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As the first of the Universes Beyond releases of 2025, we’re set to see the MTG Final Fantasy set release in June. Yet, with four months to go before FF crosses over with one of the best card games, we’ve already been given a sneak peak of the Commander decks that will accompany the set. As revealed by IGN in an exclusive, the MTG Final Fantasy Commander precons will feature characters from Final Fantasy 6, 7, 10, and 14.
Cloud, Tidus, Terra, and Y’shtola will each lead their own 100-card precon decks, as designers for the set sought to focus on fan favorites while also prioritizing characters that most flavorfully integrate Magic: The Gathering mechanics. While only the face commanders for MTG Final Fantasy have been shown so far, these previews do provide a pretty solid basis for players to understand how each deck will function.
Revival Trance is a black/white/red deck led by Terra, Herald of Hope. She’s an aggressive reanimator Commander who chucks cards into your graveyard and then gives you the capacity to bring them to the battlefield for two mana, provided their power is three or less. While this won’t allow you to cheat out too many hard hitters, you should be able to secure some great defenders or creatures that are costly thanks to their abilities. Not to mention, a full graveyard just gives you additional information to play with outside of the cards in your hand.
"This new Magic the Gathering crossover is exactly what I dreamt that Final Fantasy cards could be [...] the new renders of Terra, Cloud, Tidus, and Y’shtola on the boxes are some of the nicest depictions of the beloved characters I’ve seen in years - and might finally be the push that gets me into playing Magic. If only FF8 and FF9 got the same treatment, then I’d truly become a MTG convert." - Rosalie Newcombe, Hardware Editor and Final Fantasy fan of 25 years
Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER is the face Commander for the green/red/white deck, Limit Break. The red and white for Cloud’s color identity is apt given his bold but ultimately altruistic character; meanwhile green not only speaks to how beefed up Cloud can get thanks to his equipment attachments but is also a flavorful nod to the connection he forges with nature after defecting from SOLDIER. His iconic Buster Sword translates perfectly into a Voltron too (an archetype that focuses heavily on attaching equipment onto a particular creature). This should be a solid deck provided there’s a strong pool of equipment and a selection of creatures that’ll permit players to go a little wide while building up Cloud to his full opponent-smashing potential.
Tidus, Yuna’s Guardian is the face Commander for Counter Blitz (green white blue). This sunshiney lad is a moderately priced Commander with counter manipulation abilities. While you’d think the energy of these rapidly zooming counters would be inspired by Blitzball, an interview with Senior Game Designer, Daniel Holt reveals that it’s actually derived from the aesthetic of the Sphere Grid levelling system. Tidus himself isn’t going to be the star of this deck but he should be a useful tool for creating an impressive board state.
Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed is a Cat Warlock that serves as the face Commander for Scions and Spellcraft, a white/blue/black deck. This Commander accumulates card advantage as your opponents (or you!) lose life while Y’shtola’s final ability allows her to deal damage and gain life through the casting of high mana cost with non-creature spells. With an Esper deck, you shouldn’t be lacking in a library full of instants and sorceries to fuel your hate.
Of course, our impressions of these decks will develop as we learn more about the MTG Final Fantasy Commander decks. For now though, it seems like all four are worth checking out; though they’ll probably vary a good bit in terms of how complicated they’ll be to pilot. For example, thanks to the straightforwardness of its win-con and its limited requirement for tracking counters or triggered/activated abilities, Limit Break is likely going to be the best choice for new MTG players who are drawn to the game thanks to their love of Final Fantasy.
For recommendations on what to pick up next, why not check out the best card games or best two-player board games?
