Locations
Welcome back!
If you're just joining us for the Final Fantasy action, be sure to check out the previous articles going over the White and Blue cards. I recount my history with the game franchise and how it created some of my fondest gaming memories.
Final Fantasy previews are pouring out, and the set looks great so far. It's really hitting a lot of nostalgia for me, and I'm sure for everyone else as well. I was a bit critical at first, because I thought cramming all 16 games into one set would be a bit chaotic. I still think it feels a bit chaotic because of this, but the set's designs have been great nonetheless.
In this and the next few articles, I'll be discussing some of my favorite cards that have appeared so far, and in each article I'll mention the latest date of previews I've seen, in case you wonder why I didn't include a specific card. For this one we'll be looking at cards up to 5/2.
Let's begin!
Ardyn, the Usurper
Just like some of the Blue cards we covered, I do think Ardyn is a bit pricey. That being said, it's still a super cool design that might find a home in my Horror Cube that has a Demon archetype, complete with things like Liliana's Contract.
Cube applications aside, if you're able to make it to even one combat step, this is nine power over two bodies, one of which has menace, lifelink, and haste. And this only gets much, much worse (for the opponent, that is) as time goes on. I think the saving grace on Ardyn here that just might help it see some play is that you can get his ability to trigger the turn he enters the battlefield.
Jecht, Reluctant Guardian
A 4/3 for four with menace is pretty average, but thankfully, the backside of Jecht is the side that really pops. Once you connect with Jecht he upgrades to a 7/7 with menace. Over the course of two turns he makes your opponent discard two cards, while you draw two cards, before making each opponent sacrifice two of their creatures. This is a lot of action here.
The only problem I have is that after the third chapter, Jecht, or rather Braska's Final Aeon, is dying. Unlike a card like Jill, Shiva''s Dominant that transforms back after the final chapter, Braska'a Final Aeon just gets sacrificed. Because of this, a lot of the Summon and Saga creatures that just die after their final chapter really feel like creatures with fading counters on them. Just modern day Blastoderms.
Summon: Primal Odin
My biggest concern for the Summons is that they are all quite expensive, Primal Odin included, and being not only creatures, but enchantments as well, makes them seem extremely easy to get rid of. Any Disenchant or Go for the Throat and your entire investment is gone, save for the first chapter that you get when it enters the battlefield.
That being said, Summon: Primal Odin is pretty good and his abilities are very sweet, especially the second chapter that lets you WIN THE GAME if you deal combat damage with it. That's such a cool effect and absolutely fantastic flavor. You will have to find a way to both protect Primal Odin, as well as get some damage through with it, but I bet it can be done.
Zenos yae Galvus
Zenos is kind of a weird one. If your opponent has a bunch of creatures, he's just infesting the board, while sparing one creature. If your opponent only has one creature, it doesn't really do anything.
If you want to flip Zenos, then you'll have to find a way to kill the chosen creature. Once you do, you'll get an 8/8 flier with a kind of weird ability for a 1v1 game. I'm mostly writing about Zenos because I don't understand why he wasn't in the Commander set instead.
His Burning Chains ability says "When the chosen player loses the game, you win the game."
But, like...that's what happens already in a 1v1 game when your opponent loses. So this line basically does nothing outside of Commander, which is why it feels very weird in a non Commander set. While that doesn't negate all its other abilities, it just feels weird to have this flavor word on the card that doesn't really do anything in Standard or Limited formats. I've read Zenos like 12 times, and I keep wondering if I'm either missing something or if this was included in the wrong set.
Zodiark, Umbral God
Phyrexian Obliterator has been usurped as the creature with the most Black pips in its casting cost! In fact, Zodiark is the only card in the game that has a unique mana value.
Zodiark making each player sacrifice half their creatures for five mana, while being an indestructible god that gets larger from it is pretty impressive. I have to assume this will often enter the battlefield as an indestructible 8/8 or 9/9 for five mana. While that isn't the most flashy creature you can be casting, it's still a fantastic rate. You can also pair him with Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER in a sacrifice deck for even more buffage.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll catch ya next time!
Frank Lepore
