MTG x FF: 5 Hype-Inducing Cards from MTG Universes Beyond: Final Fantasy

The upcoming MTG Universes Beyond: Final Fantasy set, releasing on June 13, 2025, has fans eagerly awaiting the fusion of iconic Final Fantasy characters and themes with Magic: The Gathering gameplay. Here are five cards that are generating the most hype over in our neck of the planes.​

Yuna, Hope of Spira

• Mana Cost: 3GW

• Key Features:

  • Grants Tramply, Lifelink, Ward (2)

  • Graveyard Recursion

• Why is it on the List?: A compelling and instant entry to the already competitive commander field. Yuna not only provides 3 buffs to Enchantment Creatures (which there are plenty of) but can bring them back from the graveyard. The catch of a finality counter is easily avoided with a card like Solemnity, letting you bring them back again and again. Yuna may be the card that forces me to deconstruct a deck to build a new one.

Kefka, Dancing Mad

• Mana Cost: 5BR

• Key Features:

  • Indestructible

  • Crazy exile ability

• Why is it on the List?: At first blush, I winced at his mana cost in black and red, where mana-ramp is few and far between past cards like Mana Geyser and Dark Ritual. But his ability to free-cast exiled cards AND have them deal damage based on their mana cost to their owner is wild. If you can cheat him out quickly and protect him with cards like Lightning Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots you can gain control of the board pretty easily.

Lightning, Army of One

• Mana Cost: 1RW

• Key Features:

  • First Strike

  • Trample

  • Lifelink

  • Damage Doubling

• Why is it on the List?: First, it's an incredibly low-cost Commander. Lifegain? Check! Trample? Check! First Strike? Why not?! But the beauty is in the wording of its ability Stagger. When Lightning deals combat damage to a player, until your next turn, all damage dealt to that player or the permanents they control is doubled. The key part I have seen people miss is "until your next turn". This makes Lightning a politicking machine. All the players between you and your next turn can gang up on the recently targeted opponent and deal double damage, not just you. Lightning may just be the easiest way to make friends at the table and remove the target from your back while you build out your end game.

Bartz & Boko

• Mana Cost: 3GG

• Key Features:

  • Affinity

  • Direct Damage

• Why is it on the List?: Bartz & Boko bring the birbs to the battlefield. With cards like Maskwood Nexus, everything is a bird making your commander pretty easy to cast due to affinity, which also lowers additional commander tax. Couple him with the new trigger-doubling Traveling Chocobo and a Conjurer's Closet and you deal a load of damage every time your commander hits the field.

Jumbo Cactaur

• Mana Cost: 5GG

• Key Features:

  • Cactus go stomp

• Why is it on the List?: Haters won't like it, but I still think Jumbo Cactuar will shake up the game. There are ways to cheat it out fast and protect it enough to deal the lethal damage needed to clear the entire table at once. I love the big spiky boy. Leave me alone.

MTG Universes Beyond: Final Fantasy Prepares to Launch

With something for everyone and a ton of ultra-powerful cards that are now standard legal, MTG's Final Fantasy crossover is shaping up to be one of the highest-selling, impactful sets the game has seen in quite some time.

What are your most anticipated cards from Universes Beyond: Final Fantasy? Let us know in the comments below!