Wizards of the Coast has finally revealed the first look at the Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy Commander Decks (via IGN), confirming there will be four released, each inspired by a single Final Fantasy game. As announced, the four commanders are Terra, Cloud, Tidus, and Y’shtola, so you can expect decks inspired by Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X, and Final Fantasy XIV.
Briefly, for those likely to be joining the world of Magic: The Gathering with this new set, a “Commander Deck” is a set of 100 cards that are themed around particular mechanics. One card is the Commander, and they can be deployed at key moments to boost the abilities of other cards, or for their own impact.
Currently, Commander (also known as EDH) is one of the most popular playing formats – so if you’re looking to get into MTG, the best way is to grab a Commander Deck that appeals to you thematically, mechanically, or aesthetically.
Let’s break down what we know about each of the MTG x Final Fantasy Commander Decks so far.
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Terra, Herald of Hope (Revival Trance)
Terra, Herald of Hope leads the red-white-black “Revival Trance” Commander Deck, which allows you to “fill your graveyard, revive your fallen heroes.” This deck is based on Final Fantasy VI, and is likely to feature familiar characters like Locke, Celes, Edgar, Sabin, Cyan, and so on.
Terra herself has the ability to enter a “trance” that allows her to fly (at the cost of milling two cards) and whenever she deals combat damage, you may pay additional mana to resurrect creatures from your graveyard. She’s a bit like a zombie wizard creature in that regard, but with a much lighter theme.
We expect much of this deck will be expendable creatures who may have additional abilities on resurrection. Given the theme, we also expect a range of Trance abilities on other creature cards.
Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER (Limit Break)
Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER leads the red-green-white “Limit Break” deck that focusses on “equipping weapons, raising your stats past 7 power.” Thematically, it ties well into Final Fantasy 7 and its Limit Break system, with the deck allowing you to buff your creatures with equipped weapons, and then gain certain abilities based on this power.
We expect this deck will feature a range of Final Fantasy 7‘s main characters, including Aerith, Tifa, Barret, Vincent, Cait Sith, Yuffie, Sephiroth, and so on. As for Cloud himself, he can immediately attack on entering the battlefield, and attach an Equipment straight away.
He also has a neat card draw ability for any equipped creatures you’ve got attacking, and once he hits power 7, you’ll be able to create two Treasure tokens for added ramp. We expect this deck will be wildly powerful when used correctly – and we’re certainly keen to see more of it.
Tidus, Yuna’s Guardian (Counter Blitz)
Tidus, Yuna’s Guardian leads the green-white-blue “Counter Blitz” Commander Deck that’s all about “adding counters, passing them around.” It appears the deck is actually themed around Blitzball, the popular stadium sport featured in Final Fantasy X – which is a very neat twist.
We expect Tidus will be joined by Yuna, Wakka, Rikku, Auron, and the rest of the gang, with each gaining and sharing counters during games. Tidus, Yuna’s Guardian has the ability to move a counter from any target creature onto another target creature, and he’s also got the unique “Cheer” ability, which allows him to draw cards and proliferate whenever one or more creatures (that the player controls) deals combat damage. We expect many other cards in this deck will also have the ability to pass counters, to help players buff their main heroes.
Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed (Scions & Spellcraft)
Finally, Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed leads the white-blue-black “Scions & Spellcraft” Commander Deck, themed around Final Fantasy XIV. As noted, this deck lets you “be a master caster, and use card advantage and control.” This deck is all about casting spells, with cool abilities accompanying each spell.
Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed has vigilance, and if a player lost 4 or more life in the current turn, during the end step, a player may draw a card. As an additional impact, whenever you cast a small noncreature spell (mana value 3 or greater), Y’shtola deals 2 damage to each opponent, and you gain two life.
In addition to revealing these four Commander Decks, Wizards of the Coast has additionally confirmed each deck will be available in a special Standard Edition (priced around USD $69.99) and a Collector’s Edition (USD $149.99). Those willing to fork out for the premium version will get each card in a collectible Surge Foil treatment.
We’re likely to hear much more about the upcoming MTG x Final Fantasy set ahead of its launch on 13 June 2025, so stay tuned.
