MalboroMalboro | Art by Dan Watson

It's time to go through Final Fantasy (FIN) and Final Fantasy Commander (FIC) to find top notch cards that love the graveyard. I'm talking aristocrats cards, reanimator cards, and generally any cards that a graveyard lover would tinker with. I've picked some of my favorites and I hope I put you onto something fun for your decks.

If you know me at all, you know I love a graveyard full of creatures looking for a second, third, or fourth chance at battle. I love death in Magic.

To make things easier, I'll be splitting things up into a few categories: Aristocrats, Reanimator, and fillers and value.

Aristocrats Cards In Final Fantasy

Unlike the Reanimator category, Aristocrats might be a term that needs some explanation. Aristocrats is an archetype wherein a player sacrifices their permanents, usually creatures, and take their opponents down with a real "death by a thousand cuts" approach. Staples of an Aristocrats deck include Zulaport CutthroatZulaport Cutthroat, Teysa KarlovTeysa Karlov, and my personal favorite, Phyrexian AltarPhyrexian Altar.

I'm a big Aristocrats player. I've got plenty of decks that rely on sacrificing creatures, like Rakdos, the MuscleRakdos, the Muscle, Lyzolda, the Blood WitchLyzolda, the Blood Witch, and Teysa, Opulent OligarchTeysa, Opulent Oligarch. While there's lot of room to overlap between Aristocrats and Reanimator, this section will focus on death effects and interesting token generation.

Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER

Let's lead with this one, because we simply MUST! It's a banger out the gate and definitely a character many, many, many, many Final Fantasy fans were expecting to be a broken card. As one of the biggest bads in the series, Sephiroth is featured on several cards in the set. He's one character I knew of before the set was previewed, and this is coming from someone who actively avoided Final Fantasy for many years!

This is the new best Blood ArtistBlood Artist effect ever, hands down. Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIERSephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER is a new staple that is everything you want. Al Bhed SalvagersAl Bhed Salvagers being printed in the same set almost feels silly. Sacrifice creatures for cards and drain your opponents, and if you've got ways to bring him back and flip him several times, you've got emblems that stack. Absolutely bananas.

There are tons of great videos and articles out there espousing the wonders of Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIERSephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER. I'm not about to say anything that hasn't already been said. This card is highly anticipated and for good reason. I need 30. You can check out some EDHREC deck techs here and here to see the power of Sephiroth in the command zone.

Jenova, Ancient Calamity

Jenova, Ancient CalamityJenova, Ancient Calamity is one of the coolest legends from the set. This and Cleopatra, Exiled PharaohCleopatra, Exiled Pharaoh have a lot going for them in a way that makes me feel like I need to build this. In the 99, it almost feels like Jenova will always have a permanent home in The Master, TranscendentThe Master, Transcendent and Indominus Rex, AlphaIndominus Rex, Alpha decks, and should definitely see a rising inclusion rate in Betor, Ancestor's VoiceBetor, Ancestor's Voice. As a commander, Jenova gets out of hand pretty quickly.

With cards like Ozolith, the Shattered SpireOzolith, the Shattered Spire and Maester SeymourMaester Seymour, it's easy to feel the power when Jenova's combat trigger goes off and you send the +1/+1 mule to the slaughter. Greater GoodGreater Good is already so bonkers, but what if you sacrifice a Mutant to it - that's double the draw; who cares if you need to ditch three cards! Maybe that's good for you, the player packing a Metamorphosis FanaticMetamorphosis Fanatic for good measure. Is this a Maskwood NexusMaskwood Nexus deck? Oh, yeah. It can be. You'll be Icarus with all the card draw, but what a rush!

Zodiark, Umbral God

Aristocrats but also Voltron? Enter: Zodiark.

Zodiark, Umbral GodZodiark, Umbral God calls out non-God creatures, which means if you've got Maskwood NexusMaskwood Nexus you can dodge the creature sacrifice of it all. But remember, you want to sacrifice things. Zodiark is an interesting and cool card, especially for those who love devotion to black. The art on it is also pretty freaking sick.

Is it particularly powerful? No. But it's cool and worth a second look. This is a card I'll be keeping an eye on.

Al Bhed Salvagers

Al Bhed SalvagersAl Bhed Salvagers doesn't hold a candle to the original Blood ArtistBlood Artist, but some creature types matter, and having a three-mana version might be a consideration for Keruga, the MacrosageKeruga, the Macrosage-companioned decks running the 'crats.

Another notable part of this, beyond the templating for artifacts going to the graveyard, is the fact that it triggers off of artifacts dying. It's a single target Marionette ApprenticeMarionette Apprentice, which I'd recommend for any players with Aristocrat decks with a penchant for trinkets like Treasures and Clues.

Gaius van Baelsar

Gaius van BaelsarGaius van Baelsar is a Sheoldred's EdictSheoldred's Edict-meets-Fleshbag MarauderFleshbag Marauder effect available in the command zone for the lock-down sacrifice decks that want big death numbers - creature control decks with an emergency button at the helm. The flexibility to pick the enchantment edict is sneaky strong. You could play enchantment-light and pick off a Rhystic StudyRhystic Study while another opponent might have to sack a utility enchantment while costing you nothing if you sequence things right.

Choosing between nontoken and token creatures offers you more than a Merciless ExecutionerMerciless Executioner ever could while only costing an extra black pip.

Judge Magister Gabranth

All your sacrifices pump this guy, and then you've got a juicy Disciple of BolasDisciple of Bolas target. At the head of a deck, it reminds me of Bartolomé del PresidioBartolomé del Presidio, but it comes with some minor evasion and triggers off of creatures dying to your other sacrifice outlets. The Judge and Señor del Presido could swap places in each other's decks. They cost the same so it won't ruin your Lurrus of the Dream-DenLurrus of the Dream-Den companion condition either. I would say that trading off the sacrifice outlet means you'll need to pack more sacrifice outlets in a Judge Magister GabranthJudge Magister Gabranth deck than in a Bartolomé del PresidioBartolomé del Presidio deck, but the upside is that Judge gets to be a payoff without deciding whether to sacrifice a token to Phyrexian AltarPhyrexian Altar or to buff your creature - now you get both. Even in the 99, Greater GoodGreater Good loves to see JMG coming.

Knowing my love of Rakdos and Orzhov decks, a Mardu shell with Stalking VengeanceStalking Vengeance and Rite of ConsumptionRite of Consumption can turn a thick Judge into a salute to the opponents as they're put in the ground.

Quina, Qu Gourmet

Quina, Qu GourmetQuina, Qu Gourmet makes more fodder, like Chatterfang, Squirrel GeneralChatterfang, Squirrel General but without the extra color. While Aristocrat decks are usually in black, for those that aren't, this card is pretty sweet to keep making more sacrifice fodder. Not to mention, this makes Frogs so Grolnok, the OmnivoreGrolnok, the Omnivore decks can get the self-mill plan going a little quicker.

Reanimator Cards In Final Fantasy

This section is way more self-explanatory, but I'll break it down. There are three important pieces in Reanimator decks: great reanimation targets, enablers that fill your graveyard, and, of course, actual reanimation cards. I'll also be counting cards that allow you to cast cards from your graveyard.

Aerith, Last Ancient

It's incredibly easy to gain life in Selesnya () colors. This is a slam dunk for the 99 of a Betor, Ancestor's VoiceBetor, Ancestor's Voice deck, but also for those players who think Betor has one too many colors. No matter what, if you've gained life, you'll get a Raise DeadRaise Dead at your end step, but that upgrades to a Breath of LifeBreath of Life if you've gained seven life.

A sacrifice-focused Reanimator deck can play Angelic ChorusAngelic Chorus and Proper BurialProper Burial to gain life on creatures coming and going. Heck, if you can be sure your cards can't be targeted (with something like Archetype of EnduranceArchetype of Endurance, perhaps), you can use Zuran OrbZuran Orb and a sacrifice outlet to sacrifice your lands and Lumra, Bellow of the WoodsLumra, Bellow of the Woods only to bring the big Bear back to play with it's built-in Splendid ReclamationSplendid Reclamation.

Don't sleep on that mill trigger, either. Copy Aerith's end step trigger with Strionic ResonatorStrionic Resonator and make sure the board knows you're not to be messed with. What a card!

Ardyn, the Usurper

Ardyn, the UsurperArdyn, the Usurper is the card I kept thinking about when it came to writing this article. A reanimation target that reanimates for you. Mill decks that can weaponize all graveyards at the table get big-eyed for Ardyn. You can even turn a Birds of ParadiseBirds of Paradise into a 5/5 menacing, lifelinking, hasty Demon.

Ardyn's most obvious home is in the 99 of Be'lakor, the Dark MasterBe'lakor, the Dark Master decks, but I think we can do better. I can't get over the idea that I'll mill Ardyn in my The Master, TranscendentThe Master, Transcendent deck and put it in play before combat only to exile an opponent's Balefire DragonBalefire Dragon and hit to gain life equal to five times the amount of creatures they control plus five. There are many creatures to cheat into play with this ability that get a great buff from Ardyn.

This is definitely a creature to save your Strionic ResonatorStrionic Resonator for. Roaming ThroneRoaming Throne can name Elder, Human, or Noble, and you'll get two triggers off of him. I find myself very interested in Ardyn, despite its massive casting cost; even K'rrik, Son of YawgmothK'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth only brings the cost down to five mana value. I don't care. This is going to be tested in at least four of my decks, and I feel confident that it will stick in at least two of them.

Cloud of Darkness

This really rewards you for a permanent-heavy graveyard and likely kills any creature you can point it at, even Avacyn, Angel of HopeAvacyn, Angel of Hope. Self-mill decks like Muldrotha, the GravetideMuldrotha, the Gravetide are going to have a new Ravenous ChupacabraRavenous Chupacabra that gets around indestructibility. Plus, its legendary supertype makes it a shoo-in for Kethis, the Hidden HandKethis, the Hidden Hand decks.

Coin of Fate

This is not an amazing card, but it's definitely a fun moment at the table. Giving an opponent a choice between two potentially game-altering creatures from your yard while also giving you the monarch at instant speed is really cool. An oddly technical card with some added game flair.

Kefka, Dancing Mad

This is a reanimator's dream. Toss Kefka, Dancing MadKefka, Dancing Mad to the graveyard and get Animate DeadAnimate Dead on him, STAT! I wish this triggered at your upkeep, because this is exactly the type of big effect my The Ninth DoctorThe Ninth Doctor upkeeps deck would live for, but I guess we have to "settle" for getting a payoff on the same turn instead.

You rarely hear about mill in Rakdos, and now is my time to shine. Kefka reminds me of The Ruinous PowersThe Ruinous Powers, but taken up a step. I love the idea of exiling a Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act from a player's graveyard, board wiping, dealing nine damage to the card's owner, and keeping Kefka thanks to his indestructibility. That then fills the graveyard for next turn and you get to trust in the chaos gods to provide you with another good one...or three.

Malboro

Heck of a reanimation target. MalboroMalboro dumps itself to make sure you hit your land drop, then hits the battlefield stripping cards from your opponent's hands and libraries while also cutting them for two life. This isn't a bad Sister HospitallerSister Hospitaller target, worthy enough of a Conjurer's ClosetConjurer's Closet trigger.

I'm pretty high on this card, and I'm sure there are enough folks out there shaking their head at reading this. PanharmoniconPanharmonicon effects obviously make it better. Captain N'ghathrodCaptain N'ghathrod decks have a way better Horror to include than Plague SpitterPlague Spitter. Then there's the utility in Tortured ExistenceTortured Existence looping this for ramp. It'll cost you three mana and discarding a creature card, but if this is a Reanimator deck, that's not bad if you don't have access to green. I'm stretching a little bit here for a common, but I want to try it out. I think it'll be innocuous enough for my opponents to not see it coming, but by the time they realize, it'll be too late.

Noctis, Prince of Lucis

cEDH alert! Noctis, Prince of LucisNoctis, Prince of Lucis is combo central with SolemnitySolemnity. Add Lotus PetalLotus Petal and Aetherflux ReservoirAetherflux Reservoir to the mix and that's infinite casts and killing the table. I love that SolemnitySolemnity was originally printed in a set where its role was supposed to be to stave off the -1/-1 counter and brick counter (remember those?) strategies - but here we are and it's a combo enabler that's always up to no good.

Sin, Spira's Punishment

A reanimation target that gives you a reanimation effect upon entering and on attack? Hot damn. A massive flying creature slamming and bringing back a random permanent and sometimes going on a run of returning lands to play. Another candidate for my The Master, TranscendentThe Master, Transcendent deck and wild top end in Yarok, the DesecratedYarok, the Desecrated decks. At this mana cost, Sin, Spira's PunishmentSin, Spira's Punishment has the grandeur fit for the command zone, but I'll advise you to instead put this in the 99 of a deck that'll be stoked to target it with a NecromancyNecromancy.

Terra, Herald of Hope

As good as Terra, Herald of HopeTerra, Herald of Hope is, it's literally engineered to be a great Mardu reanimator commander. It's supposed to be that cool.

I like the combat trigger to mill two and the built-in evasion for the combat damage trigger. There are great cards that have three or less power. The ones that come to mind are Karmic GuideKarmic Guide and Sister HospitallerSister Hospitaller, because those get my Kokusho, the Evening StarKokusho, the Evening Star from the yard. Sure, I can grab some value, like Esper SentinelEsper Sentinel, Professional Face-BreakerProfessional Face-Breaker, or Grim HirelingGrim Hireling, but I'll be damned if I don't grab Gray Merchant of AsphodelGray Merchant of Asphodel or AnathemancerAnathemancer.

You could go the edict route and get Accursed MarauderAccursed Marauder and Fleshbag MarauderFleshbag Marauder, but then you'll be the annoying guy at the table. If you really want to be that person, give Terra double strike, get Ashnod's AltarAshnod's Altar out, and keep bringing back that Avalanche RidersAvalanche Riders.

Terra has the potential to be a really strong toolbox Reanimator commander, and I have a feeling we'll see a bunch of these out there thanks to the precon Terra leads. In the 99, at three colors and a restrictive reanimation pool, it'll need to really fit the brief to be included. Terra is a star who deserves the helm of a deck.

Graveyard Fillers and Value

Celes, Rune Knight

Sculpting your hand so you can bin what you want is key for a reanimation strategy. At worst, this is a 4/4 that enters and draws you a card. That's right - if you don't want to discard anything or if you don't have anything to discard, Celes, Rune KnightCeles, Rune Knight will still nab you a top-deck to mess with.

This Mardu menace is already turning cEDH heads with the infinite combo of Murderous RedcapMurderous Redcap, Celes, and a sacrifice outlet. With that reputation already, I'll be keeping Celes out of my command zone, but I feel like someday I'll revisit this as a Reanimator deck that blinks Celes to keep spinning that wheel.

Clive, Ifrit's Dominant

Clive, Ifrit's DominantClive, Ifrit's Dominantis a great graveyard filler on a solid pick for reanimation target. After the backside's final chapter resolves, if you've got a haste enabler, you can flip that sucker right back over to the Saga side for two mana, but first you'll be discarding your hand again, filling your yard, and drawing at least two cards.

The backside isn't as exciting, but being able to put a delay on getting another devotion wheel from the front side when the backside flips over is really the reason I would want to flip Clive at all. Sure, the backside is a 9/9, but think that mainly matters for the fight he gets into. What?! I'm an Aristocrats player first and foremost! I sit back and when creatures die, so do my opponents. I don't send 9/9s into the red zone often.

But I might have to start with Clive.

Emet-Selch of the Third Seat

Muldrotha, the GravetideMuldrotha, the Gravetide has a new Lieutenant in Emet-Selch of the Third SeatEmet-Selch of the Third Seat. Kess, Dissident MageKess, Dissident Mage decks and Grixis decks that run Chainer, Nightmare AdeptChainer, Nightmare Adept, you've all got a less expensive Gravebreaker LamiaGravebreaker Lamia. The second ability also wants you to play instants and sorceries so you can flash them back. I'll be sliding this into into my Rassilon, the War PresidentRassilon, the War President deck without a second thought.

Emet-Selch has two designs that are very cool and interesting for graveyard players. This one feels strong enough that either ability is a good reason to include in your deck if that's on plan. But sometimes both abilities will fit the strategy and it won't just be gravy, it'll be the whole dang meal. I'm looking forward to seeing what people cook up with the brooding Emet-Selch of the Third SeatEmet-Selch of the Third Seat. I might just have to take a crack at him myself.

Emet-Selch, Unsundered

This is a powerful legend that will raise alarm bells in the command zone. In the 99, its role might not be more than being a looter - one that occasionally gets you to Yawgmoth's WillYawgmoth's Will - but more often than not, I suspect this will be a lightning rod for removal. People will be scared of it.

But for me, this is perfect in Lazav, Wearer of FacesLazav, Wearer of Faces. Any Reanimator deck with these colors should be considering this. That said, it should be noted that if you build your deck around death triggers and you flip Emet to his Hades side, you'll need to have a sacrifice outlet ready to throw Hades under the bus so Yawgmoth's WillYawgmoth's Will on legs doesn't get in the way of your strategy. Much like Yawg's Will, it's basically like giving your board finality counters, which I hiss at like an angry cat.

This card rewards meticulous controlling play on the backside. The front side is a decent looter that threatens to do way more later on, and if you can embrace the stares from the table correctly assessing you to be the threat or bad guy or, dare I say, the Bolas, I'd say get this power in the command zone.

Joshua, Phoenix's Dominant

Boros Reanimator is on the table! Joshua, Phoenix's DominantJoshua, Phoenix's Dominant enters with a Faithless LootingFaithless Looting, and then when you flip and hit the third chapter, you've got cumulative six mana worth of creatures from your graveyard, then another Faithless LootingFaithless Looting from Joshua flipping back. There's some proliferation happening in white that can make this happen pretty quickly; I'm looking at you, Metastatic EvangelMetastatic Evangel!

I like Joshua as an enabler and then a reanimation slow burn. What I mean by that is I don't see Phoenix's reanimation as Plan A. What I like about the backside is that you're also gaining all that life, so you've got a built-in cushion to stave off a little offense until the third chapter goes off. Grab a Sun TitanSun Titan for some extra value. With such a delay and large mana investment, I wish this said "permanents" instead of "creature cards," but I still like it!

The Warring Triad

I love a MillikinMillikin that fixes your mana while also being a late game beater. Plus as a legend, The Warring TriadThe Warring Triad has a spot in any Kethis, the Hidden HandKethis, the Hidden Hand list. This one will either be a sneaky overperformer or it'll be a bit of a bummer. I'm erring on the side of overperformer because your boy's an optimist.

That's All, Folks!

That does it for me! I hope you enjoyed my takes on the best graveyard cards from Final Fantasy. Are there any I missed that you're shocked to see aren't included? Let me know below.