Magic: The Gathering’sFinal Fantasyset begins its Prerelease events this week, and anyone participating would benefit from knowing what Draft archetypes to build around. Each newMagic: The Gatheringset tends to include around 10 archetypes that can help guide players when playing Limited formats like Draft or Sealed, the latter of which is the format for Prerelease events. While you’re free to build outside these archetypes, they can be useful for new players who aren’t used to Limited.
Magic: The Gathering’s Draft archetypes are often made up of 10 two-color pairs made up of the game’s five mana colors. There are exceptions. For instance,Tarkir: Dragonstorm’s Draft archetypesfocused largely on three-color pairings. However,Final Fantasyhas stuck to the more traditional two-color pairings for its Draft archetypes, making it slightly more accessible for newer players as it’s easier to build around fewer colors.
10White-Blue Decks Support Artifacts
Colorless Artifacts Work In All Decks, But White And Blue Cards Offer Extra Support
Final Fantasy’s white and blue Draft archetype focuses on general Artifact support. This includes cards like Ashe, Princess of Dalmasca, which will help you find artifacts from your deck. Cid, Timeless Artificer is one to look out for, since its Cycling ability gives it a little extra utility. Tidus, Blitzball Star is another good card for this archetype as it will get buffed each time you play an artifact or create an artifact token.
A nice thing about a general artifact deck is thatartifacts themselves are typically colorless, so you won’t have to worry as much about having the right colors of manaas some other decks do. There are also a wide range of helpful Artifacts, including Equipment, Vehicles, or just general support ones like Lunatic Pandora which can be used to destroy one of your opponent’s cards. This gives you a lot of tools to build around while still being on theme.
9White-Black Benefit From Sacrificing Artifacts And Creatures
These Decks Give You Extra Utility For Your Creatures And Artifacts
White and black manaFinal Fantasydecks focus onsacrificing some of your own cards to gain benefits. One of the best indications of this strategy can be found on the card Judge Magister Gabranth, which will become stronger each time you sacrifice a creature or artifact.Magic’s recreation of Sephiroth killing Aerithis another good example of this, though the likelihood of pulling two specific cards of higher rarity is unlikely. Still, you can follow this basic strategy, of looking for creatures that either sacrifice others, gain something from being sacrificed or both.
Cards that generate tokens can also be a big benefit. Aerith Rescue Mission creates three Hero creature tokens, which can be used as sacrifices for other effects. A card that creates Treasure tokens can also be helpful, since sacrificing your Treasure to gain mana will also trigger any Artifact death triggers like Judge Magiset Gabarnth’s. This gives you double the value from your Treasure tokens, which are already a handy tool for any deck.
8Blue-Black Final Fantasy Decks Are A Unique Type Of Control
Blue And Black Cards Have Late-Game Payoffs For Having A Full Graveyard
Final Fantasy’s blue and black decks focus on a unique style of control. Like most control decks,these are slower-paced decks focused on late-game payoffs. However, this set’s blue-black cards are more specifically focused on putting cards in your graveyard for later payoffs. This focus can be seen on cards like Emet-Selch, Unsundered. Surveil abilities that allow you to put the top card of your deck into your graveyard if you choose, and looting cards like Locke Cole can be good ways to fill your graveyard and comb through your deck for appropriate late-game threats.
Control decks also need a way to keep you in the game longer, since your threats usually don’t hit the board until later in the game. A cheap card like Sleep Magic is a good way to stall powerful opposing creatures, or you can eliminate them with something like Overkill. Low mana-cost cards like Golbez, Crystal Collector can be helpful because they are a good early-game defense, while also scaling alongside your strategy of dumping cards into the graveyard with Surveil or looting effects.
7Blue-Red Decks Want You To Cast Big Noncreature Spells
Red And Blue Decks Give You Rewards For Casting Larger Spells
Blue and red decks inMagic: The Gatheringoften focus on casting noncreature spells. This can be seen with one of the set’sbest new commmanders, Vivi Ornitier.There is also an emphasis on casting larger spells to trigger beneficial effects. For example, Shantotto, Tactician Magician allows you to draw a card if you cast a noncreature spell that costs four mana or more.
Although this archetype rewards casting large spells,it’s still important that your mana curve doesn’t get too steepwhen you’re building a Draft orPrerelease deck. One good option could be cards with variable costs, like Choco-Comet. These can be cast earlier in the game if you need to, or you’re able to pump more mana into them later on for a big payoff. Cards like eSummon: G.F. Ifrit that provide extra mana can also be a way to cast larger spells earlier in the game.
6Black-Red Decks Focus On Aggressive Black Mage Cards
Final Fantasy’s Black Mages Deal Damage To Players When You Cast Spells
Final Fantasy’s black and red decks are similar to its blue-red decks, as they both focus on casting noncreature spells. The major difference here is thatblack-red decks are more aggressive and care more about the volume of spells you’re casting. Cards like Black Waltz No. 3 and Black Mage’s Rod give you ways to deal damage to your opponent each time you cast a noncreature spell, which will chip away at their health. With Kuja, Genome Sorcerer, you can create an army of Wizard creature tokens that also ping your opponent with each noncreature spell you cast.
You may also want tobe on the lookout for the uncommon card Garland, Knight of Cornelia. Garland can be transformed into a serious threat, especially in a Limited format like Draft or a Prerelease. This card also synergizes well with the noncreature spell strategy, since it will let you fix your draws each time you cast one.
5Black-Green Decks Give You Value From Your Graveyard
Black And Green Cards Focus On The Number Of Cards In Your Graveyard
Some black and green cards inFinal Fantasyoffer you additional benefits for having a full graveyard. Exdeath, Void Warlock transforms into the more powerful Neo Exdeath, Dimension’s End which has power equal to the number of permanents in your graveyard. The late-game card, Cloud of Darkness can remove a pretty big creature once your graveyard is full, and poses a nice threat to your opponent’s life total thanks to its Flying ability. Cards with death triggers, like Jenova, Ancient Calamity, can also be helpful since they give you value when your cards are destroyed, which compliments wanting a full graveyard.
Phantom Train could be another useful card for this deck,since you may use it to fill your graveyard while also buffing it. There is a fair amount of crossover here with the white-black sacrifice decks, which is helpful when building a deck because there are more black cards that work for both. It also means, if you decide to go with three colors, that white, black, and green (called Abzan) is a good possible option.
4Red-Green Decks Focus On Playing Lands
Landfall Abilities Give You Extra Value For Playing Lands
Red and green decks in theFinal Fantasyset can be effectively built around Landfall abilities. Landfall is a general ability word that describes a variety of abilitie that are triggered when a land enters the battlefield under your control. One good example is Rydia, Summoner of Mist, which lets you discard a card to draw a new one each time you play a land. Even though it isn’t strictly a Landfall ability, a card like Gigantoad that cares about the number of lands that you control is also a good option for this type of deck.
Tifa Lockhart is another powerful Landfall card, and works well if you’re using other cards that can help buff a creature. You may also want to keep an eye out for Zell Dincht, asthe ability to play a second each turn means multiple Landfall triggers. Picking a land back up is also a good way to ensure you’re getting Landfall triggers each turn, even if you don’t draw another land.
3Red-White Decks Help You Get Aggressive With Equipment
Equipment Cards Can Be Used To Buff Your Creatures
Magic: The Gathering’s designers understood how important equipment is inFinal Fantasygames and included some powerful weapons and armor for you to use in your decks.Red and white decks have the most support for equipment,and also some general artifact support. One card that will be very helpful in building an equipment deck is Giott, King of the Dwarves. Not only does this card’s triggered ability help you cycle through your deck, but its Double Strike ability synergizes well with weapons that increase a creature’s power.
Machinist’s Arsenal can be a powerful late-game card for an equipment buildbecause you’ll likely have quite a few artifacts on the field. It’s also nice when an equipment card creates a creature and attaches itself to it, so you don’t have to spend extra mana to equip it to an existing creature, and you can still play it effectively if your board is empty. Barret Wallace is another nice addition here, both for its Equipment-themed attack trigger, and because Reach is always important in Limited for defending against flying creatures.
2Green-White Decks Focus On Creating A Lot Of Creatures
This Is Achieved Through Creating Tokens Or Playing Cheap Creatures
Green and white decks inFinal Fantasy’s Limited environment focus onfilling your board with a lot of creatures. One way to do this is by using creatures like Rinoa Heartilly that drop additional creature tokens when they enter. This gives you a little extra value for the initial spell, and Rinoa specifically also has an ability that works better the more creatures you have. Quina, Qu Gourmet is another good way to get extra creatures, as it tacks an additional Frog token on to any other token creation that you do on your turn.
Filling your field with creatures is one thing, but token creatures tend to be relatively weak compared to the ones that you cast.You’ll also want cards that can buff your creatures, to make up for the relative weakness of cheap creatures or creature tokens. Dion, Bahamut’s Dominant is a nice addition to a green-white deck because it will make you a creature token, and when it transforms into Bahamut, Warden of Light, it will buff all the creatures on your side of the battlefield.
1Green-Blue Decks Use Final Fantasy’s Towns For Mana And Abilities
Towns Are A Special Type Of Land In MTG’s Final Fantasy Set
Green and blueFinal Fantasydecks have a good amount of support for mana ramp. This refers to cards that help you get extra lands on the battlefield, giving you a mana advantage over your opponent. A card like Ignis Scientia will allow you to put another land onto the battlefield, and because it doesn’t specify that it needs to be a Basic land, you can play something more powerful, like one ofFinal Fantasy’s towns. There is a lot of town support in these colors, with cards like Prishe’s Wanderings and Reach the Horizons letting you search for them.
Although it might be hard to use its five-color ability,Final Fantasy XIV’s Wandering Minstrel can still be useful in a green-blue deck for its static Town payoff. Cards like Qiqirn Merchant and Balamb Garden, SeeD Academy also synergize with Towns, making it a solid add-on to the basic ramp strategy for this deck. ExperienceMagic: The Gatheringplayers probably aren’t surprised to see the Simic archetype inFinal Fantasyhave something to do with ramp. While towns add a slightly new twist to the matter, it’s still largely what we’ve come to expect from green-blue decks in Limited formats.
