On January 31, 1997 the world was introduced to the spectacle that was, and still is, Final Fantasy VII. Final Fantasy VII's cast of characters is robust to say the least. Each character has the potential to resonate with anyone holding the controller. We celebrate their victories, cry at their tragedies and support them through their development. There is complexity in each character and as they grow, we grow. Tifa Lockhart is one such character. She acts as the matriarch of the group and also one of the best combatants.

Tifa, Martial Artist is a 4/4 Human Monk for 1 and Naya. She has the Melee ability which boosts her +1/+1 for each opponent that's been attacked this turn. Also, when a creature with 7 or more power deals combat damage to a player, we untap our creatures and get an additional combat phase. This will only trigger on the first combat on our turn so we can't abuse it. Lets evaluate 10 cards that synergize with Tifa and give us a way to edge out a victory.

Anzrag, the Quake-Mole

Swinging with Anzrag, the Quake Mole almost guarantees us an extra combat with Tifa on the board. If we connect, we get to battle again because of Tifa, and if the mole is blocked we get to attack again because of its ability. Either way, we're taking advantage of extra combat steps and multiple melee triggers.

Unnatural Growth

Unnatural Growth is a no-brainer with Tifa. At the beginning of combat, we double the power and toughness of all of our creatures. This makes Tifa an 8/8, that's more than enough to trigger her own ability and secure us another combat. Another card we can sneak into this slot would be Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus to double down on buffing our creatures and providing another creature to connect for 8 damage.

Xengaos, God of Revels

Xenagos, God of Revels acts as another pseudo Unnatural Growth for one creature with the benefit of giving it haste. If we play Tifa, we probably want to hold her back in the command zone until we know we can take advantage of her ability. Xenagos will buff Tifa and give her haste so we can connect as soon as she hits the board.

Whispersilk Cloak

Whispersilk Cloak is a placeholder for any equipment that can give Tifa evasion. We consistently want to connect with Tifa to guarantee extra combat steps, so giving her unblockable is an easy decision. You could bolster this plan with cards like Psychic Paper and Brotherhood Regalia.

Tendershoot Dryad

Tendershoot Dryad and other token producers help us enable another part of Tifa's kit. In order to trigger melee we need to attack multiple opponents. By giving us small inconsequential creatures we can effectively trigger melee and connect for extra combat steps.

Dolmen Gate

Dolmen Gate is a funny card that came out of Lorwyn. It basically allows us to attack freely into our opponents without risking the loss of our creatures. We can blindly turn our creatures sideways to trigger melee and for Tifa's second ability and risk basically nothing. It's an easy card to include in any combat focused deck.

Kessig Wolf Run

Kessig Wolf Run gives Tifa something that she desperately needs, trample. Whether Tifa is blocked or not and we can buff her with Wolf Run and secure we connect with a creature of at least 7 power. Kessig Wolf Run was a Standard all star and it continues to make waves in Commander.

Jumbo Cactuar

Probably the silliest card included on this list is Jumbo Cactuar. It does everything we want. It easily climbs over 7 power so we can trigger Tifa. If it's blocked, it clears the way for Tifa or another monster to connect. If it hits, we get an extra combat step and someone is dead. It's basically a win-win.

Iroas, God of Victory

Iroas, God of Victory checks all the boxes for a Tifa deck. When he's active as a creature, he's got 7 power. He grants evasion in the powerful menace ability and he has a built-in Dolmen Gate effect. Iroas is perfect for us to use to double down on all of the other effects we've explored in this article so far.

Adeline, Resplendent Cathar

Just like Iroas, Adeline, Resplendent Cathar doubles down on multiple effects we need for Tifa. Her power is related to the amount of creatures we have on the board and she brings tokens to the board to do extra damage and trigger melee.

Tifa, Martial Artist is a really exciting build-around to come out of the upcoming Final Fantasy Commander Decks. Tifa has exceptional potential when it comes to play style. We can buff her up with enchantments and equipment in a voltron style strategy, or you can go wide with lots of tokens or other big scary beasts. How would you build Tifa?