Omg. Omg. Omgomgomg.
I still remember the first time I saw the opening of Final Fantasy IV (then known as Final Fantasy II), instantly hooked by the ominous percussion and the airships soaring above the vast and open world. I remember the shock I felt at the midpoint of Final Fantasy VI when Kefka betrayed the Emperor and cracked the land asunder (and yes, the first time I played I panicked and left Shadow behind on the Floating Continent). Hours of Triple Triad. Camping Notorious Monsters and AF armor chests in Final Fantasy XI. And, after my daughter was born, watching her mouth drop open as we confronted Caius and Bhunivelze in the sequels to Final Fantasy XIII, and then watching her heart stop as she played through the epic Eikon battles in Final Fantasy XVI. And just this week, I, uh, cackled as she farmed me Savage loot in Final Fantasy XIV in fights that were too challenging for me to do myself.
So yeah, you can say I’m excited for Final Fantasy. Let’s jump right in!
Mechanics and Themes
The mechanics in FIN seem simple; variations in Sagas and Equipment and oh look, here’s another mechanic that’s really just Kicker again! However that simplicity belies some pretty interesting gameplay implications, and there’s no better way to illustrate those complications by launching right into…
Summons
Summons are simply a variation of Sagas that are also creatures. A typical three-chapter Summon will work like this: on its first turn it’ll come into play and activate its Chapter I ability; on its second turn it’ll activate its Chapter II ability and be able to attack; and it’ll disappear on its third turn, but not before activating its Chapter III ability.
All of this is actually pretty straightforward for anyone who’s played with Sagas before. The trickiness comes from deck construction and gameplay. Do you consider a Summon a creature? How important is it to kill a Summon before it disappears on its own? If your opponent casts Summon: Esper Ramuh, it’ll do most of its damage when it first comes into play. After that it will shortly disappear on its own, so perhaps there’s no need to expend extra effort to remove it. On the other hand, if your opponent casts Summon: Choco/Mog, you’ll be facing a Summon that sticks around for an extra turn and provides a powerful buff; that might be worth removing right away.
Job Select
An Equipment with “Job select” simply comes into play with a 1/1 Hero token wielding it (and anyone who’s played Phyrexia: All Will Be One will be familiar with this idea). In effect, what you get is the ability to sprinkle your deck with Equipment without diminishing your creature count; Dragoon’s Lance is essentially a two mana 2/2 with a lifegain ability, while Thief’s Knife is a three mana 2/2 with the potential to draw lots of cards.
“Job select” equipment are obviously invaluable in Equipment decks, but they’re also great in decks that rely on casting non-creature spells. And although their Equip ability cost is steep, it’s a nice mana sink for decks that plan on going into the late game.
Tiered
When you cast a Tiered spell, you pick one - and exactly one - of the additional casting costs on the card. And depending on the one you pick, you’ll get a different effect. Each effect is admittedly slightly overcosted. However these cards are still valuable simply because they are incredibly flexible. Ice Magic bounces tokens early and shuffles away big threats late; Tifa’s Limit Break helps you win combat early and helps you win the game late. Tiered spells scale with the length of the game, and that means they’ll almost always have a use.
Transforming Double-Faced Cards
Transforming double-faced cards (or TDFCs) are back, and spicier than ever for fans of the game! There are simple side quests such as Sidequest: Raise a Chocobo that flip into a nice reward if you manage to raise a flock of birds. And there are archvillains like Ultimecia, Time Sorceress that become extinction-level threats if not dealt with in time. The mechanics of TDFCs are not hard to understand. Just keep in mind that you’ll want to bring sleeves to a FIN event; and if you attend a draft, keep in mind that the selection of TDFCs is public information which you can use to determine what lanes might be open.
Final Fantasy “Through the Ages” Bonus Sheet
Last but not least: FIN does feature a bonus sheet! Some of you may remember the sealed environment of Outlaws of Thunder Junction and twitch at the news; but don’t worry: there’s only one “Through the Ages” bonus sheet, and cards from it will only be found in 1 out of 3 packs. They’ll definitely have some impact - Baron Rivalry and Thrum of the Vestige are covers of very powerful cards - but not an overwhelming amount.
Archetypes
FIN features all ten two-color archetypes, with each archetype featuring two signature uncommons, both legendary creatures.
White/Blue: Artifacts
Well, there’s no real mystery to this archetype: play lots of artifacts and win! Okay, there is a little variation: Tidus, Blitzball Star goes tall and encourages you to strike fast; on the other hand, Cid, Timeless Artificer asks you to go wide while also creating an added draft and deck building incentive (note that there are very few Artificers in the set). But even if there may be different sub-strategies, the key cards remain the same: cheap artifact creatures like Magitek Infantry to pile on early pressure, and powerful payoffs that take advantage of your flood of artifacts such as Valkyrie Aerial Unit.
White/Black: “Aristocrats”
If you don’t know, in Magic an “Aristocrats” strategy refers to one where you’re incentivized to have your own things die - sometimes through combat, and sometimes through your own spells and abilities that ask you to sacrifice your creatures. Judge Magister Gabranth is a card with a very straightforward payoff: he’ll get bigger and bigger and bigger until hopefully he grows beyond the capacity for your opponent to deal with him. Rufus Shinra is a subtle example of an enabler, as he will consistently generate a token creature that provides fodder for your plans. You’ll want other payoffs like Al Bhed Salvagers and token makers like Dwarven Castle Guard; put the right combination together, and the natural flow of the game will erode your opponent’s life away.
Blue/Black: Fill the Graveyard (Control)
Why, you may ask, would anyone want to fill up their own graveyard? Blue/Black’s two signpost uncommons provide two very different answers. Locke Cole is a nicely costed creature whose draw/discard ability gives you valuable card selection. And Ultimecia, Time Sorceress - well, activate her transform ability by paying eight mana and eight cards in your graveyard, and Ultimecia, Omnipotent’s extra turn ability will likely allow you to win the game on the spot. Cards will naturally fall into your graveyard over the course of a game, but there’s no reason not to hurry the process along a little with interactive cards like Swallowed by Leviathan. Maybe you’ll even mill a card with Flashback such as The Final Days, and then feel very good about it once you reach six mana and abruptly flood the board with an overwhelming mass of Horrors.
Blue/Red: Noncreature Spells (Spend 4 or More)
“Noncreature spells” is a pretty common archetype for Blue/Red. This strategy has a little added twinkle in FIN, with both The Emperor of Palamecia and Shantotto, Tactician Magician giving you added bonuses if you spend 4 or more mana to cast your noncreature spells. There are many other cards that are slam dunks for this archetype - Ultros, Obnoxious Octopus, Blazing Bomb, and more - so I’ll just add that you’ll want to pick up Equipment and Tiered spells. Why? The former is a noncreature spell that still creates board presence; the latter is a noncreature spell that will stay relevant at all stages of the game. Balance your deck wisely and your mix of incremental value and barrage of noncreature spell effects will knock your opponent off balance - and eventually out of the game.
Black/Red: Noncreature Spells (Aggro)
As the saying goes: there’s more than one way to race a chocobo, and there’s more than one way to play a noncreature spells deck. Black/Red distinguishes itself from its Blue/Red cousin by ditching the “four mana” incentive in favor of just flinging cheap noncreature spells left and right; do that and Black Waltz No. 3 will rapidly deplete your opponent’s life total down to nothing. Circle of Power and Queen Brahne create less powerful Wizards, but their other effects more than make up for the difference. How does Garland, Knight of Cornelia fit into this plan? Just ignore his seven mana transform ability, and lean on his ability to Surveil 1 to craft your hand to your liking.
Black/Green: Fill the Graveyard (Midrange)
The Blue/Black graveyard strategy is patient and deliberate; in contrast, Black/Green’s is far more direct. Fill up your graveyard and Cloud of Darkness becomes a creature with a powerful removal ability. Exdeath, Void Warlock doesn’t provide that level of immediate value, but build your deck properly and it’ll flip into Neo-Exdeath, Dimension’s End the same turn it comes down and become a game-ending threat. You’ll likely want to accelerate your self-mill with cards like Town Greeter, and if Shambling Cie’th ends up in the graveyard as a result you’ll feel like you’ve drawn an extra card. Find the right way to create graveyard value, and you’ll buy yourself a victory.
Red/White: Equipment (Aggro)
It’s weird to describe an archetype with a five mana signpost uncommon as ”Aggro”. But Red/White wants to attack, using Equipment and combat abilities - such as Giott, King of the Dwarves’ double strike - to make it very difficult for your opponent to block. The added emphasis on Equipment makes Item Shopkeep a particularly useful creature for this strategy, and Dragoon’s Lance a perfect “creature” that comes with an Equipment pre-attached. Whittle your opponent down, and Zidane, Tantalus Thief becomes an effective finisher that does better than remove a blocker; and maybe ends the game with your opponent’s own creature whacking them in the face.
Red/Green: Landfall
Combine Red/Green with Landfall, and you’ll likely envision an aggressive stompy deck that aims to flatten your opponent starting on turn one. Sabotender and Sazh’s Chocobo are certainly nice early drops that have effective Landfall triggers, but the signpost uncommons feel like they fit into a slower strategy. Gladiolus Amicitia might be mistaken for a six mana ramp spell, but he’s really a periodic buff effect that enables your creatures to push damage through. Rydia, Summoner of Mist is more of a value engine that lets you dig through your deck before bringing your Summons back into play. I suspect there are multiple ways to build a Red/Green deck in FIN, each operating at a different speed, but the core idea remains the same: turn your land drops into victory.
Green/White: Go-Wide
It may be hard to see how Garnet, Princess of Alexandria is a go-wide card - but keep in mind that every Saga in FIN is also a limited-time creature, and she lets them stay on the battlefield indefinitely. Rinoa Heartilly is a more obvious fit, given both her dog and her added ability. Find both cards that help you go wide - Magitek Armor - and those that benefit from a constant influx of creatures - Loporrit Scout - and your sheer mass of bodies will overwhelm your opponent’s attempt to defend themselves.
Green/Blue: Town Ramp
The key thing to notice about Ignis Scientia is that his land searching text does not specify “basic”, meaning he can fetch out Towns into play. The key thing to understand about Omega, Heartless Evolution is that its text regarding non-basic lands really means Towns, as that’s what all of the non-basic lands in the set are. Put that information together and you’ll find a strategy that asks you to grab Towns (Reach the Horizon is particularly good at doing so) and ramp into big things. And the big things aren’t the only payoff; Travel the Overworld can draw four cards for as little as two mana. This strategy runs the risk of being overwhelmed early, but if you survive into the late game you’ll be very very hard to beat.
Key Commons and Uncommons
White
Creatures
Delivery Moogle: Don’t be deceived by its cute fluffy looks: this creature is a viable evasive threat that brings along a cheap artifact (that is often actually a creature thanks to Job Select).
G’raha Tia: The calculus of profitable combat becomes a lot more difficult for your opponent if you have this scion in play.
Weapons Vendor: Replaces itself, and bargains down all the expensive Equip costs down to one. That’s value city!
Non-Creatures
Battle Menu: Some of these options are on-rate for a two mana card, and some of them aren’t. It’s the fact that you get to choose between all of them that makes this a great card.
Restoration Magic: FIN has a lot of creatures that you’ll want to protect, and this spell does so in a wonderfully flexible manner.
White Auracite: Unconditional removal! Ramp! An artifact in a set that has artifact synergies!
Blue
Creatures
Dragoon’s Wyvern: I’ve seen creatures like this in other Magic sets, and they’re usually pretty good.
Il Mheg Pixie: This tiny pixie may seem unassuming, but your opponent will squirm if you cast it on turn two.
Summon: Shiva: Her stun abilities make it likely that you’ll be able to get in an attack with her (and your other creatures), and her final ability means that you won’t be down a card when she leaves the battlefield.
Non-Creatures
Cargo Ship: This is kind of ramp and kind of an evasive threat; I’d say the sum package is more than good enough.
Eject: This may look like a do-nothing that only replaces itself while (minorly) inconveniencing your opponent. But many strategies love tempo cards like this, and this set has many cards that care about non-creature spells with mana cost four…
Sleep Magic: It doesn’t turn off creature abilities, but it does more than enough considering its very reasonable cost.
Black
Creatures
Black Mage’s Rod: Two drops are always important in Limited; this one comes with a ping ability that can be transferred if the created Hero dies.
Hecteyes: Another great two drop that’s meant as fodder for any sacrifice synergies - and its ability means that you won’t be down a card after it dies.
Summon: Anima: Yes, this Summon will disappear after four turns - but if it lives that long, you will have drawn three cards and put yourself in great position to win the game.
Non-Creatures
Overkill: Maybe it is, but that doesn’t make this removal spell any less satisfying to play.
Sephiroth’s Intervention: Probably not the kind of intervention your opponent is hoping for.
Vayne’s Treachery: Cheap removal for cheap creatures - and if you need to get something bigger out of the way, you’ll be glad that you have the option to do so.
Red
Creatures
Choco-Comet: This isn’t an overcosted removal spell; it’s a two drop that has the potential to do some damage if you have the spare mana (and trigger your “spend four or more mana on a noncreature spell” abilities as well).
Samurai’s Katana: Ignore the expensive Equip cost; a 3/3 with trample and haste is just what you want in Limited.
Sandworm: A 5/4 haste creature will do some damage, and maybe you’ll snipe a Town or something while you’re at it.
Non-Creatures
Coral Sword: This Equipment looks unassuming, but it will actually make it very difficult to participate in combat against anyone with a single red mana available.
Suplex: Sorcery-speed is a downside, but being able to destroy Equipment and Vehicles is a big plus.
Thunder Magic: Security is a scaling removal spell.
Green
Creatures
Diamond Weapon: Maybe it takes a little work to be able to cast this creature for a reasonable amount of mana - but I think you’ll be able to cast it on turn six without a lot of effort, and even sooner if you build a deck focused on self-mill.
Gigantoad: A four mana 4/4 is good, and this one grows into a 6/6!
Torgal, A Fine Hound: There are lots of Humans in this set, and this good boy makes them all just a little better (while ramping you as well).
Non-Creatures
Blitzball Shot: A Green pump spell that also confers trample can not only win you combat; it can win you the whole game.
Chocobo Kick: Punch spells are always nice, and this one can be extra effective for a small cost of bouncing a land - and maybe that’s an upside if you’re playing a Landfall deck.
Galuf’s Final Act: Playing against this card will be a nightmare; it can singlehandedly spin utter defeat into utter victory.
Other Cards to Know
Mana Fixing
FIN has the full cycle of ten Town dual lands:
There are a few additional colorless mana fixing cards:
There’s also a cycle of common landcyclers:
And, of course, Green has additional mana fixing spells:
Creatures with Reach
Summation
So what should you keep in mind when playing Final Fantasy?
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There are three seemingly unrelated characteristics of FIN that point towards an interesting conclusion:
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FIN is on the slower end of recent sets. The most aggressive archetype has a five mana signpost uncommon, and many others require a fair amount of setup to get going.
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Three different color pairs - Black/Red, Red/White, and Red/Green - feature two mana signpost uncommons that allow you to sift through your deck.
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Removal is not that common or efficient (and you should be discerning in how you use yours).
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Put these ideas together, and I have the impression that the set is designed to allow players to have time to find their favorite legendary characters and use their abilities. Expect large battlefields and complicated board states.
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The synergies in the set are not that strong; in fact, some archetypes have signpost uncommons that gently push the player in two slightly separate directions.
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As a result, I expect many games to be decided through good old-fashioned combat - and casting a combat trick or two on a decisive turn may be enough to swing games to your favor.
Good luck!
