The main set of Final Fantasy is out and being bought and sold fast. I’m not trying to keep up with much from that, nor am I interested in thinking about Standard until after the bans come on the 30th. The Pro Tour Top 8 being 4 Izzet Cutter and 4 Mono-Red, with Cutter being a huge metagame chunk, means that some bans are inevitable here.

What I’m thinking about is this: 

This Fallout version of Mystic Monastery, and the Dr. Who version, are both at $5+ in surge foil, and they are excellent examples of a phenomenon where the surge foils (or in the case of Modern Horizons 3, ripple foils) from the Collector versions of the Commander decks are the most expensive version of a card, or notably expensive.

Let’s get into the four decks, the cards they have, and which ones are most likely to gain some value.

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Final Fantasy has four Collector decks, and they are themed in terms of art, mechanics, and even which Final Fantasy game they are influenced by, and each of the decks has all new art, even for the reprints. Let’s look at some of the cards that are new, and some that are reprints, but worth getting right now as people crack the decks and sell the singles. 

All of these are surge foil picks. There’s going to be waves of the regular decks out there, and if they pop up at Costco the way LOTR decks did, I will absolutely pick those up for cheap, but the plan right now is to focus on the surge foils as people are cracking decks for singles. 

We’ve got to talk about the special conditions around this set. In case you didn’t know, there’s a lot of serious Final Fantasy collectors out there, and these folks have really come out in support of the cards/art that depict their favorite characters or scenes. Examples include the FFX’s Farewell or Protection Magic, Tifa’s Lightning Greaves, and basically anything with Cloud, like Arcane Signet 0333, Dispatch, or Clever Concealment. 

Also keep in mind that these cards come out of decks currently going on TCGPlayer for $170-$250. That’s a big bite, to open up a set like this and sell off the singles. A lot of these decks either won’t get opened as collectibles, or they will get opened by people who want the cards for their own deck. We’ve got a glut on the market right now, but that won’t last long. 

This list is also focused only on the reprints. I’ll talk about the new cards soon, but this list will be long enough. 

The Dominaria Common lands (Geothermal Bog, Idyllic Beachfront, etc): The only other foils are from DMU, and these are sweet. They get more play in Commander decks than you’d think. I don’t think these will get wildly expensive, but if you buy a dozen at under $1 and buylist them for $3, that’s easy money. 

Arcane Sanctum ($1.50) – Important art and only one other foil to compete with, it’ll hit $5 before the end of the year. 

Arcane Signet (0334) ($7) – The 0333 version is over $20, but that’s showing Cloud with the Buster Sword, and frankly, that is some iconic stuff. Anything with Cloud or Sephiroth gets more attention from collectors, and don’t forget we still have one more FF7 game coming on PS5. This version is Tidus’s medallion (his dad’s tattoo) and is also relevant to the collectability. 

Archmage Emeritus ($8) – There’s no other alternate art version, and while it doesn’t have main character art, it’s got big demand for the card. 

Bane of Progress ($7) – The Commander Collection: Green foil is $16, and this is a nicer foiling. I won’t be shocked when this is the most expensive version of the card in six months. 

Bonder’s Enclave ($1.50) – It’s in 151k decks online, there’s no other special version and the chocobo art is not to be underestimated. 

Command Tower 0485 and 0486 – These are super underpriced for their art and setting, and should easily break $10 before too long. 

Cultivate ($6) – There’s other special versions, but discount Aerith at your own risk. 

Inspiring Call ($3) – The other surge foils of this card are all at least double, and this has Tidus and Yuna being adorable together. 

Jungle Shrine ($2) – The only other surge foil is from Fallout, and it’s $12. This only has flavor text from Aerith, but again, we’re gaining some serious value by getting in at a buck plus shipping.

Mask of Memory ($2) – Another iconic moment in the FF7 games, we’re getting in at half the price of the 40K surge foil. 

Mind Stone ($4) – Some versions of this card are over $10, and they are far less pretty than this is. I think this is supposed to be Celes, but it doesn’t matter. Magic cards don’t have a lot of gorgeous art like this.

Morbid Opportunist ($3) – Commander staple, good art, awesome foiling, price is far too low. 

Nomad Outpost ($2) – Feeling the theme here? Surge foil lands will get expensive. 

Path of Ancestry ($2) – I like Red XIII being on the cliff here, but I also love a special version of a card in 130,000 decks on EDHREC getting a special version so cheap. Dr. Who’s version is at $4, Fallout at $10.

Path to Exile ($9) – Another mega-staple, we can see that the Fallout version is now over $20 and that one doesn’t even have Tidus on it.

Protection Magic (Extended Art Foil) ($4) – The Surge Foil regular frame is $10 and this is the same art. When the sweet shiny version is so much higher, I’d rather take a flier on the same art and different finish. 

Pull From Tomorrow ($2) – The whole father/son thing with Jecht and Tidus is going to move some prices on mediocre cards like this. 

Rise of the Dark Realms ($10) – We definitely don’t get enough group photos, and this is art I’d love to have on a playmat. 

Seaside Citadel ($2) – Yes, all four of them are on the list of things you should stock up on. 

Skullclamp ($20) – If you think the sealed Commander deck can reach $400 (and I do) then this will be one of the surprisingly $40+ cards in the deck. Cool moment, cool art, Sephiroth connection. 

Slayers’ Stronghold ($2) – This is in a lot more decks that you think, and aside from the SL version that’s all in black, one of the only special versions out there. 

Sublime Epiphany ($8) – One of the themes we’ve learned in the past year or two is ‘don’t ever underestimate the waifu cards’ and this should be one of those examples. 

Swiftfoot Boots ($9) – Pretty shoes are also not to be underestimated.

Tireless Tracker ($3) – Almost every card with both Tidus and Yuna on it is already pricey, but this isn’t and I want to get a few copies while they are cheap.