Final Fantasy XV box art | copyright Square Enix

Hello everyone! I'm back once again, this time to gush about the most hyped Magic crossover set of all time: Final Fantasy. It's all anyone can talk about and for good reason!

The legendary creatures are capturing characters incredibly and hitting every fan's heartstrings. I've been a huge fan of the series since I was a kid playing on the original Playstation.

One game definitely stands out amongst the incredible field though. Final Fantasy XV came out at a perfect time for me to latch onto a more intimate story.

image credited to DSO

The reset from massive intergalactic conflict with a large cast of key characters was reduced to four bros against just one bad guy with a vendetta.

The game wasn't perfect, but the story just resonated with me. Because of all this, I'm going to celebrate and review the cards from the Final Fantasy set for FFXV for the other twelve fans of this game.

This won't be purely a functional review but some flavor reviews as well. Maybe we'll be a bit pedantic, but it's only because I am a man of culture who appreciates the best game in the series. Now, onto the bros!

The Bros

Gladiolus AmicitiaGladiolus Amicitia

We start with the beefcake of the group. Gladio, as we know him, was the group's tank, wielding massive swords as shown in the card art. Gladiolus AmicitiaGladiolus Amicitia coming down as a 6/6 for six mana is fine already.

The ability to grab any land from your library onto the battlefield gives me Ulvenwald HydraUlvenwald Hydra vibes. This is a great way to make sure he sneaks into all sorts of Landfall strategies. The ability is becoming less of a novelty, for sure, but still valuable when you're able to grab a Valakut, the Molten PinnacleValakut, the Molten Pinnacle or a Field of the DeadField of the Dead while putting a body on the field.

Being able to affect combat this turn without haste is just gravy too. The landfall ability putting trample on another creature fits not only with Gladio's character, but also means your smaller bodies will enjoy having him around.

That said, I don't foresee Gladio being a widely played card outside of dedicated Landfall decks. At the same time, I won't question him when he comes out on the battlefield either.

Ignis ScientiaIgnis Scientia

The responsible nerd of the party, Ignis is the one who makes sure that you get plenty of water, take your vitamins, and stop trying to take on enemies way above your level. A real buzzkill, that Ignis.

But if you played FFXV you're surely aware and probably sick of his catchphrase which made it onto his card: "I've come up with a new recipehhhh!"

He might come across like a vegan never shutting up about his recipes, but they do look delightful. Seriously, the food in the game looks better than most cookbooks.

image credited to Eater.com

Food bloggers wish they could pull off what Ignis ScientiaIgnis Scientia does routinely in the game. As a card though, Ignis' proclivities for exploring and being the designated driver for your party is more relevant.

Having a better version of a Coiling OracleCoiling Oracle-type ETB for just three mana is a great way to make sure your early game curves out.

Plus, like Gladiolus AmicitiaGladiolus Amicitia, the ability to grab any land directly onto the battlefield does a lot of heavy lifting. The incidental grave hate from his recipe-focused ability shouldn't be the reason you play the card though. It's expensive and can only be used once per turn without help.

If your deck's looking for some early drops and plays a bunch of non-basic lands, you could do a lot worse than a beefed up Coiling OracleCoiling Oracle.

Oracle is played in over 90,000 decks, which means there's a solid appetite for this effect. Digging beyond just the first card is definitely a plus, with the failsafe of grave hate in a pinch.

Whether this is a recipe for success and deserving a slot will depend on your deck though, since it likely isn't good enough as a generic utility card.

Prompto ArgentumPrompto Argentum

Look what they did to my boy! If you've played the DLC for Prompto's story, you know they definitely missed the mark on this one. I see what they did with Storm-Kiln ArtistStorm-Kiln Artist and feel disappointed.

A 2/2 with haste is fine and dandy for 60-card formats, but for Commander players this is undersized and needs some focused building to be worthwhile. This is one of the more disappointing card designs on a character.

This is the time for me to acknowledge something that we pointed out on a recent episode of the EDHRECast. I acknowledged that with so many beloved characters, most of them would be relegated to this type of card. Prompto ArgentumPrompto Argentum is a victim of circumstance where not every card in this set can be a banger.

Would I personally have loved it if every Final Fantasy character had a pushed card design? Absolutely. But there are players out there that feel that way about fifteen main line game entrees. Something had to give, and sadly one of the most sympathetic characters in the series took the hit.

Noctis, Prince of LucisNoctis, Prince of Lucis

Finally, a commander worth building! I love the flavor that's captured on Noctis, Prince of LucisNoctis, Prince of Lucis, casting the weapons of his ancestors to use one last time.

The finality counters perfectly capture the flavor with functionality in a fun minigame. The hero of Final Fantasy XV instantly had me thinking the deck shouldn't just stay as a fantasy. If you're curious about that decklist, check out my list over here.

Now, is an Esper color commander that does artifacts, graveyards, or some combination of both original? Definitely not, we have a long line of commanders doing this sort of thing. But what I do like Noctis for is a high-powered and potentially competitive combo commander.

The flexibility in builds for Noctis, Prince of LucisNoctis, Prince of Lucis has me very excited. Being able to cast and recur Lotus PetalLotus Petal from the graveyard to build up a massive storm count and generate copious amounts of mana is the immediate thought. Any zero-cost artifact with a Chalice of the VoidChalice of the Void is a quick combo engine as well. Add in some protection magic from blue, removal in white, and tutors in black, and baby, you got a stew going!

If you play on the opposite side of the brackets and go full flavor, Noctis, Prince of LucisNoctis, Prince of Lucis enables all sorts of fun for Bracket 1. It's hard for a commander in all five brackets, but Noctis knocks it out of the park.

Vehicles and Ultima WeaponUltima Weapon for a lore-first deck or tuned to the highest reaches of the format; everything is on the table.

I truly believe that Noctis, Prince of LucisNoctis, Prince of Lucis has the potential to be the artifact menace that Sharuum the HegemonSharuum the Hegemon was years ago while leaving the door open for more casual builds as well.

Noctis, Prince of LucisNoctis, Prince of Lucis might be my favorite legend from the set. The only criticism that I could find about the card is due to color restriction rules in Commander. Because of this you can't put all four of our heroes into the same deck (unless you're using his Kenrith cloneunless you're using his Kenrith clone).

But even with that, all I can say to the designers here comes right from Noctis' mouth:

The Baddies

Ardyn, the UsurperArdyn, the Usurper

Did you think we were done with perfectly executed cards with flavor? Not even close. Ardyn, the UsurperArdyn, the Usurper brings big antagonist energy to the set.

Not only are you able to bring some rad Demon synergies to the table, but a theft strategy too. Typically I would have concern about an eight-mana legend to build around, but Demon decks are used to this hurdle.

Taking a look at the EDHREC page for Demons, we see a mix of high-costed commanders already. When you combine this with mono-black decks never hurting for mana thanks to their depth of ritual and mana doubling effects, I do think the cost is something players could work around.

It's also not like the rewards for a high cost aren't worth it either. Ardyn, the UsurperArdyn, the Usurper is able to come down and move to combat for immediate payoff. Even if you're resurrecting a lowly Llanowar Elf that died early, it comes back as a 5/5 with haste, menace, and lifelink.

The ability to steal a creature each turn starts to get out of control once you factor in creatures with ETB triggers and other sources of value. Just typing up this review here has me convinced, and as proof here's the early decklist.

I like this commander a lot, and mono-black is normally outside of my comfort zone. It gives me big beaters and some extra keywords for sustainability in a color that ramps surprisingly well.

If you want to know darkness for as long as Ardyn, the UsurperArdyn, the Usurper, this can be a really fun deck. Sadly, many players will to see the eight mana tag on Ardyn and pass, even though they shouldn't.

Ancient AdamantoiseAncient Adamantoise

The biggest creature in all of Final Fantasy-dom: the adamantoise! Another eight-mana monstrosity that, much like in the video game, requires significant time to take down. An 8/20 baseline with vigilance and ward is a sizable road block. If you're trying to turtle behind big creatures, this is a good way to do it.

Soaking up the damage from not just you, but other permanents you control as well, means it's a safety valve for lots of decks - especially ones that play multiple planeswalkers.

As many folks have pointed out on social media, playing a VigorVigor next to this provides effectively unlimited damage prevention.

There are lots of synergies that you might want to take into account before putting Ancient AdamantoiseAncient Adamantoise in, but it's not one you can blindly slot in.

It's a unique effect and provides a ritual of mana in Treasures if folks are able to take it down. Thankfully you get the bounty and not the opponents. This is a really interesting card, but not necessarily one that has many homes.

Summon: LeviathanSummon: Leviathan and Summon: TitanSummon: Titan

I'm cheating a bit here, but only because we have more to get through still. Both of these Saga creatures are really cool ways to portray the Astrals as they're known in-game. Both have distinct homes when it comes to decks that are looking to play them as well.

Summon: LeviathanSummon: Leviathan obviously wants to be next to any deck playing some amount of sea creatures. Chapters II and III being attack triggers to draw cards instead of combat damage is a little pushed, but at six mana and an extra turn in most circumstances you had better need a significant return on it like this gives.

Summon: TitanSummon: Titan on the other hand provides lots of value in the form of a Splendid ReclamationSplendid Reclamation effect with an OverrunOverrun for a single creature next turn.

These effects are valuable for sure and fit the characters they're capturing. They're kind of perfect designs honestly; they do just what you want to be doing in a way that isn't oppressive. If your deck likes these effects and fits into the strategy, they're great, but you won't go out of your way to fit them in otherwise.

The Flavor Finds

Sidequest: Catch a FishSidequest: Catch a Fish

Here might be my favorite card and new cycle: the Sidequest cards. Sidequest: Catch a FishSidequest: Catch a Fish gives you a three-mana way to replace the card itself, which in mono-white or Enchantress decks is a great value. The back side being a land and way to sacrifice the Food you made on the front side or any artifacts down the line as ways to pump up the team is very good as well.

There's a lot of value to be gained from this card if you're playing at Bracket 3 and below. A card that replaces itself, provides mana as a land, and is a mana sink is super flexible. It's definitely one I'm looking to find multiple homes for in decks.

The RegaliaThe Regalia

This card isn't great, but Vehicles are a card type that sometimes need to overperform in order to find homes. I like that it can come down on turn four and once crewed provides a ramp effect. You're guaranteed to find a hit with its ability revealing until you get a land, which takes away lots of the risk.

Still, it's a 4/4 for four mana that needs to be crewed to do much else. The bar is just so high on cards for so many decks above Bracket 2.

The RegaliaThe Regalia is the signature car from the game and you spend much time bonding in it, but the card likely won't make the journey into many decks. Well, it will, but it will instead happen on this beautiful Plains art.

Seriously, take a moment to soak this one in. I'm gonna gush about this whole basic land cycle because it's really one of the fuzziest feelings I got lately. The gallery of these basics just captures so many wonderful settings that made the series memorable.

Basic lands always resonate with different crowds, and I am the target audience here. If there's ever a way to get me to buy copies of cards I already have enough of, it's this Plains. Such a wonderful nod to the games.

From Father to SonFrom Father to Son

The card that portrays Noctis' acquisition of The RegaliaThe Regalia might be better than getting a Regalia. We have tons of tutors in this format for any specific card type, but this is the first in white that searches for Vehicles. If your deck cards about specific Vehicles, then this will have a solid home.

Otherwise, you're going to have to have a soft spot for family heirlooms, like I do, to justify the spot in your deck. This moment in the game is about as much as you see from King Regis, but it's enough to set the tone and show you what kind of king he was. Heartfelt moment, narrow card.

Ring of the LuciiRing of the Lucii

Now this is a definite miss. Final Fantasy XV has very few iconic additions, and the Ring of the LuciiRing of the Lucii is one. It's a mana rock that doubles as an Icy ManipulatorIcy Manipulator. That's all well and good, but c'mon. This is the same card portrayed on DamnDamn. Like...come. On.

The card itself is fine if you're still playing Hedron ArchiveHedron Archive or Sisay's RingSisay's Ring but also...should you? The only four-mana rock that taps for colorless I play is Stonespeaker CrystalStonespeaker Crystal which is because of my playgroup, not power.

If you need some bigger ramp spells you have several options that are just better. I could also be wildly off base though because the flavor miss is so severe it's clouding my judgment.

Instant RamenInstant Ramen

Ok, I'm sorry for lying to you before. This might be my favorite card from the set. I wouldn't say it's powerful or likely isn't going to see any play, but I audibly laughed when I saw it previewed.

It's so silly and fun and wonderfully unique to Final Fantasy XV. Instant RamenInstant Ramen is a card that matters because Instant Ramen matters in the story.

If you're looking for cards that show the design team for the set cared, this is one of those cards. Heartfelt nods are what I love about Final Fantasy games already, so this is a perfect add. 11/10.

On the Road Again

image credited to RPGfan.com

There you have it! My review of all the cards from Final Fantasy representing the 15th entry. There's more cards in the set, but not much worth digging into.

I'd love to hear from you all about the flavor on your favorite cards regardless of entry in the series. Whichever game you like the most, there are definitely sentimental moments for you. I'm glad this set exists and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Thanks folks!