Cards to Pick Up for Your Final Fantasy Commanders Decks

Universes Beyond: Final Fantasy has been an explosive set. Collector Booster Boxes are still going up in price, non-foil Through the Ages bonus sheet cards are holding strong in value despite being widely available, and even the basic versions of big hitter cards like Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER and Cloud, Midgar Mercenary have retained their exaggerated values since the set's release on June 13. 

If there's a race to the bottom, as there usually is when a new set releases, has the race started? 

Sure, not every card has acted like this, but there’s just so many cool things in this set to keep people interested that I believe these items will remain hot at least until the next wave of Final Fantasy product drops - whenever that may be.

But what about previously-printed cards outside of Final Fantasy that work well with this set, particularly in Commander? 

We’ve seen Harmonic Prodigy double in price to $14 (at the time of writing), due to its synergy with such Wizards as Vivi Ornitier and Kefka, Court Mage. Even more niche spells like Jaws of Defeat are seeing movement - this one in particular due to Overkill, proving that even uncommons from this impactful set can have ripple effects on the market. 

It can be hard to keep up with everything, but the potential to benefit off the set’s popularity is inherently present. Which raises the question: What are some other picks that might see movement due to their utility in Commander alongside cards from Final Fantasy? 

Looking at the top played Final Fantasy commanders on EDHREC can give us some insight into what prices may fluctuate next, so let’s take a gander.

Choco, Seeker of Paradise

Currently sitting as the third most popular commander from Final Fantasy at just under 5,000 decks listed on EDHREC, Choco, Seeker of Paradise is a Landfall powerhouse that rewards you for swinging wide and flying high. The more Birds you have, the more lands enter off Choco’s ability, so you’re going to want to not only create as many Birds as possible, but also find ways to incentivize them to attack. 

This is where Murmuration comes in. This enchantment from Commander: Bloomburrow may seem innocuous, but actually packs a wallop in the right build. Every time you cast a spell, you (effectively) get a 2/3 flyer with vigilance as long as it’s your turn when you cast said spell, allowing you to swing in and trigger Choco’s ability the following turns while also keeping blockers open if necessary. 

Yes it is on your end step, and yes it costs a whole five mana, but it’s easy to fix for with just one white mana symbol in its casting cost. And considering you will be in green and ramping, it’s not unreasonable to expect this could come out consistently as early as turn three. 

If it resolves early, while everyone is still setting up board states, it could make you a very relevant army very quickly. 

Both the basic version and the extended art are going for around a dollar at the moment, which doesn’t seem like a bad price to buy at if you think Murmuration might have a wide appeal. It’s remained steady in price since its release, but we have seen a slight uptick since the release of Final Fantasy so far that I think it has the potential to keep moving.

Mockingbird, from the main set release of Bloomburrow, is another great choice for Choco, as it can give you a copy of not just the best utility creature on your side of the field, but the whole board, as a flying Bird. 

With the current state of Magic there are an extraordinary number of impactful, low-cost creatures that Mockingbird can copy, making it a powerful clone ability in this deck that is sure to make an impact. You have a Drannith Magistrate? Now I have one as well. You have a Pollywog Prodigy? I’ll copy that and give mine flying for one more mana. It can even copy creature tokens as well, if that ends up being relevant in your playgroup, making it a versatile and powerful clone effect. 

Even if you’re just using it to copy, say, a Noble Hierarch, you’re almost always going to get some utility out of it. 

Mockingbird goes for around four bucks, but as Bloomburrow slowly phases out and Final Fantasy continues to dominate everything, I do believe it has the potential to go higher.

Lastly for Choco we have Tawnos, the Toymaker, another deceivingly effective five-drop that can help get even more Birds on your side of the field. One of the many things I’ve learned about Magic: The Gathering over the years is to never underestimate the power of anything with a “doubling effect.” And while this card won’t work with the tokens created with Murmuration, it will provide so much value to you it almost seems silly not to run it with Choco at the helm. 

Imagine Tawnos with something like Anointed Procession or Mondrak, Glory Dominus and you can triple up on Birds, which is no joke. 

Supply for this one is abundant, but at around half a dollar for Extended Art foils, it might be a good idea to grab one of these before it eventually goes up; you really can’t beat that price point.

Murmuration	CardKingdom $0.69	TCGPlayer $1.00
Murmuration (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $1.79	TCGPlayer $1.20
Mockingbird	CardKingdom $5.49	TCGPlayer $3.98
Mockingbird (Showcase)	CardKingdom $7.99	TCGPlayer $6.30
Tawnos, the Toymaker	CardKingdom $0.79	TCGPlayer $0.44
Tawnos, the Toymaker (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $1.29	TCGPlayer $0.50

Terra, Magical Adept

Terra, Magical Adept is a Gruul legend that’s all about self-milling and Sagas… a highly intriguing card given the colors, but one that lends itself to basically everything it needs by technically having a WUBRG color identity on its back side. This provides a somewhat more niche and obtuse approach to the Saga game plan, while still being a source of general “good stuff” for this strategy akin to cards like Tom Bombadil or Narci, Fable Singer. She’s in the top 5 used commanders for Final Fantasy on EDHREC, and for good reason.

I mentioned this card in my column last July, but Weaver of Harmony is still an incredibly strong pick for Saga-based decks at just two mana. Giving an anthem effect to all your Summons and being able to copy their triggers could be devastating in the right deck, and it slots perfectly into Terra. This one can still be widely found for less than $2, so if you’re running Terra, you know what to do.  

Beyond that, Terra can benefit from the usual enchantment-based draw engines like Enchantress's Presence, though I do prefer stuff like Setessan Champion in case you’re sneaking enchantments into play and not casting them. Of these effects though, my personal favorite is Eidolon of Blossoms, due to it being an enchantment creature that triggers off itself - pair this with a Deadeye Navigator in the right build and you’re in for a great time. 

Of the versions available, I prefer the Buy-A-Box Promo, as it’s the only one of its various printings that has different art, and can be bought for around $5, which is still reasonable considering it was once $10. 

Satsuki, the Living Lore is my last pick for this deck, because while many players are going to want to keep re-triggering all their Saga abilities with stuff like Power Conduit, there is situationally benefits to accelerating everything to their final, more devastation triggers. 

This is especially relevant with Terra at the helm, as it would normally take four full turns to get to her final ability. 

Satsuki has only been printed in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, and has somehow dodged a reprint with all the Saga synergies that have been printed since then. And while supply is abundant, for less than $0.50 a copy it really only has room to grow, making for a solid pickup for all Terra players.

Weaver of Harmony	CardKingdom $2.99	TCGPlayer $1.50
Weaver of Harmony (Showcase)	CardKingdom $2.99	TCGPlayer $2.05
Eidolon of Blossoms	CardKingdom	TCGPlayer $5.72
Eidolon of Blossoms	CardKingdom $3.99	TCGPlayer $2.20
Satsuki, the Living Lore	CardKingdom $0.59	TCGPlayer $0.49
Satsuki, the Living Lore (Showcase)	CardKingdom $1.79	TCGPlayer $1.06

Kuja, Genome Sorcerer

Yet another commander that works well with Harmonic Prodigy, Kuja, Genome Sorcerer wants you to deal damage by casting noncreature spells, and can be an effective way to consistently deal damage to each opponent if you’re able to get him out early enough. He’s another popular commander from Final Fantasy, and I'd wager he'll be showing up pretty consistently at commander nights at your LGS. 

The first thing I thought of when I saw this commander was two words: Dragon's Approach. Now, you do need some sort of effect that would keep netting you more cards on casting of said Dragon’s Approaches, like Syr Carah, the Bold or Virtue of Courage, but once you get that out, the potential to deal as much as four, five, or even six or more damage on each cast of a three-mana spell to each opponent is wildly efficient. 

If I were to run Kuja as a commander, this is the avenue I would explore. And since anyone who runs any Dragon’s Approach deck needs at least twenty or so of them in their deck, grabbing them now when they are just $2 (as opposed to their highest of $4) might be a wise choice.

My other pick for this deck would have to be Descent into Avernus. This is an incredibly strong card that speeds the game up immensely, which aggressive decks like Kuja are always looking for. And if you’re going for a fast win, this both provides you mana and damage to your opponents to get you there.

It’s sitting at $6, the highest it’s been, and since we likely won’t see another printing of this card for some time, it might be a good idea to grab one while they’re somewhat reasonable. 

Dragon's Approach	CardKingdom $2.99	TCGPlayer $2.00
Descent into Avernus	CardKingdom $9.49	TCGPlayer $5.70
Descent into Avernus (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $9.99	TCGPlayer $6.76

In Conclusion

These are just some of the picks I would recommend if you’re planning on running any of these, though there are plenty more gems that synergize with these cards that I wasn’t able to touch upon. 

Final Fantasy is a goldmine of unique commanders that are going to have endless fun and fascinating interactions, and I am genuinely excited to see the direction they help take the game in.

Further Reading

The Finances of Universes Beyond

Commander Staples From Final Fantasy

Checking In With Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty