Sidequest: Catch a FishSidequest: Catch a Fish | Art by Gal Or

Final Fantasy has arrived in Magic: the Gathering. Of all the Universes Beyond sets to date it has somehow landed with the biggest bang, exceeding even the excitement around Lord of the Rings.

My direct experience with the Final Fantasy franchise is limited to XIII and XIV, but one of the most enjoyable parts of this crossover to me has been learning about the stories and characters from the other games. Universes Beyond may not be for everyone, but the depth of design and flavor in this set is undeniable, and keeping this list down to 10(ish) was not easy.

As always, I approach this list with the aim of selecting cards that make for interesting and memorable games – where you leave your evening with the warm feeling of having had good and interactive games where things happened.

These cards aren't necessarily going to help you win games, and they aren't selected to introduce chaos or randomness, but I hope that they will help to inject some interest and interactivity, keeping players engaged with games and perhaps generating new and interesting situations.

Whether or not a card is interesting is subjective, so this is an inescapably biased list, but I hope that it will make for an interesting read, perhaps make you think about a card that has passed you by in the maelstrom of new sets and products, and maybe generate a discussion or two.

Honorable Mention – Stolen UniformStolen Uniform

As a very niche effect, Stolen UniformStolen Uniform didn’t quite make the full list, but I like the flavor and effect enough that I wanted to mention it in passing.

The video game mechanic of putting on a uniform to infiltrate someplace that you’re not meant to be is perfectly captured by this card, picking up somebody else’s Equipment for the turn and dressing your creature up in it.

The only thing missing from the flavor would be making the creature unblockable, but that would probably be pushing it for a single mana.

#10 – Ninja's BladesNinja's Blades

Most effects that have opponents lose life equal to a card’s mana cost are largely random; See Caustic BroncoCaustic Bronco (side note, I just discovered the Scryfall otag “wannabe-dark-confidant” and it has made me very happy), Baneful OmenBaneful Omen, or Yuriko, the Tiger's ShadowYuriko, the Tiger's Shadow.

Ninja's BladesNinja's Blades, on the other hand, gives you complete control of the damage that you’re doing – simply discard the biggest thing in your hand. Gone are the days of revealing a land off the top and dealing zero to a smug opponent. This effect being on an Equipment gives it an extra level of resilience, so I anticipate being very happy when this is on my board, and wary if it on somebody else’s.

#9 – Ambrosia WhiteheartAmbrosia Whiteheart

Ambrosia WhiteheartAmbrosia Whiteheart is one of those cards that makes this list because it has flash. Being able to use it to dodge removal, save a creature from surprise lethal, or reuse an enters effect gives you excellent flexibility and reactivity.

However, as many have noted, its super special extra flexibility lies in the fact that it lets you pick up any permanent. You can restart a Saga, bring a land back to hand for additional landfall, or pick up an Oblivion RingOblivion Ring effect to return a surprise blocker to an opponent’s board.

However you use it, for only , Ambrosia WhiteheartAmbrosia Whiteheart presents a snappy and surprising tool for the toolbox, and it will give your decks a nice bit of extra interactivity.

#8 – The Crystals

There are two full cycles in the list this time around. The Crystals are symptomatic of modern Magic’s textbox-creep, but there’s no denying that they do a lot of interesting things.

Firstly, all five of them reduce the cost of all spells of their respective color, and anyone who has played with the Medallions (e.g., Sapphire MedallionSapphire Medallion), or even a Goblin ElectromancerGoblin Electromancer knows the power of a static cost reduction. These effects are no simple mana rock: They can allow you to chain together spell after spell in a single turn or hold up interaction outside of your turn in addition to taking actions within it.

However, in addition to reducing costs, all of the Crystals have an additional static ability and an activated ability. For the most part they're a collection of each color’s greatest hits, with The Fire CrystalThe Fire Crystal granting haste (plus a thing to give haste to) and The Earth CrystalThe Earth Crystal granting counters (and more counters).

In all cases, these abilities aren't limited to sorcery speed, so all can be used reactively to generate a surprise blocker, surprise toughness, or surprise mill.

These cards aren't necessarily the most interesting designs, but they are powerful game pieces that give you a lot of resources along with strong effects that will change the direction of games if used tactically.

#7 – The Sidequests

Time for cycle number two, for completely different reasons. I've chosen to highlight the Sidequest cycle because it's one of the finest examples of the strength of Final Fantasy set design.

Sidequests are an integral part of more or less every modern video game, offering minor distractions from the main storyline with the promise of extra rewards and the opportunity to put off actually finishing the game. This is exactly what these cards do, giving you a little minigame within your regularly scheduled game with the goal of flipping it over for your reward.

Importantly, these cards manage to capture the essence of several core sidequest “types”: the game-within-a-game (Sidequest: Play BlitzballSidequest: Play Blitzball), the fishing minigame (Sidequest: Catch a FishSidequest: Catch a Fish), the monster hunt (Sidequest: Hunt the MarkSidequest: Hunt the Mark), the “have a pet” (Sidequest: Raise a ChocoboSidequest: Raise a Chocobo), and the inevitable card collection (Sidequest: Card CollectionSidequest: Card Collection).

The only thing that’s missing is Sidequest: Escort an NPC With a Deathwish Further Than Feels Reasonable At a Slower Pace Than You’d Like.

To further celebrate these card designs, the minigames that they ask you to complete are all things that you would probably be doing anyway, but can lean further into with the aim of completing it sooner.

I honestly think these cards are brilliant, and I will be happily throwing games going forwards to track down and complete my fishing sidequest.

#6 – Triple TriadTriple Triad

A steal-your-cards effect is always a fun kind of interaction. Entire decks are built on the premise, and games can change direction entirely when somebody ends up with a card that they weren’t supposed to have but that inexplicably works well with their own setup. Also you can’t be mad because you chose to have that in your deck in the first place.

Triple TriadTriple Triad offers a theft effect with an engaging additional layer of gambling. If your top card is sufficiently large, you’re looking at playing up to four things for free. That's more or less unheard of as a repeatable static effect, Etali notwithstanding.

However, if you make the mistake of having something small (or a land) as your top card, all you can do is look sadly at the glory that could have been yours if you had believed in the heart of your cards better.

#5 – The RegaliaThe Regalia

Time for flavor again, although I also think that The RegaliaThe Regalia is a really solid ramp card for a lot of decks. It’s colorless, repeatable, and on a sizeable enough body that you'll likely have a safe attack more often than not.

However, I’m not here to talk about good cards, I’m here to talk about interesting and interactive cards. In this case, there's something so incredibly flavorful about your commander hopping into (crewing) The RegaliaThe Regalia and driving over the hills (into your library) to realms not yet discovered (a land).

Despite Aetherdrift being a real set that happened, not everyone wants a car in their commander deck. But if the flavor of driving to new lands brings you as much joy as it does me, I hope that you have fun with this wonderful new card.

#4 – Prishe's WanderingsPrishe's Wanderings

Instant-speed ramp isn’t unheard of by any means. HarrowHarrow, Entish RestorationEntish Restoration, and DeathsproutDeathsprout come to mind. However, instant-speed ramp that's also a combat trick is not such a common sight.

Prishe's WanderingsPrishe's Wanderings is a below-rate ramp spell – you’ll usually be wanting to be up a land for two mana (Rampant GrowthRampant Growth) or up a land and a card for three (CultivateCultivate), but the modest buff that it can provide a creature at instant speed may be enough to turn a combat in your favor.

Winning a combat in the early game that you weren’t otherwise expecting to can dramatically change the game’s momentum. This single +1/+1 counter has the added benefit of making this card less of a dead draw in the late game than the likes of Rampant GrowthRampant Growth or CultivateCultivate; at a point in time where another land means little, a sneaky combat trick could make all the difference.

#3 – Memories ReturningMemories Returning

I make no secret that I enjoy Fact or FictionFact or Fiction effects. They engage other players at the table, bringing everyone’s focus into the game, and Memories ReturningMemories Returning is no different.

This time, however, rather than simply picking from two piles, you'll draw the first, third, and fifth best card from your top five cards. Your opponent(s) have the opportunity to deny you the second best card, but are not armed with the knowledge of your hand and game plan that you have, so will have to discuss and guess amongst themselves.

It also has flashback, which would presumably be a memory of that time that your memories returned.

#2 – Kain, Traitorous DragoonKain, Traitorous Dragoon

The Final Fantasy prerelease that I attended was the most fun I’ve had at a prerelease in years, and Kain, Traitorous DragoonKain, Traitorous Dragoon was most of the reason why. Never mind the fact that I came 27th out of 28 people, I had a glorious time sending Kain backwards and forwards across the battlefield (except in the one round that my opponent kept him - boo to that guy).

Even in commander, drawing two cards and getting two Treasures is a genuinely significant bump to your resources, so people will be keen to take their Kain damage for the opportunity to attack with him themselves. This card will therefore be political, as well as keeping the game moving with combat damage and card draw. It’s not exactly group hug and it’s not exactly group slug; it’s a strange blend of the two.

I spent a while after prerelease considering how I could make Kain, Traitorous DragoonKain, Traitorous Dragoon work in the command zone, but after a lengthy discussion with our local commander removal specialist we concluded that as soon as he gets above his starting power Kain becomes a genuine threat and would need to be dealt with. I therefore suspect that this will be more successful as a 99 card to be played only sometimes, but I promise that those times will be a lot of fun.

#1 – Ancient AdamantoiseAncient Adamantoise

One of the more iconic types of video game bosses are those with truly titanic health pools that require a lengthy and coordinated effort by a team of players to bring down. Magic has had previous attempts at this – e.g., Grothama, All-DevouringGrothama, All-Devouring – and while they've felt large and rewarding in the defeating, Ancient AdamantoiseAncient Adamantoise sets the bar to a new high.

With an unprecedentedly high toughness (defeating the previous champion by three), it presents a massive body on the board, and perfectly captures two key characteristics of the video game boss in its mechanics. The slow grind down the health bar is represented by damage not being removed from it at the end of each turn, and when it's finally defeated, the reward – Treasure tokens – is significant.

Final Fantasy brings the feel and magic of the video games to our kitchen tables in many ways, and Ancient AdamantoiseAncient Adamantoise is a standout example of the brilliance of the set design. It's also notably not legendary, so I'm going to be making so many copies of it.

Soon we will be going to space! This year is a wild ride. Whether or not Universes Beyond is your cup of tea, I hope that you can find something to enjoy in this set and its design, and perhaps some interesting cards for your Commander decks. Thanks for reading!

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