<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Amarant Coral" href="#" target="_blank">Amarant Coral</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://erionmakuo.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Erion Makuo</a></em></p>
<p>Greetings, and welcome back to <em>Beyond the Multiverse</em>! This week, we're retreading some old ground. Recent old ground, actually, because it's <em>Final</em> <em>Fantasy</em> yet again. <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/new-final-fantasy-releases-come-out-december-5th" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A new wave of stuff is coming out in December</a>, and I'll be covering one of the new cards from that release as a deck tech.</p>
<p>In addition, I'll be doing this with a tried and true twist: <em>Final Fantasy</em> cards only. Who is it I'm covering today? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Amarant Coral" href="#" target="_blank">Amarant Coral</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>The Arrogant Warrior</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Amarant Coral"></div></div>
<p>Amarant hails from <em>Final Fantasy IX</em>, where he's initially an antagonist but turns good. While he fights with a warrior's honor, Amarant also has an arrogant streak to him.</p>
<p>He follows the game's protagonist, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zidane, Tantalus Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Zidane, Tantalus Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, after he stole something during his time as a bodyguard. He eventually joins up his team in the midst of some soul-searching, going on to save the world from Kuja and his machinations.</p>
<p>My first thought when I saw the card was simply to "smash, smash, SMASH." However, building our list today made me see him through a Voltron lens while also going on a smashing spree. Having an ability that hits all opponents is great. That said, this is the part where I remind you that this ability will not count as commander damage. Only combat damage counts for that rule.</p>
<p>Let's get punching (or slashing, in Amarant's case, since he uses claws).</p>
<h2>Choose Your Weapons</h2>
<p>Like I said in the introduction, we're only using <em>Final Fantasy </em>cards, which does limit our card pool. However, we've got plenty to work with. Firstly, what's a commander damage deck without <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Buster Sword" href="#" target="_blank">Buster Sword</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? This'll make Amarant be able to kill opponents in three hits, draw us cards, and play stuff for free.</p>
<p>This would be even better with double strike, which would trigger Amarant's ability twice. Speaking of which, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Genji Glove" href="#" target="_blank">Genji Glove</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> not only grants that useful keyword, but will give us an extra combat step when the equipped creature attacks.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Buster Sword"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ride the Shoopuf"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Genji Glove"></div></div>
<p>Besides Equipment, we could also buff Amarant via +1/+1 counters, via <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ride the Shoopuf" href="#" target="_blank">Ride the Shoopuf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which gives one of those when we drop a land. Meanwhile, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Forgotten Ancient|fic|304" href="#" target="_blank">Forgotten Ancient</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will store lots of those counters. Then, we could dump them onto Amarant, making him a lethal threat.</p>
<p>It's worth noting that both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Earth Crystal" href="#" target="_blank">The Earth Crystal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sazh Katzroy" href="#" target="_blank">Sazh Katzroy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will double any counters on him as well.</p>
<p>Finally, while not a card that gives counters, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tifa&#039;s Limit Break" href="#" target="_blank">Tifa&#039;s Limit Break</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will supercharge Amarant's power. Should we manage to pay the seven additional mana, we basically end the game right there if the stars align, and there's no responses.</p>
<p>So, we know how to turn Amarant into a killing machine, but he lacks both haste and protection. Where do we get those?</p>
<h2>Of Protection and Impatience</h2>
<p>Amarant may have trample, be he'll be targeted a lot by removal, and the lack of haste hurts him. The usual suspects <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swiftfoot Boots|fic|361" href="#" target="_blank">Swiftfoot Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Greaves|fic|349" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Greaves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are the best of both worlds: They protect our commander, and give him haste.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Fire Crystal" href="#" target="_blank">The Fire Crystal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will give our commander haste, and that's really the only reason the card's in the deck (besides the handy discount on red spells). <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anger|fic|289" href="#" target="_blank">Anger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can also give Amarant haste, but it needs to hit the graveyard in order to do so. The trample ability on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hero&#039;s Heirloom|fic|346" href="#" target="_blank">Hero&#039;s Heirloom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is redundant, but the stat boosts and giving haste are not.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swiftfoot Boots|fic|361"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Fire Crystal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trailblazer&#039;s Boots|fic|370"></div></div>
<p>In addition to what I mentioned above, we can make him unblockable instead. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trailblazer&#039;s Boots|fic|370" href="#" target="_blank">Trailblazer&#039;s Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will certainly be good, considering people love to run nonbasic lands. On the other hand, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Key to the City|fic|348" href="#" target="_blank">Key to the City</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can make him unblockable, at the cost of a card from our hand. That said, we can pay the cost to draw when it untaps.</p>
<p>However, a main weakness of this plan is that Amarant has to survive a full turn cycle before he could attack. One of the haste givers should help with this, but we'll need those in tandem with the unblockable granters.</p>
<h2>Amarant Coral Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Amarant" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Amarant Coral
[/Commander]
[Sorceries]
*1 Chocobo Kick
*1 Clash of the Eikons
*1 Cultivate
*1 Decimate
*1 Farseek
*1 Harmonize
*1 Light Up the Stage
*1 Mega Flare
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Nibelheim Aflame
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Snort
*1 Three Visits
*1 Ultimate Magic: Meteor
*1 Yuna&#039;s Decision
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Airship Crash
*1 Big Score
*1 Blitzball Shot
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Duelist&#039;s Flame
*1 Galuf&#039;s Final Act
*1 Haste Magic
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Lifestream&#039;s Blessing
*1 Lightning Bolt
*1 Nature&#039;s Claim
*1 Opera Love Song
*1 Tifa&#039;s Limit Break
*1 Yuna&#039;s Whistle
[/Instants]
[Creatures]
*1 Anger
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Cait Sith, Fortune Teller
*1 Forgotten Ancient
*1 Gogo, Mysterious Mime
*1 Lightning, Security Sergeant
*1 Maester Seymour
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Sazh Katzroy
*1 Seifer Almasy
*1 Summon: Fenrir
*1 Summon: Magus Sisters
*1 Summon: Titan
*1 Tromell, Seymour&#039;s Butler
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Buster Sword
*1 Darksteel Plate
*1 Genji Glove
*1 Hero&#039;s Blade
*1 Hero&#039;s Heirloom
*1 Key to the City
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Sword of Truth and Justice
*1 The Earth Crystal
*1 The Fire Crystal
*1 Tome of Legends
*1 Trailblazer&#039;s Boots
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Fight Rigging
*1 Furious Rise
*1 Hardened Scales
*1 Ride the Shoopuf
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Adventurer&#039;s Inn
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Bonders&#039; Enclave
*1 Cinder Glade
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Command Tower
*1 Demolition Field
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Fire-Lit Thicket
*9 Forest
*1 Forge of Heroes
*1 Game Trail
*1 Gongaga, Reactor Town
*1 Mossfire Valley
*9 Mountain
*1 Path of Ancestry
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Rootbound Crag
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Temple of the False God
*1 Wooded Ridgeline
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Round of A-claws</h2>
<p>The list is about what we'd expected, if the game plan I outlined above is anything to go by. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Summon: Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Summon: Titan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn't do too much initially. That said, if we hit that last chapter, Amarant will be supercharged for a turn.</p>
<p>Another way to get him to such heights is the soon to be released <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duelist&#039;s Flame" href="#" target="_blank">Duelist&#039;s Flame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which not only does this, but lets us cast a card for free. Also hot off the press, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mega Flare" href="#" target="_blank">Mega Flare</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> blows up each of our opponents' worst creatures, and buffing Amarant will ensure that nothing is safe.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mega Flare"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Summon: Titan"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Duelist&#039;s Flame"></div></div>
<p>While I gave little thought to protection in the earlier section, both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Plate|fic|342" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Plate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heroic Intervention|sld|1872" href="#" target="_blank">Heroic Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> serve their purposes very well.</p>
<p>We also have some other noteworthy cards, too. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cait Sith, Fortune Teller" href="#" target="_blank">Cait Sith, Fortune Teller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> pumps our commander through his trigger, and we get to cast the card we exiled, too.</p>
<p>Also, what's better than one Amarant? Two Amarants! We can achieve this via <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gogo, Mysterious Mime" href="#" target="_blank">Gogo, Mysterious Mime</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who can also pump our commander (and himself) further. Gogo also grants himself and our commander haste, so they can attack right away.</p>
<h2>Beyond Our World</h2>
<p>We can feel the raw power once we start incorporating in-universe cards. Firstly, and my favorite of these, is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Xenagos, God of Revels" href="#" target="_blank">Xenagos, God of Revels</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. A powerful, yet simple commander in his own right, Xenagos will double Amarant's stats and give him haste.</p>
<p>In addition, power doubling will be a common theme with in-universe cards, and they're perfect for our commander. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Berserk" href="#" target="_blank">Berserk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus" href="#" target="_blank">Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> carry much of the plan's weight, ensuring we could potentially win out of nowhere. It reminds me of when Amarant was revealed, I initially thought of him akin to Xenagos, and there was much rejoicing. Until I went to make the deck, that is.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Xenagos, God of Revels"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus"></div></div>
<p>Akin to Xenagos is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Halana and Alena, Partners" href="#" target="_blank">Halana and Alena, Partners</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While they grant our commander haste and permanent buffs, that depends on their power and not Amarant's. After that, cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiendish Duo" href="#" target="_blank">Fiendish Duo</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Twinflame Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Twinflame Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will make Amarant (and our other creatures) much more terrifying, ending games that much faster.</p>
<p>Further, the in-universe card pool give us more extra combat cards, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Full Throttle" href="#" target="_blank">Full Throttle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We could even use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grafted Exoskeleton" href="#" target="_blank">Grafted Exoskeleton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (if you're into that sort of thing, you monster) to finish off opponents in potentially one swoop.</p>
<h2>Walking Into the Sunset</h2>
<p>Chances are, this might be the last deck I feature that only has <em>Final Fantasy</em> cards in it. It's also likely that there'll be another set down the road, and I'd end up returning to the concept (though, I have opinions on mixing the original <em>Universes Beyond</em> with the current one).</p>
<p>Regardless, we have the <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/tmt" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>TMNT</em></a> release next year. I can't say I like the full-art basics, I do enjoy a precon where I can choose between multiple commander options. Also, considering it's the only deck being released with the set, it better be good - especially at a $70 MSRP.</p>
<p>Having said that, return next time where I turtle up and tackle one of the precon's possible pairings.</p>
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amarant

Amarant Coral Commander Deck Tech