At the time of writing, Magic: The Gathering’s next set, Edge of Eternities, is about to launch (into prerelease), and that means we’ll be surfing the stars in no time at all and waving goodbye to Final Fantasy’s ludicrously popular Universes Beyond set.
And yet, with the set being standard legal for three years, there are still plenty of reasons to pick up some cards in the set for your decks. And, now that the pre-launch hype has died down, there are a bunch of cards that have dropped in value and are well worth a look.
Here are some powerful cards you can find very cheaply.
Sazh’s Chocobo
Magic: The Gathering Sazh’s Chocobo
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I’m starting this list with a cheap card that also happens to be adorable, and that’s Sazh’s Chocobo. It’s been in plenty of decks I’ve played against on Arena, and it’s an Uncommon that gets stronger the more land you play.
Considering it only costs one mana, you can essentially play it on turn two, then drop your land for an instant payoff, and then grow from there. You can get it for around a dollar.
Summon: Primal Odin
Magic: The Gathering Summon: Primal Odin
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Decidely less adorable, Summon: Primal Odin is a ridiculous card for so many reasons. For one, he offers instant removal of a creature, and later on can allow card draw and life damage to rivals.
In between those is Zantetsuken, an ability that means “Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player loses the game.” That’s just nasty, especially if you find a way to give Odin Trample or Flying. He’ll cost you a couple of bucks.
Swallowed By Leviathan
Magic: The Gathering Swallowed by Leviathan
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This one is neat, because counter spells are always welcome (unless you’re the one being countered), but you get to Surveil as well and then charge your opponent mana to push that card through.
While Swallowed by Leviathan is a three-cost card, it’s the kind of thing that can really irritate a rival in the late-game once Commander tax is totting up and each piece of mana becomes more important. It’s selling for 13 cents.
Battle Menu
Magic: The Gathering Battle Menu
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Whether the card is useful to you or not, there’s something really neat about this artwork and the idea of Final Fantasy’s turn-based Battle Menu being used in a card form.
Not only is this two-mana spell versatile, but it’s available for a few cents. Stick it in your White deck and go wild, because you can buy four of them for less than a dollar.
Nibelheim Aflame
Magic: The Gathering Nibelheim Aflame
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OK, Nibelheim Aflame is a little pricier at around $7, but it’s still a great card for anyone looking for an aggressive spell that you can play from the graveyard, too. That lets you redo your hand as well.
Plus, come on – it’s Sephiroth at Nibelheim, one of the most iconic moments in any Final Fantasy game.
Golbez, Crystal Collector
Magic: The Gathering Golbez, Crystal Collector
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Golbez was a pretty popular early card in the set, ideal for artifact decks and anyone with a penchant for reanimation, and he’s now well under a dollar.
Golbez, Crystal Collector is also cheap in terms of its mana cost. It’ll set you back one blue and one black, and he’ll pair nicely with just about any blue/black artifact deck.
Blitzball
Magic: The Gathering Blitzball
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A key part of the Final Fantasy X ‘sport’ that I played more than any other PS2 game I reckon, Blitzball taps for any color mana which is nice, but if you have plenty of Legendary Creature, you can use it for card draw, too.
Considering you can buy it for under 50 cents, it’s probably worth nabbing for a Final Fantasy X collection just as much as it is for a viable deck.
Black Mage’s Rod
Magic: The Gathering Black Mage’s Rod
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Cheap and very cheerful, Black Mage’s Rod is a two-mana common that allows for pinging opponents for 1 damage when you play spells.
Despite the artwork, you can’t use it in a Vivi-helmed deck because it requires Black Mana, but it does synergize nicle with Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed from the Final Fantasy 14 Commander Deck.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.
