MagicCon: Las Vegas is only a couple days away and with it comes the second Pro Tour of the year, Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering — FINAL FANTASY. The best-selling Magic set of all time and most-anticipated Universes Beyond expansion — and the first to release directly into Standard — hit store shelves last week and will soon take center stage in the hands of the strongest players in the world.
The opening rounds of the first two days of competition will be all Magic: The Gathering — FINAL FANTASY all the time, as the brightest Limited minds tackle the fresh Draft format. However, the remainder of the tournament and, most importantly, the Top 8 on Sunday will showcase Standard Constructed with the addition of fan-favorite heroes, villains, summons, sidequests, and more from the world of FINAL FANTASY.
But Magic: The Gathering — FINAL FANTASY joins 14 other sets in Standard, so decks that have been optimized over the past three years have little room for new inclusions. Which cards have the power to break into a Standard format defined by the speed and resilience of Izzet Prowess, the overwhelming card advantage and inevitability of Zur Overlords, and the limit-testing nature of the format’s premier combo deck, Azorius Omniscience?
While the number of legendary creatures on this list is relatively low compared to how many are in the set, the most exciting card for this Pro Tour is Vivi Ornitier. This fan-favorite black mage from Final Fantasy IX is already getting compared to Nadu, Winged Wisdom for being such a powerful three-drop that often spells doom for any opponent. It also helps that Vivi slots right into the most-played and probably the best deck in the format — Izzet Prowess.
Not only is Vivi a scaling threat that gets to dodge Temporary Lockdown, unlike every other card in the main deck, but he enables Izzet Prowess to have massive turns in the mid-game to bridge the deck after its explosive starts and Stock Up-fueled end-games. The mana advantage Vivi provides has also earned him comparisons to Tolarian Academy. With two comps to two of the most broken cards in the history of Magic, this legend has the biggest spotlight heading into the weekend.
Creatures (8)
Lands (21)
Spells (31)
Before Vivi stole the show in this past weekend’s Magic Online Challenges and RC Super Qualifier, Astrologian’s Planisphere looked to be the card Izzet Prowess benefited the most from. While the numbers of this new job select equipment has dropped since Vivi’s takeover, some lists are still opting for an additional two-drop that not only grows, but is able to equip to another creature and make it gain permanent +1/+1 counters. By being an artifact it checks all the prowess boxes while letting targeted creatures remain large threats if the game goes long.
Creatures (4)
Lands (21)
Spells (35)
Yes, another card powering up certain builds of Izzet Prowess, but also giving additional oomph to Mono-Red Aggro and Gruul Prowess. Opera Love Song plays perfectly with the prowess package, acting as a split card if the caster needs extra fuel or wants to end the game with a burst of surprise damage on two separate creatures. This is another card that has dipped in popularity as Vivi looks to have cemented himself as the way to build Izzet Prowess, but it does have a home in other decks than just Izzet.
Creatures (22)
- 2 Magebane Lizard
- 4 Manifold Mouse
- 4 Heartfire Hero
- 4 Emberheart Challenger
- 4 Hired Claw
- 4 Screaming Nemesis
Lands (22)
Spells (16)
Sideboard
These two mythic saga Summons have shown up as one-ofs in Azorius Omniscience, which is one of the few non Cori-Steel Cutter decks putting up solid performances. Though most builds rely on Marang River Regent and some combination of Overlord of the Floodpits and Overlord of the Mistmoors to slog through disruption in post-board games, having options like these massive Summons is always nice.
Creatures (11)
- 2 Oracle of Tragedy
- 1 Kutzil's Flanker
- 2 Overlord of the Floodpits
- 4 Marang River Regent
- 1 Summon: Bahamut
- 1 Summon: Knights of Round
Planeswalkers (1)
Lands (24)
Spells (24)
The next legend on the list is Cecil, Dark Knight and, if you’re lucky, Cecil, Redeemed Paladin. A one-mana 2/3 with deathtouch is just too good of a rate to pass up in any aggressive deck playing black. Cecil brings the beats and brings them early while being able to attack through basically any blocker. Sure, he costs the controller some life when he deals damage, but if you manage to transform him you are likely to get that life back and apply even more pressure. Cecil is making waves in Dimir Midrange, Esper Pixie, and even enabling a new archetype — Mono-Black Aggro — with the next card on the list.
Creatures (20)
- 2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
- 1 Faerie Mastermind
- 4 Deep-Cavern Bat
- 4 Preacher of the Schism
- 1 Vren, the Relentless
- 2 Azure Beastbinder
- 3 Enduring Curiosity
- 1 Floodpits Drowner
- 2 Cecil, Dark Knight
Planeswalkers (1)
Lands (25)
Spells (14)
The great one is back in Standard. Dark Confidant has a pedigree of being a midrange all-star, but in tandem with Cecil, he allows Mono-Black Aggro to thrive. Dark Confidant will provide beat downs, card advantage, and accelerate life loss so Cecil can transform quicker. These two creatures look to be a pair we’ll see in Standard for a while, but will they make a splash at the Pro Tour in the face of Izzet Prowess and Mono-Red Aggro?
Creatures (25)
- 4 Dark Confidant
- 2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
- 4 Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor
- 4 Deep-Cavern Bat
- 4 Preacher of the Schism
- 3 Tinybones, the Pickpocket
- 4 Cecil, Dark Knight
Lands (22)
Spells (13)
Starting Town has seen some play in the three-color Pixie decks, Jeskai Oculus, and the Dimir Midrange deck, working as a City of Brass-type land that also taps for colorless mana for no pain. The downside is still real in decks that want to be casting more expensive spells later in the game, but it’s tough to find a more reliable early game land for decks looking to cast spells from across different colors in the first few turns of the game.
Creatures (20)
- 3 Steamcore Scholar
- 4 Fear of Missing Out
- 4 Abhorrent Oculus
- 4 Marauding Mako
- 3 Tersa Lightshatter
- 2 Joshua, Phoenix's Dominant
Lands (22)
Spells (18)
When the majority of the threats in the format are creatures or artifacts that make creature tokens, Ultima will find a home. This new take on a five-mana Wrath gives control decks a new tool for fighting Cori-Steel Cutter while also keeping any pesky dies triggers from getting out of hand. Azorius Control has been the standout deck for this card so far, but it’s possible Zur Overlords could also utilize it over Sunfall.
Creatures (8)
Planeswalkers (2)
Lands (26)
Spells (24)
Speaking of Zur Overlords, our final legendary creature on the list could find a nice home alongside the Overlords from Duskmourn: House of Horror and Leyline Binding. Ward 2 makes Yuna difficult to interact with, so her end step trigger should be able to bring back some monster enchantments. She also “combos” with Zur to give your enchantment creatures trample in addition to deathtouch, lifelink, and hexproof. As a more outside of the box strategy, Yuna appeared as a four-of in a Naya Enchantments build that loots away the Overlords with Fear of Missing Out.
Creatures (15)
- 4 Zur, Eternal Schemer
- 2 Beza, the Bounding Spring
- 4 Overlord of the Hauntwoods
- 4 Overlord of the Mistmoors
- 1 Yuna, Hope of Spira
Lands (25)
Spells (20)
Creatures (21)
- 4 Fear of Missing Out
- 4 Overlord of the Hauntwoods
- 3 Overlord of the Boilerbilges
- 1 Summon: Bahamut
- 4 Yuna, Hope of Spira
- 1 Summon: Fenrir
- 1 Terra, Magical Adept
- 1 Summon: Knights of Round
- 2 Joshua, Phoenix's Dominant
Lands (25)
Spells (14)
Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering — FINAL FANTASY kicks off at 2 PM/11 AM on Friday. Watch the event on Magic’s Twitch or YouTube channel and keep an eye out for any other breakout cards.
