SnortSnort | Art by ikeda_cpt

Man, when I started playing Magic in 2017, never did I imagine that we would have a Final Fantasy set. Unfortunately, this set didn’t provide us with any new Minotaur cards (a summon of G.F. Brothers could have been so cool). However, with all the unique worlds and recognizable characters, I’m more than pumped to see what new tools Minotaur decks can take advantage of.

For those new to my reviews, I analyze cards from the perspective of Minotaur typal and how they can be used in the various sub strategies available, those currently being Aggressive Combat, Discard, and Magar Big Spells. Each has their own nuances, but all broadly rely on the same core Minotaur typal backbone. So, with that, lets dive into the vast worlds of Final Fantasy.

Reaper's ScytheReaper's Scythe

Of all the new Equipment cards, Reaper's ScytheReaper's Scythe has a lot of potential in Minotaur decks. It’s not overly expensive, and if we can cast it early in the game it poses a serious threat. With each passing turn this Equipment is only going to keep scaling, as long as we stay aggressive. Very quickly even our weakest Minotaur will become a beater, and a constant problem for our opponents.

This effect is best utilized in an aristocrat style deck, but Minotaurs are sill poised to take advantage of it. If we're not attacking, then we're falling behind. So its not uncommon for us to damage at least two opponents during combat. In the Discard strategy, cards like Glint-Horn BuccaneerGlint-Horn Buccaneer, Faith of the DevotedFaith of the Devoted, or Angrath, the Flame-ChainedAngrath, the Flame-Chained can ping all opponents, guaranteeing three soul counters to be added to the Reaper's ScytheReaper's Scythe.

Ninja's BladesNinja's Blades

The Ninja's BladesNinja's Blades wasn’t something I initially paid much attention to. However, on a second look, I realized that this fits in perfectly for Magar of the Magic StringsMagar of the Magic Strings.

MagarMagar is a commander that wants to dump expensive spells into the graveyard, so he can make tokens that will then recast those spells for free. The problem is often getting those spells into the graveyard; this is where the Ninja's BladesNinja's Blades come in.

When the Blades are attached to a creature, we draw a card and then discard a card. This helps us dig through the deck for the spells we want and then we can discard them. Then the opponent we damaged will lose life equal to the discarded card’s mana value. That’s going to hurt big time, when the cards we’re looking to pitch cost between seven and ten mana. And when we’re already playing cards to make our creatures unblockable, there just isn’t an easy way to stop this.

Gogo, Mysterious MimeGogo, Mysterious Mime

Here he is! Gogo, Mysterious MimeGogo, Mysterious Mime, the surprise secret Minotaur of this set! To me Gogo seems insane for EDH, but especially for Minotaurs. This is because, while GogoGogo becomes a copy of a creature, they don’t share the same name. Meaning if you copy a legendary creature, the “legend rule” won’t apply, essentially allowing you to double up any legend you control. Now I don’t know about you, but at the very least copying your commander seems pretty freaking good.

Besides that, I see a lot of potential with Minotaurs as we can have GogoGogo become a copy of our many Minotaur lordsMinotaur lords to improve combat, or to copy Neheb, the EternalNeheb, the Eternal to double the mana generated, or even something goofy like Obosh, the PreypiercerObosh, the Preypiercer to quadruple the damage of our odd mana value creatures.

Sabin, Master MonkSabin, Master Monk

There is something uniquely fun and annoying about SabinSabin. He hits like a truck, but even if you deal with him, he'll just keep coming back from the dead by discarding a card. I think he'll work well in Minotaur decks looking for a discard outlet and ways to always have a board presence.

However, the main issue is that being a Human means SabinSabin can’t gain the Minotaur typal synergies, unless cards such as ConspiracyConspiracy or Maskwood NexusMaskwood Nexus are in play.

SnortSnort

When it comes to wheel-type of effects, four mana to draw five cards isn't ideal. Even with the flashback effect SnortSnort wouldn't normally be a card I love to play in EDH. However, what sets it apart is that it punishes anyone else for participating in its effect with five damage.

The downside of most wheel effects is that, while they refuel our hand, they also refuel our opponents. So having the added damage provides our opponents a harder choice. Given how we're usually on the attack, there will definitely be times when our opponents will opt out of this effect, fearing they'll die (especially if Wound ReflectionWound Reflection is in play). Which only gives us more of an advantage.

Summon: KujataSummon: Kujata

Despite being an Ox and not a Minotaur, I’m very interested to see how Summon: KujataSummon: Kujata will play in EDH Minotaur decks. At a glance, this seems like it could fit into just about any Minotaur list, as each of its effects are what Minotaur decks are looking for.

It has massive stats to be aggressive. Lightning allows us to pick off enemy creatures or at least some chip face damage. Ice lowers the defenses of an opponent, allowing us to smash in. Fire pairs well with Discard or MagarMagar decks and melt our opponents with the right setup.

Overall, this is probably best used in a Magar deck, as its Fire ability works like the Ninja’s Blades do, giving the effect more redundancy. That said, Summon: KujataSummon: Kujata will still be a fine inclusion in just about any Minotaur deck looking to expand the top of their curve.

Umaro, Raging YetiUmaro, Raging Yeti

Man, if you were to give this guy some horns, he would be right at home as a Minotaur, as each of his abilities are all something that Minotaur typal decks would want, even though the effect is randomly chosen each turn.

Either he buffs our board like a Minotaur lordMinotaur lord, he wheels our hand for the discard decks, or burns/picks off a tough blocker. Any one of these abilities would be welcome, but you have to be prepared to not get the exact ability you want in any given moment and improvise. But more often than not, the risk will be well worth it in the heat of battle.

The Fire CrystalThe Fire Crystal

I see a lot of potential in this Crystal for Minotaurs, but its also an awkward card to play. The mana cost reduction for red spells is really nice, but Hazoret's MonumentHazoret's Monument does something similar for three mana, while also providing an discard outlet. However, the key difference is that The Fire CrystalThe Fire Crystal will reduce all our red spells, not just our creatures. Then, unlike Hazoret's MonumentHazoret's Monument, it also serves as a haste enabler to keep our creatures aggressive, especially now that we can cast them cheaper.

Then there's its final ability, where for six mana we can make a temporary token copy of one of our creatures. This is really useful if we run low on cards, as it provides an impactful use of our mana if we have nothing else to do. But making a copy of a Minotaur is really important. If we make a copy of one of our Minotaur lordsMinotaur lords, our combat potential significantly increases. Even if its a copy of a more mundane Minotaurmundane Minotaur, the extra damage in combat only speeds up our game plan.

Overall, I like this card a lot. But at four mana I can't recommend it for anything higher than Bracket 2. It just doesn’t do anything the turn you play it, meaning we’ll likely be behind on board. This is especially true since Minotaur decks struggle when it comes to mana acceleration.

Terra, Herald of HopeTerra, Herald of Hope

More than anything, I want a Mardu Minotaur legend so all Minotaurs can all be played in one deck. But until that day, I've had to settle for Alesha, Who Smiles at DeathAlesha, Who Smiles at Death - that was until Terra, Herald of Hope was revealed.

Terra, Herald of HopeTerra, Herald of Hope is very comparable to Alesha. Both share the Mardu color identity, both resurrect small creatures through combat. Terra is harder to cast and needs to deal combat damage to resurrect, but also has better evasion through flying instead of first strike. This means Terra, Herald of Hope has more opportunities to resurrect our Minotaurs as AleshaAlesha was very prone to dying in combat. Then there's the fact the Terra has a wider range of what she can bring back, as she resurrects anything with three power or less, whereas with Alesha it's two power or less.

Lastly, unlike Alesha, Terra will self mill two cards at the start of our combat. This is important as it increases the likelihood we have something in our graveyard to resurrect in the early game. Quite often Alesha would languish in the command zone waiting for one of our creatures to do die. Then when we did have a target, the opponents boards states would be built up enough that you usually didn't want to attack, lest Alesha die.

So until we get that Mardu Minotaur legend, Terra is here to stay to lead our armies.

If you want to see an example of how to build for Terra, Herald of Hope, Jonathan Zucchetti did a great deck tech focused around the modular mechanic, which you can check out here.

The RegaliaThe Regalia

This Vehicle is a bit on the slow side at four mana, but it allows Minotaur decks to ramp, something they normally can't do.

Minotaurs, being primarily in Rakdos colors, often struggle when it comes to mana acceleration. Outside of playing mana rocks and ritual spells, there just aren't many ways to get ahead on mana. This typically leads to Minotaurs being on the back foot as our opponents rocket ahead of us.

That's why The RegaliaThe Regalia excites me. Before it, the Sword of the AnimistSword of the Animist was best option for ramp in Minotaur decks. The Sword, like The RegaliaThe Regalia, searches for a basic land and puts into play tapped. This is slow ramp, but it still is getting us more lands into play than we otherwise would have been able to. So even if The RegaliaThe Regalia is a slow card, the redundancy of its effect with el]Sword of the Animist[/el] will reduce our chances of falling behind.

Conclusion

And with that our first (hopefully not final) visit to the worlds of Final Fantasy comes to a close. The passion I’ve seen poured into this set really speaks for itself, and I'm now curious to play one of the games to fully understand why it is people love this franchise. So what game do you think I would enjoy the most as my first Final Fantasy game?

Until next time, be sure to check out the other set reviews found on EDHREC for more broader analysis on everything Final Fantasy has to offer.