Starting TownStarting Town | Art by Hristo D. Chukov
May has come and gone, which means it's time for a brand new round of the Archidekt deckbuilding contest.
This is a monthly contest with a different theme each month. Your goal is to build a Commander-legal deck that fulfills the prompt in a creative or unique fashion. At the end of each month, three finalists will be selected for you to vote on.
Whoever gets the most votes will be crowned the winner, although all three finalists receive a prize.
Even before its upcoming release on June 13, Final Fantasy is the best selling Magic set of all time. We're embracing the hype and trying to find the best Final Fantasy brew for this month's deckbuilding contest.
What’s the Contest All About?
Working within the parameters of the prompt provided below, construct a decklist with your own creative spin. Three chosen finalists will be awarded store credit to use on Cardsphere.
For June's deckbuilding contest, build a Commander-legal list around a new card, or set of cards, from Final Fantasy. This could be building a deck with a new commander from the set, or using any card from the set as a central part of your strategy. If you choose not to use a Final Fantasy commander, be sure that your Final Fantasy card(s) are a key part of your deck's game plan. As always, submissions will be judged on creativity and originality.
Final Fantasy adds a whopping 162 brand new commanders to Magic. From new commanders for familiar archetypes, to commanders that enable brand new strategies, there are plenty of options to choose from. Choco, Seeker of ParadiseChoco, Seeker of Paradise is a fresh option for the burgeoning Bird decks, while Freya CrescentFreya Crescent might breath new life into an old Equipment deck. The Wandering MinstrelThe Wandering Minstrel works with a new land sub-type, while Zidane, Tantalus ThiefZidane, Tantalus Thief is an effect we've never really seen before.
But new commanders aren't the only thing to be excited about. Powerful new Equipment like Buster SwordBuster Sword and Black Mage's RodBlack Mage's Rod can easily form the centerpiece of a deck. The new Summons lend a lot of support to Historic and Saga decks, especially powerful finishers like Summon: Primal OdinSummon: Primal Odin. Final Fantasy has also introduced lands with Adventure spells, which means you can now recur actual spells with Life from the LoamLife from the Loam.
There are also plenty of opportunities to get a little weird. Hope EstheimHope Estheim brings mill and lifegain together, the combination we didn't know we needed. Dragons also got a new commander, in a new color combination, thanks to Estinien VarlineauEstinien Varlineau. Or you could focus on his other effect, and build an Orzhov spellslinger deck. Finally, there's no shortage of uses for Jumbo CactuarJumbo Cactuar. What can you do with 10,000 power?
How to Participate
- Brew an EDH/Commander legal deck on Archidekt that satisfies the prompt.
- Any unreleased cards spoiled during the contest’s duration are allowed.
- Silver-bordered and acorn cards, while cool, are not allowed.
- Digital-only cards (such as those designed for the Alchemy format on Arena) are not allowed.
- Strictly one deck submitted per user.
Reply to the Archidekt news post, or submission post on the Archidekt Discord with a link to your deck before 9:00 pm EST (UTC -4, currently) on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 (do not submit the same deck in multiple places).
Only one submission per user! From the eligible submissions, we'll select three finalists with lists that we believe best embody the spirit of the prompt. Deck descriptions are not required but certainly may provide valuable context!
On Wednesday, June 18, 2025, we’ll announce three finalists via the Archidekt Discord and a brief article on EDHREC highlighting each deck.
Each finalist will be awarded credit to use on Cardsphere. The value of the credit is in US dollars and depends on the finalist's placement in deck upvotes at the end of the week-long polling period:
- 1st Place Prize - $250
- 2nd Place Prize - $150
- 3rd Place Prize - $100
Finalists will be contacted via email or Discord (depending on where they submitted) regarding their winnings within roughly 24 hours following the conclusion of voting on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
Please note, you must have a Cardsphere account in order to receive your winnings. It's quick and free - register here if you don't have an account already!
Here are the official contest rules. If you have any questions, feel free to ask here, or join the Archidekt public Discord server. We look forward to seeing what you all come up with!
Your opinions are welcome. We love hearing what you think about Magic! We ask that you are always respectful when commenting. Please keep in mind how your comments could be interpreted by others. Personal attacks on our writers or other commenters will not be tolerated. Your comments may be removed if your language could be interpreted as aggressive or disrespectful. You may also be banned from writing further comments.