Locations
If you didn't catch our Final Fantasy articles going over all the previous colors, be sure to check those out first.
Final Fantasy looks great. 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 our final article covering the colorless cards in the set I'll be discussing some of my favorite cards.
Let's begin!
Summon: Bahamut
This is easily one of my favorite Summons in the set, and of course it is: it costs nine mana! For all that mana you're getting a 9/9 flier and destroying at least one nonland permanent. Assuming your opponent doesn't have removal for an enchantment or a creature, you'll eventually destroy a second permanent, draw two cards, and then very likely just murder each opponent, assuming the 9/9 didn't already do that in the previous three turns of attacking.
Unfortunately, I have a weird feeling that a lot of these eight-plus-mana Summons will really need to be reanimated to see any play, but that could be an entirely feasible thing to do.
Buster Sword
I'm always on the lookout for a really good sword that can slot into a deck or Cube and takes the place of all the "Sword of X and Y" swords. I've always loved swords like Sword of Feast and Famine, Sword of Body and Mind, and Sword of Fire and Ice, but more recently I've wanted to condense that three-mana slot into just one sword. I currently have Sword of Wealth and Power in my Cube, but I could easily see trying out Buster Sword in its place.
With the Buster, we don't get any of the protection that the other swords offer, but we do get an extra power, card drawing, and the ability to play spells for free. I'm not sure if it's the best sword for a single-sword deck or Cube, but it does seem like it's worth trying out, and I'm curious if it will find a home in Standard, especially with all of the "equipment matters" cards.
The Regalia
Really like this vehicle, especially because it hits a few bullet points: it has haste, it only has a crew cost of one, and it puts any land you find into play, not just basic lands, every turn you're able to attack with it. This feels like it could be a great vehicle, but I am disappointed it's legendary.
There are a ton of legendary cards in the set, and it makes it so you don't want to play too many redundant copies of the same legend in your deck, but you also want to make sure you actually draw your cards when you want them. Out of the 236 previewed cards in the set so far, 99 of them are legendary, which is about 42%; oddly, this is close to the same amount of red cards that focused on equipment. It's not a huge deal, but something to keep in mind.
Balamb Garden, SeeD Academy
Any land that turns into a creature deserves a good look. Even without any other Towns in play, Balamb is still a great card for the late game with a seven-mana activation cost. For that price, you get a 5/4 flying vehicle that draws you a card every time it attacks. While you do need a creature to crew the Balamb Garden, the crew cost is as low as possible at a mere one, just like The Regalia. This is a cool dual land as well, and it's not even legendary! It's too bad we won't get a cycle of these.
Starting Town
In a long line of lands that deal you damage like Mana Confluence and City of Brass, Starting Town might be one of the best. While it comes into play tapped later in the game, being able to tap it for colorless mana and no loss of life is a huge upside that I think really makes this shine over the other options in certain decks. While I do think Mana Confluence will sometimes be the better choice, having Starting Town as an option gives us a lot of deckbuilding potential.
Zanarkand, Ancient Metropolis
Just like with Balamb, any land that does things other than tapping for mana is worth a second look, especially if that land is making creatures or turning into a creature. Hey, that's exactly what Zanarkand is doing!
I'm a really big fan of the adventure mechanic, and I'm glad they used it in this set rather than the new omen mechanic that was seen in Tarkir: Dragonstorm. While I like the variety omen present, being able to get two uses out of your cards (instead of the one omen provides) is where the true value of adventure shines. Like flashback!
Drawing Zanakard in the late game, when you don't really need anymore lands, and making a creature that's potentially a 7/7, 8/8, 9/9, then following it up by just playing the land as normal could be a game changer. Also not legendary, so that's awesome!
Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll catch ya next time!
Frank Lepore
