Final Fantasy preview season is finally over and Standard I about to change in a way we've never seen before. Universes Beyond sets entering through Standard may bring a wave of new players to the format and this set looks like a blast.

While I'm not sure anything here is going to knock the Red decks off their pedestal at the moment, the set offers a ton of new cards that I can't wait to brew around. This set has so many Legendary creatures that I've decided to make a dedicate Top Ten list that focuses on the Legends that I think will see the most play.

10. Rydia, Summoner of Mist

Slapping the rummage ability on your land drops has the potential to be an incredibly power effect, allowing you to mow through your deck consistently or in bursts. The activated ability can also be relevant, as so many of the Summon sagas will naturally put themselves in the graveyard over the course of a game. I can't wait to try this in a Monument of Endurance deck.

9. Cloud, Midgar Mercenary

If we get a playable Equipment deck, Cloud will be the reason why. But, maybe Cloud doesn't need a dedicated Equipment deck to be strong. Maybe, he's good enough to see play in White decks in general, with a small Equipment toolbox? Sword of Forge and Frontier or Sword of Once and Future could be great sideboard options that White decks would love to have access to in a variety of matchups.

8. Yuna, Hope of Spira

Naturally, I can't wait to pair Yuna with the Overlords cycle from Duskmourn: House of Horror. Overlord of the Balemurk seems like a great enabler, but a part of my thinks Yuna might be better in a Naya style deck (I want to pair her with Annie Joins Up). She should also slot right into whatever remains of the Domain deck once Zur rotates.

7. The Wandering Minstrel

I love this card. Spelunking is a card that was already right on the card cusp of being playable, and having the same effect at two mana might be enough. And, then you get into the two additional abilities that the card has, creating creatures (timed with the combat step, so late game this can be played and immediately create a creature) and an endgame buff that should make your board large enough to end the game once it has been activated. Towns will be an interesting brew to try out, and it may take some time to figure out how to build the deck optimally.

6. Gogo, Master of Mimicry

Look, I don't know what I'm doing with this yet, but it's going to be stupid. Gogo is priced to survive the early game, dodging Cut Down, Burst Lightning, and Lightning Strike, and his ability can be abused. Even something as simple as paying 2 to copy a Fabled Passage activation can get out of hand.

5. Choco, Seeker of Paradise

I am a believe in the bird deck. Bloomburrow gave us some great birds that have been looking for a home, and Choco's ability can trigger off any existing birds when it hits play. A 3/5 for 4 mana isn't the best, but the 5 toughness should be enough to keep Choco around (think about how aggravating it is to try and remove Sheoldred, the Apocalypse right now).

4. Matoya, Archon Elder

This has so much potential to get out of hand. The Surveil lands are already right there as the best dual lands in Standard, and turning them into cantrips makes them even better. Scry and Surveil have been printed on a bunch of cards in the last few years, and Matoya may be able to fit in a variety of decks. Pair it with Gossip's Talent and all of your creatures draw cards when they enter play. Maybe play Sultai and make Broodheart Engine your own personal Howling Mine? There are a ton of ways to build with this, and it doesn't require a large investment.

3. Tifa Lockhart

I've already written an article about how I think Tifa might be the card that makes Landfall decks viable. Since then, the rest of the set has been spoiled, and I think there could be 3-4 Landfall decks worth trying for Standard. A mono-Green version that tries to pair landfall creatures with Awaken the Woods, a Gruul version that uses Worldsoul's Rage, a graveyard version that uses Aftermath Analyst and Lumra, Bellow of the Woods, and a Chocobo-based version built around Choco, Seeker of Paradise.

2. Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER

It's only fitting that one of the biggest villains in the Final Fantasy series gets one of the best cards in the set. I love a good Blood Artist, and Sephiroth certainly fits the bill, as it works on your creatures dying and your opponent's. You will have to work to flip him, but look for cards like Nesting Bot to make it a little easier. Once flipped, he should be able to end the game quickly. I'd start building around this and Bartolome del Presidio.

1. Vivi Ornitier

I didn't fully understand Vivi the first time I saw him, and I think it's because I am so tired of the Izzet deck that I didn't want to imagine a card that might make the deck even stronger. It wasn't until I heard someone point out that this turns Monstrous Rage into Dark Ritual that my brewers brain started cooking. There is a lot of power here, and not just for the Izzet decks. This might give the Agatha's Soul Cauldron decks the final piece they need to start showing up at the top tables.

You can find more of my Magic musings on Twitter/X @travishall456 and on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/anakinsdad.bsky.social