Potential Commander Staples From Final Fantasy

History, Restapled: Fantasy Sports

Welcome back for another History, Restapled, a Commander-focused column that attempts to validate a newer card’s status as a staple by looking at how cards that are similar, synergistic, or competing have fared in the past financially.

Community buzz is all about Edge of Eternities, but I’m content to keep exploring Universes Beyond: Final Fantasy before venturing into the vast universe of outer space. Here are some to watch:

Zenos Yae Galvus - $0.50

Monocolored cards that allow you to win the game on the spot generally are worth at least a few dollars. Angel of Destiny is running at $7, Mirrodin Besieged is at $3.50, and Halo Fountain is sitting at $5. It’s to be expected, as these cards can seemingly find a home in many decks and appear flashy to newer players — though veterans can appreciate a good shortcut every now and again.

Zenos yae Galvus is the latest entry into the series and offers quite the skip: When a particular opponent loses, you win the entire pod, regardless of how much life or how impressive a board state opponents have.

This scenario exists in an area adjacent to Magical Christmasland, it’s true, and Zenos requires a heck of a lot of setup to flip into kill mode. But unlike many of the other “you win the game” entries, Zenos can be strong even without transforming. The built-in board wipe can clear away pesky tokens or shrink an opponent’s army for your alpha strike, and the card offers the opportunity to get political with the choice of creature to save. (Notably, the creature only has to leave the battlefield to trigger Zenos, meaning it can be flickered or bounced, as well.)

I can’t imagine a card like this reaching double digits anytime soon. But, as a corner-case card from the Final Fantasy set with heavy appeal to casual players, its price could certainly increase a few times over and provide some return on investment.

STATUS: Peripheral card to keep an eye on

Zenos Yae Galvus	CardKingdom $0.49	TCGPlayer $0.50
Zenos Yae Galvus (Borderless)	CardKingdom $3.99	TCGPlayer $4.12
Zenos Yae Galvus (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $1.29	TCGPlayer $1.68

The Fire Crystal - $3.50

Haste is one of the best abilities in Commander. In many scenarios, it’s about as effective as taking an extra turn and can assist with eliminating players quickly.

Almost every red deck wants haste, and luckily there’s no shortage of ways to enable it. Anger is at the top of the heap, as it’s difficult to interact with the card once it’s online. As far as onboard, Rising of the Day from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth has become the new staple, offering just enough of a boost above Fervor to become the superior option.

Then, there’s everything else.

For the price of Fervor and just over the price of Anger, The Fire Crystal is set to blow them all away. Its four-mana value is higher than most but it quickly saves you far more than a single mana, and the savings grow quickly over time. Ruby Medallion is already a staple in mono-red; por que no los dos? Plus, the rest of The Fire Crystal’s text can be situationally relevant to snag an additional ETB or swing in with a second copy of your best threat.

The card’s biggest downside is the fact that it can be a magnet for removal, which…rightfully so. But if we lived in constant fear of a Vandalblast or Abrade, we’d be chess players.

STATUS: New mono-red staple

The Fire Crystal	CardKingdom $5.49	TCGPlayer $4.17
The Fire Crystal (Borderless)	CardKingdom $8.49	TCGPlayer $8.45

Nibelheim Aflame - $4.50

While this card doesn’t hit players like Chandra's Ignition does, the fact that it can be cast multiple times means it’s still a banger even if it’s not also a finisher.

Any deck running Chandra’s Ignition — or Waltz of Rage, for that matter — will want Nibelheim alongside staples like Blasphemous Act or Chain Reaction. Its flashback ability enables it to wipe the board after your opponents rebuild from the first board wipe, and drawing four cards is superior to most similar red effects that draw you two or three cards, at most.

This card is more expensive than Chandra’s Ignition, but given it’s a mythic, I’d expect it to dip a bit before beginning its rise. Wait a few weeks, grab a few, and start running them ASAP.

STATUS: Mono-red staple-adjacent

Nibelheim Aflame	CardKingdom $7.49	TCGPlayer $5.45
Nibelheim Aflame (Borderless)	CardKingdom $21.99	TCGPlayer $18.98

Genji Glove - $3.50

Extra combat steps is usually red’s business, but Genji Glove opens the possibility to all colors, including colorless.

Plus, the card provides double strike to maximize those two combat steps on an exponential level. Considering Commander players already run jank like Fireshrieker and Grappling Hook, Genji Glove shouldn’t have a hard time finding a home pretty quickly, even in red decks with access to things like Karlach, Fury of Avernus.

Yes, this card is a bit slow, and it only untaps the attacking creature rather than your whole board. But players have demonstrated that they’ll pay a premium for colorless versions of off-color effects, which keeps cards like Conjurer's Closet and Helm of the Host in the conversation. I don’t expect Genji Glove to be much different.

STATUS: New extra combat staple

Genji Glove

CardKingdom $4.49

TCGPlayer $4.50

All Sales Final

Which cards from Final Fantasy have you been eyeing? Any you’re speccing, or any you’ve abandoned because you don’t think they’re going to move financially? Let me know!

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