Final Fantasy (FIN) Limited Set Review: Red

FIN is the most excited I’ve been for a set, possibly ever. I’m sure like many others, Final Fantasy played a huge part of my childhood, and I always love revisiting the games. Not only is the IP very exciting, but it’s the second Universes Beyond draftable set (the first being The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth, one of the better limited sets in modern limited). The commons and uncommons are allowed to be a bit more powerful, and the set is designed with a heavy emphasis towards draftability. I hope you’re as hyped as I am, now let’s start analyzing the cards!

5.0: Disgustingly powerful and basically unbeatable. Either answer it the turn it comes down or just pack up your cards. (Gruff Triplets, Virtue of Persistence, The Eternal Wanderer)

4.5: Incredible bomb that still gives your opponent a slim chance. (Virtue of Loyalty, Imodane's Recruiter, Realm-Scorcher Hellkite)

4.0: Great rare or the absolute best uncommons and removal. (Faunsbane Troll, Gumdrop Poisoner, Talion’s Messenger)

3.5: Great role filler or removal that you never cut. (Candy Grapple, Hearth Elemental, Torch the Tower)

3.0: Good playable that I’m basically never cutting. (Shrouded Shepherd, Spellscorn Coven, Sharae of Numbing Depths)

2.5: Decent playable and the bar I hope nearly every card in my deck to reach. (Evolving Wilds, Archon's Glory, Flick a Coin)

2.0: Mediocre filler that normally is your 20-23rd card(s). (Mintstrosity, Ice Out, Grabby Giant)

1.5: Replaceable, overall bad filler. Could also be decent sideboard cards. (Titanic Growth, Scarecrow Guide, Territorial Witchstalker)

1.0: Bad filler. Gets cut most of the time. (Dark Tutelage, Kindled Heroism, Impact Tremors)

0.5: Very unhappy to main deck this, but maybe it has fringe sideboard applications. Cards that “could” be situationally decent, but bad in most situations. (Smothering Tithe, Rhystic Study, Mana Flare)

0.0: Unplayable in every possible situation. They rarely print cards this bad these days. (Hew the Entwood, One with Nothing)

Barret Wallace

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

Barret’s more of a good stabilizing creature for mid-range decks, opposed to aggressive equipment decks. He’s still solid enough to put in any deck for the most part.

Blazing Bomb

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This works best in equipment based decks, where you can get in some points early, then equip him to kill a decent sized creature. It’s likely a little underwhelming in the Izzet type decks, but it’s not unplayable.

Call the Mountain Chocobo

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This is either a Gruul landfall card, or Izzet spells card. It’s nice in Izzet, because it gives you two spells that cost 4 or more, that also puts out a creature.w

Choco-Comet

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This is solid value if you can pick off an X/1 with it, and gradually gets worse the bigger you need to make X. The optimal time for this card to be played is turn 3.

Clive, Ifrit’s Dominant // Ifrit, Warden of Inferno

Rating: 3.5 // 5.0

This has tons of value built into it, potentially drawing you lots of cards when it comes down. The following turn it’s a kill spell and gigantic creature. It’s a must answer threat.

Coral Sword

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This is a good trick for aggressive decks, leaving behind a cheap equipment that can enable some attacks with your smaller creatures. I wouldn’t play this in any red deck that isn’t aggressive.

Fire Magic

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This isn’t for every deck, and is more of a sideboard card, unless you are a heavier spells/late game deck.

Firion, Wild Rose Warrior

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

Firion is incredible when you can follow him up with job select equipment, because it will leave behind 1/1 tokens. He doesn’t really do anything on his own, so it’s not great for every deck.

Freya Crescent

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This is great for aggressive red decks, and no where else.

Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms

Rating: 3.0 // 5.0

If your deck has no equipment, this isn’t worth playing, but if you have at least one (preferably much more) he can accrue some insane card advantage.

Haste Magic

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This is a pretty decent combat trick. If you’re able to win a would-be trade with this card, it’s almost a 2-for-1 for two mana.

Hill Gigas

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

This is probably best in Gruul. It enables more landfall triggers, and is a big haste trampler late in the game.

Item Shopkeep

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

This can be a serviceable two drop in Boros decks, but pretty underwhelming in most other decks.

Laughing Mad

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

I have to note, I love the art on this spell. It is a bit slow, so you want to put it in decks that will benefit from sculpting your hand and/or utilize the graveyard.

Light of Judgment

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This can be a decent (albeit slow) kill spell, and will be a 2-for-1 fairly often with the number of equipment in this set.

Mysidian Elder

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

This seems decent in either Rakdos black mage decks, or Izzet with lots of spells.

Nibelheim Aflame

Rating: 3.0 // 5.0

When this lines up, it will warp the game. The downside is when you don’t have a creature big enough, or if your creature is killed in response to the spell. It’s still worth playing, especially with the flashback giving you a second opportunity.

Opera Love Song

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This is a much stronger verion of Reckless Impulse. It can often be a 2 mana instant speed Divination, with a bonus mode of pushing damage/trading creatures up.

Prompto Argentum

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

This is a serviceable 2 drop for most decks that can get some free treasures out of the deal.

Queen Brahne

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

If you can get two attacks out of the queen, she’s worth playing. She’s pretty weak in decks that can’t clear a path for her though.

Random Encounter

Rating: 1.0 // 5.0

This will be a table-flipping worthy card if you lose to it. It’s reliability is far below my standards to play, but it really lives up to it’s name.

Raubahn, Bull of Ala Mhigo

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

This works well with equipment with very high equip costs. It sequences very nicely by playing either Samnurai's Katana or Bard's Bow the following turn.

Red Mage’s Rapier

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

Despite my love of the Red Mage class, this is one of the weaker job select equipments. It works alright with cheap spells, and creatures but doesn’t do anything without them.

Sabotender

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

This is fine filler.

Samurai’s Katana

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This is a solid 3 drop that leaves behind a nice piece of equipment. The equip cost is high, so it’s unlikely that the haste will matter much, but +2/+2 and trample are pretty significant, especially on big creatures.

Sandworm

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This should almost always target your own land, unless your opponent has a very sketchy mana base or a rare land in play. This helps thin out your deck, fix your mana base, or provide landfall triggers in Gruul.

Seifer Almasy

Rating: 3.0 // 5.0

The main strength of Seifer is the double strike passive ability. If he does connect and you get 1-2 spells for free he becomes pretty insane.

Self-Destruct

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This can be somewhat of a fight spell, but the main difference is you can target your opponent directly at times. In certain scenarios you can instant speed Lava Axe your opponents face.

Sidequest: Play Blitzball // World Champion, Celestial Weapon

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This can work in a couple different decks. Either Boros, enabling smaller creatures to attack, or Gruul that can more easily flip it over.

Sorceress’s Schemes

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

The mana cost is a bit deceiving, since it costs 1 less if you can play another spell with the bonus R. This is a really slow spell, that can do a ton of work with powerful spells and a solid late game.

Summon: Brynhildr

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This is a weird version of Elvish Visionary. It doesn’t do much if it dies before you can play the “free” card, or don’t get to follow up with haste attackers. It can be solid if you get value off of it and even trade it with a blocker before it dies.

Summon: Esper Ramuh

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

As long as this can reliably kill a creature, it’s a solid removal spell that can attack/block for a couple turns.

Summon: G.F. Cerberus

Rating: 3.5 // 5.0

At the very least, this kills a creature. Sometimes this will connect and end the game, and other times you can just keep him around to draw an additional 2 cards. Pretty fun card.

Summon: G.F. Ifrit

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This lets you rummage twice, and get some bonus mana along the way. The creature will likely have outlived its usefulness by the last chapter (turn 6) anyways.

Suplex

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This is a downgrade from Abrade, but should still be a serviceable removal spell.

The Fire Crystal

Rating: 0.5 // 5.0

Don’t play this.

Thunder Magic

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

A very solid iteration of Shock. It can also scale up to 4cmc to kill bigger threats and trigger various synergies.

Triple Triad

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

This is pretty slow, but allows you to cast free spells each of your turns. It will quickly snowball out of control if you can flip over nonland cards in the following turns.

Unexpected Request

Rating: 1.5 // 5.0

This is likely an exclusive Rakdos card. Black has a couple “free” sacrifice triggers, like Namazu Trader, Phantom Train, or Reno and Rude.

Vaan, Street Thief

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

There are a few other scouts in the set, and one rogue. Vaan is pretty weak by himself, but if you have some creature type support, or good ways to help him connect (like equipment), he can be okay.

Warrior’s Sword

Rating: 2.0 // 5.0

This is one of the more expensive equip costs in the set, justifiably so. +3/+2 is pretty significant, and can turn anything into a decent attacker.

Zell Dincht

Rating: 2.5 // 5.0

This works really well with landfall triggers, and is totally fine on his own.

Top 3 Red Commons:

Thunder Magic Suplex Summon: G.F. Ifrit

Red has some solid burn spells, as well as some decent pieces of equipment. It doesn’t look like it has enough tools to be as aggressive as we typically expect red to be. Instead, it looks like a solid mid-range support color, I’ll be breaking down Green next, stay tuned!

Lose and Learn, Learn and Win!