Kuja, Genome Sorcerer | Art by Joshua Raphael

The long-awaited Final Fantasy set is on the horizon, and the hype train has already left the station. Even if you aren't the most excited to see cards from this video game series enter Magic, you do have to admit that some of these new designs are incredible. One of the legendary creatures that has taken the internet by storm already is Kuja, Genome SorcererKuja, Genome Sorcerer.

When I was young, my brothers played through Final Fantasy IX and I'll be honest with everyone here: Kuja was terrifying to me... So, it seems only fitting that I would overcome my fear for this villain and bring you fourteen cards for under $14 to help you get started on brewing around this commander on a budget. Strap in, throw Kuja's awesome theme on, and get ready to bring the house down with your accursed flames!

What Does Kuja, Genome Sorcerer Do?

Coming in straight from my childhood nightmares to terrorize your playgroup, we have Kuja, Genome SorcererKuja, Genome Sorcerer. On its front side, you'll be making an 0/1 Wizard on your endstep that pings your opponents when you cast noncreature spells. Then, after you control four or more Wizards, Kuja will flip to his other side, Trance Kuja, Fate Defied, which then doubles the damage any of your Wizards deal from there on out.

Since this commander costs four mana, there's a good chance you'll have a Wizard or two out already by the time you cast him. That means you'll be flipping over to the damage doubling side sooner than most people think. So, with this list I'll be highlighting some great Wizards that pair nicely with that second side of Kuja, as well as some big noncreature spells that can help set you far ahead the rest of the table, especially when paired with those little Wizard tokens.

Let's take a look at the list now.

Coruscation Mage

Our first card this week is a perfect Wizard for this list. Coruscation MageCoruscation Mage deals a damage to each opponent when you cast a noncreature spell, which is the main goal of this deck already. It also can come with an offspring token, to add even more fuel to its fire. Once your Kuja flips, you could possibly be dealing four damage to your foes over and over again. Pair this Otter with your small Wizard tokens, and it's time to really deal some pain.

Gleeful Arsonist

This next card fills a similar role to our last entry, and it comes with an added layer of protection. If Gleeful ArsonistGleeful Arsonist happens to get killed as your game goes on, that undying effect is here to bring it right back with a +1/+1 counter on it. Since the Arsonist deals damage to your opponents equal to its power, you'll almost prefer it to get destroyed just so it can come back better than ever! Plus, this card looks like it fits right in with Kuja and his antics...

Irencrag Pyromancer

Decks built around this new commander will most likely be filled with cantrips (spells that have an effect and also draws you a card), to help trigger your Wizard's pinging abilities as often as you can. If your build of the deck goes in that direction, then Irencrag PyromancerIrencrag Pyromancer is perfect for you. Of course, the ability to double its damage could just end games for you, but even dealing three damage as its base level can clear up your opponents' threats. Dropping this on turn three could just halt a lot of other players' game plans if they're concerned you could just wipe their value pieces off the board.

Blood Cultist

Another great way to keep the board clear of small threats is with Blood CultistBlood Cultist. Tapping to deal one damage isn't too bad, especially when you can ping things down to grow your creature. However, once Kuja has flipped over to his other side, you can then deal two damage to enemy creatures or just swing in with a big beefy Cultist. One way or another, adding this card to your deck will be a thorn in everyone else's sides.

Basalt Ravager

Next up is a card you might want to hold on to until your board is just right. Sure, you can slam Basalt RavagerBasalt Ravager down before you have double damage and it would probably make a big impact. However, if you wait until the right time and Kuja has been flipped over, you could possibly just take a player out of the game. On top of that burn damage the Ravager offers, it can also swing in to deal eight damage if you put it in the red zone.

Anathemancer

Speaking of game enders, AnathemancerAnathemancer can truly take some of the more lavish players at your table out of the game. When it enters, it hits one of your opponents with a Price of ProgressPrice of Progress-esque effect, which, when paired with a damage doubler, could be backbreaking. This type of spell is great for picking off a player who might be more ahead than the rest of the table, after they fill their board with stacks of specialty lands. Also, even though AnathemancerAnathemancer's unearth is expensive, you could take someone by surprise late in the game to close things out.

Harmonic Prodigy

Alright, since we're midway through the list, it's time to double everything our Wizards are doing with Harmonic ProdigyHarmonic Prodigy! So far, every creature we've talked about has had a triggered ability, which means that when the Prodigy is out, your game plan is going to go up a level. With Kuja, Genome SorcererKuja, Genome Sorcerer flipped, doubling your Wizard's damage, that 0/1 token is dealing four damage whenever you cast a noncreature spell. Which is already crazy, but then you drop something like that AnathemancerAnathemancer we just talked about... That could be game over.

Harnesser of Storms

This deck is already looking to cast as many noncreature spells as possible, so adding a Harnesser of StormsHarnesser of Storms to the list will ensure you're constantly churning through your library. This deck will most likely be an all-in type of strategy, so having an effect to dig deeper into your library while you're progressing through a risky turn will be a big help. Even if this creature only assists you with hitting your land drops each turn, you'll be happy to have it on your team.

Party Thrasher

If you happen to have a lot of those 0/1 tokens sitting around, why not throw a Party ThrasherParty Thrasher down and have them help you cast your spells? Giving convoke to all your noncreature spells is a great way to push through that last little bit of damage to the rest of the table, by chaining several powerful spells together on the same turn. Plus, even if you run out of threats to cast, the Thrasher has a way to exile two cards from your library and ensure you can keep this pain train rolling.

Electrostatic Infantry

A majority of the noncreature spells you'll be casting in a deck like this will be instants and sorceries, which is exactly what Electrostatic InfantryElectrostatic Infantry loves to see. Gaining a counter whenever you sling one of those spells is great, especially when you make it to the late game and can double the trampling damage this creature can offer. Given enough time, this could be a way to slam through your opponent's defenses and turn their chump blockers into chump change (I don't even know if that made sense).

Taurean Mauler

Listen, I know this bull thing doesn’t look like a Wizard, but technically Taurean MaulerTaurean Mauler is a part of that team. Throwing this onto the field in the early game and letting it grow to a massive size just means that you can consistently pressure the boards of the other players at the table. On top of that, the next few spells I'll be talking about on this list work perfectly when you have a big creature like the Mauler, which is just champing at the bit for its damage to be doubled!

Soul's Fire

Next up, we have a spell that's similar to FlingFling, but lets you keep your creature around. Soul's FireSoul's Fire allows one of your Wizards to deal damage equal to its power to any target. When played in conjunction with the flip side of Kuja, Genome SorcererKuja, Genome Sorcerer, you can deal a big chunk of damage to anything! Think of that with either of our last two cards on the list, and that's a way to wipe one of your foes out of the game completely, at instant speed.

Chandra's Ignition

One of the most impactful spells on the entire list is Chandra's IgnitionChandra's Ignition. Not only is this spell a board wipe, but when paired with a large Wizard, it could take your opponents' life totals down to single digits; all while clearing the way for your last remaining threat to swing through freely and deal another major blow. This card is a staple in our format, so be sure to snatch one up just in case that price starts to climb higher and higher.

Surge to Victory

We're closing things out this week with Surge to VictorySurge to Victory, basically an OverrunOverrun effect in this deck. Giving your board a buff to their power based on the mana value of the spell you exile is great for a big swing, especially since those 0/1 Wizard tokens can finally enter into combat. Then, you get to cast a copy of that spell when your creatures hit a player, which just adds insult to injury! Imagine casting Soul's FireSoul's Fire over and over again after a big combat? That's brutal.

In Closing

Well, there you have it: fourteen cards for under $14 to help get you started on a Kuja, Genome SorcererKuja, Genome Sorcerer deck. I know the Final Fantasy set is still almost a month away, but grabbing these cards for a low price now will help you in the long run.

Let me know what you thought of this list in the comments below. Also, if Kuja scared you as a kid as well, let me know and we can support each other during this scary time. Thank you everyone for reading this far, and I'll see you next week!