Standard Set Review: Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy is coming as the first set in the Universes Beyond series to be legal on both Standard and Pioneer formats, solidifying the crossovers in Magic: The Gathering and making it a core part of the game's competitive scene.

With the end of the official previews (which lasted longer than the other expansions in the last two years), it is time to analyze the potential of the most anticipated expansion of 2025 for the competitive formats, and in this article we present our review of Final Fantasy for Standard.

There is one addendum, however, that needs to be made about this review: Standard is likely to go through a wave of bans on June 30th. While my analysis will consider the current state of the Metagame, I will also consider banning opportunities based on patterns that have proven troublesome for the format today, particularly the speed and inherent consistency of Red-Based Aggro and Izzet Prowess.

Yes, Standard has other issues beyond these, but not all of them are likely to be addressed by Wizards. While Cori-Steel Cutter seems universally too strong, cards like Up the Beanstalk, which feature terrible patterns with alternative mana costs, may end up escaping intervention — the same could happen with This Town Ain’t Big Enough for similar reasons.

The analysis of the cards, therefore, will consider their individual potential in addition to their playability in existing archetypes, and how relevant they may be in a post-ban scenario.

Aerith Gainsborough would be an absurd card with Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER (I swear, someone on the design team has a questionable sense of humor) and Bartolomé Del Presidio if it cost two mana to return to the battlefield with Raise the Past.

At three mana, however, there are limitations to how many cards that don't cost up to two mana we can use in a lifegain and sacrifice-based list in Standard, and Sephiroth definitely has better interactions with the archetype today.

Since her ability only cares about legends, I don't think Aerith deserves a spot in Best-of-One Lifegain lists either.

Sunpearl Kirin is a better card for most of the situations where Ambrosia Whiteheart would be relevant, unless your list cares about legendary creatures for some reason. Having a copy or two in Orzhov Bounce decks is an option if we want to have more ways to take advantage of the enchantments, or if we want to reuse our land drops.

Battle Menu offers many options for a low cost. It feels worse than Destroy Evil in the current Metagame, but the functionality of having threat, removal, and life gain in the same card will probably earn it some maindeck or sideboard slots.

The best equipment in Standard right now is Cori-Steel Cutter, and Cloud, Midgar Mercenary isn't in the ideal colors to run it. The best possible interactions for it in Standard today involve cheap equipment like Basilisk Collar and Lost Jitte, or perhaps some of the Job Select equipment that proves relevant enough, like Ninja’s Blades or Astrologian’s Planisphere, not to mention cards like Cryptic Coat.

Machinist’s Arsenal doesn’t work with United Battlefront and that will probably be the biggest challenge for the equipment in finding space in Simulacrum Synthesizer lists today. But between it and Valkyrie Aerial Unit, there are enough tools alongside Memory Guardian to try other artifact-based decks, especially if the Metagame slows down.

For five mana, Moogles’ Valor seems too expensive as a protection spell, not to mention that it doesn’t work against Temporary Lockdown and Sunfall. It may gain some slots once those two cards leave Standard.

As a protection spell, Restoration Magic will probably be better than Moogles’ Valor due to its versatility. Plus, it protects any permanent, serving as an answer to Abrade or Destroy Evil as well, while the life gain could be relevant against Aggro, especially if Screaming Nemesis is banned on June 30.

If an Equipment-based deck comes along, Slash of Light is a decent removal, but probably not good enough compared to Get Lost and the like for two mana.

Demonic Pact jokes aside, the best thing about this card, besides being a body with Lifelink, is its ability to respond to your opponent's removal by giving your creature to them before it dies to draw a card.

It seems too slow for Standard, but a one-drop with Lifelink and a legendary might have some relevance in the future.

For eight mana, it seems impossible to cast Summon: Knights of Round in Standard, and it takes too long to win games. Perhaps the best option to play it is a “Reanimator” list with Yuna, Hope of Spira. It also has interactions with Zur, Eternal Schemer, but Overlord of the Mistmoors already does the same for a lower cost.

“Destroy Cori-Steel Cutter and all of its tokens” seems fair for five mana, but it's too slow for current Standard. It's worth noting that Ultima ends the turn, so any LTB triggers that would fall onto the stack because of it cease to exist.

Most of the legendary support in Standard is going away with Dominaria United. If, at some point in Final Fantasy’s three years of legality, we get other cards that support this subtype, Venat, Heart of Hydaelyn seems like a good enabler.

Isn’t it odd that “Zack the Puppy” has almost the same ability as Selfless Savior? It might see play in some lists that care about creatures on the board, or that have ways to bypass equip costs.

Astrologian’s Planisphere is a potential sleeper. Low costs to play and equip, comes in with a body, and benefits from any non-creature spell and also grows with Chart a Course and the like — all qualities that put it in a good spot for different decks in the format, especially in Izzet Prowess lists, but also with the possibility of playing in some Dimir Midrange or two-color Oculus variants to turn Spyglass Siren and other creatures into threats.

Think Twice came out in Foundations and had no competitive relevance. Dreams of Laguna offers more quality in draws in exchange for a higher Flashback cost. It may deserve slots over something like Deduce, but it competes and loses to Stock Up in terms of card advantage.

How do we break this card in Standard? I have no idea, but the ability that Gogo, Master of Mimicry offers to copy abilities over and over again could create some very absurd situations with Sheoldred, the Apocalypse or the Overlords cycle, or literally any trigger on any Magic card from now on.

The backside of Jill, Shiva’s Dominant doesn’t seem to do enough to justify it in Bounce decks, especially as a 2/2 for . Perhaps it will find a spot in the Dimir variants, which lack Nurturing Pixie or Sunpearl Kirin while having a slower, attrition-oriented game plan.

It's also a useful tool for Dimir Midrange, where the early chapters of the Saga can make a difference with Enduring Curiosity or Kaito, Bane of Nightmares.

Tishana's Tidebinder has seen and still sees a lot of play in Standard, and while Louisoix's Sacrifice isn't a creature, the Mana Leak mode for noncreature spells gives it enough versatility to make it a potential sideboard piece.

Four mana is a high cost for a vehicle, but The Lunar Whale offers a considerable amount of card advantage in longer games, while its crew cost is cheap. It can earn slots in Midrange lists, and even work as extra attrition for the mirror.

Between Surveil Lands, Opt, Dreams of Laguna, and others, there are several options to enable Matoya, Archon Elder in every format. In Standard, however, the lack of Consider and fetch lands to find Surveil Lands creates too many requirements to make it work, so I don't see it becoming a staple right now.

Every season, I make a list in Standard called "Our Deck." It's based on using as many cards as possible that copy, steal, or allow you to cast spells from your opponent's deck. Relm's Sketching is definitely the most fun card I've seen in this category in a long time.

If there is an equipment worth stealing from your opponent in the future, or with a high equip cost that we need to circumvent, Stolen Uniform is the ideal tool in blue for it.

Memory Guardian appeared in a few Standard lists when Aetherdrift was released, and Valkyrie Aerial Unit is essentially a better version of the card. It is worth revisiting “Affinity” as a strategy in Standard, especially with so many equipments that put creatures into play in the new set.

Cecil, Dark Knight is probably one of the cards that will be held back the most by the current best decks. Its cost and body are above average and Deathtouch turns it into a pseudo-removal, while if it transforms, its flip side quickly recovers the life lost in the early game — but as long as Screaming Nemesis and Monstrous Rage punish blocking, it is impossible for it to have too much competitive relevance.

That said, Cecil is also Dark Confidant's best friend in Final Fantasy, since the two interact positively.

Dark Confidant, once the best creature of all time, returns to Standard, and it's difficult to say whether it has potential: Unholy Annex is, in theory, a better card for most Midranges that might be interested in Confidant today due to its high mana values, and Annex has positive great with Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.

It may become a maindeck piece or sideboard tool for long games in Aggro decks that have plenty of low-cost cards and need more card advantage in specific matchups.

With Innkeeper’s Talent, Demon Wall is a 4/4 with Menace for , enough to pressure early life totals. However, the need for specific interaction combined with the current state of black decks today, which opt for playing the long game, makes this combination unviable for competitive purposes.

Ninja’s Blades has a low equip cost and an ability that we can take advantage of with Spyglass Siren / Deep-Cavern Bat or Fear of Isolation in Dimir Midrange/Bounce decks. The fact that it turns the creature into a Ninja means that it also gains the power boost from Kaito, Bane of Nightmares, and the five damage bonus when discarding This Town Ain’t Big Enough makes it worth considering.

Poison the Waters is a decent sideboard card against Cori-Steel Cutter and go wide decks, but it would be better served as a tiered spell that costs for one of its effects. It may see play in sideboards, but I think we have better options in the format today.

Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER was one of our standouts during the preview season. Despite its higher mana value, it adds more consistency to Raise the Past decks, which will have an easier time triggering its emblem and making it a viable win condition.

In addition, Sephiroth also interacts with the Mardu's Mobilize ability, and can even transform on the same turn he enters with Avenger of the Fallen, or trigger three times when he attacks alongside Voice of Victory.

Potential enabler for new decks and a staple in the medium term.

I can imagine a list running sweepers like Day of Judgment and Ultima followed by Summon: Primal Odin and removals to try to win the game with the second ability. For six mana, it's probably not a competitive enough card, but its ease of winning games in combat makes it a card worth testing.

A 2/2 that creates an untapped Treasure when it dies for a low cost is worth considering for Raise the Past lists or potential interactions with Sacrifice decks in the future.

The wording on this card is strange enough that we should consider it as a possibility. For practical purposes, consider that all new Sagas can be “reanimated” with effects like this or Not Dead After All if we respond to the third chapter's trigger.

Zenos yae Galvus works as a Massacre Girl that doesn’t board wipe if we have the right scale of creatures, but works decently as a cheap sweeper in go wide games. Its flip side has a Commander-only ability — and I admit I despise that kind of design in a Standard-oriented set — but an 8/8 body with Flying will close games quickly.

The mana cost of Zodiark, Umbral God is absurdly restrictive in a format without Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and that should prevent it from being viable in many lists, especially after rotation. A 5/5 with Indestructible that provides half a board wipe for the entire board has utility and can trigger Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER on its own, though.

It may be worth slots, but the mana cost should prevent it from becoming a staple.

If you've played Final Fantasy Tactics or have ever bumped into a Red Chocobo in any game in the series, you know: There are no red Chocobos, there are Chocobos who bathe in the blood of their victims.

Choco-Comet is an interesting variant of Flametongue Kavu. In low, it is a 2/2 with Landfall for and scales as the game goes on to the point where it becomes a win condition at some point. It is worth some testing.

Six mana is a lot for current decks and Clive, Ifrit’s Dominant requires a specific shell to work. Maybe some Midrange lists will want it and use cards like Count on Luck to increase the devotion and generate card advantage with it, since its transformed side generates tons of value for three turns and is an efficient win condition.

Perhaps the best uncommon for competitive formats. Fire Magic starts as Electrickery, transforms into Breath Weapon and builds to the point where it's a halfway Brotherhood's End for more mana, but at instant speed. Potential sideboard staple.

I want to say good things about Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms and how much its design resembles the famous M11 Titans, but it feels like it requires too many deckbuilding concessions to work.

Opera Love Song is relatively comparable to Questing Druid in that it offers card advantage to Aggro decks while also serving another function. The interactions with Heartfire Hero and Emberheart Challenger are clear, so it could be worthy of slots in the Red Aggro, either in maindeck or sideboard.

Queen Brahne is too slow for Standard right now and competes for slots with other better cards in Red Aggro. However, she is closer to a Control/Midrange card with lots of cheap removal, where she can benefit from Prowess triggers while creating tokens every combat that doesn't need to attack to generate value.

Raubahn, Bull of Ala Mhigo is the new Hammer Time enabler in Pioneer, and has the potential to create decks around it if we find the right equipment structure. Don't really see him doing much in Standard right now, but I could be wrong, at least for as long as Phyrexia is legal.

It’s difficult to imagine Red Mage’s Rapier having a future in a Cori-Steel Cutter Metagame, but if it is banned on June 30, the new equipment partially provides the same advantages of putting a body on the board, triggering Prowess from other cards, and benefiting from the rest of the list’s interactions — just without creating snowball piles every turn.

A 3/3 with Trample and Haste doesn’t have the same shine it once had, and the cost of equipping Samurai’s Katana is too high to be worth the risks. Still, it deserves a mention for its potential interactions with equipment and artifacts.

I can imagine situations where Seifer Almasy becomes the curve-topper for red decks in Standard as extra copies of Manifold Mouse. His second ability can be leveraged with Monstrous Rage, and he also allows for some lines like playing Lightning Strike before the damage, dealing combat damage with Seifer, and then recasting Lightning Strike to end the game. Keep in mind that, if he connects with double strike, you can play spells in response to his first trigger, so that the second hit has a spell to cast as well.

His body also dodges both Cut Down and Nowhere to Run, so he has a lot of potential in the format.

Self-Destruct has interactions with Screaming Nemesis to deal double damage to the opponent and the same interactions that Callous Sell-Sword has with Heartfire Hero and Cacophony Scamp in the format today, but at instant speed and costing more.

It's worth testing, it will probably show up a lot in Best of One, but it seems a bit too win more for the Red Aggro that wins Best of Three tournaments.

Summon: Brynhildr is a strange card to evaluate. It reminds me of Abbot of Keral Keep and Kumano Faces Kakkazan on the same card, and at the same time, the Red Aggro in the format already have natural Haste on their creatures for chapters two and three to matter.

It seems like a good tool for Gruul Delirium, where it counts as two permanent types, offers a favorable resource trade, and can also grant Haste to Fear of Missing Out on key turns, where we can attack with Delirium enabled to immediately gain a new combat phase.

Aside from the meme, Abrade will be a better option unless there are artifacts we need to exile.

If we get more Rogues, Pirates, or Scouts in the future, Vaan, Street Thief becomes an excellent card to build a base around. Right now, however, it costs too much and has no immediate impact to justify playing it over Screaming Nemesis and the like.

If there is a Landfall deck, Zell Dincht becomes a great enabler as he allows you to play more than one land per turn (in red!) and also guarantees another land the following turn, offering recurring triggers.

Sorry, Adamantoise, but the absurd creature slot that will replace Atraxa in Standard belongs to Valgavoth, Terror Eater.

There are some interactions we can do with removing and putting counters on Sagas to trigger abilities, but the viability of Clash of the Eikons will depend exclusively on how good they can be on their own.

Diamond Weapon seems like an almost must-have in Self-Mill decks that run Up the Beanstalk with low-cost creatures whose value is reduced by the number of creatures in the graveyard. Being an Artifact Creature also guarantees some interactions with Delirium, but I don't think those are consistent enough to make it cost early.

It seems strange to pay two mana to gain two life and put two cards into the graveyard without replacing them in their owner's hand. Esper Origins might be worth testing, but the Flashback is too steep for decks that care about that kind of effect, and the front side is worse than Seed of Hope most of the time.

I don't know when or where, but I will still win a game of Standard with Jumbo Cactuar.

Innkeeper's Talent is better than Ride the Shoopuf since it doesn't rely on putting lands into play to work, but redundancy matters, and maybe we'll have an archetype that cares about both of these themes in the future.

Tifa Lockhart with pumps and Fetch Lands can close games quickly. With two copies of Wild Ride and/or Turn Inside Out and a Fabled Passage, she guarantees 28 damage with Trample and Haste.

She has the potential for explosive combos if we protect her. She can fit into more aggressive Prowess lists that focus on cheap pumps, but it comes at the cost of working better with Fetch Lands, and Fabled Passage is the only minimally viable option in a more aggressive deck, and even then, with too many concessions to work. We can't ignore her potential alongside Leyline of Resonance either.

Torgal, A Fine Hound is a decent mana dork and its interaction with Humans can make a difference in specific archetypes, but that deck doesn't exist at the moment.

While it is possible to extract value from Traveling Chocobo in a more Bird-focused list, the real advantage of the card is being able to remove lands from the top and having clearer control of what we have on it to plan our plays.

I don't know how relevant Courser of Kruphix's design is to Magic in 2025, and none of Landfall's effects in Standard seem absurd next to Traveling Chocobo today, but it could be a potential staple for green Midrange/Ramp.

There are some games where your opponent won't win if you keep a protected Absolute Virtue on the board. The problem is getting to the point where an 8/8 for eight mana is protected and doesn't win the game for you anyway.

If you can untap with it, Black Waltz No. 3 turns all your cheap spells into a Shock. It seems like a lot of effort, and I think this proposal works best with Vivi Ornitier, but it deserves an honorable mention.

The chances of a Landfall/Birds deck working depend heavily on Choco, Seeker of Paradise, which seems like the perfect enabler for the archetype — but, like other typal decks, it might be too slow or too conditional to work.

While he's the best Final Fantasy villain of all time, Emet-Selch, Unsundered has a few challenges to be competitively relevant in Standard: being better than everything the other Dimir Midrange cards already do.

There are situations where I can imagine it taking the place of Preacher of the Schism in Standard as it has a similar body, but swapping Deathtouch and being able to play multiple copies in a row for a recurring looting effect and the possibility of, as the game progresses, transforming into a Yawgmoth's Will — one of the most powerful cards in Magic history — with a body.

Potential staple, but keep in mind that it's pointless to build a deck entirely focused on transforming Emet-Selch early when we don't have the tools to win via Storm or generate mana quickly with Rituals.

Honorable mention. We might get interactions with Aliens in Edge of Eternities and with Mutants in Spider-Man. In this case, Jenova, Ancient Calamity could become a very interesting card in Standard.

Right now, its cost seems high, but the interaction with sacrifice effects - like, who would have thought, Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER - can generate a lot of card advantage early and still punish the opponent for playing removal on your creatures without dealing with Jenova first.

Potential staple. Joshua, Phoenix’s Dominant is the best Eikon in the set and interacts positively with both Abhorrent Oculus and Monument to Endurance decks while doing a good Seasoned Pyromancer / Fable of the Mirror-Breaker impression to become midrange tool — all while dodging the major removals in Standard today.

Potential staple. Kefka, Court Mage creates little mind games with its ETB and attack ability. Would you rather discard a land and loot, or discard a spell and generate an extra draw? Is it better to use cards like Summons to get two types in a single discard and guarantee a Draw 2 or even a Draw 3? Is your opponent willing to take that risk too? Can they predict what type of card you’re going to discard to try to pick the same type?

Forget the transform cost, it's a bonus. Kefka is good for his original cost, has a decent body, and a consistent trigger that will punish many opponents for making bad decisions.

Kuja, Genome Sorcerer has potential, but requires a level of deckbuilding concession that most competitive decks aren't willing to pay, and his flip side doesn't do enough to offset those costs, as lethal as he is alongside Slickshot Show-Off.

The right cost and ideal abilities make Lightning, Army of One another potential staple for Standard. Unfortunately, Convoke decks are lacking in terms of making the most of her potential in the format, but even in more traditional Aggro lists, the possibility of dealing six damage with Lightning Strike or eight with Boros Charm makes her a good option.

Even in slower lists, the combination of Lifelink and Trample with specific removals can make Lightning gain a spot. The possibility of doubling the damage that any creature deals makes her worth testing in different fronts, from “go wide” like Convoke, to attrition-oriented lists.

Serah Farron is probably the best support for Legends in Final Fantasy. Perhaps it will be possible to mix her with other creaturen and Relic of Legends to create an archetype, at least as long as there is Plaza of Heroes in the format to support this strategy.

Squall, SeeD Mercenary is another efficient Midrange card. Since its first trigger doesn't require it to attack alone, we can use it with, for example, Archfiend of the Dross or Unholy Annex to have a Flying demon attacking for 12 damage, and its recursive potential can be used to bring back Preacher of the Schism or even Temporary Lockdown. It's worth testing, but it doesn't seem like an instant staple.

Terra, Magical Adept feeds the graveyard quickly and can reccur Fear of Missing Out or Summon: Brynhildr in Delirium lists. Her transformed side also offers a good mana sink for longer games, while her cost, abilities, and power on turn three make up for it.

Potential staple, potential broken card. Vivi Ornitier is difficult to evaluate because it offers extra mana and rewards players for playing cheap spells. In theory, it's a card to build decks around, but it doesn't need to be built that way as it allows you to sequence more spells with the mana it generates, all in a single turn.

It could be Cori-Steel Cutter's best friend, a replacement when/if it gets banned on June 30th, or it could even join the ranks of Magic's banned cards on the same date if it proves too strong. Time will tell.

Someone will try to merge The Wandering Minstrel with Maze's End. It'll be fun.

Between Self-Mill effects and powerful enchantments like Overlords, Summon: Knights of Round and Summon: Bahamut, plus Fear of Missing Out and Joshua, Phoenix's Dominant to discard them, I think we have enough tools to make a Yuna, Hope of Spira deck work, especially when rotation takes away Zur, Eternal Schemer.

It also works with Omniscience if Abuelo’s Awakening isn’t enough. But in that case, the combo would need to be done at instant speed or have to wait an entire turn cycle, which isn’t possible in the current setup.

If it survives long enough, Summon: Bahamut will provide immeasurable value on the board, or win the game. Right now, Valgavoth, Terror Eater and Atraxa, Grand Unifier are still the best options for cheating on mana costs, but there may be a deck or situation where Bahamut becomes a good target.

If support for colorless becomes available sometime in the next three years, Ultima, Origin of Oblivion will be best friends Sire of Seven Deaths and any other Eldrazi that exists in the future.

My opinions on Buster Sword in Standard are pretty divided.

On one hand, a Spyglass Siren or any creature carrying it can generate an extra draw and a free cast of Kaito, Bane of Nightmares out of nowhere. On the other hand, five mana to take a Torch the Tower in response is far from ideal in a Constructed game.

With Cloud, Midgar Mercenary functioning as a pseudo-Stoneforge Mystic, maybe all we need to do is find our Squadron Hawk to create a new “Caw-Blade” in Standard. It’s worth testing, but take it with a grain of salt.

Turning any creature into Ajani’s Pridemate is heaven for Best-of-One players trying to beat everyone playing Red Aggro in ranked. Excalibur II will probably show up in these lists, but the expectations for its competitive viability are pretty low.

Drawing at instant speed and life gain for any color is always a good option.

The Regalia has good interaction with Balthier and Fran, Landfall effects, and also has a decent cost for its ability and body. It shouldn't be a staple, but it's probably one of the best vehicles in Standard right now.

All the Adventure Lands can see play in Standard in some way.

Ishgard, the Holy See offers recursion for Simulacrum Synthesizer decks and interacts with the new Saga Creatures.

Jidoor, Aristocratic Capital is probably the worst of the cycle, but it combos with Riverchurn Monument in a land slot, so it could show up in some Control lists.

Midgar, City of Mako requires one more mana to play than Costly Plunder, but in a land slot, so it could offer another attrition option for Midranges.

Lindblum, Industrial Regency adds another instant-speed blocker while guaranteeing the next turn's land. It won't show up in Aggro decks, but it's an option for Midrange and Control.

Finally, Zanarkand, Ancient Metropolis offers another late-game threat for decks like Golgari Midrange or Ramp and Domain Overlords lists.

A tapped dual that offers a late-game threat at instant speed with built-in card advantage could be worthy of slots in Ramp lists.

Standard currently has the full cycle of Fast Lands and Pain Lands, and Starting Town tries to merge the effects of both with the ability to generate mana of any color.

While it probably won't see much play at Final Fantasy's launch, it's likely to become a staple after rotation, when allied Fast Lands and the entire Pain Lands cycle will leave the format.

That's all for today!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!