Hello everyone! I'm Levi from The Thought Vessel, and welcome back to Commander Kryptonite, the series that looks at some of the strongest commanders in the format, how they work, and, ultimately, how to beat them. This week, we're looking at a new card from the recently released Final Fantasy set: Cloud, Midgar Mercenary. This is an incredible card and a wildly popular character with a lot of synergy. Let's take a look at this absolute beast of a commander.

The Commander

Two of the scariest things to see in the command zone are a tutor effect and some kind of trigger doubler, like Panharmonicon. Cloud has both - and only costs two White mana to cast. What's frustrating is that the tutor is an ETB effect that puts Equipment into your hand. If Cloud gets removed, it can just be cast again to grab another artifact. This commander also takes full advantage of one of Magic's most popular cycles: the Swords. Swords like Sword of Feast and Famine trigger on damage, and Cloud doubles that ability. With that one Sword alone, Cloud can untap your lands twice (potentially to take advantage of something at instant speed) and force an opponent to discard two cards. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

The Deck

Cloud plays like a more consistent Equipment-themed Voltron deck. Since it doesn't have access to Red, it's naturally a bit slower than it could be - but it makes up for that with consistency, resilience, and inevitability. There are plenty of Equipment cards in Magic with powerful triggered abilities that Cloud can copy to do some seriously degenerate things - all while operating in the incredibly oppressive Mono-White color identity. Let's take a look at the average Cloud decklist you might run into at your local game store.

Average Cloud, Midgar Mercenary | Commander

• Commander (1)
• 1 Cloud, Midgar Mercenary

• Creatures (17)
• 1 Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist
• 1 Armored Skyhunter
• 1 Beatrix, Loyal General
• 1 Brass Squire
• 1 Cid, Freeflier Pilot
• 1 Codsworth, Handy Helper
• 1 Danitha Capashen, Paragon
• 1 Esper Sentinel
• 1 Foundry Inspector
• 1 Grand Abolisher
• 1 Halvar, God of Battle // Sword of the Realms
• 1 Mother of Runes
• 1 Puresteel Paladin
• 1 Sram, Senior Edificer
• 1 Stoneforge Mystic
• 1 Stonehewer Giant
• 1 Zack Fair

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 The Aetherspark

• Instants (9)
• 1 Dawn's Truce
• 1 Dispatch
• 1 Enlightened Tutor
• 1 Flawless Maneuver
• 1 Generous Gift
• 1 Path to Exile
• 1 Rebuff the Wicked
• 1 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Teferi's Protection

• Sorceries (5)
• 1 Farewell
• 1 Open the Armory
• 1 Sevinne's Reclamation
• 1 Single Combat
• 1 Steelshaper's Gift

• Enchantments (4)
• 1 Forge Anew
• 1 Land Tax
• 1 Sigarda's Aid
• 1 Smothering Tithe

• Artifacts (29)
• 1 Adaptive Omnitool
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Argentum Armor
• 1 Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus
• 1 Brotherhood Regalia
• 1 Buster Sword
• 1 Colossus Hammer
• 1 Commander's Plate
• 1 Excalibur, Sword of Eden
• 1 Genji Glove
• 1 Hammer of Nazahn
• 1 Helm of the Host
• 1 Mantle of the Ancients
• 1 Mask of Memory
• 1 Masterwork of Ingenuity
• 1 Mithril Coat
• 1 Pip-Boy 3000
• 1 Shadowspear
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots
• 1 Sword of Feast and Famine
• 1 Sword of Fire and Ice
• 1 Sword of Forge and Frontier
• 1 Sword of Hearth and Home
• 1 Sword of Light and Shadow
• 1 Sword of Sinew and Steel
• 1 Sword of the Animist
• 1 Thran Power Suit
• 1 Umezawa's Jitte

• Lands (34)
• 26 Plains
• 1 Buried Ruin
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 1 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
• 1 Inventors' Fair
• 1 Monumental Henge
• 1 Rogue's Passage
• 1 Urza's Saga
• 1 War Room

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Strengths

This deck's strength lies in its consistency and synergy. It moves in one direction very well, and Cloud tutoring when it enters the battlefield ensures effective Equipment is online right away. Turn after turn, those triggers generate a ton of value. Cloud can function as a removal, ramp, card draw, and damage engine all at once. Talk about value!

Weaknesses

To spot the weaknesses, we need to look at what the deck can't do. First, Cloud relies heavily on Equipment for protection and evasion. If it can't gain flying or trample, it'll get chump-blocked all day. While it helps that you can recast Cloud after removal, not having built-in hexproof or ward is rough - it means anyone can remove it before protection's in place. Finally, most Cloud players tend to overextend to get their best Equipment out. That can help close out games faster, but it also opens them up to blowouts like Vandalblast or Farewell. Toolbox commanders like Cloud usually don't run as many redundant effects so they can cover a wide range of problems. Cloud's no exception.

Cards to Watch Out For...

1. Sword of Fire and Ice - A big weakness in Mono-White is a lack of consistent card draw outside of game-changing options. Sword of Fire and Ice draws two cards instead of one thanks to Cloud, while also granting protection from Red and Blue. Definitely the kind of Equipment to hold removal for.
2. Helm of the Host - It's a win-more card, but I've seen builds that revolve around it. Helm of the Host triggers twice, meaning two nonlegendary Cloud copies could be running around causing chaos and tutoring two Equipment cards straight to hand. The first turn might see Hammer of Nazahn and Sword of Feast and Famine. Next turn, maybe Argentum Armor and Genji Glove. The more consistent the tutoring, the nastier this deck gets.
3. Genji Glove - Speaking of Genji Glove, most Equipment triggers happen on damage or attacking. With triggers already being doubled, an extra combat phase could mean Sword of Fire and Ice draws four cards and deals a total of eight targeted damage. Ouch.
4. Puresteel Paladin - One downside Cloud has versus other Equipment commanders like Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist is the need to pay for equip costs. That's a big Achilles' heel, so we need to watch for ways around it - like Puresteel Paladin. Even worse, every Equipment Cloud casts also draws an extra card. This tiny creature can quietly take over the game.
5. Sigarda's Aid - Another weakness is surprise. Most Voltron decks operate at sorcery speed and try to win through quick tempo off a single hard-to-interact-with creature. Sigarda's Aid lets all aura and Equipment spells be cast at instant speed, triggering devastating effects out of nowhere.

How to Clear Out the Clouds

First, we need to set ourselves up in the early game without taking the lead. If you've got a Sol Ring in hand, it might make more sense to drop it on turn three instead of turn one. Whoever comes out hot early will attract Cloud's attacks like a moth to a flame. Once that attention's elsewhere, it's time for some classical conditioning: every time Cloud attacks or targets you, remove the commander, destroy the Equipment, or crack back with damage. The idea's simple - make actions have consequences. Eventually, Cloud will go after someone else for those triggers, giving you breathing room. Once at least one player is down, that's the time for a board wipe or some other equalizer to knock Cloud off the throne. A wipe that hits artifacts is usually a death knell, as the mana investment lost is hard to recover from. From there, you're free to combo, combat, or win however you like.

Commander Kryptonite - If you're still having problems with Cloud, consider adding these cards to your 99:

1. Tower of the Magistrate - This underrated land can give a creature protection from artifacts, causing Equipment to fall off. That might waste Cloud's whole turn - or let you destroy it in combat after attackers are declared. Not bad for a land.
2. Divine Presence - While it won't stop damage triggers, this card caps how much damage you take at once to three. That dramatically weakens a Voltron deck aiming to KO players in one or two swings.
3. Promise of Loyalty - This is a classic "enemy of my enemy" play. It forces Cloud into a bad decision: either keep the commander around but lose the ability to attack you, or sacrifice Cloud and eat a tempo hit. Either way, that's a win for us.

And there you have it! That is how to clear out the Clouds. If you have a commander you would like to see on Commander Kryptonite next, send us an email at thoughtvesselshow@gmail.com. Until next time, happy gaming!