<p style="text-align: right;"><em>Shantotto, the Radical Lady | Art by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jsraphael_/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joshua Raphael</a></em></p>
<p>On May 7th, <em>Magic</em> fans were surprised with a reveal of another new character coming to the game, courtesy of the upcoming <em>Magic: The Gathering</em> — <em>FINAL FANTASY</em>.</p>
<p>According to translation from the card's printed Japanese, we're looking at Shantotto, the Radical Lady:</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/fin-241-shantotto.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-150792" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/fin-241-shantotto-215x300.jpg" alt="" width="215" height="300" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/fin-241-shantotto-215x300.jpg 215w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/fin-241-shantotto.jpg 672w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 215px) 100vw, 215px" /></a></p>
<p>As per translation, here's what we're seeing:</p>
<p><strong>Shantotto, the Radical Lady</strong></p>
<p>Legendary Creature - Dwarf Wizard</p>
<p>Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is the amount of mana spent to cast that spell. If X is 4 or greater, draw a card.</p>
<p><em>"Oh my! I'm so pissed."</em></p>
<p>The uncommon legend fits with the red/blue color pair's spell-slinging focus, and the character as featured in <em>Final Fantasy XI </em>sees its "Tarutaru" identifier streamlined in <em>Magic </em>as the "Dwarf" creature type. The character's popularity exploded in the years following 2002's release of <em>FFXI. </em>As a result, Shantotto is featured in several subsequent expansions and crossovers.</p>
<p><em>Magic: The Gathering</em> — <em>FINAL FANTASY</em> is slated for release on June 13, 2025 and promises to be stuffed with iconic characters, events, and legends from the long-running video game series. The set will feature both Play and Collector Boosters and four preconstructed Commander Decks (in both base and Collector's Edition versions), as well as Bundles, Prerelease Kits, and Starter Kits. <em>Magic: The Gathering</em> — <em>FINAL FANTASY</em> will be Standard-legal upon its release next month, the first Universes Beyond release to be so.</p>
<p>Despite the release more than a month away, the crossover has proven to be extremely popular, already becoming<a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/final-fantasy-best-selling-mtg-set-before-official-release-date" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> the best-selling <em>Magic </em>set to date</a>. Several of the characters have already been revealed in <em>Magic </em>form, including <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/final-fantasy-mtg-spoiler-reveals-tifa-lockhart-cards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tifa Lockhart</a>.</p>
<p>What's your opinion on Shantotto? Does the card match the character? How would you have designed it? Show off your <em>FFXI </em>knowledge below. And be sure to check back often, as more cards are expected to be revealed leading up to MagicCon: Las Vegas.</p>


Final Fantasy First Look: Shantotto, the Radical Lady

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spirit Bonds" href="#" target="_blank">Spirit Bonds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/willmurai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Willian Murai</a></em></p>
<p>As <em>Magic</em> players, we've all been there: the aristocrats player waits for the perfect moment to unleash a long string of sacrifice effects that ends the game. On one hand, it's impressive to watch; it feels like a complex puzzle being assembled before your eyes. On the other hand, it can feel like an unsatisfying way to lose, essentially having your game plan amount to nothing.</p>
<p>Whatever your feelings may be on aristocrats, there's no denying their popularity within <em>Magic</em>, especially in Commander. According to EDHREC data, there are over 100 thousand <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/aristocrats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aristocrat decks in their database</a>. This huge amount of popularity means that there are only six deck "themes" or strategies that are more popular than it on EDHREC.</p>
<p>Most aristocrat decks are heavily associated with the color black, as it provides the most support for both sacrifice outlets and cards that benefit from creatures dying. However, there are plenty of great aristocrat cards outside of black, and this mini-series of articles covers the best options for aristocrat players in every color!</p>
<p>We began this series over on <a href="https://commandersherald.com/the-best-aristocrat-cards-in-commander-green-edition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Commander's Herald with green</a>, and will be continuing our "mini-series" here with white.</p>
<p>This list is in no particular order, but the first card is an absolute heater...</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Martyr&#039;s Cause" href="#" target="_blank">Martyr&#039;s Cause</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Martyr&#039;s Cause"></div></div>
<p>Martyr's Cause is a rare sacrifice outlet in white that covers two critical categories for any aristocrat deck: protection, and free sacrifice outlet. By "free," I mean that it doesn't cost any mana to sacrifice creatures, and the difference between having to use mana vs. not is pretty huge. The "protection" piece comes in the form of protecting our life total; we're playing aristocrats, so there's no denying that we will be attacked. This card allows us to blank potentially lethal attacks, and aristocrat decks often only need to survive one or two combat steps before being able to go off.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fanatical Devotion" href="#" target="_blank">Fanatical Devotion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fanatical Devotion"></div></div>
<p>Fanatical Devotion is another "free" white sacrifice outlet, which is amazing, but it also provides aristocrat decks with a rare opportunity: regeneration. Regenerate is not a mechanic that's seen too often anymore, but that's no reason to underrate it.</p>
<p>If you're unfamiliar with how regeneration works, it's pretty simple. Whenever a creature is destroyed (either from a "destroy" effect or from damage), you may activate the regenerate ability (in this case, sacrificing a creature), tap the creature, and remove it from combat (if it's in combat). When you do this, the damage is removed and the creature is not destroyed. This can save some critical creatures in response to spot removal or a board wipe, and that's what makes this card so good.</p>
<p>Aristocrat decks often have several expendable creatures, so sacrificing something expendable for the good of protecting something more important is a price we're willing to pay.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knight-Captain of Eos" href="#" target="_blank">Knight-Captain of Eos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Knight-Captain of Eos"></div></div>
<p>Like our first two picks, this is another sacrifice outlet, but a little more specific. It does two things that we want: it generates disposable bodies when it enters, and it gives us a sacrifice outlet that can protect our life total. Sure, we need to sacrifice Soldiers, but this creature makes Soldiers when it enters <em>and</em> Soldiers are one of the most common creature types in white.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Martyred Rusalka" href="#" target="_blank">Martyred Rusalka</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Martyred Rusalka"></div></div>
<p>This card might seem innocuous, but it can prevent an opponent's biggest threat from attacking us. It's the perfect political piece, as we can threaten to activate it if an opponent is aiming to attack us. The mana cost on any sacrifice ability can be tricky, but holding up one white mana can telegraph this <em>and</em> things like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Path to Exile" href="#" target="_blank">Path to Exile</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swords to Plowshares"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Path to Exile"></div></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Promise of Bunrei" href="#" target="_blank">Promise of Bunrei</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Promise of Bunrei"></div></div>
<p>This card can act as a three-mana spell that creates four disposable bodies for our strategy, and that's amazing. The only tricky part about it is that we can't choose exactly when to trigger it; we <em>have</em> to sacrifice it as soon as one of our creatures die. We should have enough sacrifice outlets where this shouldn't be a problem, but it's important to keep in mind.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Promise of Tomorrow" href="#" target="_blank">Promise of Tomorrow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Promise of Tomorrow"></div></div>
<p>There is no other card that can be riskier to our strategy than this one. Exiling our creatures is not a "may" trigger, so any reanimation effects are effectively turned off while this is in play.</p>
<p>The floor of this card might be low, but the ceiling is incredibly high. If we have a sacrifice outlet onboard, we can sacrifice our creatures to trigger this whenever we need. On the plus side, this card is crazy against board wipes, as it basically renders any effort from our opponents to deal with our board null and void (outside of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farewell" href="#" target="_blank">Farewell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Farewell"></div></div>
<p>One thing to keep in mind with this: it <em>does not </em>take away any death triggers you may have, as the creatures become exiled <em>after</em> they die - which is so cool!</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spirit Bonds" href="#" target="_blank">Spirit Bonds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spirit Bonds"></div></div>
<p>This card creates tokens from our nontoken creatures entering the battlefield, for the small price of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. While that ability is pretty good, we're going to focus primarily on the second ability: making a non-Spirit indestructible. Similarly to Knight-Captain of Eos, this relies on a specific creature type, but also like Knight-Captain of Eos, this card creates the creature type we need.</p>
<p>It turns out, protecting our important pieces is very good!</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worthy Cause" href="#" target="_blank">Worthy Cause</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Worthy Cause"></div></div>
<p>This is a single-use sacrifice spell that gains us life equal to the sacrificed creature's toughness. Instead of seeing this as a one-mana spell, I advise you to see it as a three-mana spell, as we'll want to use the buyback ability. Always having a three-mana, instant-speed way to keep us alive is huge. Remember when I said we'll probably be getting attacked a lot?</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage" href="#" target="_blank">Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage"></div></div>
<p>This card just came out in <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em>, but it's incredible for aristocrat decks. Endures 2 means that we can put two +1/+1 counter on Anafenza or we can create a 2/2 Spirit. Getting Anafenza big doesn't really do anything, as she doesn't have evasion, but the ability to create more expendable creatures is why I'm talking about this card. Our creatures <em>will</em> die, and if we can benefit by creating more creatures in the process, we're in a winning position.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Loyal Retainers" href="#" target="_blank">Loyal Retainers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Loyal Retainers"></div></div>
<p>I tried to stay away from creatures with single-use sacrifice abilities, but this one is just too strong. Not only can it generate infinite combos (this is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s best friend), but it can also bring back our commander in a pinch. Depending on the commander, this may not matter, but it's likely that our commander will be a magnet for removal, and rather than casting it for 10 or more mana, we can just return it with this ability!</p>
<div id="238-2533-5147" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
<script id="238-2533-5147" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Gerrard%2C%20Weatherlight%20Hero%22%2C%22Loyal%20Retainers%22%2C%22Goblin%20Bombardment%22%5D&requires=%5B%5D&produces=%5B%22Infinite%20blinking%22%2C%22Infinite%20damage%22%2C%22Infinite%20death%20triggers%22%2C%22Infinite%20ETB%22%2C%22Infinite%20LTB%22%2C%22Infinite%20sacrifice%20triggers%22%5D&id=238-2533-5147&color=RW&extraRequirementCount=1"></script></div>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="." width="0" height="0"></iframe><br />
Outside of "protecting" our commander or going infinite, the game is flooded with great legendary creatures these days, and that makes this card the perfect reanimation option for any white deck (especially if it lacks black!).</p>
<p>That concludes my list for the color white. I hope all you aristocrat players out there learned something new today. Stay tuned for my exploration into the remaining colors, all while saving the best (black) for last!</p>


The Best White Aristocrat Cards in Commander

3 More Commander Deck Ideas From Tarkir: Dragonstorm

Codie, Vociferous Codex On a Budget - With No Nonland Permanents

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vazi, Keen Negotiator" href="#" target="_blank">Vazi, Keen Negotiator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Illustrated by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/parodi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">José Parodi</a></em></p>
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<p>Hello, and welcome to <em>Am I the Bolas</em>?</p>
<p>This column is for all of you out there who have ever played some <em>Magic </em>and wondered if you were the bad guy. I'm here to take in your story with all of its nuances so I can bring some clarity to all those asking, "Am I the Bolas?"</p>
<p>I'm ready to hear you out and offer advice. All you have to do is email amithebolas@gmail.com with your story, a pseudonym you want to use, and of course, only include details you don't mind in the column! You might see your story below, one day. You might even hear it on the podcast. Which podcast?</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-25893" src="https://commandersherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/bolcast_logo430x430-300x300.png" alt="" width="249" height="249" /></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AmITheBolcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">THIS PODCAST!</a></p>
<p>I'm Mike Carrozza and I'm never going to play <em>Final Fantasy</em>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stiltzkin, Moogle Merchant"></div></div>
<p><em>But I will die for this lil' angel. Nobody tell me anything devastating!</em></p>
<p>This week, building to your taste or your playgroup's?</p>
<p>(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)</p>
<hr />
<h2>HELLO, MIKE</h2>
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<p><em>I’m a long time reader, first time writer, and I absolutely LOVE the column and podcast! Your advice has helped me puzzle through so many difficult situations on game night, and I’m really grateful for that.</em></p>
<p><em>This situation isn’t so much about gameplay, but more about some tension between me and my friends about deckbuilding.</em></p>
<p><em>One of the things I enjoy most about four-player Commander is the politics and deal-making aspect. I like to play this up by building decks with interactive strategies or play styles. When I say interactive, I mean the decks encourage table talk and decision making. I’m not running more removal or board wipes or anything like that. As an example, my favorite deck is a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vazi, Keen Negotiator" href="#" target="_blank">Vazi, Keen Negotiator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> list centered around kingmaking then switching sides to rally the table against the archenemy. Additionally, I also like to build decks that I think are are underrepresented in the playgroup, to see how people react and to foster more creative deckbuilding (this comes up later).</em></p>
<p><em>Most of my friends tolerate and enjoy playing against my decks, but one friend doesn’t seem to like many of my decks, especially the more interactive ones. Their decks are built in a more traditional battlecruiser style, and even though they’re able to withstand interaction and board wipes pretty well, this player will still lean towards targeting me if I’m playing an interactive deck. They usually express their discontent at the start of the game by asking me to play another deck, telling me to play another deck, or switching to a stronger deck, even if my deck isn’t that powerful. This is a strong pattern, and as someone who tracks their decks’ wins and losses, I’ve noticed a correlation with a deck’s win rate and it’s interactivity.</em></p>
<p><em>The Bolas situation happened a couple days ago, when I decided to start brewing a stax deck. It’s not that I’m a naturally hateful person, I’m just interested to see how the group reacts. When I called this friend up to tell them about it, they obviously got upset, which I don’t blame them for. However, after that they started talking about how they’re going to build a targeted land destruction deck aimed only at my stax deck, and how they’re going to constantly try to deny it resources every time they play against it.</em></p>
<p><em>I don’t play to win and I want the table to have a good time. However, the games I enjoy the most involve more player interaction than average, and more interaction than this friend likes. So far, none of the other players in our playgroup have complained about my decks, and one other friend has also talked about how some of their more interactive decks (they just built a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadpool, Trading Card" href="#" target="_blank">Deadpool, Trading Card</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> control deck based on sacrificing and reanimating Deadpool over and over) have received similar hate from the same friend.</em></p>
<p><em>The question is this: <strong>Am I the Bolas for pushing the playgroup in new directions with my different and interactive decks?</strong> And what’s a good solution to solve the tension in our playgroup? We’re all just trying to have a good time, after all.</em></p>
<p><em>Thanks,</em></p>
<p><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kellan, Inquisitive Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Kellan, Inquisitive Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></em></p>
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<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vazi, Keen Negotiator"></div></div>
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<h2>HOWDY, RAVEN!</h2>
<p>Thank you for writing and asking me to weigh in on your story. As I mention every week, if folks don't write to me, there's no column, so if you, the reader, want to send me a story, whether it's your own or one from Reddit or a friend's, please send it to amithebolas@gmail.com and I'll get to it here.</p>
<p>Kellan, thank you so much for the kind words. I'm glad the column has helped you navigate some tricky situations! That's always been the goal so to have somebody just outright tell me warms my heart. Thank you for that.</p>
<p>Your submission's super interesting. It's easy to see this one from both sides. If I were someone who didn't want to play socially interactive games but rather focused on deck building to battlecruise to a win with technical threat assessment, I wouldn't love to see you coming to the table. I'd get pretty salty if every experience I had with my friends playing <em>Magic</em> resulted in the perfect play being tipped over by somebody striking a deal. Every time? Oof. Once in a while? That's <em>Magic</em>, baby! As much as I like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vazi, Keen Negotiator" href="#" target="_blank">Vazi, Keen Negotiator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the way it can warp a game like group hug can be a little taxing on some strategies.</p>
<p>Side note, I think of Vazi as Vazi Keen as if that's their name. As if it's Vazi Keen, Negotiator and not <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vazi, Keen Negotiator" href="#" target="_blank">Vazi, Keen Negotiator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Like I'd say "Hey, Vazi Keen!" if we were friends. And then they'd be like "what'd you call me?" and I'd sheepishly repeat it before they corrected me. Whatever, no big deal!</p>
<p>That said, one of the defining features of Commander is its multiplayer nature, and therefore the inevitability of table talk. I love politics at the table. I love getting to decide whether I'm in the mood for a deal or to shut it down. I get to express myself in Commander and part of that extends to being able to be flexible in my approach to politics and table talk.</p>
<p>I also think that part of my responsibility as someone who's part of a regular playgroup is to do anything you can to make sure you're invited back. Yes, you can be the most active person in a playgroup, you still need to be invited back, whether explicitly or implicitly. If somebody in your playgroup finds out you'll be there and they sigh dejectedly, then maybe there's some air to clear here. That's why I personally like that you called your friend and discussed your plans to build a stax deck (not inherently Bolas behavior, but close). I like that he made his feelings clear.</p>
<p>It seems that this player doesn't like how hard you're going into the politics and table talk. If somebody asks me not to play a particular deck, that's an opening to a discussion. "Why do you not want me to play this deck?" It seems like he'll have no problem telling you why.</p>
<p>I think you aren't the Bolas for wanting to build decks that push the group to explore different deckbuilding styles. If people are into it, that's great! If they're interested in moving with that meta, that's awesome. It seems, however, you've got one person who is less into it and if you can throw him a bone now and then, that'd probably go a long way. Have something straightforward, maybe borrow one of his decks.</p>
<p>Compromise. Don't do it to the extent where you lose your flame for the game, but most definitely recognize that you're in the driver's seat here. Your friend likes you enough to keep playing with you guys and to be honest in his reactions. That's good friendship. Open communication! Lots to celebrate! Nurture that friendship by showing him that he's heard and his feelings mean something to you. He pulls out a deck to hold his own against yours so that he can play the way he wants to while you play the way you want to. Meeting him on his level from time to time will go a long way, I promise (as far as I can promise anything).</p>
<p>Not the Bolas, but some improvements are definitely within reach.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hokori, Dust Drinker"></div></div>


Am I The Bolas? - Highly Interactive Politics

<p style="text-align: right;"><em>Image Credit: Wizards of the Coast &amp; Square Enix</em></p>
<p>As of the <em>Final Fantasy</em> set's June 13th release, Wizards Play Network, the entity responsible for maintaining and managing organized <em>Magic: The Gathering</em> play, will introduce "Chocobo Racing" to the events for the set. This augmentation to Limited events will begin after the set officially releases and will last until July 24th.</p>
<h2>But First: What Are Chocobos?</h2>
<p>In the scope of the hit <em>Square Enix</em> video game series, Chocobos are fluffy (usually) yellow bipedal birds. People in the game's universe usually use Chocobos as mounts. They're generally a means to get places much faster than on foot. Occasionally, riders will race with their Chocobo steeds. <em>Final Fantasy VII</em> formally introduced the "<a href="https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Chocobo_racing_(minigame)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chocobo Racing</a>" minigame proper. However, since then it's blown up in a big way. The minigame has even had its own <a href="https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Chocobo_Racing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eponymous spin-off game</a> on the Sony PlayStation.</p>
<p>They're also generally viewed as the mascot/face of the series at large, much like the Slime is to <em>Dragon Quest</em>, or Pikachu is to <em>Pokémon</em>.</p>
<h2><em>Final Fantasy</em> Chocobo Racing In <em>Magic</em></h2>
<p>According to the Wizards Play Network's page on this event:</p>
<blockquote><p>Chocobo Racing Events are the weekly Booster Draft and Sealed event based on the <em>FINAL FANTASY VII</em> mini-game "Chocobo Racing". Whenever players play Draft or Sealed events with <em>Magic: The Gathering—</em>FINAL FANTASY in your store, earning points to reach special rewards just for this event.</p></blockquote>
<p>The site goes on to explain how this minigame works:</p>
<blockquote><p>As players enjoy racing around the track throughout the season, they'll earn a set number of points that build toward rewards.</p>
<p>Award points for the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Players <strong>earn 3 points</strong> for each Draft of Sealed event (excluding Prerelease) they attend.</li>
<li>Players <strong>earn 1 point</strong> for each match they win in a qualifying event.</li>
<li>Existing players that bring in a new player who <a href="http://myaccounts.wizards.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signs up for a Wizards Account</a> and participates in a qualifying event <strong>earn 1 point</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<p>When a player reaches 10 cumulative points, they earn a foil Chocobo art print. When a player reaches 20 cumulative points, they earn a Chocobo Pinfinity AR pin!</p></blockquote>
<p>At the very end of the event, store owners are encouraged to give out any unallocated prints or pins to players who didn't make it to 10 or 20 points. WPN suggests stores give them out in order of highest standings at the end of the event's run.</p>
<h2>Run, Chocobo, Run!</h2>
<p><a href="https://wpn.wizards.com/en/event/chocobo-racing-event-series" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This mini-game series</a> runs from June 13th through July 24th at local game stores while supplies last.</p>
<p>And now, let's hear from you. Are you a fan of Chocobos as the mascot of <em>Final Fantasy</em>? Is this set an appealing prospect for you to play within? If you're planning to enter these events and vie for a print or pin, sound off below!</p>


Final Fantasy Adds "Chocobo Racing" To Magic Presents Events

Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Jank Rank Finale

The Best Instant Combos in Commander

<p style="text-align: right;"><em>(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aeve, Progenitor Ooze" href="#" target="_blank">Aeve, Progenitor Ooze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | by <a href="https://www.andrewkmar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew Mar</a>)</em></p>
<p>Hello and welcome back to <em>The Monolith</em>, the series in which we get players building more monocolored decks. Today I'll be continuing my quest to break each archetype out of its regular color pie by building a Storm deck in mono-green!</p>
<p>Storm? In mono-green? It's more likely than you think! And we'll even be storming off with fan-favorite and veritable meme card, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slime Against Humanity" href="#" target="_blank">Slime Against Humanity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>But how can I win a game without my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guttersnipe" href="#" target="_blank">Guttersnipe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archmage Emeritus" href="#" target="_blank">Archmage Emeritus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? What's the point of playing a million spells if there isn't a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grapeshot" href="#" target="_blank">Grapeshot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> at the end of it? Well that's simple, we just put our storm payoff directly into our command zone, with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aeve, Progenitor Ooze" href="#" target="_blank">Aeve, Progenitor Ooze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>Gooped and Gagged</h2>
<p>Let's take a look at our commander for this build.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aeve, Progenitor Ooze"></div></div>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> Aeve is a legendary 2/2 Ooze with storm. If you've not played with one of the most broken keywords in <em>Magic's </em>history before, storm spells copy themselves when cast for each spell you've already cast before it this turn. So if it's the third spell you've cast this turn, for example, you'll get two token copies of Aeve entering the battlefield with it.</p>
<p>Normally that'd be a problem for Aeve seeing as the card is legendary, but its rules text states that token copies of the card won't count as legendary to stop you from having to sacrifice them all to the legend rule as soon as they enter.</p>
<p>As if that wasn't enough, each of them will enter with a +1/+1 counter on it for each other Ooze you control. That means each copy gets bigger and bigger as it enters, seeing all the copies that came before it, not to mention any Oozes you already had on board.</p>
<p>If we can cast enough spells in a single turn before dropping our commander, we could get ourselves a pretty enormous board. And the wider the board gets, the taller it gets as well.</p>
<h2>Slime Time</h2>
<p>So we want to be casting a lot of spells on our turn, but the question remains: what spells will we be casting?</p>
<p>For this deck idea, we'll be committing some crimes. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slime Against Humanity" href="#" target="_blank">Slime crimes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Slime Against Humanity"></div></div>
<p>You're looking at a three mana green sorcery that creates a 0/0 Ooze token and then puts +1/+1 counters on it equal to the number of same-named cards in your graveyard or in exile (plus two). It's one of those silly "you can have any number in a deck" cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Persistent Petitioners" href="#" target="_blank">Persistent Petitioners</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hare Apparent" href="#" target="_blank">Hare Apparent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card also does well in Ooze typal decks as the card will also check for Ooze cards when dishing out its +1/+1 counters.</p>
<p>Importantly for this build, it's a spell we can cast a lot of and one that makes a progressively larger Ooze creature token each time we do so. The plan is to use that Ooze to make mana, draw us cards, and even buff up our Aeve tokens as they enter. So how do we go about doing that? Let's talk about mana first.</p>
<h2>They're Green, They May as Well Be Forests</h2>
<p>This deck was predominantly inspired by my favorite Standard deck in the current meta, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Insidious Roots" href="#" target="_blank">Insidious Roots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This Golgari (<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-bg" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) enchantment makes a Plant token every time a creature card leaves your graveyard. Then all your Plants get bigger. When combined with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler" href="#" target="_blank">Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can not only trigger the card's effect but also lets your tokens tap for mana on the turn they come down, you can do some pretty crazy comboing!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Insidious Roots"></div></div>
<p>But why let the dual colored decks have all the fun? With enough setup (afforded to us by the naturally longer games of Commander) we can do something just as nuts, and have a payoff card ready to roll in our command zone to boot.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Enduring Vitality"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cryptolith Rite"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jaheira, Friend of the Forest"></div></div>
<p>Our Ooze tokens might not tap for mana on their own, but there's a few different cards in green that will provide us with the same effect. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enduring Vitality" href="#" target="_blank">Enduring Vitality</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is by far the strongest of the bunch, giving us the rules text we need as well as reanimating itself the first time it gets removed. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jaheira, Friend of the Forest" href="#" target="_blank">Jaheira, Friend of the Forest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> isn't a bad pick either for a cheap option, as we'll mostly want to be tapping token creatures anyway.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elven Chorus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Citanul Hierophants"></div></div>
<p>The above options cost a little more mana to get on the board, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elven Chorus" href="#" target="_blank">Elven Chorus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does provide us with some potential extra reach if we find ourselves with nothing to cast in hand mid-storm. If there's a creature card on the top of our library, it could get us back up and running just when we need it.</p>
<h3>I Need That Mana Now!</h3>
<p>The other element of the combo we'll need to replicate is Tyvar's bonus effect of giving activated abilities haste, allowing you to effectively replace your spent mana by tapping the token you've just made. As Tyvar himself is out of your color identity, you'll have to get some other options.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Surrak and Goreclaw"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Concordant Crossroads"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akroma&#039;s Memorial"></div></div>
<p>Giving haste to your creatures in mono-green isn't super easy, especially when you need it to be a static effect that'll account for each creature entering the battlefield this turn. That's why colorless cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crashing Drawbridge" href="#" target="_blank">Crashing Drawbridge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> unfortunately won't cut it. We do have options, but they're either very expensive to cast, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Surrak and Goreclaw" href="#" target="_blank">Surrak and Goreclaw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, very expensive to buy, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Concordant Crossroads" href="#" target="_blank">Concordant Crossroads</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or both (looking at you, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma&#039;s Memorial" href="#" target="_blank">Akroma&#039;s Memorial</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Runadi, Behemoth Caller"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thousand-Year Elixir"></div></div>
<p>A better fit would be the classic <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thousand-Year Elixir" href="#" target="_blank">Thousand-Year Elixir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can find a home in pretty much any deck that cares about creatures tapping. But specifically for this deck, I think you'll struggle to find a better fit for what we want to achieve than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Runadi, Behemoth Caller" href="#" target="_blank">Runadi, Behemoth Caller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>This card is an absolute slam dunk in our deck as it not only works as a mana creature itself, it also gives haste to all creatures on our board with three or more +1/+1 counters on them. For the record, that's basically every Ooze we make after the first. Not to mention that it'll give haste to pretty much every copy of Aeve if things are going well.</p>
<h2>Budget Blubber</h2>
<p>The next element we need in our cursed combo is something to reduce the cost of our spells. Much like with the flash-in-the-pan Ruby Storm deck we saw in Modern last year, by reducing the cost of our spells we can potentially make them mana neutral (or perhaps even positive!) to allow us to keep comboing off.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emerald Medallion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloud Key"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Helm of Awakening"></div></div>
<p>We've actually got a decent amount of options here as well, including <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emerald Medallion" href="#" target="_blank">the green version</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ruby Medallion" href="#" target="_blank">Ruby Storm&#039;s medallion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> which will reduce all of our green spells by <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Primal Amulet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Semblance Anvil"></div></div>
<p>We're in mono-green, so we shouldn't struggle too much for mana, but ideally we want to drop all the colorless cost from our slime crimes. That way we just need to pay for the green, which our token will be able to do for us from the last copy of the spell we've cast. For that we'll need to get two cost-reducers on board.</p>
<p>But just like with our haste problems, there's actually a fantastic card available to us that'll make our lives much easier. The <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Locket of Yesterdays" href="#" target="_blank">Locket of Yesterdays</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes me feel like someone from the past knew I was going to build this deck one day. Fitting, seeing as it was printed in <em>Time Spiral</em>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Locket of Yesterdays"></div></div>
<p>This card will reduce the cost of all our spells for each other copy of it already in the graveyard. Literally perfect for reducing the price of our slime crimes. From the third one we cast onwards, we'll only be paying <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. And we could even reduce that if we add in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Defiler of Vigor" href="#" target="_blank">Defiler of Vigor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></p>
<h2>Outta Slime, Outta Time</h2>
<p>As with every storm deck, you can assemble the absolute perfect engine with everything you need to pop off. But if you run out of spells, your turn will come to a crashing halt and deflating fizzle. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slime Against Humanity" href="#" target="_blank">Slime Against Humanity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> isn't a cantrip, which means we need to make sure we're drawing enough cards to keep our engine ticking as we cast it over and over again.</p>
<p>Green has a few ways of drawing cards, but most of them are tied to the creatures you control. Which, for the combo we're assembling here, is kinda perfect! A card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Garruk&#039;s Uprising" href="#" target="_blank">Garruk&#039;s Uprising</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will trigger a card draw for every slime crime we make after the first, as well as giving us trample when we finally swing out with all our tokens.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Garruk&#039;s Uprising"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Outcaster Trailblazer"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Outcaster Trailblazer" href="#" target="_blank">Outcaster Trailblazer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives us double effectiveness as it not only gives the same card draw effect as Garruk's Uprising, but we can also plot it. Plotting allows us to cast it for free on a subsequent turn, which will then count towards our storm tally when we need it! He even comes with a free mana of any color when he enters.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Selvala, Heart of the Wilds"></div></div>
<p>For a wildly good fit in our deck though, check out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Selvala, Heart of the Wilds" href="#" target="_blank">Selvala, Heart of the Wilds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Selvala gives us a card draw whenever a creature enters under our control with more power than any creature on the battlefield. As each Ooze will be one point bigger than the last one, we can chain these draws off one after another.</p>
<p>Then with a huge board we can tap for a massive amount of green mana with Selvala's ability - mana we can then use to cast more spells and even our commander to finish off the turn.</p>
<h2>I Ooze, You Lose</h2>
<p>Now it's time to finish the game. Our perfect board state looks something like this:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Garruk&#039;s Uprising"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Runadi, Behemoth Caller"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Locket of Yesterdays"></div></div>
<p>We'll also want five untapped mana sources, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Selvala, Heart of the Wilds" href="#" target="_blank">Selvala, Heart of the Wilds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in an ideal world, to allow us to cast our commander and also give extra card draw. Then all the slime crimes we already have in hand will give us a head start.</p>
<p>We cast as many of said crimes as possible, effectively paying zero for each one. Our storm count gets bigger and bigger until we tap for five and bring out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aeve, Progenitor Ooze" href="#" target="_blank">Aeve, Progenitor Ooze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Let's say we've cast seven copies of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slime Against Humanity" href="#" target="_blank">Slime Against Humanity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> beforehand.</p>
<p>One by one, eight copies of Aeve will enter the battlefield. They'll have a minimum power and toughness ranging from 9/9 to 16/16. Every single one will have haste from Runadi, and trample from Garruk's Uprising.</p>
<p>Swing. Win.</p>
<p>That's it for this week's edition of <em>The Monolith</em>, let me know in the comments below how you would build a deck like this. Mono-green isn't the standard home of Spellslinger decks, but I think it has some chops. For more monocolored shenanigans, make sure to tune in next week to <em>The</em> Monolith. Until then, happy slinging and happy sliming!</p>


commander