<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Midgar, City of Mako|fin|313" href="#" target="_blank">Midgar, City of Mako</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> by <a href="https://josusolanoart.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Josu Solano</a></em></p>
<p><em>Final Fantasy</em> depicts grand adventures across different locales, time periods, and plotlines. It therefore makes absolute sense that the main land cycle of the new <em>Final Fantasy</em> set is a series of famous towns you adventure in throughout the series.</p>
<p>And, they’re even mechanically adventures! Or technically speaking “cards that have an Adventure” to use specific terminology.</p>
<h2>But What Is an Adventure?</h2>
<p>In <em>Magic</em>, certain cards have two different ways you can cast them. There’s the core spell, which takes up most of the card, and a subtype Adventure spell, located in the bottom left.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Murderous Rider"></div></div>
<p>In the example above, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murderous Rider" href="#" target="_blank">Murderous Rider</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a creature that’s a Zombie Knight, has lifelink, and when it dies it gets put on the bottom of its owner’s library. All for three mana. Nothing out of the ordinary.</p>
<p>However, instead of casting this card as the creature Murderous Rider, you can instead cast the instant Swift End. This destroys a creature or planeswalker and you lose two life, also for three mana.</p>
<p>If you cast a card using its Adventure, you put it into exile. You can then play the non-Adventure portion of the card from exile. Which, aside from meaning you can effectively play two spells with a single card, also means that once you cast an Adventure, its associated creature is “safe” from forced discard effects.</p>
<p>Below are a few more examples of Adventures. Note how the mana costs, spell type, and sometimes even colors change.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kellan, the Fae-Blooded"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Virtue of Persistence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Monster Manual"></div></div>
<p>Broadly, Adventures are a very nice way to maximize your value per-card. It gives you the flexibility of having a permanent and non-permanent effect, oftentimes where the Adventure supports its associated spell.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gray Slaad"></div></div>
<p>Entropic Decay allows you to mill four cards before casting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gray Slaad" href="#" target="_blank">Gray Slaad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, meaning you’re much more likely to have a 4/1 with menace and deathtouch. However, if you already have four creature cards in your graveyard, you can skip casting Entropic Decay.</p>
<p>In this case, it’s an optional cost to mill four cards for two mana. Which for black, is never a bad thing.</p>
<h2>Town Cycle</h2>
<p>There’s a specific cycle in the <em>Final Fantasy</em> set that I call the “Adventure Town” cycle. This is because it’s a series of lands, one of each color, each of which has the Town sub-type as well as an associated Adventure.</p>
<p>Also, they all enter the battlefield tapped, as most non-basic lands do.</p>
<p>I’m not a <em>Final Fantasy</em> fan, though I’ve certainly been interested in seeing what all of the hype is about. Though that does mean I won’t have the full lore implications of how the Adventures tie into their associated games.</p>
<p>That being said, let’s go on an adventure!</p>
<h2>Ranking the <em>Final Fantasy </em>Adventure Lands</h2>
<h3>#5 - Faith &amp; Grief (White)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ishgard, the Holy See"></div></div>
<p>First up is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ishgard, the Holy See" href="#" target="_blank">Ishgard, the Holy See</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which unfortunately is my pick for the least impactful Adventure. A city-state in <em>Final Fantasy XIV</em>, it survives both the harsh snowfalls of winter as well as literal, actual dragons.</p>
<p>Seems to me like one of those is the larger threat, but hey! Snow-land synergy is real. And it’s coming for you.</p>
<p>For five mana, Grief &amp; Return allows you to return up to two artifacts and/or enchantment cards from your graveyard to your hand.</p>
<p>This is nice, but it’s overpriced. When playing a non-basic land, you have to ask yourself “Is this land’s effect worth the inability to access its mana the turn I play it?” Spending five mana to grab up to two artifacts or enchantments and put them in your hand is most certainly not. If it was cheaper? Not constrained to artifacts and enchantments?</p>
<p>Even if it was limited to a single artifact or enchantment but returned directly to the battlefield, it might be worth it. But as it stands, it only half-supports commanders such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloud, Midgar Mercenary" href="#" target="_blank">Cloud, Midgar Mercenary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Therefore, I’d just pass.</p>
<h3>#4 - Lasting Fayth (Green)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zanarkand, Ancient Metropolis"></div></div>
<p>Next up is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zanarkand, Ancient Metropolis" href="#" target="_blank">Zanarkand, Ancient Metropolis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which as a green player I was hoping to be able to put higher. Luckily, it isn’t the worst ability, just a bit expensive. This former metropolis is most known for its role in <em>Final Fantasy X</em>, where it occupies an odd double reality of being both a destroyed city as well as a perfect recreation of said city.</p>
<p>For six mana, Lasting Fayth creates a 1/1 colorless Hero creature token. Then you can put a +1/+1 counter on it for every land you have.</p>
<p>This is a lovely effect that absolutely does not work for six mana.</p>
<p>Green doesn’t hurt for mana production, meaning you could reasonably activate this effect earlier than turn six. However… Then you’d be limiting its growth. It needs lands to scale, meaning you need to wait until you can play a fair amount of lands. Which you already want to do, even if you’re not playing a commander like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tifa Lockhart" href="#" target="_blank">Tifa Lockhart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>If you wait with this card dead in your hand or you just don’t draw it until later in the game, there are other things you can spend your mana on at that point.</p>
<p>A 7/7 is nice. For six mana it needs to be justified, which with this Hero’s scaling is certainly justifiable. However, it’s holding back the land it’s attached to. And because of that, I can’t say it’s fantastic.</p>
<h3>#3 - Mage Siege (Red)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lindblum, Industrial Regency"></div></div>
<p>Running in the middle is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lindblum, Industrial Regency" href="#" target="_blank">Lindblum, Industrial Regency</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, though if you were to bump it up or down a spot on your list, I couldn’t blame you. A sprawling city in <em>Final Fantasy IX</em>, it pushes technological, mercantile, and even logistical boundaries as it advances ever forward.</p>
<p>For three mana, Mage Siege creates an 0/1 black Wizard creature token that deals one damage to each opponent each time you cast a noncreature spell. Something to note, this is also the only instant of the Adventures in this cycle, the rest are sorceries. How often that will come up, I’m not sure. But it’s worth noting!</p>
<p>Ping damage is always nice, though I don’t need to harp on how fragile a 0/1 creature is. The fact it’s a Wizard does actually hold some weight, as Wizard typal is an archetype that does encompass red.</p>
<p>It’s three mana, and with the mana cheating red does so efficiently, having this land enter tapped isn’t as bad as in some of the other colors. So I don’t see any reason to avoid bringing this along, particularly if you’re trying to capitalize off of its synergy with some of the <em>Final Fantasy</em> commanders, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloud, Planet&#039;s Champion" href="#" target="_blank">Cloud, Planet&#039;s Champion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Lots of artifact support in this set!</p>
<h3>#2 - Overture (Blue)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jidoor, Aristocratic Capital"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jidoor, Aristocratic Capital" href="#" target="_blank">Jidoor, Aristocratic Capital</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is home to the wealthiest man in the world, at least in <em>Final Fantasy VI</em>. It’s an economic hub for players to stock up before setting out.</p>
<p>For six mana, Overture forces target opponent to mill half their library, rounded down.</p>
<p>This is probably the most niche of the Adventures, as six mana in blue isn’t cheap. However, any mill deck would love this. Even control decks might flirt with it, since disrupting an opponent’s deck can be quite powerful. Milling half their deck with Overture before clearing their board with a commander like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is absolutely devious.</p>
<p>And, of course, no color excels at returning cards to their hand like blue does. Lands are certainly trickier to return, but if you can do it? That’s high value, even if at a high cost. Definitely worth including in the right circumstances.</p>
<h3>#1 - Reactor Raid (Black)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Midgar, City of Mako"></div></div>
<p>My pick for the best Adventure of this cycle is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Midgar, City of Mako" href="#" target="_blank">Midgar, City of Mako</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. And based on the popularity of <em>Final Fantasy VII</em>, where it plays a key role as the oppressive and struggling opening area, I shouldn’t be surprised!</p>
<p>For three mana, Reactor Raid allows you to sacrifice an artifact or creature to draw two cards. It's cheap, it draws you cards, and it sacrifices a permanent. All things black loves.</p>
<p>With all the artifact support this set is seeing, you could burn a disposable artifact. But my mind immediately went to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Again, for only three mana, you draw two cards, you gain a life, an opponent loses a life, and you are 25% of the way to transforming Sephiroth.</p>
<p>Reactor Raid gives you value in the early game, the mid game, even the late game. Card draw is invaluable, and sacrificing will contribute towards other triggers.</p>
<p>Far and above, Midgar is supreme.</p>
<h2>What Do You Think of the Adventure Lands?</h2>
<p>Let me know in the comments! I’m confident Faith &amp; Grief is the worst, even with the artifact support of the set. I’m also set on Reactor Raid, given how flexible it is. I could really shuffle the others around any order, so I’d love to hear what you think!</p>


Final Fantasy Adventure Lands Ranked

Final Fantasy: A cEDH Set Review

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Y&#039;shtola Rhul" href="#" target="_blank">Y&#039;shtola Rhul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://immanuelacrovius.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Immanuela Crovius</a></em></p>
<p>Mono-blue is a tricky color in Commander, as it usually screams control. I'm not much of a control player, but I do love value, which is something Y'shtola Rhul provides in spades.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Y&#039;shtola Rhul"></div></div>
<p>Not being well-versed in <em>Final Fantasy</em> didn’t prevent my previous brewing of the mono-red legend, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Firion, Wild Rose Warrior" href="#" target="_blank">Firion, Wild Rose Warrior</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and it certainly didn’t prevent me brewing this commander either. Y’shtola has a crazy Esper counterpart from one of the <em>Final Fantasy</em> precons in the form of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed" href="#" target="_blank">Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but I think this iteration feels more fun. If you like “enters” triggers and taking a lot of game actions, this is the deck for you.</p>
<p>The first thing I noticed about this card is the ability to effectively double our end step. I immediately looked for anything and everything in blue that deals with the end step, and the list was, unfortunately, very small. Sure, double triggering a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chimil, the Inner Sun" href="#" target="_blank">Chimil, the Inner Sun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wondrous Crucible" href="#" target="_blank">Wondrous Crucible</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> seems like a ton of fun, but the list pretty much ends there, so I leaned hard into the first ability.</p>
<p>The first ability reminded me of an old <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa, Deep-Dwelling" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa, Deep-Dwelling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> build I had, and that was a deck I loved dearly. Two <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conjurer&#039;s Closet" href="#" target="_blank">Conjurer&#039;s Closet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects on every one of our turns? Sign me up! With this kind of deck, especially when most blue "enters" triggers can be pretty mean, I will warn my readers that my build of this commander fits solidly into Bracket 4.</p>
<h2>Category #1: End Step Triggers</h2>
<p>As I previously mentioned, our options are pretty limited in mono-blue when it comes to end step triggers, but that doesn't mean the limited options are bad. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wondrous Crucible" href="#" target="_blank">Wondrous Crucible</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chimil, the Inner Sun" href="#" target="_blank">Chimil, the Inner Sun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> let us cast spells for free; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Palantír of Orthanc" href="#" target="_blank">Palantír of Orthanc</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a terrific source of card draw or incidental burn, depending on what our opponents choose; and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primordial Mist" href="#" target="_blank">Primordial Mist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives us manifest creatures that we can flip up later with our commanders first ability (flickering a face down creature makes it return face up; this concept will come up later).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chimil, the Inner Sun"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wondrous Crucible"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Palantír of Orthanc"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Primordial Mist"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: "Enters" Triggers</h2>
<p dir="auto">As mentioned before, this deck is full of creatures with enters triggers, but I’m just going to highlight some of the heavy hitters here. We have creatures that cover anything you may need over the course of a game:</p>
<p dir="auto">Need to "borrow" a creature or spell? Try <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sower of Temptation" href="#" target="_blank">Sower of Temptation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Agent of Treachery" href="#" target="_blank">Agent of Treachery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diluvian Primordial" href="#" target="_blank">Diluvian Primordial</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p dir="auto"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sower of Temptation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Agent of Treachery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Diluvian Primordial"></div></div></p>
<p dir="auto">Need to ramp? Try <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solemn Simulacrum" href="#" target="_blank">Solemn Simulacrum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Peregrine Drake" href="#" target="_blank">Peregrine Drake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p dir="auto"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Solemn Simulacrum"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Peregrine Drake"></div></div></p>
<p dir="auto">Need to remove troublesome creatures? Try <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Amphin Mutineer" href="#" target="_blank">Amphin Mutineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meteor Golem" href="#" target="_blank">Meteor Golem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exclusion Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Exclusion Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p dir="auto"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Amphin Mutineer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Meteor Golem"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Exclusion Mage"></div></div></p>
<p dir="auto">How about drawing some cards? Try <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serum Visionary" href="#" target="_blank">Serum Visionary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mulldrifter" href="#" target="_blank">Mulldrifter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overlord of the Floodpits" href="#" target="_blank">Overlord of the Floodpits</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p dir="auto"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Serum Visionary"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mulldrifter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overlord of the Floodpits"></div></div></p>
<h2>Category #3: Our Secret Gameplan = Face Down Creatures</h2>
<p>I told you I would come back to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primordial Mist" href="#" target="_blank">Primordial Mist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! Manifest creatures, or face down creatures in general, is our secret gameplan. Why? Because, like I said before, if we flicker a face down creature, that card returns to play <em>face up</em>. For this reason, we have some really heavy hitters in the deck in the hopes that we can execute this "cheating of mana cost".</p>
<p>The other ways we have to put things into face down are cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="They Came from the Pipes" href="#" target="_blank">They Came from the Pipes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cryptic Coat" href="#" target="_blank">Cryptic Coat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cursed Windbreaker" href="#" target="_blank">Cursed Windbreaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="They Came from the Pipes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cryptic Coat"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cursed Windbreaker"></div></div>
<p>When we have face down creatures, we can turn up crazy game-ending threats, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blightsteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Blightsteel Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Void Winnower" href="#" target="_blank">Void Winnower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blightsteel Colossus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Void Winnower"></div></div>
<p>We also have standard all-star <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abhorrent Oculus" href="#" target="_blank">Abhorrent Oculus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in this deck, as it's another great way to give us face down creatures.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abhorrent Oculus"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: Infinite Combos</h2>
<p>I would be remiss if I didn't mention the infinite combos that I included in my decklist. The main combo involves an old format boogeyman, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadeye Navigator" href="#" target="_blank">Deadeye Navigator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Pairing it with any of our enters creatures is very good, but pairing it with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Peregrine Drake" href="#" target="_blank">Peregrine Drake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants us infinite mana. Infinite mana isn't an immediate guaranteed win, but it's certainly a good start.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deadeye Navigator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Peregrine Drake"></div></div>
<p>The other combo in the deck is one that people may find frustrating, so be warned. This combo involves three cards: our commander, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Warp" href="#" target="_blank">Time Warp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>It works like this: we cast Time Warp, giving us an extra turn. During the extra turn, we play Archaeomancer to return Time Warp to our hand and cast it again. If our commander is on the board at this point, we can choose to blink the Archaeomancer, returning Time Warp to our hand again. This generates a loop of infinite turns, which, again, doesn't necessarily win the game, but it's a huge step towards doing so.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Y&#039;shtola Rhul"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archaeomancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Time Warp"></div></div>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p>That will do it for our deck tech on Y'shtola Rhul! I hope this article has persuaded you to brew around this very strong and fun commander!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Y’shtola Rhul" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Y&#039;shtola Rhul
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Chimil, the Inner Sun
*1 Cryptic Coat
*1 Cursed Windbreaker
*1 Decanter of Endless Water
*1 Midnight Clock
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Palantír of Orthanc
*1 Panharmonicon
*1 Sapphire Medallion
*1 Scroll of Fate
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Sword of Hearth and Home
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Worn Powerstone
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Abhorrent Oculus
*1 Aether Adept
*1 Aether Channeler
*1 Agent of Treachery
*1 Amphin Mutineer
*1 Archaeomancer
*1 Blightsteel Colossus
*1 Circuit Mender
*1 Deadeye Navigator
*1 Diluvian Primordial
*1 Dour Port-Mage
*1 Exclusion Mage
*1 Fblthp, the Lost
*1 Glitch Interpreter
*1 Kozilek, the Broken Reality
*1 Man-o&#039;-War
*1 Master of Waves
*1 Meteor Golem
*1 Mulldrifter
*1 Naga Fleshcrafter
*1 Overlord of the Floodpits
*1 Peregrine Drake
*1 Phyrexian Metamorph
*1 Serum Visionary
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Sower of Temptation
*1 Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
*1 Tomb of Horrors Adventurer
*1 Venser, Shaper Savant
*1 Void Winnower
*1 Whirler Rogue
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Aetherize
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Become Anonymous
*1 Cyber Conversion
*1 Ghostly Flicker
*1 Pongify
*1 Rapid Hybridization
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Candlekeep Sage
*1 Imprisoned in the Moon
*1 Mirror Room // Fractured Realm
*1 Primordial Mist
*1 Propaganda
*1 They Came from the Pipes
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Quantum Misalignment
*1 Rite of Replication
*1 Time Warp
*1 Unnerving Grasp
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Arid Archway
*1 Castle Vantress
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Conduit Pylons
*25 Island
*1 Lonely Sandbar
*1 Mystic Sanctuary
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Talon Gates of Madara
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Brewing Around A Final Fantasy Commander - Y'shtola Rhul

<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emet-Selch of the Third Seat" href="#" target="_blank">Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CMagali+Villeneuve%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Magali Villeneuve</a><br />
</i></p>
<p>Hey, nerds! Welcome to my first <i>Final Fantasy </i>$50 budget deck tech featuring <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emet-Selch of the Third Seat" href="#" target="_blank">Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (excluding the cost of the commander). I’ve been looking for an interesting spellslinger commander for years now. My first spellslinger deck was a pile of cards I opened from <i>Guilds of Ravnica </i>and bulk I owned featuring <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Parun" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Parun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It was a hot mess that kind of functioned, but it wasn’t great. Then I got gifted a budget <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark, the Thumbless" href="#" target="_blank">Krark, the Thumbless</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> // <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix" href="#" target="_blank">Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> partner deck one Christmas. It was such a fun deck, but it only came out on occasion since the turns would take longer than I wanted, so I put it back on my shelf and accepted the fact I’d never find a spell commander that jived with me.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emet-Selch of the Third Seat"></div></div>
<p>That was until <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emet-Selch of the Third Seat" href="#" target="_blank">Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was spoiled.</p>

<hr />
<h2>What Does Emet-Selch of the Third Seat Do?</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emet-Selch of the Third Seat" href="#" target="_blank">Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> reduces the cost of any spell you cast from your graveyard by two. This effect might seem innocuous, but cheating on mana is one of the strongest things you can do in a game. If you only cast two spells from your graveyard, it's like you got to cast Emet for free. However, that second ability is what drew me in. There are two key things to note about this ability. First, you don’t need to be the one to deal the damage. Second, the spell would only be exiled if it were put back into the graveyard.</p>
<p>The first idea I had was a Dimir Buyback deck. Buyback is an additional cost, which Emet would reduce. Let’s say you cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clockspinning" href="#" target="_blank">Clockspinning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from your graveyard and pay for the buyback cost. Instead of being exiled, it would return to your hand, since Emet’s second ability only exiles the spell if it goes back to your graveyard. However, there are only 18 spells with buyback in Dimir, and that isn’t enough to build a dedicated deck.</p>
<p>That was when I remembered a deck I played a few weeks ago. My best friend built a budget <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord of the Nazgûl" href="#" target="_blank">Lord of the Nazgûl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Dimir spells deck. He wanted some feedback, so I took it for a spin. After playing it, it got me thinking about how to improve the deck. One idea I had was to use it as a Spellslinger Aristocrat deck. The deck makes tokens that can be sacrificed for value, and black has plenty of cards that drain when creatures die.</p>
<p>So instead of doing a buyback deck or some generic Dimir spells deck, I want to build a Dimir Tokens deck. The idea is simple. You play instants, sorceries, and creature-token-generators, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects for value when your creatures die, and sacrifice outlets to enable the deaths of said creatures, plus some other key cards you’ll play in any Emet deck.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Key Cards for Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lab Rats"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cackling Counterpart"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geralf, the Fleshwright"></div></div>
<p>The first set of spells is the token-generators. These spells either make their own tokens, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lab Rats" href="#" target="_blank">Lab Rats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Retrieve the Esper" href="#" target="_blank">Retrieve the Esper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Otterball Antics" href="#" target="_blank">Otterball Antics</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, make token copies of your creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cackling Counterpart" href="#" target="_blank">Cackling Counterpart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quasiduplicate" href="#" target="_blank">Quasiduplicate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Self-Reflection" href="#" target="_blank">Self-Reflection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or creatures that are payoffs for casting spells, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord of the Nazgûl" href="#" target="_blank">Lord of the Nazgûl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sedgemoor Witch" href="#" target="_blank">Sedgemoor Witch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geralf, the Fleshwright" href="#" target="_blank">Geralf, the Fleshwright</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. When choosing token-generators, I prioritized cards that we could cast from the graveyard without Emet’s ability.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nasty End"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Corrupted Conviction"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yahenni, Undying Partisan"></div></div>
<p>Next are value sacrifice spells. These are usually cheap instants that require us to sacrifice a creature to draw cards. Cheap cantrips, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nasty End" href="#" target="_blank">Nasty End</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadly Dispute" href="#" target="_blank">Deadly Dispute</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corrupted Conviction" href="#" target="_blank">Corrupted Conviction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are great here. Because of how the stack works, you won’t be able to cast a Deadly Dispute from your graveyard the same turn you cast it, unless you have your opponent lose life again, since it won’t be in the graveyard to target, which is why I’d add more sacrifice outlets, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Carrion Feeder" href="#" target="_blank">Carrion Feeder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Viscera Seer" href="#" target="_blank">Viscera Seer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yahenni, Undying Partisan" href="#" target="_blank">Yahenni, Undying Partisan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lier, Disciple of the Drowned"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Taigam, Master Opportunist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oona&#039;s Grace"></div></div>
<p>Now, before we get into the Blood Artist effects, I wanted to share five cards I think are worth considering in nearly every Emet deck, those being <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lier, Disciple of the Drowned" href="#" target="_blank">Lier, Disciple of the Drowned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="River Kelpie" href="#" target="_blank">River Kelpie</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Taigam, Master Opportunist" href="#" target="_blank">Taigam, Master Opportunist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oona&#039;s Grace" href="#" target="_blank">Oona&#039;s Grace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syphon Life" href="#" target="_blank">Syphon Life</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Lier turns Emet into a powerful mana acceleration tool, allowing you to recast your instants and sorceries for cheaper. River Kelpie provides card advantage by just existing, and persist makes it a bit harder to kill. Taigam can put spells you cast from your graveyard with Emet’s ability suspend instead of them getting exiled forever. This interaction works great with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clockspinning" href="#" target="_blank">Clockspinning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Oona's Grace essentially gives lands in your hand cycling for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> if Emet is in play, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syphon Life" href="#" target="_blank">Syphon Life</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides a consistent way to trigger Emet’s ability at the cost of a land.</p>
<hr />
<h2>How to Win with Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</h2>
<p>There are three ways to win with the deck. First are the aforementioned Blood Artist effects. These are cards that ping to our opponent when creatures die, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Al Bhed Salvagers" href="#" target="_blank">Al Bhed Salvagers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirkwood Bats" href="#" target="_blank">Mirkwood Bats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zulaport Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Zulaport Cutthroat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bastion of Remembrance" href="#" target="_blank">Bastion of Remembrance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. They make great kicked <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rite of Replication" href="#" target="_blank">Rite of Replication</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> targets.</p>
<p>The second option is just to beat face with the tokens. Many of the tokens have some evasion, either flying or menace. I even toyed around with the idea of adding <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maskwood Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Maskwood Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conspiracy" href="#" target="_blank">Conspiracy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Adaptation" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Adaptation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to make <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord of the Nazgûl" href="#" target="_blank">Lord of the Nazgûl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geralf, the Fleshwright" href="#" target="_blank">Geralf, the Fleshwright</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> better, but that interaction is too cute and doesn’t help the main gameplan enough.</p>
<p>Finally, I always like adding one generically powerful win condition to a deck. Sometimes your key cards are exiled, or you’re too behind on the board. My go-to budget option is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exsanguinate" href="#" target="_blank">Exsanguinate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It can get your opponents low enough to finish off with drain effects, or if you have enough mana, just end the game on its own.</p>
<h2>Emet-Selch of the Third Seat Commander Decklist</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Budget Emet-Selch Spellslinger Sacrifice" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Emet-Selch of the Third Seat
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Al Bhed Salvagers
*1 Archmage of Runes
*1 Baral, Chief of Compliance
*1 Blood Artist
*1 Boggart Trawler // Boggart Bog
*1 Carrion Feeder
*1 Geralf, the Fleshwright
*1 Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory
*1 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
*1 Lord of the Nazgûl
*1 Mirkwood Bats
*1 Morbid Opportunist
*1 Murmuring Mystic
*1 Osteomancer Adept
*1 River Kelpie
*1 Sedgemoor Witch
*1 Skyclave Shade
*1 Taigam, Master Opportunist
*1 Talrand, Sky Summoner
*1 Viscera Seer
*1 Wizards of Thay
*1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
*1 Zulaport Cutthroat
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Dimir Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Liquimetal Torque
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bastion of Remembrance
*1 Case of the Ransacked Lab
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Cackling Counterpart
*1 Corrupted Conviction
*1 Deadly Dispute
*1 Drag the Canal
*1 Fanatical Offering
*1 Filter Out
*1 Go for the Throat
*1 Infernal Grasp
*1 Jwari Disruption // Jwari Ruins
*1 Nasty End
*1 Oona&#039;s Grace
*1 Plumb the Forbidden
*1 Reality Shift
*1 Rotten Reunion
*1 Szat&#039;s Will
*1 Village Rites
*1 Waterlogged Teachings // Inundated Archive
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Exsanguinate
*1 Irenicus&#039;s Vile Duplication
*1 Lab Rats
*1 Lórien Revealed
*1 Otterball Antics
*1 Quasiduplicate
*1 Retrieve the Esper
*1 Ringsight
*1 Rite of Replication
*1 Self-Reflection
*1 Syphon Life
*1 Unending Whisper
*1 Winternight Stories
[/Sorceries]
[Battles]
*1 Invasion of Segovia // Caetus, Sea Tyrant of Segovia
[/Battles]
[Lands]
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Choked Estuary
*1 Command Tower
*1 Darkslick Shores
*1 Darkwater Catacombs
*1 Dimir Aqueduct
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fetid Pools
*1 Field of Ruin
*8 Island
*1 Murky Sewer
*1 Mystic Sanctuary
*1 Sunken Hollow
*7 Swamp
*1 Tainted Isle
*1 Temple of Deceit
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Underground River
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>I love playing decks that break the norms of what people expect, and this particular build of Emet is exactly that. I wouldn’t put it up against any Bracket Four decks, but if you’re looking for a solid middle-of-the-road deck that can have insane turns and is always doing something, I’d try Emet.</p>
<p>I’d love to hear your thoughts on this list below. Do you think I missed any cards? What upgrades would you make? Alrighty nerds, I’ll see you in the next one!</p>


Budget Dimir Spellslinger Sacrifice: Emet-Selch of the Third Seat

The Best New Commanders in Final Fantasy

Ranking the Job Select Equipment Cards From Final Fantasy

Is Tifa Lockhart a Good Mono-Green Landfall Commander?

The Best Monocolored Cards in Final Fantasy

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/magali_villeneuve/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Magali Villeneuve</a></em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Welcome to <em>Roman Begs Anybody Else To Build a Bracket One Deck - Deck Tech Edition</em>. If you’re looking for the more “competitive” version of this deck, it will be coming later. But first, please, bear with me a moment and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1PPoIAOO2Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">consider the following</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Obviously the new <em>Final Fantasy</em> <em>Magic: the Gathering</em> set has a ton of very, very powerful cards. It has <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jumbo Cactuar" href="#" target="_blank">a creature which can attack for ten thousand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It has </span><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sin, Spira&#039;s Punishment" href="#" target="_blank">Sin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who you <span style="font-weight: 400;">only have to read once to know that it will be used with pure criminal intent. Heck, just the spoiler release of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vivi Ornitier" href="#" target="_blank">Vivi Ornitier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> caused upward of 50 reported hospitalizations. These cards are busted. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This means that but a single question remains about this set: Which card is the most fun? And to answer that, I present to you <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I missed the <em>Final Fantasy</em> games as a kid, so I know Sephiroth from two things. First, the incredible moment where he torpedoes 500 feet down from the sky to put a sword straight through Aerith. It’s a moment so iconic that they had him <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJo25Dtglbo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recreate it with Mario when they introduced him in <em>Smash</em></a>. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The second is his wonderful cameo in <em>Kingdom Hearts</em> where he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPjbwSH5Bps" target="_blank" rel="noopener">serves as a harsh reminder of the consequences of curiosity</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Given that the <em>Kingdom Hearts</em> version of this deck would require the inclusion of upwards of 50 <em>Lorcana</em> cards, we’ll stick with the first moment when looking to idolize Sephiroth with his own Bracket 1 deck. And to pay homage to that glorious moment, we’ll play it out again, and again, and again, in a deck I’ve lovingly titled<em> Oops, All Sephiroths.</em></span></p>
<h2>What Does Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir do?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, has two main abilities. The first pays wonderful tribute to that moment of terminal velocity swordplay. When he enters, creatures your opponents control get -2/-2 until end of turn. Eat that, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Mob Boss" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Sephiroth is a one-man board wipe for tokens and mana dorks. When he enters he really resets the playing field.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His second ability is what really sends him to the moon. Whenever a creature an opponent controls dies, he gets a +1/+1 counter. And given that he already has vigilance, this makes him a pretty tough customer to deal with. Especially if he has a deck to back him up that's loaded with removal. A deck very much like <em>Oops, All Sephiroths</em>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But not just any removal. The one thing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> loses thematically, especially as a commander, is the suddenness of that moment. Everybody sees him up there, waiting to descend and wreak mass destruction. Where’s the surprise? The drama? This deck seeks to rectify this injustice.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">How do we do this? By making as many Sephiroths as we can. Not copies of Sephiroth, mind you. But creatures that come in suddenly and remove opposing creatures. But do they come in on our turn? Absolutely not! We're going to do our damage in cutscenes. Well, the closest thing <em>Magic</em> has to cutscenes: our opponents' turns. To that end, we’re giving everything flash.</span></p>
<h2>Key Cards for Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir</h2>
<h3>Flash: The 500-Foot Divebomb of <em>Magic: the Gathering</em></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vedalken Orrery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quicksilver Amulet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Leyline of Anticipation"></div></div></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These three beauties are going to help us bring out our creatures anytime. This is necessary to create removal at the height of drama, as is the Sephiroth way. There are only a few such cards in the deck, but your first mulligan is free, so don’t be afraid to search for them - especially that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leyline of Anticipation" href="#" target="_blank">Leyline of Anticipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. And don’t be afraid to mulligan down to six, five, even four for them, as reckless, insane risk taking in the pursuit of power is very much the Sephiroth way!</span></p>
<p>You'll also find a couple of other helpers in this regard, notably <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="High Fae Trickster" href="#" target="_blank">High Fae Trickster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for as long as you can keep them on the board. I've also included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emergence Zone" href="#" target="_blank">Emergence Zone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Borne Upon a Wind" href="#" target="_blank">Borne Upon a Wind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for some single-turn Sephirothing if you don't have access to these other tools. If you happen to have a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winding Canyons" href="#" target="_blank">Winding Canyons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> sitting around in your collection, this is certainly a use for it. But when I'm designing for Bracket 1, I use cards worth over $5 very sparingly, and never over $10, so the canyons didn't make the cut.</p>
<h3>It's Just Sephiroths, All The Way Down</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Big Game Hunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Black Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Meteor Golem"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Behold: These are our Sephiroths. Bring them in with drama. With panache. These will come in to immediately remove opposing creatures, threats or no, all in service of powering up Sephiroth himself. For additional fun, I’d encourage you to use “Sephiroth” as a verb when playing these. For example, “I’m going to play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Big Game Hunter" href="#" target="_blank">Big Game Hunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to Sephiroth your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brion Stoutarm" href="#" target="_blank">Brion Stoutarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.” And for extra credit, have a button on your phone to play the “Sephiroth” sting from One Winged Angel whenever you do. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking of which, based on some research, it seems that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meteor Golem" href="#" target="_blank">Meteor Golem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fairly solid thematic and mechanical inclusion to this deck. Let me know in the comments if there are other thematic inclusions you'd make. As this is a Bracket 1 deck, thematic inclusions are just as important, if not more so, than actual mechanical cohesion.</span></p>
<h3>You Haven't Even Seen My Final Form</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flatline"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Massacre Girl"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These two are nasty combo pieces with Sephiroth. If you can play a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flatline" href="#" target="_blank">Flatline</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> before bringing in Sephiroth, he’ll get almost everything in one go (except for that troublesome <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ms. Bumbleflower" href="#" target="_blank">Ms. Bumbleflower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with 80 +1/+1 counters, Sephiroth’s eternal nemesis). This means that if you have your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swiftfoot Boots" href="#" target="_blank">Swiftfoot Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the board, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> may be able to Sephiroth a whole player out of the game, which just feels correct.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Massacre Girl" href="#" target="_blank">Massacre Girl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is also a fun combo, as she’ll progressively blow things up around the board, but Sephiroth’s +1/+1 counter for each death should help him outpace the coming storm. This is another one where I'd have to rely on MTG Arena triggers to keep me in line, but please get in the comments and let me know if I'm wrong.</span></p>
<h2>How Does Oops, All Sephiroths Win?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Well, as with all Bracket 1 gameplay, you win by having the silliest, most fun time at the table. But in terms of winning by the actual rules of <em>Magic</em>, you do have some options.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Your first option is, of course, winning by commander damage. It’s relatively easy to get <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> up to the point where he’ll be swinging for 21. And in a deck with so much removal, it'll be hard for many opponents to keep up enough blockers to stop you.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But you can also make use of the cards above, as well as board wipes like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="In Garruk’s Wake" href="#" target="_blank">In Garruk’s Wake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toxic Deluge" href="#" target="_blank">Toxic Deluge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to ensure that he’s both strong enough to swing for lethal and unhindered by pesky blockers.</span></p>
<h2>Oops, All Sephiroths Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Oops, All Sephiroths" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Audacious Thief
*1 Big Game Hunter
*1 Black Dragon
*1 Blood Artist
*1 Callidus Assassin
*1 Cavalier of Night
*1 Dread Cacodemon
*1 Dread Presence
*1 Farbog Boneflinger
*1 Harvester of Souls
*1 High Fae Trickster
*1 High-Society Hunter
*1 Kagemaro, First to Suffer
*1 Keening Banshee
*1 Malakir Cullblade
*1 Massacre Girl
*1 Massacre Girl, Known Killer
*1 Massacre Wurm
*1 Meteor Golem
*1 Morbid Opportunist
*1 Mulldrifter
*1 Nekrataal
*1 Nightshade Assassin
*1 Noxious Gearhulk
*1 Overseer of the Damned
*1 Ravenous Chupacabra
*1 Shriekmaw
*1 Silumgar Assassin
*1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
*1 Tidal Barracuda
*1 Vincent Valentine // Galian Beast
*1 Zenos yae Galvus // Shinryu, Transcendent Rival
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Dimir Locket
*1 Dimir Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Quicksilver Amulet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Vedalken Orrery
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Leyline of Anticipation
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Ambition&#039;s Cost
*1 Foreboding Fruit
*1 In Garruk&#039;s Wake
*1 Ponder
*1 Risky Shortcut
*1 Toxic Deluge
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Borne Upon a Wind
*1 Consider
*1 Flatline
*1 Go for the Throat
*1 Locust Spray
*1 Murder
*1 Mystic Confluence
*1 Quick Study
*1 Sephiroth&#039;s Intervention
*1 Tragic Slip
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Choked Estuary
*1 Command Tower
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*1 Emergence Zone
*10 Island
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Shipwreck Marsh
*1 Sunken Hollow
*17 Swamp
*1 Tainted Isle
*1 Temple of Deceit
*1 Temple of the False God
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Some Final Thoughts For Sephiroth, Planet's Heir</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Look, this is a bad guy deck. It has a lot of removal, and that can make for an unfun time for others at the table. My advice: delight in it. Make yourself the villain. Call that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muldrotha, the Gravetide" href="#" target="_blank">Muldrotha, the Gravetide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> an “Inferior Dullard.” Decide that things with swords are primary targets. Break out a villainous laugh if you must. If this causes everyone else to turn against you and overcome you in the end, excellent; you played your role well. The joy of this deck isn’t in the outcome, it’s in the experience.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Also, feel free to make this deck your own! Use whatever you have on hand. Put in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Butch DeLoria, Tunnel Snake" href="#" target="_blank">Butch DeLoria, Tunnel Snake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if you want to. See if your friends will let you run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Nipton Lottery" href="#" target="_blank">The Nipton Lottery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> outside of color (a must-include in every Bracket 1 deck in my book), just to see if you can use it pre-combat, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIQ8laL0yQk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oliver Swanick</a> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and swing for lethal in the funniest way possible. Just get out there and have fun with it. It’s what Sephiroth would want*.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">*Disclaimer: I can’t stress this enough, I really don’t know Sephiroth very well. </span></p>


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