Hello again and welcome back, this time we need to talk about the Final Fantasy 7 Commander deck, whose leaders are Cloud, Ex-Soldier and Tifa, Martial Artist. Like the other decks, there’s a very clear strategy, and this time it revolves around creatures, big creatures, and smashing the hell out of the rest of the table.
I’ve got a list of things that I think will help you build the deck, and which have a very good chance of inclusion. Even better will be the things that spike as a result. (Please see recent spikes based on my article for Yuna and Tidus for examples of money that could be made.)
So let’s talk about the implied relationship that stands head and above every other will-they-or-won’t-they in gaming history, and the cards you want to add to their deck.
If you want to run Tifa or Cloud as your commander, your plans aren’t too far apart.
Both of them give you a delightful bonus for attacking and hitting with a creature with 7+ power, and they give you value in different ways. I like Tifa better, but that’s a personal thing, both are good. They both want big, buff creatures, and reward you nicely for doing so. Tifa really wants trample, Cloud really wants equipped creatures to attack.
Sylvok Battle-Chair/Colossal Dreadmask will be a good card, but this would be a bulk buylist play and that’s not always where you want to be. Both of them do the thing for our power couple nicely, but if you can play something to give all your creatures just one more power, they get a lot better in Tifa’s deck. There’s a lot of free equipping going on (more on that later) and so I want to get a built-in creature to go with it.
Batterskull (2XM borderless foil $7) – Speaking of living weapon/job select/For Mirrodin! cards, this is another one that does everything you want. Vigilance plus lifelink is a big-time rattlesnake effect, and this version is by far the sweetest.
Kaldra Compleat (pack foil $13, sketch foil $10) – There is a Spotlight Series for $120+ but I don’t think it’s worth buying as a speculative purchase. Those might go up, as it takes only four purchases to clear out everything under $700, but since I’m not the one who can shift demand that heavily, I prefer the lower-tier cards to go from $10 to $25, as the sketch foils might. This gives every stat you might want, is tough to remove, and is reasonably priced. Getting this onto either commander seems like a good reason to fold up and start a new game.
Hexplate Wallbreaker (reg/EA $5, no foils) – If there’s one thing Commander players love, it’s having a commander that does something, and then picking up all the cards that do the same thing. We love bonuses. The really great thing is that this ability works with Tifa, so after your first attack phase, you’ll get two more attacks. Untapping is not going to happen for each of those, sadly.
Loxodon Warhammer (SLD foil $10) – Adding three power is the magic number for both of them, and while a classic, you especially want trample on Tifa. Lifelink is great, as is a premium version of one of the best equipment ever.
O-Naginata (2XM foil 50¢, SOK foil $5) – I wish there was a sweet version of this to go after, but again, adding three power is where both legends are happiest and this time it is as cheap as can be, no need for ways to cheat the equip cost.
Tenza, Godo’s Maul (bulk) – CHK foils are $25+ and likely not worth the chase, but it’s a fantastic card to have in there, giving all the bonuses you could ask for. Godo has had a premium version printed, but not his favorite method of bashing heads.
Ace’s Baseball Bat (WHO Surge foil $1) – Same idea, two mana, three power, one to equip. First Strike on attack is a nice bonus, and getting the sweet version for a buck is a real bump too.
Commander’s Plate (SLD Rainbow Foil $32) – I want the Marvel version, as the other SLD foil is $50+ and I think this can get there. Giving either legend protection from blue and black is a fantastic mode, and while you’d like to be immune from Path or Swords, this covers most of your other bases.
Robe of Stars (reg/EA $16) – Phasing is incredibly underplayed. You want to be able to keep your things safe, and this is a super unfair way to do that. Keep in mind that you won’t have to re-equip this when your creature and equipment all phase back in. Both versions are about the same price, as is common on these Commander set printings that only have regular and EA versions, so buy whichever you like. One won’t get much more expensive than the other.
Sunforger (MM2 and 2XM foils $6) – If you’ve never played with this card, it’s one of the most incredible things you can do. Free equip triggers are extra wonderful with this card, and the blowout potential is huge. For two mana, you get to find lot out there, but there are *really* good spell packages to put together. Some examples: Swords to Plowshares, Teferi’s Protection, Chaos Warp, Great Train Heist (or other Spree cards, you pay extra costs but can go wild), Akroma’s Will, Deflecting Swat, Wear/Tear, and my personal favorite, Reprieve. No one expects that in a Naya Equipment deck!
Caduceus, Staff of Hermes (ACR etched $7) – Is this an unfair card in a format where you start at 40 life? Sure is. Do some video game crossover action and wreck the table. Whenever we’ve had pack foil, EA foil, and etched foil, the etched tends to jump in price first, so that’s the version I’m targeting here.
Behemoth Sledge (PIP Surge Foil $5) – This doesn’t put Cloud into seven power, but Tifa will get there on the attack. The Surge foil is the sweetest version to be had, and both of them will hit hard and gain you a lot of life in the process.
Privileged Position (2XM borderless $5) – You need a very good reason to leave this out of any deck with green and white in the identity. It’s unfair, but that’s in the card’s name. Given the art, the age, and the usage, I’m shocked at how cheap this is right now.
Iroas, God of Victory (SLD foil $34) – Really, this has it all. Seven power when alive, gives two great abilities to your attackers, and there’s even a sweet constellation version to get before it gets too expensive.
Cliff (@WordOfCommander at Twitter and BlueSky) has been writing for MTGPrice since 2013, and is an eager Commander player, Draft enthusiast, and Cube fanatic. A high school science teacher by day, he’s also the co-host of the MTG Fast Finance podcast. If you’re ever at a GP and you see a giant flashing ‘CUBE DRAFT’ sign, go over, say hi, and be ready to draft.