Through the Ages? More like Through the Ratings!
Welcome to the Limited Set Review for Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY!
Reid Duke and I will be covering the Limited Set Reviews this time around, and we’ll cover every single card that you can open in an MTG—FINAL FANTASY Play Booster, including an installment for the Through the Ages bonus sheet. If you want to read more about the themes and mechanics of MTG—FINAL FANTASY as you gear up for Prerelease and Draft — you can read more about it here!
MTG—FINAL FANTASY Limited Grading System
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Before we dive into the cards, let’s talk about our grading process. Our Limited grading scale is designed to give you a sense of how cards compare to each other, but the grade is less informative than the commentary, so use both to evaluate cards. We use a 0-5 scale, with good commons usually landing around 3.0-3.5 and good rares 4.0 and up.
Let’s take a look at the scale (with examples attached):
- 5.0: The best of the best — the most powerful cards in the set (such as Marang River Regent or Ugin, Eye of the Storms)
- 4.5: Incredible Limited card, but just shy of the literal best cards in the set such as (Death Begets Life)
- 4.0: Good rare, or top-tier uncommon (such as Twinmaw Stormbrood)
- 3.5: Top-tier common or good uncommon (such as Dispelling Exhale)
- 3.0: You basically never cut these — good commons land here (such as Ainok Wayfarer)
- 2.5: Solid playable that rarely gets cut (such as Unending Whisper)
- 2.0: Decent filler, but sometimes gets cut (such as Osseous Exhale)
- 1.5: Pure card filler, which you cut most of the time (such as Snowmelt Stag)
- 1.0: Bad card filler, which you cut almost all the time (such as Tempest Hawk)
- 0.0: Completely unplayable under all circumstances (such as One with Nothing)
Where to Find MTG—FINAL FANTASY Limited Set Reviews
If you’re looking the rest of our Limited Set Reviews for MTG—FINAL FANTASY, here they are below:
- White
- Blue
- Black
- Red
- Green
- Multicolor, Colorless, and Lands
MTG—FINAL FANTASY Limited Set Review: Through the Ages Bonus Sheet
Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 4.0
Hero of Light (Adeline, Resplendent Cathar) is a beating — I’ve played against it enough in Cube to know. This hits hard, gives you value right away, and overwhelms the opponent if left unchecked for even a turn. This is clearly at its best in aggressive decks, but it’s powerful enough that you should basically always play it.
Ranger-Captain of Eos
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Mythic
Limited: 3.0
You won’t always end up with a good one-drop for Knights of San d’Oria (Ranger-Captain of Eos), so taking this early can be a miss sometimes. You do want something to search for to play this, as the 3/3 body and the spell effect aren’t quite good enough on their own in Limited.
Sram, Senior Edificer
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 4.0
There is a lot of equipment in this set, and most of it comes with a creature attached, so you aren’t even risking creature-light draws. As a result, Firion, Swordmaster (Sram, Senior Edificer) looks great and is a strong early pick.
Counterspell
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 3.0
Wild Rose Rebellion (Counterspell) also isn’t as good as in Constructed, though it’s still solid. Getting double-blue early is a real cost, and this isn’t as much better than Cancel-like effect than you might think.
Urza, Lord High Artificer
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Mythic
Limited: 4.0
I’ve never passed Urza, Lord High Artificer in Cube (and I suppose it’s true that I’ve also never passed Terra Branford either), and don’t intend to in MTG—FINAL FANTASY Limited either. The natural home for this is blue/white, but it’s strong enough to be good in any blue deck.
Venser, Shaper Savant
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 3.5
Master Xande (Venser, Shaper Savant) is maximally flexible — being able to return spells, lands, creatures, or anything else you can imagine to the owner’s hand. This never answers anything permanently (except tokens), but it’s pretty hard for things to go wrong with Master Xande on deck. This goes into any blue deck and isn’t particularly demanding — you cast it, and it’s good.
Bolas’s Citadel
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 1.0
If you can cast Kefka’s Tower (Bolas’s Citadel) and have some good lifegain elements, it can be fairly strong. However, most decks won’t be able to manage it. It does require a lot of resources, both in terms of mana and setup, so I’d mostly leave this for Constructed.
Dark Ritual
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 3.0
I’d play Darkness of Eternity (Dark Ritual) in any black deck, but it would particularly look for powerful six to eight-mana cards to try and accelerate out. Darkness of Eternity is card disadvantage, but the threats are so good these days that casting one or two turns early is worth being down a card.
Fatal Push
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 4.0
Battle at the Big Bridge (Fatal Push) is removal at its finest, removing almost anything for just one mana. This has been great in every format it’s legal in, and I see no reason why that trend can’t continue here.
Syr Konrad, the Grim
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 4.0
Golbez, Clad in Darkness (Syr Konrad, the Grim) is also a fantastic finisher, and one of those cards that makes the entire game revolve around it when it hits the board. This deals damage to your opponent nonstop and will win most games where it sticks around.
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Mythic
Limited: 4.5
The Emperor, Hell Tyrant (Yawgmoth, Thran Physician) asks if you have a lot of creatures in your deck, and in exchange, it delivers you plenty of match wins. The natural home for this is in white/black, but I’d slam The Emperor no matter what my second color is — The Emperor is a busted card.
Ancient Copper Dragon
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Mythic
Limited: 2.0
If you hit them with Dragon of Mount Gulg (Ancient Copper Dragon), this likely will win you the game, but that’s true of most six-mana cards. The trick is having it survive, and this doesn’t take much to make that possible. A six-drop without any enter-the-battlefield abilities or protection just isn’t ideal, even if it can close out games sometimes.
Godo, Bandit Warlord
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 3.5
If you have a couple of pieces of equipment (ideally ones with Hero select), Gilgamesh, Weapon Collector (Godo, Bandit Warlord) is going to do good work for you. Six mana is a steep cost, but this brings along a Hero and can set up some large attacks. It goes without saying, but this is wildly unplayable without equipment.
Purphoros, God of the Forge
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Mythic
Limited: 1.5
Kefka Palazzo (Purphoros, God of the Forge) is too much mana to not impact the board at all, even if it can burn the opponent out over time. I’d mostly pass on this, though a really heavy red deck could consider it.
Azusa, Lost but Seeking
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 0.0
Even in the Landfall deck, I don’t think Princess Sarah (Azusa, Lost but Seeking) does enough. You are paying too much for a creature that can’t get into combat, and when you run out of lands to play, Princess Sarah stops doing anything.
Nyxbloom Ancient
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Mythic
Limited: 0.0
The Cloudsea Djinn (Nyxbloom Ancient) is way too expensive and gives you a ton of mana that you don’t need — I’ll pass.
Jodah, the Unifier
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 1.5
The Warrior of Light (Jodah, the Unifier) one is both harder to cast and has a much smaller payoff — as a result, I’m only playing this in the rare five-color deck with a bunch of legends.
Tymna the Weaver
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 3.0
Cecil Harvey (Tymna the Weaver) is another dangerous card while in play, though a lot less fierce than Clive Rosfield (Vial Smasher the Fierce). Cecil punishes the opponent every time you hit them and really pays you off for playing evasive threats (or the like). The more aggressive you are, the better this gets, as it does very little in control-style decks.
Winota, Joiner of Forces
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 2.0
While there’s a mix of humans and non-humans in this set, Bartz Klauser (Winota, Joiner of Forces) isn’t going to be a reliable method of card advantage. I’d play this as a threat with some upside, but it’s not a must-have by any stretch.
Traxos, Scourge of Kroog
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 4.0
There are a ton of legends and/or artifacts in this set, so untapping Giant of Babil (Traxos, Scourge of Kroog) isn’t a huge challenge. That leaves you with a four-mana 7/7 — and according to my calculations — is a good deal.
Akroma’s Will
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Mythic
Limited: 4.0
Either mode on Blessing of the Oracle (Akroma’s Will) is capable of ending the game with ease, and I’ve already been on the receiving end of flying and double strike. If your big strike isn’t lethal, choosing the second mode lets you hit for a ton and gain a bunch of life, setting you up to win the turn after. The only thing Blessing of the Oracles asks is that you play a ton of creatures, and that isn’t a difficult condition to meet in Limited.
Danitha Capashen, Paragon
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 3.5
Thanks to the large amount of equipment in MTG—FINAL FANTASY, Squall Leonhart (Danitha Capashen, Paragon) is well-positioned in this format. You do need equipment for this to be good, but that won’t be too hard to acquire.
Kenrith, the Returned King
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 4.0
Kenrith, the Returned King (Noctis Luscis Caelum) is back and is ready to continue bashing Limited tables. Noctis is a must-kill in any color combination, and with enough mana, it impacts the battlefield right away. I’d look to play this in a Town deck (ideally), but it’s a great card even in a low-curve red/white deck.
Loran of the Third Path
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 3.5
This format is chock full of enchantments to target, and there are even some artifacts here and there, too. Garnet Til Alexandros 17th (Loran of the Third Path) looks awesome and can even draw you both cards if the situation warrants it. A good rule of thumb is that the more resources your opponent has, the less drawing a card helps them, so if you are behind on cards this is likely worth activating.
Mangara, the Diplomat
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 3.0
Minwu, Rebellion Strategist (Mangara, the Diplomat) is quite hard to beat with small creatures but doesn’t match up well against the bigger ones. Stopping the opponent from double-spelling is nice, and overall, this is a pretty annoying card to play against (which usually means that it’s good).
Stroke of Midnight
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 2.0
If you are short on removal, Memories of Nibelheim (Stroke of Midnight) does the job, albeit at a cost. I like it the best in blue/green Town decks because that deck can splash other colors easily and doesn’t care about giving them a token (a token that’s way more of a liability in this format due to all the decent equipment).
Wall of Omens
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 3.5
The Imperial City of Arcades (Wall of Omens) is a fine early play, and any defensive deck will be thrilled to slot it in. An 0/4 that replaces itself is just good value, and this is especially good in black/white.
Brainstorm
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 3.0
Endwalker (Brainstorm) is not as good as you might imagine in most Limited decks, since you are unlikely to have many effects to shuffle cards away. It’s still a decent draw spell, just nothing approaching how good it is in any Constructed format.
Cryptic Command
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 1.0 // 3.5
The trick here is casting To the Crystal Tower (Cryptic Command) since the card itself is quite strong. It’s even worth stretching your mana for or risking this sitting in hand for a while, but the triple-blue mana cost is intense enough that you do have to do some work to get there. Every combination of modes on the card is good here, though note that if you choose the tap and the return target permanent mode, they can fizzle the whole spell if the first mode is removed.
Laboratory Maniac
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 1.0
You’d have to be a maniac to try and get Vana’diel Adventurers (Laboratory Maniac) to work in most decks, it is possible that blue/black will want it from time to time (or green/black can splash it with enough graveyard synergies).
Rhystic Study
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Mythic
Limited: 1.5
I can see games where Stay with Me (Rhystic Study) is annoying, but most of the time, it won’t do quite enough to justify itself. Playing it on turn three sounds good, but if they just play off-curve for a turn and apply pressure, you spent three mana to do very little. Worse, drawing this in the late game sounds horrific. Overall, I’d leave this one for the times when you want to get yelled at by your multiplayer table.
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 1.5
The casting cost on Edea Kramer (Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir) is rough, and the payoff isn’t there. Giving all of your creature spells flash is neat, as is taking away their ability to play at instant speed, and by the time you cast this, I doubt either player has tons more cards to play. Teferi hasn’t aged as well as I’d like, and this isn’t a card I’d try too hard to play.
Deadly Dispute
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 3.0
Baron Rivalry (Deadly Dispute) is excellent in white/black and playable outside of that if you have enough artifacts and creatures. I’d expect most blue/black decks to pass on this, with red/black and green/black swinging either way.
Diabolic Intent
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 0.0
These effects in Limited start weak, and adding a steep cost makes me totally uninterested in playing this. I’ll pass on Shantotto’s Coercion (Diabolic Intent).
Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Mythic
Limited: 3.5
If you can draft an aggressive curve, The Shadow Lord (Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor) can really punish the opponent. You do need to be getting in there for The Shadow Lord to shine, so draft a deck that can do that. The seven-mana ability is also quite powerful, meaning mana ramp decks can make use of this rather well.
K’rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 1.0
I’ve never seen Emet-Selch, Ascian (K’rrik, Son of Yawgmoth) work, and it’s been in a bunch of draft formats since this one. You can skip it.
Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 3.0
My experience with Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire in Kaldheim is that it’s mostly a 2/3 deathtouch since casting a Vampiric Tutor-like effect once you’ve attacked is not the most exciting play. Still, a 2/3 deathtouch with a little extra power isn’t bad, and I’d likely run Ardyn Izunia in MTG—FINAL FANTASY Limited.
Captain Lannery Storm
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 3.5
The only element Vaan, Aspiring Sky Pirate (Captain Lannery Storm) aspires to do is attack the opponent and create Treasure tokens, which (luckily) it is extremely good at. Once you’ve made a Treasure or two, you might want to cast your spells pre-combat so Vaan gains the bonus from sacrificing Treasure tokens. I also don’t mind trading this on turn three and being up a Treasure — that’s a decent use of the card.
Light Up the Stage
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 2.0
The more aggressive your deck is, the better A Promise Fulfilled (Light Up the Stage) becomes. If you don’t have much hope of casting it for one mana, I’d likely skip it, but it’s good in decks such as red/white or red/black.
Lightning Bolt
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 4.0
Lightning Bolt is a Magic: The Gathering classic for a reason — this card is just fantastic. It’s about as good as it gets without being an actual Limited all-star, and you won’t pass Thrum of the Vestige often.
Mizzix’s Mastery
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 1.0 // 3.0
In a blue/red spells deck that has a ton of spells to Flashback, Dawn Warriors’ Legacy (Mizzix’s Mastery) could be something. Casting this on Eject gives you multiple “big spell” triggers, and if you can get to eight mana, it goes pretty hard. Most of the time, you shouldn’t play this, but there are areas where it could be good.
Najeela, the Blade-Blossom
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Mythic
Limited: 2.0
Cloud Strife (Najeela, the Blade-Blossom) attacks and creates a Warrior token, but unfortunately, the token enters play attacking the opponent. That’s actually worse most of the time because the opponent will just block if they have a bigger threat, leaving you right where you started. Given that the five-color ability won’t come up much, this is overall a lot less exciting than I expected it to be.
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Mythic
Limited: 4.0
Zidane Tribal (Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer) is about the most feast-or-famine card in MTG—FINAL FANTASY. When you have this on turn one, it can run away with the game entirely and feel completely unfair while doing so. Drawn later — it’s a blank — and your incredible first pick is basically a Goblin Piker. Overall, it’s still great to have a card that can win games independently.
Carpet of Flowers
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 1.0
I would never maindeck Fal’Cie Paradise (Carpet of Flowers), but it’s a strong sideboard card. Against a blue deck, it’s basically a mana-generating enchantment that can net you two to three mana, which is excellent. Its only drawback is that the Town deck might have Town cards instead of Basic Islands, which makes this scurry back into the sideboard.
Farseek
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 3.0
Newfound Adventure (Farseek) fits perfectly into red/green, though I’d happily play it in any green combination. Ramping on mana plus fixing for just two mana is a great deal.
Fynn, the Fangbearer
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 3.5
Good stats plus a legit way to win the game — that’s a lot for a two-drop. Vayne Carudas Solidor has always played great the last time we saw it (as Fynn, the Fangbearer), and I expect about the same here.
Nature’s Claim
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 1.0
Search for the Frozen Esper (Nature’s Claim) is another sideboard card and one with pretty absurd art.
Primeval Titan
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 4.0
Now this is the card from Modern Amulet Titan that I want (sorry Princess Sarah (Azusa, Lost but Seeking). Astral Titan (Primeval Titan) lives up to the hype and is a fantastic addition to any green archetype. Grabbing two Town cards is funny, and this double-triggers Landfall like the best of ’em.
Atraxa, Grand Unifier
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Mythic
Limited: 4.5
Sephiroth, the Savior (Atraxa, Grand Unifier) is both castable and unbeatable, making it an incredible pick-up in Draft or Sealed. Yes, even at four colors — I wouldn’t hesitate to take this and draft the rampiest four-color deck you’ve ever seen. When the payoffs are there, you can stretch your manabase, and this is one of the best Magic: The Gathering cards you could hope to resolve.
Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 4.0
Hugo Kupka (Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder) sets up a big attack the turn you cast it and then does so every turn it’s on the battlefield. That’s a pretty nice combination, and it’s hard to imagine racing this or beating it in combat without a much-needed removal spell.
Dovin’s Veto
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 1.0
I don’t mind siding Shadowbringers (Dovin’s Veto) in, but Negate (even an uncounterable one) isn’t a great card to play mainboard in Limited. It does get a little more mileage thanks to the Job select equipment, but I still wouldn’t run it.
Inalla, Archmage Ritualist
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 1.5
There are a ton of ways to make Wizard tokens, which Kuja, Mage Manufacturer (Inalla, Archmage Ritualist) doesn’t really play well with (though they do help for Kuja’s last ability). This is just a few too many colors and too much mana to be reliable, especially since you also need to find some Wizards.
Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 2.0
Benedikta Harman (Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker) has the potential to grow quite large, but it starts small (and vulnerable) enough that I’m not that excited. It’s also horrendous against any spell that returns a creature to your hand, and there are some good ones in this set.
Isshin, Two Heavens as One
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 1.0
Three colors and an extremely narrow ability? Do whatever the opposite is of “sign me up” for Lightning, Lone Commando (Isshin, Two Heavens as One). Cross my name off the sheet, maybe?
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Mythic
Limited: 1.5
You aren’t generating much extra mana from Seymour Guado (Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy), and the seven-mana ability is a bit expensive without getting that boost. I’d like to see more mana-generating creatures in my deck before I consider this
Kraum, Ludevic’s Opus
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 4.0
A 4/4 flying haste is no joke, and Barnabas Tharmr (Kraum, Ludevic’s Opus) gets the game over in a hurry. It also stops the opponent from casting double spells (or at least punishes them for doing so), making Barnabas a solid card for multiple reasons. This does benefit from aggression, but I’d play it anytime I could reasonably cast it.
Muldrotha, the Gravetide
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 4.0
Orphan, Cocoon fal’Cie (Muldrotha, the Gravetide) is the perfect finisher for the blue/green Ramp deck, and given the mana fixing in the set, not that hard to cast. Orphan generates a ton of value every turn it’s in play, and you don’t need to do anything special to set this up — just play a typical game of Magic: The Gathering.
Thrasios, Triton Hero
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Mythic
Limited: 3.5
I love a two-drop that threatens to run away with the game, and Tidus, Zanarkand Fayth (Thrasios, Triton Hero) certainly fits that description. This blocks well and really goes hard if not dealt with, including putting extra lands into play so you can start activating this twice per turn.
Vial Smasher the Fierce
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Mythic
Limited: 4.0
Clive Rosfield (Vial Smasher the Fierce) is a must-kill and will end the game quickly if not dealt with. fYour opponent is on the hook for three to five damage a turn once you play this, and sometimes even more. Red/black decks can make use of this ability nicely and synergize with the Black Wizard tokens plan.
Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 3.0
It won’t be that hard to sneak in Yuffie Kisaragi (Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow), at which point you are up a card. You are unlikely to get another hit in, but I’ll take a card and some life and be happy with it. Yuffie can also work to just cast this on turn three and try to use removal to clear the way. The combination of all this works well enough, and I’m in for some ninja action.
Chromatic Lantern
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 1.0
I’m not a big fan of three-mana accelerants, and the Crystal of Altar Cave (Chromatic Lantern) doesn’t have that significant of an additional upside. You can do better when it comes to mana fixing.
Smuggler’s Copter
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 4.0
The Strahl (Smuggler’s Copter) comes down early and hits hard, all while improving the quality of your hand. This card is fantastic, and all it asks of you is that you play a low curve.
Strixhaven Stadium
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Uncommon
Limited: 0.0
What about mana-generating artifacts that don’t even add mana of a single color, much less any color? Strixhaven Stadium is no good here.
Command Beacon
FINAL FANTASY: Through the Ages, Rare
Limited: 0.0
This isn’t Commander, don’t play Command Beacon.