what printing you want), but his effect is novel and supports both of these commanders in a huge way. Far and away, Xiahou Dun is the most expensive card to grace this deck tech, but it's also unique for what it does. In the exact same vein as how you can bring creatures back with it, Xiahou Dun allows you to also bring back instant and sorcery cards. The synergy is there, and it is in the slinging of spells.</p>
<h3>It Takes an Ascian to Raise a Family</h3>
<p>This brings us to the strategy portion of this deck tech. As this is a reanimator deck, we want to fill our grave with creatures and bring them back with our instant and sorcery spells. Put plainly, in the early game, we want to ramp up to 5 mana at least with our 50 or so mana sources while filling our graveyard. Then, in the mid-game, we want to start slinging spells left and right to gain value off of our card selection and continued self-mill. This should allow us to bring a few haymaker creatures back from the dead in the process. Finally, we want to cause such a tough ultimatum for our opponents that they can't help but lose the game.</p>
<h2>Key Cards for Fandaniel</h2>
<p>Fandaniel, as a reanimation commander, needs a lot of build-around support. After all, he himself doesn't reanimate. To that end, we have to curate our deck around the goal we're setting: raising the dead for fun and profit!</p>
<h3>Grouping #1: Self-Mill</h3>
<p>To kickstart this deck's overall game plan, we need a way to get cards into the graveyard. After all, the grave is our spawn point for a great many cards! Notable cards that help assist with this include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syr Konrad, the Grim" href="#" target="_blank">Syr Konrad, the Grim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oriq Loremage" href="#" target="_blank">Oriq Loremage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and dredgers <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stinkweed Imp" href="#" target="_blank">Stinkweed Imp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Golgari Thug" href="#" target="_blank">Golgari Thug</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doom Whisperer" href="#" target="_blank">Doom Whisperer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, while a good reanimation target in its own right, also serves as a strong self-mill piece. And let's not neglect to mention <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Warring Triad" href="#" target="_blank">The Warring Triad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a new card from the <em>Final Fantasy</em> Commander decks. Apparently, being able to provide double-duty in the early game (both self-mill <em>and</em> mana acceleration) is quite potent.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oriq Loremage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Warring Triad"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doom Whisperer"></div></div>
<p>Okay, we have a sizable graveyard. So now what?</p>
<h3>Grouping #2: Reanimation Spells</h3>
<p>To cast a reanimation spell with this <em>Final Fantasy</em> legend is tricky. Whenever we cast an instant or sorcery, we have to adhere to a couple of rules:</p>
<ol>
<li>When we select targets, we haven't yet cast the spell. As such, cards we surveil away won't be legal resurrection targets.</li>
<li>We want instants and sorceries in the graveyard, but not the ones that revive our creatures. At least, this is true in the short term. To that end, we don't want to surveil those away unless there's no use for them, which is a rare situation by the time we have Fandaniel in play.</li>
</ol>
<p>So, in order to maximize our value, we don't necessarily want to run resurrection-based enchantments, so <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animate Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Animate Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necromancy" href="#" target="_blank">Necromancy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are out while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stitch Together" href="#" target="_blank">Stitch Together</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reanimate" href="#" target="_blank">Reanimate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> proper, and the new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rejoin the Fight" href="#" target="_blank">Rejoin the Fight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are all in.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reanimate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rejoin the Fight"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stitch Together"></div></div>
<p>There are couple of exceptions here. Reanimation that repeats itself, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strands of Night" href="#" target="_blank">Strands of Night</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for instance, feels good for when or if you run out of fuel. And don't think we forgot about creatures that can do the job as well! That's the second main exception. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sheoldred, Whispering One" href="#" target="_blank">Sheoldred, Whispering One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Delver" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Delver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doomed Necromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Doomed Necromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all can take part in this. Furthermore, the new <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> from <em>Final Fantasy</em> does a similar trick. We have to appreciate the ingenuity of a creature that brings back friends.</p>
<p>On that note, we include both of the aforementioned legendary mono-black Reanimator creatures as well. Importantly, Xiahou Dun will bring back our black spells for even more mileage.</p>
<p>That's the main idea for how to resurrect things. On to payoffs!</p>
<h3>Grouping #3: Reanimation Targets</h3>
<p>Let's discuss various targets for our resurrection spells. This section can be curated to taste, but we have a few particularly nice ones in here. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archon of Cruelty" href="#" target="_blank">Archon of Cruelty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a modern classic (and a Modern classic, to boot!). <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vilis, Broker of Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Vilis, Broker of Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows you to trade some pain for cards, which is important as life is a resource to the discerning black-aligned planeswalker. We even have <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> as a minor board wipe that can, potentially, discourage further board wipes down the road.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archon of Cruelty"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vilis, Broker of Blood"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Massacre Wurm"></div></div>
<p>When talking about the life loss that Vilis or Chainer inflict upon you, we need to talk about mitigation. Not only is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sangromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Sangromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> a strong inclusion here for its lifegain opportunities, as a flyer, it can prove remarkably helpful in a pinch. We also have the tried-and-true duo of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kokusho, the Evening Star" href="#" target="_blank">Kokusho, the Evening Star</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gray Merchant of Asphodel" href="#" target="_blank">Gray Merchant of Asphodel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to drain opponents to their doom. How fun!</p>
<h2>How Does Fandaniel Win?</h2>
<p>As you'd expect, this deck wants to win by either making opponents unable to prevent losing a ton of life, or simply drains and damages them to death by a horde of ultimately unkillable creatures. The most ideal scenario here is this: by the end of the game, your opponents will lose on your turn because they have no creatures in play and so can't sacrifice them to sate Fandaniel's ability. To this end, obligatory board wipes are nice to have handy.</p>
<p>Alternatively, you could also cast and recast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temporal Extortion" href="#" target="_blank">Temporal Extortion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with a repeatedly-resurrected Xiahou Dun, but I hear tell that chaining extra turns is a bit icky. Thankfully, your opponents can choose to let that happen; that frees you from the onus (kind of)!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Temporal Extortion"></div></div>
<h2>Fandaniel, Telophoroi Ascian Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Fandaniel, Telophoroi Ascian" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Fandaniel, Telophoroi Ascian
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Altar of Dementia
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Sol Ring
*1 The Darkness Crystal
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Whip of Erebos
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Archon of Cruelty
*1 Ardyn, the Usurper
*1 Bog Witch
*1 Braids, Arisen Nightmare
*1 Chainer, Dementia Master
*1 Crypt Ghast
*1 Dimir House Guard
*1 Doom Whisperer
*1 Doomed Necromancer
*1 Evin, Waterdeep Opportunist
*1 Golgari Thug
*1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
*1 Kokusho, the Evening Star
*1 Magus of the Will
*1 Massacre Wurm
*1 Oriq Loremage
*1 Phyrexian Delver
*1 Pitiless Plunderer
*1 Sangromancer
*1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Stinkweed Imp
*1 Stitcher&#039;s Supplier
*1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
*1 The Warring Triad
*1 Vilis, Broker of Blood
*1 Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bitterblossom
*1 Chthonian Nightmare
*1 Dictate of Erebos
*1 Necropotence
*1 Strands of Night
*1 Teval&#039;s Judgment
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Bubbling Muck
*1 Damnation
*1 Dead of Winter
*1 Dread Return
*1 Exhume
*1 Final Parting
*1 Nightmare Void
*1 Reanimate
*1 Rejoin the Fight
*1 Stitch Together
*1 Temporal Extortion
*1 Toxic Deluge
*1 Victimize
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Cabal Ritual
*1 Dark Ritual
*1 Darkblast
*1 Darkness
*1 Espers to Magicite
*1 Fell the Profane // Fell Mire
*1 Sacrifice
*1 Snuff Out
*1 Withering Boon
*1 Withering Torment
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Cabal Coffers
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Dakmor Salvage
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Prismatic Vista
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Scrying Sheets
*1 Shizo, Death&#039;s Storehouse
*20 Snow-Covered Swamp
*1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*1 Verdant Catacombs
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2><em>Final Fantasy</em>? More Like Final Fandaniel!</h2>
<p>To conclude, Fandaniel, Telophoroi Ascian is a new commander from <em>Final Fantasy</em> that's fun for the whole Fandaniel! ...To be fair, I am not sorry for that pun, but I'm <em>also</em> not sorry for providing this deck tech! If it has helped inspire you to look at this card in an inspired light, sound off below! Furthermore, you can check out any of our other deck techs, including <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/group-slugging-with-kefka-court-mage">this one</a> for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kefka, Court Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Kefka, Court Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>


Fandaniel, Telophoroi Ascian Reanimator Commander Deck Tech

Counter Blitz Precon Guide - Final Fantasy

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuna, Grand Summoner" href="#" target="_blank">Yuna, Grand Summoner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by: <a href="https://kevinglint-studios.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin Glint</a></em></p>
<p>Friendly greetings and welcome to Spira, the world of <em>Final Fantasy X</em>. I'm <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/author/john-sherwood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Sherwood</a>, and I'm taking a break from my regular <em>Bracketeering</em> series to feature a new commander. This deck tech is brought to you in part by mixed feelings about a video game I never beat. It wasn't for lack of trying. I spent an unhealthy number of hours grinding every corner of Spira's map. Some of that time was spent side questing for the focal character of this dech tech: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuna, Grand Summoner" href="#" target="_blank">Yuna, Grand Summoner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yuna, Grand Summoner|fic|208"></div></div>
<p>Although Yuna is the secondary commander in the <a href="https://edhrec.com/precon/counter-blitz" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Counter Blitz</em> preconstructed deck</a>, this is not a precon upgrade guide. This is also not a budget deck; it's way too rich for me, but it's fun to theorycraft. So here I go, brewing Yuna for the Optimized (4) Bracket.</p>
<h2>Who Is Yuna, Grand Summoner and What Does She Do?</h2>
<p>Yuna is a central story character and vital party member in <em>Final Fantasy X</em>. In the role-playing game, Yuna is on a religious pilgrimage and she summons powerful creatures in battle. In <em>Magic</em>, Yuna is a Cleric with a mana ability that rewards you for casting creatures. That's a flavor win as far as I'm concerned. While you can use Yuna's mana for anything, she promises upside to the next creature spell you cast this turn by giving it two additional +1/+1 counters. Notably, this second part of Yuna's mana ability is a delayed trigger, and creates a decision point during deck construction and gameplay. The straightforward line is to spend the mana on a creature spell <em>now</em> and immediately get the counters. Some of the more interesting lines involve saving the trigger for later (more on this later).</p>
<p>Yuna's second ability is a triggered ability that allows us to manipulate counters and play with our graveyard. If this ability reflects any aspect of Yuna's character, I don't remember it. Granted, a lot of my mental bandwidth for <em>Final Fantasy X</em> is devoted to despising <a href="https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Blitzball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blitzball</a>. Despite not remembering any reason for Yuna to care about permanents hitting the graveyard, I'm excited about this card ability. If a permanent you control with counters on it is put into any graveyard, then Yuna places an equal number of+1/+1 counters on any target creature. The permanent that goes in the bin doesn't have to be a creature, and the original counters don't have to be +1/+1 counters. In other words, there's a wide range of possible triggers.</p>
<p>Just a quick nonbo note: avoid finality counters. These counters create a replacement effect that exiles instead. Any counters that would have been available for Yuna's second ability will be lost.</p>
<h2>Veggies and Value</h2>
<p>I created this deck on <a href="http://www.archidekt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Archidekt</a> with card packages for ramp, mana base, and board wipes. Card packages are a great feature to expedite adding essential cards to a deck, saving time for the fun parts of the deck building process.</p>
<p>One of the more enjoyable aspects of brewing a new commander is finding those synergistic value pieces. While both of Yuna's abilities can be played for value, her second ability leans into the graveyard for extra utility and resilience.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Evolution Witness"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evolution Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Evolution Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fantastic pairing with Yuna's second ability. If a permanent goes to the yard with counters on it, then targeting Evolution Witness to receive +1/+1 counters from Yuna will allow us to return a permanent from the graveyard to hand. This interaction can mitigate opponents' removal, or we can take advantage of it with sacrifice outlets.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rikku, Resourceful Guardian"></div></div>
<p>I included a few other cards that benefit from receiving counters. Picks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scurry Oak" href="#" target="_blank">Scurry Oak</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to go wide, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wildwood Scourge" href="#" target="_blank">Wildwood Scourge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to go tall, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rikku, Resourceful Guardian" href="#" target="_blank">Rikku, Resourceful Guardian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for evasion.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ratchet Bomb"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ratchet Bomb" href="#" target="_blank">Ratchet Bomb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Engineered Explosives" href="#" target="_blank">Engineered Explosives</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are handy sweepers, and can be played for extra layers of value in this deck since their charge counters will become +1/+1 counters after sacrificing them. We can take this a step further. By aiming for a number of charge counters equal to the mana value of our own permanents, we effectively turn these removal artifacts into sacrifice outlets to pump up more valuable creatures. Set this up preemptively for an impactful attack, or maybe as an edge case to to save an important creature from damage.</p>
<h2>Yuna, Combo Queen</h2>
<p>If Yuna, Grand Summoner is going to make a splash in higher Brackets, then some of the key cards for this deck should be combo pieces. Both of Yuna's abilities have combo potential, but the first ability requires fewer combo pieces to achieve a winning game state.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Freed from the Real"></div></div>
<p>Remember that delayed trigger we saved until later? Saving it gives us opportunities to duplicate it, such as untapping Yuna to do it again. Using either <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pemmin&#039;s Aura" href="#" target="_blank">Pemmin&#039;s Aura</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Freed from the Real" href="#" target="_blank">Freed from the Real</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you can make blue mana with Yuna and spend it to untap her. This allows Yuna to tap and produce mana again. You can repeat this cycle as many times as you like to create any number of delayed triggers, which will all resolve on the next creature spell you cast. That creature will enter with a number of counters equal to twice the number of times Yuna tapped for mana.</p>
<div id="4222-6566" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Even better than Freed from the Real, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pemmin&#039;s Aura" href="#" target="_blank">Pemmin&#039;s Aura</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can protect Yuna from targeted removal and make her more dangerous in combat.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pemmin&#039;s Aura"></div></div>
<p>Just in case we don't find those Auras for Yuna, untappers like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ioreth of the Healing House" href="#" target="_blank">Ioreth of the Healing House</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Saryth, the Viper&#039;s Fang" href="#" target="_blank">Saryth, the Viper&#039;s Fang</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provide redundancy. If you have both of those creatures with Yuna, then the three of them combine into a three-card untapping extravaganza.</p>
<div id="1432-4513-6566" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
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<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="." width="0" height="0"></iframe></p>
<p>However you untap Yuna, there are plenty of support pieces to improve the potency. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leyline of Abundance" href="#" target="_blank">Leyline of Abundance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> net extra mana, which we can pump into winning payoffs.</p>
<h2>How to Win With Yuna, Grand Summoner Combos</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Walking Ballista"></div></div>
<p>Let's start our push to victory by circling back to those tapping and untapping combos. The combos I picked don't inherently win the game. It doesn't matter how many times we <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Twiddle" href="#" target="_blank">Twiddle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Yuna, it's nondeterministic until we add a creature payoff. One of my favorite win conditions in this deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Walking Ballista" href="#" target="_blank">Walking Ballista</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. First, repeat the cycle of tapping and untapping Yuna a number of times greater than half of your opponents' combined life. Then cast Walking Ballista. It will enter with an amount of counters exceeding your opponents' life totals and you win the game by pinging them to death. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triskelion" href="#" target="_blank">Triskelion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can serve as a backup for this plan, but it requires more mana.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Twenty-Toed Toad"></div></div>
<p>Another great win condition in this deck is <em>Bloomburrow</em>'s <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Twenty-Toed Toad" href="#" target="_blank">Twenty-Toed Toad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This croaker can puff up with or without Yuna's help into a must-answer threat.</p>
<p>If combos and "you win" cards are unable to carry this deck to victory, there's always combat. Many of the creatures in the deck are ready to turn sideways. Also, Yuna can target herself with her second ability to becoming a serious commander damage threat.</p>
<h2>Yuna, Grand Summoner Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Yuna, Grand Summoner Dech Tech" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Yuna, Grand Summoner
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Astral Cornucopia
*1 Engineered Explosives
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Patriar&#039;s Seal
*1 Ratchet Bomb
*1 Sol Ring
*1 The Ozolith
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Altar of Bone
*1 Distant Memories
*1 Idyllic Tutor
*1 Insist
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Storm the Seedcore
*1 Sylvan Tutor
*1 Three Visits
*1 What Must Be Done
[/Sorceries]
[Creatures]
*1 Abzan Falconer
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Bounty Agent
*1 Cankerbloom
*1 Cathar Commando
*1 Crystalline Giant
*1 Danny Pink
*1 Esper Sentinel
*1 Evolution Witness
*1 Forgotten Ancient
*1 Herd Baloth
*1 Ioreth of the Healing House
*1 Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
*1 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
*1 Lonis, Genetics Expert
*1 Rikku, Resourceful Guardian
*1 Robaran Mercenaries
*1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
*1 Saryth, the Viper&#039;s Fang
*1 Scurry Oak
*1 Slippery Bogbonder
*1 Triskelion
*1 Tuskguard Captain
*1 Twenty-Toed Toad
*1 Walking Ballista
*1 Wildwood Scourge
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Freed from the Real
*1 Leyline of Abundance
*1 Pemmin&#039;s Aura
*1 Sterling Grove
*1 Utopia Sprawl
*1 Well Rested
*1 Wild Growth
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Aetherize
*1 Bant Charm
*1 Beast Within
*1 Cyclonic Rift
*1 Eladamri&#039;s Call
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Gift of the Viper
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Slip Out the Back
*1 Teferi&#039;s Protection
*1 Worldly Tutor
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Blast Zone
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Command Tower
*1 Demolition Field
*1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Flooded Strand
*7 Forest
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 High Market
*5 Island
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Minamo, School at Water&#039;s Edge
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*1 Path of Ancestry
*3 Plains
*1 Plaza of Heroes
*1 Prismatic Vista
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Shifting Woodland
*1 Spara&#039;s Headquarters
*1 Temple Garden
*1 Windswept Heath
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Sequel Setup</h2>
<p><em>Final Fantasy X </em>has a sequel and a remaster. I've never played either of them, just like I'll never play this deck in paper. It was a lot of fun to tinker with, and hopefully you found a little inspiration here. I love this card; Yuna is a very open ended commander with more potential than there are slots in the 99. If you're building <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuna, Grand Summoner" href="#" target="_blank">Yuna, Grand Summoner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, tell me about your brew in the comments below.</p>


Yuna, Grand Summoner Optimized Commander Deck Tech

Celes, Rune Knight Commander Deck Tech

Limit Break Precon Guide - Final Fantasy

Revival Trance Precon Guide - Final Fantasy

<p style="text-align: right;"><em>Image credits: Wizards of the Coast &amp; Square Enix</em></p>
<p>On Monday, May 12th, <em>Wizards of the Coast</em> revealed all four of the <em>Final Fantasy</em> precon decklists for Commander. The four decks are fairly interesting, from the new cards to their reprints, all printed in an in-universe theme. But what cards are particularly powerful in these decks? What reprints make these decks worth getting? Read on, and we'll help with that.</p>
<h2><em>Magic: The Gathering x Final Fantasy</em>'s New Commander Cards</h2>
<p>To kick this off, there are a few things you'll need to know. First off, there are four distinct Commander precons in this release. These have an MSRP of $69.99. However, there is also a set of "Collector's Edition" precons, each of which has an MSRP of $149.99. These collector items are the same as the standard-issue precons, just with a fully foiled-out deck. They're also likely to be extremely sought-after and hard to find, and when they're bought out, resellers may sell them at inflated markups.</p>
<p>However, it's not our purview to discuss markups. You came here to read up on the precons themselves, and so that's what we will talk about from here on!</p>
<h2>The Decks</h2>
<p>The four <em>Final Fantasy</em> preconstructed decks each represent one of four games from the mainline 16-game series. Let's go over each!</p>
<h3>Revival Trance</h3>
<p><a href="https://archidekt.com/decks/13106730/revival_trance_final_fantasy_commander"><em>Revival Trance</em></a> is a white-black-red deck that represents <em>FFVI</em>. It runs a reanimation strategy seeking to fill your graveyard while reaping value from it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terra, Herald of Hope" href="#" target="_blank">Terra, Herald of Hope</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the face commander of <em>Revival Trance</em>, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Celes, Rune Knight" href="#" target="_blank">Celes, Rune Knight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is its featured commander (or backup commander, though <em>Wizards</em> now uses this new nomenclature).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Revival Trance - Final Fantasy Commander" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Terra, Herald of Hope
[/Commander]
[Lands]
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Command Tower
*1 Demolition Field
*1 Desolate Mire
*1 Dragonskull Summit
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fetid Heath
*1 Foreboding Ruins
*1 Furycalm Snarl
*1 Geothermal Bog
*1 Graven Cairns
*1 High Market
*1 Isolated Chapel
*3 Mountain
*1 Nomad Outpost
*1 Path of Ancestry
*4 Plains
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Rugged Prairie
*1 Sacred Peaks
*1 Shadowblood Ridge
*1 Shineshadow Snarl
*1 Smoldering Marsh
*1 Sulfurous Springs
*1 Sunlit Marsh
*1 Sunscorched Divide
*3 Swamp
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
*1 Angel of the Ruins
*1 Anger
*1 Archfiend of Depravity
*1 Banon, the Returners&#039; Leader
*1 Celes, Rune Knight
*1 Combustible Gearhulk
*1 Cyan, Vengeful Samurai
*1 Edgar, Master Machinist
*1 Flayer of the Hatebound
*1 Gau, Feral Youth
*1 General Leo Cristophe
*1 Gogo, Mysterious Mime
*1 Interceptor, Shadow&#039;s Hound
*1 Kefka, Dancing Mad
*1 Locke, Treasure Hunter
*1 Meteor Golem
*1 Millikin
*1 Mog, Moogle Warrior
*1 Morbid Opportunist
*1 Palace Jailer
*1 Pitiless Plunderer
*1 Priest of Fell Rites
*1 Ruin Grinder
*1 Sabin, Master Monk
*1 Sepulchral Primordial
*1 Setzer, Wandering Gambler
*1 Shadow, Mysterious Assassin
*1 Siegfried, Famed Swordsman
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Stitcher&#039;s Supplier
*1 Strago and Relm
*1 Summon: Esper Valigarmanda
*1 Sun Titan
*1 The Warring Triad
*1 Umaro, Raging Yeti
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Bedevil
*1 Big Score
*1 Crackling Doom
*1 Espers to Magicite
*1 Laughing Mad
*1 Mortify
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Coin of Fate
*1 Commander&#039;s Sphere
*1 Key to the City
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Phoenix Down
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Talisman of Indulgence
*1 The Falcon, Airship Restored
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Legions to Ashes
*1 Night&#039;s Whisper
*1 Reanimate
*1 Rejoin the Fight
*1 Rise of the Dark Realms
*1 Ruinous Ultimatum
*1 Snort
*1 Stitch Together
*1 Tragic Arrogance
[/Sorceries]"></span></div>
<h3>Limit Break</h3>
<p><a href="https://archidekt.com/decks/13106990/limit_break_final_fantasy_commander"><em>Limit Break</em></a> is a white-red-green deck representing <em>FFVII</em>. It focuses on "go-tall" strategies to put Equipment on your creatures to get them to at least seven power. <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> is its face commander, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tifa, Martial Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Tifa, Martial Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is its featured commander.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Limit Break - Final Fantasy Commander" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Aerith, Last Ancient
*1 Armory Automaton
*1 Avalanche of Sector 7
*1 Barret Wallace
*1 Barret, Avalanche Leader
*1 Bastion Protector
*1 Bronze Guardian
*1 Bugenhagen, Wise Elder
*1 Cait Sith, Fortune Teller
*1 Cid, Freeflier Pilot
*1 Elena, Turk Recruit
*1 Heidegger, Shinra Executive
*1 Helitrooper
*1 Hellkite Tyrant
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Professor Hojo
*1 Puresteel Paladin
*1 Red XIII, Proud Warrior
*1 Sephiroth, Fallen Hero
*1 Summon: Kujata
*1 Tifa, Martial Artist
*1 Vincent, Vengeful Atoner
*1 Yuffie, Materia Hunter
*1 Zack Fair
[/Creatures]
[Lands]
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Bonders&#039; Enclave
*1 Brushland
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Cinder Glade
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fire-Lit Thicket
*3 Forest
*1 Fortified Village
*1 Furycalm Snarl
*1 Game Trail
*1 Jungle Shrine
*1 Mossfire Valley
*3 Mountain
*1 Path of Ancestry
*3 Plains
*1 Radiant Grove
*1 Rootbound Crag
*1 Rugged Prairie
*1 Sacred Peaks
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Slayers&#039; Stronghold
*1 Spire of Industry
*1 Sungrass Prairie
*1 Sunpetal Grove
*1 Sunscorched Divide
*1 Wooded Ridgeline
[/Lands]
[Sorceries]
*1 Austere Command
*1 Cultivate
*1 Decimate
*1 Harmonize
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Secret Rendezvous
*1 Ultimate Magic: Meteor
*1 Unfinished Business
*1 Vandalblast
*1 Vanquish the Horde
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Behemoth Sledge
*1 Champion&#039;s Helm
*1 Colossus Hammer
*1 Conformer Shuriken
*1 Conqueror&#039;s Flail
*1 Darksteel Plate
*1 Explorer&#039;s Scope
*1 Hero&#039;s Blade
*1 Hero&#039;s Heirloom
*1 Inspiring Statuary
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mask of Memory
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Summoning Materia
*1 Sword of the Animist
*1 Trailblazer&#039;s Boots
*1 Wrecking Ball Arm
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Clever Concealment
*1 Cloud&#039;s Limit Break
*1 Dispatch
*1 Lifestream&#039;s Blessing
*1 Ultimate Magic: Holy
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Furious Rise
*1 SOLDIER Military Program
[/Enchantments]"></span></div>
<h3>Counter Blitz</h3>
<p><a href="https://archidekt.com/decks/13107079/counter_blitz_final_fantasy_commander"><em>Counter Blitz</em></a> is a white-blue-green deck that features the characters and story of <em>FFX</em>. This deck wants to put counters on permanents, then move those counters around for value. The face commander of is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tidus, Yuna&#039;s Guardian" href="#" target="_blank">Tidus, Yuna&#039;s Guardian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, while its featured commander is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuna, Grand Summoner" href="#" target="_blank">Yuna, Grand Summoner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Counter Blitz - Final Fantasy Commander" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Tidus, Yuna&#039;s Guardian
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Altered Ego
*1 Auron, Venerated Guardian
*1 Bane of Progress
*1 Chasm Skulker
*1 Chocobo Knights
*1 Duskshell Crawler
*1 Fathom Mage
*1 Forgotten Ancient
*1 Gatta and Luzzu
*1 Generous Patron
*1 Grateful Apparition
*1 Gyre Sage
*1 Incubation Druid
*1 Kimahri, Valiant Guardian
*1 Lord Jyscal Guado
*1 Lulu, Stern Guardian
*1 Luminous Broodmoth
*1 Maester Seymour
*1 O&#039;aka, Traveling Merchant
*1 Rampant Rejuvenator
*1 Rikku, Resourceful Guardian
*1 Scholar of New Horizons
*1 Shelinda, Yevon Acolyte
*1 Sin, Unending Cataclysm
*1 Summon: Ixion
*1 Summon: Magus Sisters
*1 Summon: Valefor
*1 Summon: Yojimbo
*1 Sunscorch Regent
*1 Tireless Tracker
*1 Tromell, Seymour&#039;s Butler
*1 Wakka, Devoted Guardian
*1 Walking Ballista
*1 Yuna, Grand Summoner
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse
*1 Destroy Evil
*1 Endless Detour
*1 Inspiring Call
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Protection Magic
*1 Pull from Tomorrow
*1 Yuna&#039;s Whistle
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Blitzball Stadium
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Sol Ring
[/Artifacts]
[Lands]
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Brushland
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Flooded Grove
*3 Forest
*1 Forge of Heroes
*1 Fortified Village
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Hinterland Harbor
*1 Idyllic Beachfront
*3 Island
*1 Nesting Grounds
*1 Overflowing Basin
*1 Path of Ancestry
*3 Plains
*1 Port Town
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Radiant Grove
*1 Seaside Citadel
*1 Skycloud Expanse
*1 Sungrass Prairie
*1 Sunpetal Grove
*1 Tangled Islet
*1 Temple of Enlightenment
*1 Temple of Mystery
*1 Temple of Plenty
*1 Temple of the False God
*1 Vineglimmer Snarl
[/Lands]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bred for the Hunt
*1 Fight Rigging
*1 Hardened Scales
*1 Inexorable Tide
*1 Path of Discovery
*1 Resourceful Defense
*1 Sphere Grid
*1 Summoner&#039;s Sending
*1 Together Forever
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Collective Effort
*1 Damning Verdict
*1 Farewell
*1 Farseek
*1 Promise of Loyalty
*1 Three Visits
*1 Yuna&#039;s Decision
[/Sorceries]"></span></div>
<h3>Scions &amp; Spellcraft</h3>
<p><a href="https://archidekt.com/decks/13107116/scions_spellcraft_final_fantasy_commander"><em>Scions &amp; Spellcraft</em></a> is the final deck in the release. It's a white-blue-black deck that revolves around <em>FFXIV</em>. This deck has a small legendary theme, but overall wants to act as a control-archetype deck that capitalizes on noncreature spells. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed" href="#" target="_blank">Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is its face commander, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="G&#039;raha Tia, Scion Reborn" href="#" target="_blank">G&#039;raha Tia, Scion Reborn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the featured commander.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Scions &amp; Spellcraft - Final Fantasy Commander" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Archaeomancer&#039;s Map
*1 Astrologian&#039;s Planisphere
*1 Blue Mage&#039;s Cane
*1 Coveted Jewel
*1 Dancer&#039;s Chakrams
*1 Reaper&#039;s Scythe
*1 Relic of Legends
*1 Sage&#039;s Nouliths
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 Talisman of Hierarchy
*1 Talisman of Progress
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Tome of Legends
*1 White Auracite
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Alisaie Leveilleur
*1 Alphinaud Leveilleur
*1 Archmage Emeritus
*1 Ardbert, Warrior of Darkness
*1 Baleful Strix
*1 Emet-Selch of the Third Seat
*1 Estinien Varlineau
*1 Fandaniel, Telophoroi Ascian
*1 G&#039;raha Tia, Scion Reborn
*1 Hermes, Overseer of Elpis
*1 Hildibrand Manderville // Gentleman&#039;s Rise
*1 Hraesvelgr of the First Brood
*1 Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare
*1 Krile Baldesion
*1 Lyse Hext
*1 Murderous Rider // Swift End
*1 Papalymo Totolymo
*1 Summon: Good King Mog XII
*1 Tataru Taru
*1 Thancred Waters
*1 Torrential Gearhulk
*1 Urianger Augurelt
[/Creatures]
[Lands]
*1 Arcane Sanctum
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Choked Estuary
*1 Command Tower
*1 Contaminated Aquifer
*1 Darkwater Catacombs
*1 Demolition Field
*1 Desolate Mire
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fetid Heath
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Idyllic Beachfront
*3 Island
*1 Isolated Chapel
*1 Path of Ancestry
*4 Plains
*1 Port Town
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Shineshadow Snarl
*1 Skycloud Expanse
*1 Sunken Hollow
*1 Sunken Ruins
*1 Sunlit Marsh
*4 Swamp
*1 Temple of the False God
*1 Underground River
[/Lands]
[Enchantments]
*1 Authority of the Consuls
*1 Bastion of Remembrance
*1 Champions from Beyond
*1 Eye of Nidhogg
*1 Observed Stasis
*1 Propaganda
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Circle of Power
*1 Cleansing Nova
*1 Crux of Fate
*1 Cut a Deal
*1 Exsanguinate
*1 Final Judgment
*1 Lingering Souls
*1 Rite of Replication
*1 Syphon Mind
*1 Vindicate
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Dig Through Time
*1 Into the Story
*1 Lethal Scheme
*1 Snuff Out
*1 Sublime Epiphany
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Transpose
*1 Void Rend
[/Instants]"></span></div>
<h2>The Best Cards In the Decks</h2>
<p>So, beyond what we've already mentioned, we're going to give players a bit of breathing room regarding newly printed cards from <em>Final Fantasy</em>. The new cards in this release will likely find their place in Commander. However, they're still super fresh, and players will very possibly want to figure out a means to give these cards a home in their decks.</p>
<p>On the flipside, very notably, there are a slew of high-end reprints in these decks, and that's what might be worth talking about at this time.</p>
<p>Some of the stronger reprints in these Commander decks include:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rise of the Dark Realms" href="#" target="_blank">Rise of the Dark Realms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (Revival Trance)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ruinous Ultimatum" href="#" target="_blank">Ruinous Ultimatum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (Revival Trance)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bastion Protector" href="#" target="_blank">Bastion Protector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (Limit Break)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Champion&#039;s Helm" href="#" target="_blank">Champion&#039;s Helm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (Limit Break)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conqueror&#039;s Flail" href="#" target="_blank">Conqueror&#039;s Flail</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (Limit Break)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clever Concealment" href="#" target="_blank">Clever Concealment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (Limit Break)</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_152432" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/clever-concealment.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-152432" class="wp-image-152432" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/clever-concealment.jpeg" alt="Clever Concealment, from the &quot;Limit Break&quot; Final Fantasy Commander deck. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/clever-concealment.jpeg 744w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/clever-concealment-215x300.jpeg 215w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/clever-concealment-733x1024.jpeg 733w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-152432" class="wp-caption-text">Clever Concealment, from the <em>Limit Break</em> <em>Final Fantasy</em> Commander deck. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Generous Patron" href="#" target="_blank">Generous Patron</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (Counter Blitz)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Walking Ballista" href="#" target="_blank">Walking Ballista</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (Counter Blitz)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sublime Epiphany" href="#" target="_blank">Sublime Epiphany</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (Scions &amp; Spellcraft)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Snuff Out" href="#" target="_blank">Snuff Out</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (Scions &amp; Spellcraft)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Final Judgment" href="#" target="_blank">Final Judgment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (Scions &amp; Spellcraft)</li>
</ul>
<p>Overall, reprint playability appears to be pretty widespread among the different precons, but in terms of value, Limit Break has this in spades.</p>
<p>All in all, the decks each have something of value to them. Whether you're a reanimator fan, a Voltron aficionado, or a control player, these decks are pretty awesome and have something for pretty much anyone. <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/final-fantasy-commander-decklists" target="_blank" rel="noopener">You can find those decklists here.</a></p>
<p>But let's hear what you think. Do you like these precons? Do you think the decks are interesting? And perhaps more importantly, do they capture the spirit of their respective games, and <em>Final Fantasy</em> on the whole? Sound off below! And stay tuned for our full Precon Guides for these decks, coming soon.</p>


Final Fantasy Commander Decklists Revealed

<h6 style="text-align: right;">Image credit: PAX East</h6>
<p>On Saturday, May 10th, the <em>Final Fantasy</em> preview season officially kicks off! Notably, a preview panel at PAX East in Boston, Massachusetts, showcases the first round of previews for the new Universes Beyond set. As such, we will recap it as the cards begin to roll in. You can find this stream on <a href="http://twitch.tv/magic"><em>Magic</em>'s Twitch channel</a> between noon and 2 pm Eastern time. But what do we expect to see when the panel gets underway? Read on!</p>
<h2>What <em>Final Fantasy</em> Previews Will We See?</h2>
<p>At this time, PAX East is already well underway. In fact, one of our writers, <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/author/cooper-gottfried"><strong>Cooper Gottfried</strong></a>, is already on the scene.</p>
<p>Images from the convention have already begun to circulate around social media. We have seen oversized teasers of cards featuring <em>Final Fantasy</em> characters, both beloved and notorious alike. We have even seen images of a Chocobo wearing costuming that resembles <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chandra Nalaar" href="#" target="_blank">Chandra Nalaar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s clothing. Truly, the collaboration is now in full swing.</p>
<div id="attachment_152160" style="width: 429px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/chocobo-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-152160" class="wp-image-152160" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/chocobo-scaled.jpg" alt="The statue of &quot;Chocobo, Awakened Inferno&quot; from the play area of PAX East. Photo credit: Cooper Gottfried" width="419" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/chocobo-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/chocobo-225x300.jpg 225w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/chocobo-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/chocobo-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/chocobo-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 419px) 100vw, 419px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-152160" class="wp-caption-text">The statue of "Chocobo, Awakened Inferno" from the play area of PAX East. Photo credit: <strong>Cooper Gottfried</strong></p></div>
<p>As for the question posed above, you'll have to wait for tomorrow's panel to get a first look at the cards previewed therein. Alternatively, we will have a panel recap ready for you tomorrow after 2 pm as well. Stay tuned for this development!</p>
<div id="attachment_152127" style="width: 755px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Cloud-Midgar-Mercenary-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-152127" class="wp-image-152127" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Cloud-Midgar-Mercenary-scaled.jpg" alt="A teaser of Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, a card from the upcoming Final Fantasy set. Photo credit: Cooper Gottfried" width="745" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Cloud-Midgar-Mercenary-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Cloud-Midgar-Mercenary-300x225.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Cloud-Midgar-Mercenary-1024x769.jpg 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Cloud-Midgar-Mercenary-768x577.jpg 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Cloud-Midgar-Mercenary-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Cloud-Midgar-Mercenary-2048x1538.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 745px) 100vw, 745px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-152127" class="wp-caption-text">A teaser of Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, a card from the upcoming <em>Final Fantasy</em> set. Photo credit: Cooper Gottfried</p></div>
<div id="attachment_152128" style="width: 755px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Tifa-Lockhart-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-152128" class="wp-image-152128" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Tifa-Lockhart-scaled.jpg" alt="A teaser of Tifa Lockhart, a card from the upcoming Final Fantasy set. Photo credit: Cooper Gottfried" width="745" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Tifa-Lockhart-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Tifa-Lockhart-300x225.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Tifa-Lockhart-1024x769.jpg 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Tifa-Lockhart-768x577.jpg 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Tifa-Lockhart-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Tifa-Lockhart-2048x1538.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 745px) 100vw, 745px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-152128" class="wp-caption-text">A teaser of Tifa Lockhart, a card from the upcoming <em>Final Fantasy</em> set. Photo credit: Cooper Gottfried</p></div>
<h2>More Previews Coming Soon</h2>
<p>As this is only the start of the <em>Final Fantasy</em> preview season, expect to see more and more reveals pop up in various places <em>after</em> PAX East as well. We are so excited that we can hardly contain ourselves, but contain ourselves we must. All things come to those who wait, dear readers. All in good time.</p>
<p>But in the coming hours leading up to the <em>Final Fantasy</em> panel, we'd love to hear from you. What are you most anticipating from the panel? What previews are you most excited about? And how about that darling red Chocobo? Feel free to let us know how you're feeling about all of tomorrow's upcoming excitement in the comments below!</p>


Final Fantasy Panel Livestreams May 10th At PAX East

<h6 style="text-align: right;">Image credits: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</h6>
<p>On the evening of Thursday, May 8th, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FinalFantasy/posts/pfbid02T3VmsH45Nimu25H198i2wFv1t9DzafUQKwTcPvobfVXNCsSrhHtiJXyqcLVZ4e12l">the official Facebook account for <em>Final Fantasy</em></a> revealed the remaining two alternative commanders for their Commander precons. Yuna, Grand Summoner is part of the Counter Blitz deck, which features characters from <em>Final Fantasy X</em>. Graha Tia, Scion Reborn is the alternate commander of the Scions &amp; Spellcraft deck, showcasing the characters of <em>Final Fantasy XIV</em>.</p>
<h2>Yuna, Grand Summoner</h2>
<p>One of the main characters of <em>FFX</em> and the love interest of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tidus, Yuna&#039;s Guardian" href="#" target="_blank">Tidus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, Yuna is an extremely vital figure in the <em>FFX</em> canon. A summoner, Yuna can conjure beings known as "aeons" to aid in combat. She is also a proficient White Mage, using healing magic to act as a support role in the game and its sequel.</p>
<div id="attachment_152073" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/yuna.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-152073" class="wp-image-152073" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/yuna.png" alt="Yuna, Grand Summoner, a new card from within the &quot;Counter Blitz&quot; precon for Final Fantasy. Image credits: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/yuna.png 700w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/yuna-215x300.png 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-152073" class="wp-caption-text">Yuna, Grand Summoner, a new card from within the "Counter Blitz" precon for <em>Final Fantasy</em>. Image credits: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<p>In the context of Commander, Yuna acts as a pseudo version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Ozolith" href="#" target="_blank">The Ozolith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but rather than the counters of the dead creature retaining their classification, Yuna effectively converts them into +1/+1 counters for another creature. What's more, Yuna is a mana-producing creature that puts +1/+1 counters on the creature that mana is spent on. In that way, she seems to do a bang-up job in somewhat imitating <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Great Henge" href="#" target="_blank">The Great Henge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, her showcase borderless version can be seen below!</p>
<div id="attachment_152074" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/borderless-yuna.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-152074" class="wp-image-152074" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/borderless-yuna.png" alt="The borderless showcase version of Yuna, Grand Summoner. Image credits: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/borderless-yuna.png 700w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/borderless-yuna-215x300.png 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-152074" class="wp-caption-text">The borderless showcase version of Yuna, Grand Summoner. Image credits: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<h2>G'raha Tia, Scion Reborn</h2>
<p>G'raha Tia, also known as the "Crystal Exarch," is a major character in <em>Final Fantasy XIV</em>. He is a member of the protagonist's party and a member of the Miqo'te race in the game's setting. He is playful and eccentric, and, in the context of the MMO setting of <em>FFXIV</em>, can play the role of a Paladin, White Mage, or Black Mage. Versatile!</p>
<div id="attachment_152075" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/graha-tia.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-152075" class="wp-image-152075" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/graha-tia.png" alt="G'raha Tia, Scion Reborn, a new card from within the &quot;Scions &amp; Spellcraft&quot; precon for Final Fantasy. Image credits: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/graha-tia.png 700w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/graha-tia-215x300.png 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-152075" class="wp-caption-text">G'raha Tia, Scion Reborn, a new card from within the "Scions &amp; Spellcraft" precon for <em>Final Fantasy</em>. Image credits: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</p></div>
<p>In the context of <em>Magic: The Gathering</em>, G'raha Tia is a token generator with lifelink. His second ability appears to synergize somewhat with the face commander of the "Scions &amp; Spellcraft" precon, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed" href="#" target="_blank">Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but only just. However, the existence of a 1/1 colorless Hero token seems interesting. Usually, nonartifact creature tokens have a color associated with them. Is this indicative of something greater?</p>
<h2>Final Days Before the <em>Final Fantasy</em> Panel</h2>
<p>These two precon commander alternatives are pretty interesting. We look forward to seeing what else comes of the set and decks! If you're also interested, the panel at PAX East will be livestreamed on Twitch on Saturday, May 10th, from noon to 2 pm Eastern!</p>
<p>Meanwhile, how do you feel about these reveals? Are you excited to test out any <em>Final Fantasy</em> commanders? Sound off below!</p>


mtgfic

Scions & Spellcraft Precon Guide - Final Fantasy