<h6 style="text-align: right;">Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix</h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Today is Thursday, June 5th, and we are already halfway through with our count-up towards the <em>Final Fantasy</em> set release date! This set has so much going for it. For this series, we are looking at the best cards from each individual game in the main series. Yesterday we covered <em>FFVIII</em>, and for today's list, we're looking at <em>Final Fantasy IX</em>!</p>
<p>The criteria we're working with for this superlative list is as follows:</p>
<ul>
<li>Honorable Mention - These usually will be a cycle or group of cards that are great but don't quite measure up to the "best" in the categories we have chosen to cover. (Today's list will only have one card.)</li>
<li>Best as a Commander - This category covers, as advertised, the best commander to lead a deck in Commander, but may also look briefly at other Command Zone-driven formats.</li>
<li>Best in the 99 - This section discusses my choice for the best card in a given 99 of a deck. It may be a ubiquitous card, but it might also just be a card with a fair amount of utility.</li>
<li>Most Flavorful - The most fun to play card in a storytelling context will be deemed Most Flavorful. For example, we covered <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Town Greeter" href="#" target="_blank">Town Greeter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in our <em>FFI</em> list for its fun lore synergies with Towns, especially those with specific <em>Final Fantasy</em> town names.</li>
<li>Best In Show - The very best of these cards in a balance of the above categories.</li>
</ul>
<p>Furthermore, cards from the Commander precons, <em>Through the Ages</em>, and promotional/<em>Secret Lair</em> cards are ineligible for consideration. We want to keep this strictly from the main set.</p>
<p>With that, let's begin!</p>
<h2>Honorable Mention</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Black Waltz No. 3"></div></div>
<p>We start today's list off with a formidable Black Mage from the set. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Black Waltz No. 3" href="#" target="_blank">Black Waltz No. 3</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a remarkably powerful legendary creature in this game's subset of cards. It saps opponents of their life totals, it flies, and it kills whatever creature it damages. For an easy four mana, this creature truly is pushed for an uncommon.</p>
<p>However, it could theoretically do more. The simple nature of how this card functions so effortlessly is the reason that Black Waltz No. 3 is only an Honorable Mention here. By no means is it a bad commander, or part of 99, but it's such an easy card to fit both categories that choosing was difficult. Honestly, it could've been Best In Show if not for the stronger alternative that made it there.</p>
<h2>Best as a Commander</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Choco, Seeker of Paradise"></div></div>
<p>Players have been clamoring for a dedicated Bird kindred commander for a while now. But, specifically, one that can utilize blue, white, <em>and</em> green. After all, how can you run the ever-iconic <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Birds of Paradise" href="#" target="_blank">Birds of Paradise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> without green? Enter <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Choco, Seeker of Paradise" href="#" target="_blank">Choco, Seeker of Paradise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This legendary Chocobo was what Bird player aspirants wanted sorely. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tawnos, the Toymaker" href="#" target="_blank">Tawnos, the Toymaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> clearly did not satisfy due to a lack of white. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kastral, the Windcrested" href="#" target="_blank">Kastral, the Windcrested</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, once again, lacked green. Choco is a perfect fit for the needs of these players.</p>
<p>Furthermore, there's an argument here for Choco to be a strong landfall commander as well, although that archetype is quite cramped to begin with. But suffice it to say, Choco wants Birds swinging for the fences to use its triggered ability properly. It'll be one heck of a potent commander upon release.</p>
<h2>Best in the 99</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lindblum, Industrial Regency"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lindblum, Industrial Regency" href="#" target="_blank">Lindblum, Industrial Regency</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a member of a cycle of five lands with Adventures stapled onto them. However, being that Lindblum is the only one from <em>Final Fantasy IX</em>, it seemed fair to put it here, as Best in the 99. The card is very strong; it makes a "Black Mage" body, it triggers any other Black Mages you had on the battlefield already, and it allows you a land drop later on. What's not to love about that?</p>
<h2>Most Flavorful</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kuja, Genome Sorcerer"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link side-by-side"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kuja, Genome Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Kuja, Genome Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the antagonist of <em>FFIX</em>. He is a pivotal character when it comes to purportedly knowing the secret to creating Black Mages in the context of the video game. As such, when it comes to his <em>Magic: The Gathering</em> card, his story and flavor tie into this exceptionally well.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Trance_Kuja_(cinematic_enemy)">Trance Kuja</a>, the party of <em>FFIX</em> cannot defeat him for cinematic reasons, so it's harder to translate this into card game terms, but it seems to have been adapted pretty well in a fashion.</p>
<p>And that brings us to the <em>Final Fantasy IX</em> Best In Show. You probably can guess which card this is already, but here we go anyhow...</p>
<h2><em>Final Fantasy IX</em> Best In Show</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vivi Ornitier"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vivi Ornitier" href="#" target="_blank">Vivi Ornitier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone as our Best In Show. A highly beloved character from this game, Vivi has been cleverly adapted for <em>Magic</em>. He's rather pushed, mechanically, even beginning to break into the echelons of cEDH territory before anyone even has the card. Vivi combos rather well with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quicksilver Elemental" href="#" target="_blank">Quicksilver Elemental</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curiosity" href="#" target="_blank">Curiosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil of Sleep" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil of Sleep</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and a variety of other strong cards. My overall assessment of this amazing card is why Vivi is ultimately the Best In Show for the subset of <em>FFIX</em>.</p>
<p>And now, we've reached the end of today's count-up. How are you liking this series so far? Are we missing anything vital? Sound off in the comments! And if you want to read my previous count-up articles for <em>Final Fantasy</em>, the links thus far are all below.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/final-fantasy-16-day-count-up-day-one-ffi?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Day 1: <em>FFI</em></a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/final-fantasy-16-day-count-up-day-two-ffii?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Day 2: <em>FFII</em></a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/final-fantasy-16-day-count-up-day-three-ffiii?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Day 3: <em>FFIII</em></a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/final-fantasy-16-day-count-up-day-four-ffiv?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Day 4: <em>FFIV</em></a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/final-fantasy-16-day-count-up-day-five-ffv?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Day 5: <em>FFV</em></a> |</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/final-fantasy-16-day-count-up-day-six-ffvi?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Day 6: <em>FFVI</em></strong></a><strong> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/final-fantasy-16-day-count-up-day-seven-ffvii">Day 7: <em>FFVII</em></a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/final-fantasy-16-day-count-up-day-eight-ffviii/">Day 8: </a><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/final-fantasy-16-day-count-up-day-eight-ffviii/"><em>FFVIII</em></a></strong></p>


Final Fantasy 16-Day Count-Up, Day Nine: FFIX

<h6 style="text-align: right;">Cloud Strife and Sephiroth Final Fantasy x MTG key art | art by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/magali_villeneuve/?hl=en">Magali Villeneuve</a></h6>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.wargamer.com/magic-the-gathering/best-selling-final-fantasy-sales">Wargamer</a>, during the Q1 earnings call from Hasbro on April 24th, 2025, CEO <strong>Chris Cocks</strong> reiterated the financial success of Final Fantasy's upcoming <em>Magic</em> release:</p>
<p>“Final Fantasy will be the best-selling set of all time on day one. It already is,” he said. Preorders for Final Fantasy products on Amazon sold out almost immediately after the initial preview stream, and most retailers are marking up Collector Boosters and Collector's Edition Commander decks to $600+ apiece.</p>
<p>Final Fantasy's new best-selling status will no doubt further entrench the decision to make Universes Beyond mainline set releases and products more frequent.</p>
<p>“It’s very clear to us that Universes Beyond as a strategy has increased the total active install base of <em>Magic</em> players, both in terms of reigniting lapsed fans as well as bringing in new fans,” Cocks said.</p>
<h2>What's behind the growth in Hasbro's MTG earnings?</h2>
<p>“It’s difficult to identify just one thing. Really what we’re seeing is an expansion of the playerbase,” Cocks explained. Many players could speculate the rise in Chaos Vault and Secret Lair drops have changed the model for MTG products in between mainline set releases.</p>
<p>As well as this, we can count on recent "nostalgia" sets like Tarkir: Dragonstorm having brought longtime players back into the fold to see fresh takes on old characters, game mechanics and settings.</p>
<p>One thing remains sure, Final Fantasy is bound to have some of the most popular Secret Lair drops of all time, leading to an even greater sales expectation for Wizards' current license of the franchise.</p>
<h3>What Makes the Final Fantasy MTG set so popular?</h3>
<p>Final Fantasy (FF) premiered in Japan in 1987, and with over 30 years' worth of game release across the world and console generations, there are legions of fans who are eager to get their hands on anything FF related. Final Fantasy's many characters and world settings also makes it a perfect fit for <em>Magic's</em> game system.</p>
<h2>When Does the Final Fantasy MTG set Release?</h2>
<p>With a scheduled prerelease date of June 6th and release date of June 13th, Final Fantasy and <em>Magic</em> fans don't have long to wait to meld their favorite franchises together with one of the world's best game systems.</p>
<p>Have you managed to preorder any Final Fantasy product yet? What games or characters are you hoping get the best representation? Let us know below!</p>


square enix

Final Fantasy 16-Day Count-Up, Day Nine: FFIX

Final Fantasy is the Best-Selling MTG Set Before Official Release Date