Lightning

Cait Sith
1
A super cheap way to get rid of a blocker. This is a great way to swing the math when you’re going for your alpha strike, and not very applicable anywhere else.

Lightning
1.5
Same as Cait Sith, except she changes the math by two bodies instead of just one.

Amon
2.5
Nice, flexible, but impermanent removal. It’s nice that, as your opponent’s board changes, Amon is able to more carefully select what exactly he wants to lock down. Also, by using him on the opponent’s turn and then your own, you can remove two blockers. The issue though is that it’s only temporary removal, so once your opponent finds an efficient way to deal with him then the party’s over. Make sure you’re really getting the most out of those dulls, so that you’re not left with an empty investment. Pairs well with Wind’s reactivators.

Gilgamesh
2.5
No matter which element you pair him with, Fire, Wind, or Earth, all of his abilities are excellent. He is a bit costly, and if paired with Fire really wants to be put into a deck with lots of Fire Backups.

Orlandeau
2.5
Here’s a great payoff for all of Wind’s “deal 1k” effects, although there are also plenty of triggers in Fire, Lightning, and even a couple in Ice. It takes a bit of setup, but killing whatever you want while also dropping a 9k is the kind of power play that turns games.

Black Waltz 3
1.5
They finally removed Al-Cid from the Cube, who really struggled to end up in a deck with enough support to make it worth running him, so Black Waltz feels like a remnant of that package that just wasn’t cleaned up. Regardless, he’s still not awful. He helps give your Forwards attack into blockers that are a little bit bigger than them, and even though you’ll lose that attacker in the process you’re still happy to trade up. After that, he threatens to trade up with anything 8k or less. Not quite an all-star, but he’ll work well with your other cards more often than he doesn’t. Again, it’s easy to forget the Ice BW3 is the same character, so don’t let the Name Clash surprise you.

Ramza
2
Being able to grant Haste to everything you play is great, and compared to Jake you aren’t paying as much nor are you losing out on an 8k body to do it. His 1k winds up being super relevant, as there are many Forwards in Lightning alone desperate for just a little bit more power. Since he reactivates with each death, you can use this multiple times in the same combat, threatening one trade after another.

Illua
0.5
Without the threat of Sheol, it turns out Illua just isn’t a good card. She’s hard to remove, sure, but she has no evasion at all. That -2k helped her to punch through a lot of situations she had no business punching through, and because of that she especially preyed on metas that revolved around 7ks. That isn’t true of Cube, and even if it were she can’t deal with 7ks on her lonesome. Haste is good, and the small amount of score she managed to get is earned almost entirely on the back of that keyword. She’ll be acceptable in an extremely removal-focused deck as well, where you are trying to resolve and protect a sticky threat and are using your other cards to clear the way for her. She probably deserves a 1 out of 5 if I’m being honest, but I really want to hammer home how much worse she is than usual. I’ve seen too many people just go “oh, Illua!” and snap her up Pack 1 Pick 1 over cards that are actual bombs.

Zemus
4
If you can stick Zemus for even one turn, you’re in business, and every turn that he continues to go unanswered you’re just snowballing advantage. There are so many good Forwards in Lightning, and having repeatable access to them will put your deck on a whole new level.

Ramza
2.5
For no other reason (certainly not my undying love for her,) I wish Lulu were in the Cube just to enable Ramza. Glauca can be a huge boon, both making him cheaper again and getting him closer to that 10k breakpoint. It’s pretty tough to get him to the all important 10k in any pairing other than Water. By going Water, you gain access to several hyper efficient Forwards, as well as Ovelia and Beatrix to really push Ramza above and beyond.

Estinien
5
I’m much less likely to play Estinien in a deck that I think can’t reliably get his Haste off, as 5 is a huge amount to let sit around for a turn just waiting for a piece of removal. However he’s strong enough that I’m absolutely willing to build the entire rest of the deck with him in mind. With Haste, Estinien comes down and immediately starts demanding value from the opponent. Punching in twice every turn will put a serious clock on the opponent to rectify the situation now, or die.

Seifer
1.5
-2k can be a powerful lead-in to effects like Adrammalech and Ramuh, and any power boosting effects like Class Third can make Seifer very awkward to contend with. On his own, though, Seifer is only pretending to be an 8k, and you can get better rates elsewhere.

The Emperor
3.5
With the potential of closing out three blockers, The Emperor is a powerful finisher in an Element already rife with finishers. Lightning has so many effects like this that you really can afford to just play this out in the mid-game and deal a bunch of damage to set up for a finishing alpha strike on the next turn with Ramuh or Electric Jellyfish.

Noel
3.5
In all likeliness, Noel is killing something when you play him. If you can catch your opponent completely dulled out, you get your pick of the litter, otherwise they will just throw their weakest active Forward in his path. Either way, you’re getting some value. Afterwards, you’re just left with a piddling 6k, so make sure you’ve got good ways to use that or good ways to clear blockers for him to keep getting through.

Ark Angel EV
1
Lightning doesn’t have nearly the amount of random damage lying around as Fire, so it’s much harder to make use of the occasional 2k. Most of the time, EV will be used either in MP1 to clear a blocker, or in MP2 to kill something that blocked a suicide attacker. At 4CP, eliminating one blocker is really substandard compared to similar effects in Lightning, so the combo kill is the much more attractive option. Her Action Ability may as well not exist for how expensive it is and how rarely you will find an opportunity to use it.

Jake
1.5
Giving Haste to Zemus, Golbez, Noel, and Sephiroth is pretty sweet, but what Jake is mostly going to be doing is allowing Lightning’s smaller-on-average Forwards attack safely into defensive lines (once.) Makes Jinnai a serious defensive play too, so there’s that. His power bonus is much stronger than Ramza’s, but the inflexible timing really narrows Jake’s applications, making them function much differently despite their similarities.

Jinnai
2.5
Jinnai is great, just eats an 8k attacker and then sticks around for more. With so many ways to dull blockers and the new Firion to reward party attacks, Cube has a ton of ways for Lightning to make use of smaller bodies, making a random 4k so much more valuable than in any other Element.

Golbez
3.5
Assuming you pick him up early, you can start to warp your deck around him. Typically you’ll avoid Summons/Monsters as much as possible, and potentially drop your Backup count down to 12 or maybe even 11 or 10. Unfortunately Aldo is about the only reliable way within Lightning to find him, so even if you do tailor your picks to enable him you may not even see him in any given game. Should these things line up, Golbez still needs to hit, as otherwise you’ve just dropped a ton of CP on nothing. OK, so I know I just spent a lot of time saying “yeah the stars have to align for this to be good” but seriously getting even one mediocre Forward with this is so strong. If you can drop Golbez early and start gaining value from him you’re going to run away with the game, and this is a card that I will absolutely first pick. I’m just trying to keep expectations reasonable.

Nero (XIV)
2
Haste is always great, and what’s nice about Cube over Opus IX is that there are lots of ways to get his oft-forgotten trigger off. Getting 2k essentially for free is a valuable effect, even if it isn’t particularly powerful. Sage Lid and Crowe can pick it up in Lightning, and other Elements add more ways to pull it off, especially Earth.

Baknamy
2.5
Getting rid of blockers is good. Doing it repeatedly for free is great.

Fusoya
2
Unlike Standard, where you can seriously build around him, you are going to have to be playing plenty of lower cost cards in your deck. In Lightning, 19 out of the 27 available backups cost two or less. It’s just too difficult to assemble a deck that can reliably kill 7ks on demand. This relegates Fusoya to a role as a combo killer, where he’ll add on to damage from some other effect. 7CP is a huge upfront cost for that, even if he does refund a large amount of it while leaving behind an acceptably sized body. Try to avoid Evokers, and pick up Backups that refund their costs like Lid and Aldo.

Meia
3
Like Amon, she (probably) affects the board the turn she comes in, and continues to do so each turn thereafter. She can’t stop attackers, and she can’t pull off the double like Amon can, but she also gets to attack after dulling something. This means she much prefers to be in aggressive decks. Typically the Dull will be the ability you go for, but in cases when your opponent has two equally threatening blockers the +1k First Strike may be a better option. Her haste isn’t insignificant, there are lots of random Forwards it hits: Wol, Wol, Cloud of Darkness, Iroha, Duncan, Yiazmat, HK Garland, Fusoya, Ghis, Orphan, Barthandelus, Anima, Yunalesca, and Gilgamesh.

Desch
2.5
A nice way to stabilize at five; 3CP to kill anything is a pretty good rate. Even before that, First Strike is an intimidating ability when backed with any sources of power boosting or direct damage. Starting from somewhere in the midgame, Desch can attack fearlessly into 9ks, and help set up damage combo effects. This all looks really good on paper, but until the Damage 5, a lot of what Desch is doing requires support. He’s great as a cog in a larger machine, but don’t expect him to carry too much weight on his own.

Noel
3
Like Ark Angel HM, any deck that can clear the way for Noel will find itself dealing a ton of damage in a hurry. When you’re on the verge of death, you can even just pretend he has Brave by only getting the first attack in. Oh, he protects Serah too, not that you would ever really want to be doing that.

Llyud
1
Haste is nice, but a 2cp 7k isn’t really much to be excited about. At least he’s better than Illua.

Kuja
3
Kuja doesn’t hit most of the stuff you’re really going to be having problems with, so don’t think of him as a card that will break board states wide open, or help you clutch your way back from the jaws of defeat. What he’s great at is swinging the CP tug-of-war hard in your direction. By eliminating one of your opponent’s smaller investments while also dropping a strongly sized body, you establish your presence over the field more firmly, an advantage that you will seek to increase as the game goes on. This means you aim to be dropping him in mid, as early on the opp won’t have targets, and late game you won’t have time to capitalize on a swing in economy. He also is great at stopping early aggression. Sure you take a point of damage, but by killing one attacker and creating a blocker, you end up minimizing how much further damage can be done to you. There’s two Ice Kujas so Thundaga is on the table. Like his ETF though, it’s mostly good at eliminating smaller bodies, which against some decks is just fine.

Glauca
3.5
Gives you a discount while letting you swing in more safely. Better the earlier you can play it and the more CP you can save, but the +1k makes it not irrelevant in the late game.

Nyx
3
4CP to kill anything is great. Occasionally you even get to sacrifice Luche or Crowe and go off, or recur it with Noctis.

Anima
2
Getting free sources of damage every turn is great, especially since you can do it on both yours and your opponent’s. His Auto helps make your removal even more dangerous, as well as providing just that extra bit of value with every trade.

Azul
1.5
Free sources of damage are nice, but Azul’s are so hard to leverage. He can do a good impression of a 10k once you’re on Damage 3, and if you stabilize at 5 you can throw around some serious damage. Combos well with all the same things Dadaluma does, except only much later in the game.

Sephiroth
4
A cheap 9k who completely invalidates over 80% of the blockers in the Cube. His downside is negligible against anything except Kadaj, Mist Dragon, and Hraesvelgr, so long as you’re not playing him out too early.

Alba
2
Attacks at 8k with the potential for Haste while limiting the opponent’s recursion options. Pretty decent when you’re on an aggressive bent.

Gilgamesh
4
Flexible removal that you can bank for whenever you want, while commanding the board in the meantime. Enkidu isn’t so good that I’d run him as the only Wind card, but in Lightning/Wind getting him out for free is a nice bonus. His 5CP ability is strong when paired with cards like Anima and Desch who get to deal damage for free, and there are lots of slightly more expensive damage sources like Alphinaud that are still good value.

Jegran
2.5
Luckily there are a few more options in Cube than there were in XII Limited: Ashe, Althea, Fiona, Garnet, Ovelia, and Princess Sarah. Unlike Gilg into Enkidu, tutoring a Backup directly into play is very strong. Maybe avoid him if you’re not in Wind or Water, though.

Vivi
2
Good cheap removal that helps slower decks claw back into the game. The big issue with Vivi is that he very often doesn’t hit what you want him to hit, the Forward that is hitting you, but usually it’ll be enough of an impact to make him worth it.

Odin
2.5
Kills an awful lot of stuff. Not exactly the most efficient most of the time, but decks seeking to build stronger economies typically won’t be too concerned about losing out 1 or 2CP on a trade here or there.

Raiden
4
Like Bahamut before him, Raiden just completely rips apart the opponent’s board. Raiden tends to be a little stronger, since he’s so much harder to protect against. Against Bahamut, you can buff chosen Forwards to 11k, and Baha can’t kill Y’shtola or something protected by Mist Dragon or Leviathan. Raiden ignores those restrictions, and can even ignore Vincent’s protection by directing its exile effect at him.

Ramuh
2
There are just enough sources of incidental damage in Lightning that it’s worth playing Ramuh. 1CP for 7 is an incredible rate, and even if you end up without any cards like Zack you can still combine it with smaller Forwards like Lightning.

Quetzacotl
2
A nice clean combat trick that can also protect you from a burn spell every once in a while. The EX is unlikely to matter too much, but it can stop the next attack the opponent has lined up sometimes.

Ramuh
4
There will be many times this clears two blockers, or clears one blocker and gives haste, and in late game stalemates very often swinging combat math by two bodies is GG. Even before that, 3 for 7 is perfectly acceptable. It’s decent on defense as well, able to stop two smaller attackers. Don’t forget about the Monster thing either. Most of the Monsters it can hit can be used in response, but you can force the opponent to do it now, on your terms, while you’re getting value with the 7k burn somewhere else. Also every now and again you’ll be able to really kill something decent, like Varuna or Swampmonk.

Ramuh
2
If it were 7k damage this would be a much worse card, but -7k power means that pretty much any Forward you control can kill pretty much any Forward that it blocks or that blocks it. The raw amount of power it removes makes Ramuh basically the final trump card in any contest of combat tricks, and if you’re able to invalidate something like a combat trick Diablos with him then you’re going to gain a ton of extra value.

Raiden
2
It’s a powerful effect, but the inflexibility of its cost is a real hindrance. Often you’ll find that by casting him, you end up using that one Backup of your other Element and now you can’t play out another card in your hand. Usually the raw strength of Raiden will be worth it, but there will definitely be times when you just can’t find an opportunity to play him out.

Raiden (REVENANT WINGS)
1
The nice thing about Anima and Desch is that you’re not really paying any extra for their effects, and the nice thing about Alphinaud is that they he can produce CP in addition to enabling damage combos. Raiden RW is cheap, sure, but there are few enough uses for 2k damage in Lightning that very often you will end up casting this for no value just to cycle through your deck. To be honest, though, churning through your deck quickly and cheaply is pretty decent in draft, and you could do worse than including this card in your 40.

Adrammelech, the Wroth
3.5
This card is so cheap for how much damage it does. On top of helping your smaller damage sources punch up, it is incredible at breaking through for that final point of damage. CP is often super tight in late game stalemates, and being able to throw 9k at a blocker with only one Backup is insane. You’ll often be able to bluff a weak position by going to one card in hand with one Backup open, making it look like you have no possible interaction remaining. Then when your opponent thinks its safe to make whichever play, you unleash the Wroth.

Ramuh
2.5
Expensive but powerful. Only being able to hit active Forwards isn’t as much of an issue for a Summon as it is for say Character ETFs, since you can cast it during Attack Prep, but it does mean Ramuh can’t hit Forwards that can dull themselves like Gilgamesh or Rem.

Electric Jellyfish
2
One of my favorite cards of all time. Operates like a little mini Ramuh, giving you an extra surprise attacker while also ignoring your opponent’s best blocker, and unlike Ramuh it can dull whatever it wants. Sadly, it really doesn’t do much outside of closing out the game, but boy howdy is it good at that.

Kanna Kamuy
4.5
Ramuh but cheaper, and in the late game even more powerful. One of Lightning’s best cards, period.

Yellow Jelly
2.5
8k is a huge amount of damage, making Yellow Jelly probably the best of this whole cycle. Like Ramuh, the restriction to active Forwards only will not be relevant too often.

Skeleton
2.5
There’s plenty of little 2s running around for this to hit, but like Bomb, being able to trade a 1CP Monster for a real Forward makes the admittedly lengthy investment of time worth it.

Behemoth
3
Very straightforward, but also very strong. A solid addition to any Lightning deck.

Red Mage
2.5
Haste on demand is great, especially for cards like Amon or Golbez who really want to be used ASAP.

Black Mage
2
Another great use for all the random damage Lightning has floating around.

Sage
2.5
Gives you a lot of flexibility in controlling the quality of your hand, which often is worth even more than actual CP.

Seymour
3.5
Pretty much every deck you come across will have something that this kills, and even knocking out a 1 drop is a great econ swing.

Summoner
2
I almost want to give this and the Ice Summoner better scores than the Evokers just for having better art.

Gurdy
1.5
Unlike Ramuh, who we want to be reducing power, we actually want Gurdy to be dealing damage so that we can enable Orlandeau and company. As a power reduction on only active Forwards, she’s relegated to making blocks somewhat harder for the opponent, although with even just one other Moogle she winds up pretty good at that role. Definitely one of the better cards in this cycle.

Magus
2
Great to be able to cash in your Backups for reasonably strong amounts of damage like this. Magus will be great in helping out with late game trades, and it’s absolutely worth losing a Backup to gain control of the board when there’s only one or two more turns left in the game.

Scholar
2.5
Like Magus but even stronger. The difference between 4k and 3k isn’t likely to matter nearly as often as the ability to hit two Forwards.

Cannoneer
2.5
While it’s nice that Gurdy is repeatable, Cannoneer is cheaper and doesn’t need any support to hit a serious amount of power reduction. Even just the threat of his activation will push through a bunch of damage.

Alphinaud
1.5
The best backup enabler for the damage checks in Lightning. Still not great.

Ninja
1.5
More often than not you’ll wind up just playing this out without getting any value, but when you do holy hell is it some good value.

Exdeath
5
Fielding a serious Forward for little cost while also laying down a Backup will blow the econ game wide open. In all but the most aggressive of decks, this will reliably get 3CPs, and once you’re pulling 4s and 5s you’re really leaping ahead on resources. This all is just from a very mathematical standpoint, where Exdeath really shines is in his optionality, giving you a second go at your best Forward, or ripping a serious bomb from the opponent’s bin.

Seymour
1.5
Lightning has some of the best Summons in Cube, so if any Element wanted this card it’s probably Lightning. It’s nice being able to guarantee that your next card will be relevant, even if it isn’t particularly powerful. The presence of the other Seymour does mean that when the stars align and you have both Seymours and you’re trying to kill something the other Seymour can’t, you can Lance of Atrophy. Serious points for casting Raiden this way.

Black Mage
1.5
Lightning has some of the best Summons in Cube, so it follows that being able to get a second use out of them is good.

Summoner
2.5
Summoner is one of those rare Backups that is genuinely good at every single stage of the game. Many backups are hard to use early, or their relevance fades as the game goes on, but Summoner is always able to make some impact. Even just dropping say Ark Angel EV and then hitting it with Summoner can open the doors for some crazy damage.

Lid
2
Not quite as good as Sage, since she only grants access to half your BZ, but that 8k is not irrelevant. It’s hella expensive, so you’re not going to find a good use for it every game. When you do, though, it’ll usually end up being pretty impactful.

Seeq
4
You know the drill by now, expensive Backups are hard to play in large numbers since they’re more or less unplayable in the first few turns, but they’re still excellent additions to your deck. The nice thing about Lightning, though, is that Seymour, Exdeath, and Seeq himself are the only Backups that fit this bill, so you probably don’t need to be as careful. Anyways, Seeq is great. Play him.

Sage
2.5
Blah blah Lightning has good summons blah blah Evokers are good

Class Third Moogle
2.5
Lightning has a bunch of Forwards that just desperately want that little extra bit of power, and power boosting effects are few and far between here. I think that makes this Moogle the most sought after in its cycle.

Class Sixth Moogle
2.5
There’s a cool WaLi deck where you shit out a ton of cheap dudes and use Lightning’s exceptional removal to stop the opponent from blocking, but most of the cards that draw you into those Elements don’t really lead you down that path. This causes the archetype to be relatively undrafted, and I think that other WaLi builds are a little less on the competitive side than other archetypes. If you wind up forced into it, or end up with a great Thancred or Urianger deck, this will be good fixing for you.

Aldo
3
Give me my bombs please yes thank you.

Gadgeteer
0.5
Unless you’re literally grabbing Seeq, why the fuck would you use this? And even then you need a goddamn five drop specifically? Way too awkward to make any kind of use out of.

Crowe
2.5
Paying 3 isn’t ideal, but you’re saving that extra CP for a critical turn in the late game. Being able to clear a blocker while also generating CP will absolutely end games.

Selkie
2
Nice consistency for the rare WaLi and the common FiLi decks out there.

Luche
1.5
The ability is crazy expensive, and giving the opponent a card is crazy risky, but just straight killing something is crazy good.

Cid (FFCC)
0
Why is this here, Kageyama? Do you really think we’re going to lock down a backup every turn just to make sure Bomb ONLY deals 4k? If he’s active when your opponent drops Lenna, you can strip two counters before she can use her Action Ability, and he can yeet Emet-Selch on the cheap as well. That makes him technically not useless.

Firion
2
Lightning may not have as many ways to use 4k as Fire, but it still has plenty, and the cost for getting Firion online really isn’t very high.

Water

Viking
1
One of the cheapest and lowest impact Forwards ever. Pairs well with Ice and Lightning, both of whom are in the market for cheap Forwards to make use of their efficient temporary removal.

Garnet
2
Threatening to boost your whole team at any time, while having some built in protection. Water has a fair amount of Summons, at 11. Cuch and PuPu even only cost 1, making it super easy to bluff a pump. You can use her Action to save a bit on Levi, Famf, and Levi, and there’s plenty of summons in other elements so use it with as well. All in all, her abilities form a decent little package, but I’ll tell you this now: prepare to be underwhelmed. The rest of the game has really caught up since Opus 3.

Cagnazzo
1.5
Water tends to be the least drafted Element in Cube, so it actually isn’t unreasonable that you make a deck that’s at least 75% Water. For most cases though, Cag will struggle to get above -3k. This relegates him to a post-combat finisher who doubles as a decent wall. With Wakka out, Cag can block even 9ks and live. Scholar is present if you manage to get Cag somewhere around 4k, and he also pairs pretty well with Barthandelus and Barbariccia.

Ceodore
1
These options just aren’t relevant. It’s interesting to see Brave in Water, but Water is the Element perhaps least suited to making use of it. Effects like Gladiator let you use Ceodore as a combat trick, but even then +1k is somewhat low-impact.

Knight
1
2CP for a sometimes 8k is absolutely filler. Doesn’t even interact with Beatrix or Gawain.

Famed Mimic Gogo
1
He’s cheap, I’ll give him that. 7k just really isn’t particularly impressive though, and giving the opponent any amount of control over whether your cards live or die is always dangerous.

Lenna
2.5
Lenna’s great but there are only eight targets for her: Famed Mimic Gogo, Viking, Knight, Zidane, Porom, Beatrix, Freya, and Steiner. The latter 5 are all solid, but it really hurts having to draft something substandard over a stronger card just to make sure you have enough cards for Lenna. Two bodies at once is a great way to build towards Cloud of Darkness and Ramza.

Gau
2
Gau can end up being pretty efficient, especially if you end up getting back something like Tonberries or Skeleton. The big issue he faces is that the selection of monsters he can get isn’t great. There are 3 in Fire, 2 Ice, 4 Wind, 2 Earth, 2 Lightning, and 5 Water. But even within those, not all of them are exactly playable. No one is really excited about Dracobaltian or Killer Bee. This leaves him in the same situation as Serah, Gau himself is pretty decent but the limited amount of quality interaction he has in the Cube brings his score down dramatically. In his favor, though, with Relm, Urianger, and Kefka present, the potential payoff for Monster synergies is much higher.

Steiner
2
He gives you a decent use for the smaller Forwards littering Water and has Knight synergy. Being able to rumble with 9ks makes him actually somewhat attractive, even if his stats aren’t great. Just know that his Action Ability is a bit more awkward than it looks; dulling another Water Forward is a real cost.

Viking
1.5
If you’re running filler (which if you’re playing Water, you are) then this is some of the better filler around. Incredibly low commitment, and if you can clear the way for him, well, a 2k deals the same damage to your opponent as a 10k.

Cloud of Darkness
4.5
And here is exactly why you want a ton of filler Forwards. Not only does CoD have a massive ETF, she makes blocks harder every single turn she can swing out. CoD has been one of the primary reasons to play Water in Standard for years, and Cube is no different.

Porom
3
A nice bit of card selection early on, plus EX, plus a shockingly relevant Action Ability. There are so many random lines of play that this absolutely shuts down.

Refia
2
Water just has so many tiny Forwards for whom an extra 1k means absolutely nothing. If you’re super heavy in water and can start blowing her Dull 5 every turn, then this card is the business, and Water tends to be the easiest Element to monopolize during the draft portion. Unlike most normal Draft environments, Water in Cube does have enough 7s 8s and 9s to make Refia worth running. Just don’t expect her to be as strong as the other FFIII protags. The WoL deck still values this card highly though, as it wants to be Water to make use of Sarah (FFL), Dusk, and Faris.

Aymeric
2.5
Big dude, can’t be combo killed, helps your other Forwards attack in, pretty solid all around. Would it have killed them to just make him a Knight? Also, it’s criminal that we don’t have a Haurchefant yet.

Templar
1.5
Templar helps make combat really awkward for the opponent. This mostly helps turn even trades one sided, but also allows for safely blocking a Forward at +1k. This lets Templar himself stop 9ks. All this is tied in to an expensive and committal package. If this were on a backup, it would be insanely good, but having to dull an 8k in order to use the ability is not an irrelevant cost.

Eiko
2
Sort of a super Viking, Eiko isn’t too hard to pick up some value with. Not a standout card, but also not quite filler status.

Quina
2.5
Anything that can chow down on a 9k is worth an inclusion, even if you really can’t afford to use the ability more than once without seriously endangering yourself.

Zidane
4.5
Zidane for me is one of the big reasons to go Water, and if I pick him I will almost always try to pair it with Fire. You really want to pick up a Gilg (XI) and then as much haste as you can find. Getting a single hit with Zidane is huge, getting two is almost always GG. He is extremely easy to kill, and does next to nothing on defense, but he is one of the best offensive tools in the entire Cube. There’s even three other Zidanes, so you can solve all kinds of problems with Solution 9.

Ghis
1
-1k is a bit tough to get to kill something as an ETF. His flicker trigger is awkward, as he can’t use it to trade up with a 9k since he’ll die instead. He is functionally immune to being killed with two sources of damage, which isn’t nothing. Honestly his best use is to drop him, then immediately hit him with Mutsuki or Alphinaud in order to -2k their board so you can swing in. All in all, he’s tough to get to do anything relevant, and falls flat in almost every aspect.

Cecil
3
With only Palom, Barbariccia, Kain, Golbez, Zemus, Fusoya, Cagnazzo, both Poroms, and Ceodore, getting Cecil’s Field Ability online will be incredibly difficult even in WaLi. This leaves him as a fancy Templar that doesn’t dull when he uses his ability, which is huge.

Porom
2
As far as efficient Forwards go, Porom is one of the best, replacing herself with hopefully some premium removal.

Ashe
4
What’s nice here, as opposed to say Fenrir, is that none of these abilities are niche. They’re all extremely useful in several ways, improving the quality of your hand, letting your Forwards attack more safely, generating CP and fighting against Dull/Freeze effects, and stripping cheaper Forwards of their abilities. Every turn Ashe gets her trigger off, she generates more and more advantage.

Gilgamesh (XI)
3.5
Best in Fire/Water, where you can use Haste granting effects on both him and the Forwards he brings back. The longer you can get him to stick, the more value he creates, making him a top priority to protect. He pairs well with almost every other Element as well, as there are plenty of strong 2s in each. The one exception is Lightning, who’s selection of targets is a bit lacking with only Alba and Cait Sith as standouts.

Tidus
4
Cheap (but temporary) removal that also lets you reuse Backup ETFs? Count me in. Don’t forget his +1k, it isn’t totally irrelevant, even though the options are super limited, between Gippal, Yuna, Yunalesca, Rikku, and Baralai.

Folka
3
There’s eleven Water Summons to fuel her with, and even the threat of her will cause the opponent to have to be careful about their plays. Her bounce effects is particularly CP efficient. In the end, she’s still just a 7k though, so don’t expect her to carry you through the game.

Garnet
3.5
Getting extra value for doing the things you’re doing anyways is great. +2k is a strong amount that will be relevant in plenty of situations. Her auto-cast can be pretty strong if you’re able to force it by emptying your hand of anything else.

Kraken
2.5
More than the other Elements, Water is in desperate need of as many 9ks as it can get its hands on. His ETF has a pretty good potential return, making him at least mildly attractive outside of his statline.

White Mage
1
Nice, you can get two Templar activations!

Celes
3.5
Able to swing in as a 9k, or act as a repeatable Tidus, with a fallback ability for when neither of those are useful. Once you’re on Damage 3, she becomes a seriously threatening attacker.

Yunalesca
2
With Garnet and Eiko able to help out, Yunalesca can provide for some pretty good discounts. Her ETF even helps out in the long game, improving the quality of your deck, making it ever so slightly harder to deck out, and should you have a shuffle effect potentially increasing your EX count by 1. It won’t be particularly relevant, but it’s not nothing. It isn’t optional though, so she can be a little unhelpful in decks looking to reuse their summons with Porom or Terra.

Relm
1
There are seven 1s and eleven 2s for her to draw from. Most of the Water Monsters aren’t particularly impressive, so you’re really hoping to be pulling out off-Elements like Bomb or Swampmonk. Even at her absolute best she’s not spectacular, and most decks are going to have to fill up on substandard cards in order to make use of her.

Strago
3.5
Tacking Leviathan onto a Forward is always great. Compared to Tidus, he’s smaller and more expensive, but you also don’t lose a backup in the process. To be fair, bouncing a backup is often beneficial. If you are able to follow up by dropping something for free, the CP swing on board will be insane. Note that Strago can play out any Character, he isn’t restricted to Forwards.

Dusk
2.5
There are so many quality 3s in Water for this to drop, and he pairs well with any Element, making him extremely flexible. He’s a Warrior of Light too, for all the benefits that come with that.

Beatrix
3
There are a few Knights in the Cube, both Rains, Lasswell, Heretical Knight Garland, Delita, Both Ramzas, Jegran, both Steiners, and Gawain. Gawain can be used to get some strong Beatrix set-ups, but even without any support she can act as a mini-Gippal allowing for a strong offense. The more Knights you can pick up the better, and she almost singlehandedly gets Ramza to his 10k breakpoint. She tends to be best paired with either Lightning or Fire, but even Ice and Earth aren’t awful complements. You really only need to be getting one other Knight out with her to feel like you’ve gotten a great deal.

Yuna
5
Water has so many cheap Forwards begging to party up, and Yuna gives an incredible payoff. She follows this up by providing for a seriously lethal attack trigger, gaining huge value every time she can turn sideways. Don’t get so caught up in trying to trigger her ETF that you are unwilling to play her without it; her power reduction is nine tenths of the reason you’re playing her.

Leviathan
2
Bounce is good. It’s a little expensive, so try to get some added value by using it in response to some commit.

Cuchulainn, the Impure
3
A great combat trick, and a nice EX to boot.

Famfrit, the Darkening Cloud
3
A great use for all of Water’s efficient Forwards like Eiko and Porom.

Syldra
4
Double bounce is such a strong effect. It’s easy to overlook this card since it’s basically never seen competitive play, but I urge you: try it out. You won’t be disappointed. Also if you win the game before your opponent can replay their Forwards, it’s basically a cheaper Raiden.

PuPu
1.5
Helps you move through your deck to get at your better cards.

Bismarck
3
Bismarck is a strong combat trick that can double as part of a removal chain. It even has two other niche effects that can come in handy once in a while.

Leviathan
2
The look on your opponents face when you counter their Bahamut with this is sure to be priceless. The action ability thing is going to be hard to make worth it, but when it is it will be a shock. Nine times out of ten though this will just be Leviathan without EX, and I think the tradeoff between EX and added flexibility is about even.

Leviathan
0
Paying more for a restricted version of an already only passable card is not the way to go. Frustratingly, it defies this by being one of the best EXs in the Cube.

Cuchulainn, the Impure
2
Cheap enough that there’s lots of ways to get value off of it.

Syldra
3
There’s a bunch of random cat Vs running around, so on top of giving you easy access to all your Water, Syldra will also be able to fix for any Element it’s paired with. Notable non-Water targets include Galuf, Exdeath, Gilgamesh, and Lenna.

Remora
1
Way too expensive for how little it does, but sometimes you just don’t get enough removal and have to play the sideliners.

Adamantoise
1
It’s cheap, and it draws you a card, but unless you’re protecting yourself from even trades or from Fire’s burn, it’s just too easy for the opponent to play around.

Green Dragon
0.5
Aside from Gau/Relm/Urianger synergy, paying even rate for a card that’s only a 7k sometimes is completely unplayable.

Tonberries
2.5
Whether you’re using it two separate times of altogether as a -6k, Tonberries is a flexible and powerful way to control combat.

Dracobaltian
0.5
Well at least it’s better than 4cp Leviathan.

Sahagin Chief
2
Water is the easiest Element in which to get three Monster Counters quickly, and the double bounce is extremely strong, as we saw in Syldra. Still, the set-up cost isn’t negligible, so it isn’t like the Chief is a good replacement for Syldra, but it’ll still make for a solid addition to any Water based deck.

Sprite
1.5
Again, unless you’re literally winning the game with this, it’s almost completely unplayable. That said, it gets rid of pretty much anything you point it at, making it the best of the bunch at opening up your opponent for an alpha strike.

Ovelia
3
The WaLi and WaFi archetypes both benefit greatly from her, and Jegran even tutors her directly into play.

Scholar
1.5
The Scholar/Cagnazzo combo is technically in the Cube, but you’ll almost never amass so many Water cards that you can get it to do enough damage to make it worth it. This leaves Scholar mostly useful for protecting your more valuable Forwards against removal, which is just fine.

Evoker
2
Still the best 1973

Minwu
3.5
Dropping an extra CP on a Backup isn’t quite so tough in Cube as it is in Standard, and Minwu provides great protection against a variety of effects. In particular, it shuts down a ton of Fire and Wind’s toolboxes for very little investment on your part. Also makes your Cecil much safer.

Wakka
3
While Water has plenty of Forwards who won’t really benefit from glowing up from a 5k to a 6k, the Forwards who do want this really want it. Also, when combined with multiple other effects power altering effects, even your smallest Forwards will be able to get in.

Horne
0.5
The absolute worst of this cycle.

Merlwyb
3
Unparalleled hand fixing that also sets up your BZ for recursion. An incredible turn 1 play that really helps craft a solid game plan. My personal favorite Backup of all time.

Artemicion
2.5
OK maybe Merlwyb’s hand fixing is kind of paralleled. Comparative benefits: Arte doesn’t leave you down cards in deck and is more flexible in deciding which and how many cards to ditch; Merl gives you some of the information before deciding on the last discard, which lets you pitch a card she drew. She also sets up your BZ for later, and has EX. Both are excellent, and you can’t go wrong with either.

Gladiator
1.5
There’s only ten options for this in the entire Cube, none of which are exciting. Still, being able to turn a Backup into any body is great in the late game.

Brahne
2
Again, there’s only ten options, but getting them proactively like this is a bit better than via Gladiator.

Merlwyb
3
Why yes, I do love tutoring my bombs, thank you.

Baderon
2.5
Nice bit of card selection for you. Really helps sift through Water’s filler for exactly what you want.

Green Mage
2.5
There’s so many strong abilities that this hits, and for such a small cost. It’s a great layer of protection to keep in your back pocket.

Fisher
1.5
Fisher can double up as a combat trick if you bring back an Adamantoise or a Tonberries. Also, unlike the other Monster synergy cards, it can get 3s like Deathgaze and Kanna.

Thordan VII
1
He’s super expensive but access to any card is pretty strong. If you’re running Vincent you can even get some use out of his death trigger.

Gramps
1
The poor man’s Merlwyb/Baderon, but we’ll still play it.

White Mage
1.5
Nice and flexible, either a standard 2cp developmental backup, or a functional Evoker that moves you through your deck. Not particularly strong either way, though.

King of Concordia
1.5
A nice way to protect your bombs or swing a combat. Clearly best if the thing you’re bouncing also has a strong ETF to make use of.

White Mage
2
Water has a couple of strong Summons that it’s absolutely worth being able to bring them back.

Class Fourth Moogle
2.5
Fire is definitely one of Water’s better pairings, so a Backup that facilitates that will be in high demand.

Class Seventh Moogle
2
Water has the most ways to mess with combat math, but having one more is always nice.

Aemo
1
She tends to be a bit unwieldy, as a lot of what you want her to commute won’t really have another good target. Many effects like Cecil and Cid Aulstyne can only hit targets the opponent controls, but maybe you can redirect Cecil to a dull Forward that costs more than he can break. It will be rare indeed that you get to pull off something like making Vivi blast himself, but when it happens it will be a huge blowout.

Clavat
2
Again, Water usually wants to be drafted with Fire, so Clavat is a nice way to facilitate that. Ice also isn’t bad.

Scholar
1
A good way to make use of your cheap Forwards, but most of the time this is just going to be a more demanding Gramps that doesn’t have EX.

Sarah (FFL)
3
One of the lynchpins of the WoL archetype. Since she gets two, you really have to be dedicated to the deck to run her. Her sacrifice effect is a nice little addition, even if it won’t be useful often. There’s a smattering of non-WoL FFL Forwards that she can grab as well, Asmodai, Graham, Wrieg, Jinnai, Alba, and Gawain, so keep those options in mind.

Light/Dark/Multi Element

Sephiroth
0.5
A weak effect and major Name Clash in a slot with stiff competition. First Strike is really strong though, so if you’re stuck with him try to get some effects that let him chew through 9ks.

Kefka
0
The actual worst of the Light/Darks. Unless you’re getting Kanna/Deathgaze, or are deep in the Monsters Matter deck, avoid him like the plague. Even if those are true, Citra or Galdes are arguably better. Hell, the synergy isn’t even strong enough that it’s worth skipping out on midtier Light/Darks like Cloud of Darkness or Yuri, not to mention the real champs. There’re no Monsters that just sit on the field, like Meltigemini or Libroarian. They all have uses, so turning them into 7ks just isn’t a good use for them, especially considering that you have to dull Kefka to do it. There isn’t support for the kind of “go wide” Monster deck that we saw during Opus IV and V, where Kefka was able to animate like five things at once, although even then those decks preferred Kefka 4L.

Hraesvelgr
0.5
Man we are not starting this section off strong. Yeah it’s functionally a 4 cost 9k who gets you your best card back, but is that really what you want to spend your Light/Dark slot on? Don’t use the other abilities.

Nidhogg
4
OK here we finally get some serious quality. Nidhogg slams down decisively, resolving a huge Forward while eliminating your opponent’s greatest threat and then also ripping some CP out of their hand for good measure. He’s such a power play at any stage of the game, and the massive CP swing he causes will win most games he sees.

Yuri
2
Having played him in oVII draft, he really does not command the board the way he does in Standard. It’s extremely hard to get to the point where you’re using him twice in a turn, and his abilities just aren’t quite as impressive in the Cube environment. Still, if he’s what you’ve got then he’s what you’ve got. Gaining all the elements is pretty relevant for like the Warrior of Light deck if you can’t get Wol or Lenna since he gets the boost from Luneth et al, and he also gets it from cards like Ulmia and Wakka, and like Totto he adds counters to Bomb and company. Also, he can party with anything.

Galdes
3
A nice mix of abilities. Being able to threaten to trade with up to 13ks makes him fearsome in combat, and even if they manage to get a better trade off, then you can just rip a card from hand or return something for a nice little rebate.

Rain
4.5
A super threatening attacker, any deck looking to be aggressive at all will benefit greatly from the insane pressure that Rain provides. Even has Knight synergy with Ovelia and Beatrix, and another Rain in Fire to make use of his over-the-top Specials.

Wol
3
If you’re in the WoL deck, the Lenna is definitely better, but if you can’t get her or you’re in a more generic Fi/Wi/Ea/Wa deck then Wol isn’t a bad choice for your Light/Dark. He’s a touch better than curve for a 9k, and presents a difficult problem for the opponent: “how do I kill him without losing a ton of value?” A problem for which there really aren’t too many good solutions.

Citra
3.5
Gives you a second shot at your best removal while also giving you an out for extra Light cards.

Raegen
0.5
Raegen really needed to cost 4 if he was even going to pretend to compete with Citra. As it stands, he’s just a smaller Hraesvelgr.

Cloud of Darkness
3
Its really nice to see her able to shine in Cube. She actually is a strong card, but the competition for Light/Dark in Standard had already drastically outpaced her before she was released. Given just a little bit of time to grow, CoD will completely dominate the board as the largest Forward around, and then when she finally is removed you get a nice rebate with the potential for a ton of selection. Just be careful about what deck you’re putting her into. For instance a Water deck with lots of PuPu/Merlwyb effects may see itself at grave risk of decking out.

Cloud
3.5
The De Facto choice for VII Matters decks (although Sephiroth/Kadaj are arguably still better). Playing him into Tifa is an extremely strong sequence. You can usually get his extremely efficient Break off once per game, if you’re careful, and his Damage 5 turns him into a serious body.

Sephiroth
5
Sure, he can’t be played early, but even if you’re being crushed by aggression, he comes down, kills one attacker, and then ties Yiazmat for highest printed power in the Cube. If you’re ahead, he can erase a Backup, making it that much harder for the opponent to claw back into the game. Absolutely insane value for his cost. The Octaslash is too restricted to be reliable, so don’t go taking a million Sephiroths just so you can use it. It’s game-winningly good if you get it off, but those situations will be rare.

Kadaj
5
Kadaj is so brutally hard to get rid of, just because he doesn’t exist half the time. Whether he’s swinging in as an 11k, clearing blockers to free up more attacks, or denying your opponent their recursion effects, Kadaj applies the boot turn after turn after turn. Be careful, though, that the opponent doesn’t just switch to hard aggro to take advantage of his absence. Know when it’s appropriate to leave him in play as a blocker.

Lenna
4.5
Warrior of Light synergy, recurs your best threats, can cause ETFs during combat or on the opponent’s turn, loves effects like Tidus and Celes. One of the best options for your Light/Dark slot.

Cosmos
3
Perfect fixing for any deck, and a must-have for any deck running more than two Elements.

Chaos
3
Ditto. Slightly better than Cosmos because of The Deathlord. Is not a target for the four fiends.

Fusoya
1
Fusoya has been a strong meta call in the past when expecting to play against lots of 7ks, but here in Cube the breakpoint is a little higher. Can be great when combined with Fire or Lightning’s easy access to extra damage. The self-damage though is more harmful, as it’s tougher to load up on EX Bursts, there are fewer ways to guarantee a Burst (like Seymour,) and you’ve got less life to work with, making every point you take that much more dangerous.

Princess Sarah
3.5
Helps to fix your Elements while providing the threat of an extra anthem effect. Can even double up with other Light cards, providing you played her first.

Chaos
3
There are so many quality cards for Chaos to get in every Element. It’s also nice that he can act as an Evoker during development. Unlike the other Light/Dark Backups, he retains his relevance deep in the late game, which is important since they can’t be pitched for CP, making them all super dead draws. His exile effect is also extremely efficient, and the four fiends are able to search for him when they die. All in all an impressive package.

Vayne
4
Built right, he’s a 10k for 3. Getting the discard on swing instead of on damage like Genesis or Locke makes him extremely effective in tearing down an opponent’s ability to stabilize against you. A strong draw into a strong archetype.

Selh’teus
4
Getting two bodies for 4 is great, and no Element is better at making use of wide boards than Ice. He does require a lot of set-up, so super aggressive decks may not be interested.

Leon
3
A great pair of abilities, but not so good that you feel bad about using him to fix your CP.

Baralai
3.5
There are a ton of ways to trigger Baralai on both ends. It’s easy to accidentally end up with a Wind/Ice deck with very few ways to trigger him, so if you take him early, don’t forget about him.

Rikku
2.5
It is criminal that she not be 7k like the rest of the cycle. Her abilities aren’t even that much better, though they are great.

Locke
5
If you’ve ever played against Storm, you know how devastating his abilities are. Even a 2CP discount makes him a strong CP swing, and if you can get him down by 4 or 6 then you’ve got one of the most efficient plays in the Cube.

Iris
3
For grindier EaWi decks (is there any other kind?) she’ll be a strong mid-late game play that’s difficult for the opponent to attack into or block against.

Prishe
3
Like what I said with Ramuh, most Monster she can kill can be cracked in response, but some players will have a good target. Also she can hit 3s like Militesi and Deathgaze.

Y’shtola
4.5
EaWi’s premiere attacker. Most of EaWi wants to be playing this slow grindy game, so it’s nice to branch out and have this insane threat. She’s a little tough to kill, but every deck will still have ways to deal with her, so don’t go on thinking she’s invincible or anything, although most of the time she dies, the CP trade will be in your favor.

Shantotto
3
Haste on command is always a welcome addition, and her second ability lets you freely swing into what would otherwise be a trade. Can also be used to set up Hec or Kefka.

Noctis
2.5
Gentiana, Ardyn, Glauca, Nyx, Iris, and Regis. That’s a pretty sparse list for him to return, so just resign yourself to only using him for his party trigger, which is crazy good. Free Haste every turn for as long as you can keep him alive.

Regis
5
Seriously, seriously, don’t be afraid to pull the trigger and only get back one Forward. It’s still worth it. If you wait around for the perfect moment, you’ll be waiting forever.

Urianger
2
At least there are better Monsters in Cube than Opus XII, where his only options were Cactuar and Objet. It’s nice to see Urianger get the opportunity to do something relevant, even if his options for Monsters still aren’t spectacular. Electric Jellyfish off of him is devastating, as you get to bounce one blocker, dull another, then swing with your fresh Uri for a total body swing of 3.

Thancred
5
The amount of power here is absolutely terrifying. If you’re even only at three for both effects, he’s incredibly threatening. If he dies before you can get his attack trigger off, you’re probably still up CP, but pairing him with haste will ensure he gets a ton of value. Just be careful about whether or not the opponent can bring your character count down enough to counter his effect.

Freya
3
It’s nice to have the draw/discard so that there’s an ability that is always relevant. Hard to pass up on 4k though.

Gawain
2.5
The big enabler for the Knight deck, just make sure you’ve got the Steiner or the Rain still in deck to qualify for his Fire Knight.

Steiner
3
Both abilities lead towards some great attacks. Bouncing something like Shadow Lord is the dream.

Faris
3.5
The shining star of the Warriors of Light deck, able to rain down fire or chain one into another. Absolutely awful without support.

 

 

Think this all sounds fun? Looking to do some Cubes? There’s a great tool online at https://www.fftcg-cube-draft.com/ where you can run a Cube with others. At the end of the draft portion, there is a deckbuilder that will create a file for use in OCTGN. If you’re looking for places to meet up for Cube drafts, both the Global Discord and Chocobo Joe’s Cube Club are great places to find other players. For any other inquiries, feel free to reach out to me on Discord at Lossley#5502, or on Twitter at HowWL. Thanks again for reading this admittedly insane amount of words, and I look forward to seeing you next time, here on the Crystarium.

This is the third part in the series of articles about All-Star Draft covering Lightning, Water, Duals etc. You can also view the other parts here:

How to Win Limited: All-Star Draft (Opus XII) – Fire and Ice

How to Win Limited: All-Star Draft (Opus XII) – Wind and Earth