Howdy folks, and welcome to The Crystarium! Today we have the first set to feature XVI cards, and the second set to feature SOPFFO cards. We have a brand new mechanic, Priming, and we have a format with the highest average power level amongst Forwards. We have a Limited environment that has finally decided to cast off the shackles of what you used to get for a certain cost, and make 3CP grant 8000 power reliably. With this proud declaration of how power creep must eventually affect our Limited tournaments, has Square Enix managed to dive into these murky waters cleanly? Have they embraced this new era of power with clarity and wisdom? Is Opus Twenty Four balanced despite how pushed it is? Let’s investigate together, and prepare our hidden hope for the hidden trials of Hidden Legends.
Rating Scale
S: You are ecstatic to first pick this, and you will warp your entire deck to play it. Nearly wins the game on its own.



A: You are happy to first pick this. A strong reason to play its element. These cards are the bombs you build your deck to support. Should improve your position dramatically.



B: You are unexcited to first pick this. The cards that form the backbone of your deck. Will likely put you ahead a couple of CP when played.



C: You are upset to first pick this. The meat of the deck. These cards will rarely get you ahead immediately, but may accrue value over time.



D: If you’re first picking this then you have one of the worst packs ever printed. While these cards may have niche application or very specific circumstances where they excel, by and large they do not do much to advance your game plan.



F: If this card is in your deck at all, Godspeed



Fire
Ifrit (XVI)
Since Ifrit and Clive L are both Ls, it’s reasonably unlikely you’ll have access to both, so my primary focus here will be on Ifrit alone. Ifrit is an absolute haymaker. Kills something on entry, then has haste so that he can kill something else. At a stunning 10K, few things in this format will be able to deal with him before he finishes his first turn. As early as the mid-game, it shouldn’t be hard to get Ifrit to take down two Forwards, whether because he was blocked or because he connected and got to 10K a second time. Ifrit is the kind of Forward that needs top tier removal in order to deal with, so the more you can force your opponent to spend that removal on lesser threats, the safer he will be. Should you actually be able to Prime Clive L into Ifrit, suddenly you gain access to his incredible S, fueled by a steady stream of Clive C.
S
Warrior of Light
Not to be all “RETVRN” but we used to get this on 2CP Backups. Was that Vivi too good? Sure, maybe, and it’s not like Warrior of Light is bad, but with as hard as it is to get a Crystal in this economy you’d think we could at least have 6K default or a 9K ceiling or something. As it stands, there are 25 Forwards that survive this based on printed power alone, not to mention abilities like Clive C‘s +4K. So much of Fire’s removal this set is massive, so Warrior of Light is even harder to make use of than normal. Clive C, Cetia, Neon all come to mind, but now we’re looking at a pretty expensive turn. Thus we’re left to turn to out of Element cards like Nono or Vivi.
C
Cyan
Gogo, Terra, and some Water cards that aren’t worth mentioning. You’ve only got four possible targets for his ETF. Gogo+Cyan is a fun little interaction, where your opponent can’t really kill one (well, with an ability, Summons still work) (well, with damage/break effects, RFG/Deck Bury/Bounce still work) (well, with single target removal, Salamander (XII RW) and Bahamut (XVI) still work) unless they kill both, as you can just keep sacrificing the Cyan and then replaying it at its full cost of four without getting value off its ETF since Gogo is still in play. Wow, infinite 4CP 7Ks. The best line of text on this card is “Tenzen buffs me”
D
Deadly Nightshade
7K isn’t quite enough for a lot of the real threats this set, but at only 1CP I’m not complaining. There’s a whole cycle of these so let me say this now: Probably a bad idea to play these unless you are going to immediately cash it in next step. Not next turn, next step. Like “Play Deadly Nightshade, move to Combat, swing, trigger Deadly Nightshade.” There’s not that many things that prey on Monsters this set, but without a good reason to commit to playing these on to the board, there’s no good reason to play these on to the board.
B
Clive
I keep having existential nightmares where I finish my first turn only to see my opponent play two Backups, play Clive, swing, and draw two cards for free. My therapist is delighted. It’s the easiest money she’s ever made.
OK for real though what the hell is this card? It’s funny, I don’t think it’s the best card in the set, but I do think it’s the most overtuned. All right sure it’s a glorified Onion Knight, but it’s an Onion Knight every single turn. Also, Onion Knight was sick. Plus we get to +1k our other Dominants and such. While you shouldn’t expect to draft both Clive and Ifrit (XVI), since they’re both Ls, Clive’s Priming makes the pairing so much better since you no longer have to draw Ifrit naturally.
A
Clive
With 7 Doms and 7 Eikons at R, Clive isn’t too hard to get online by the mid game. Any primed Eikon will remove itself once answered, giving you some amount of control over Clive’s buff. Odin can also put one into RFG, although you don’t really have any control there whether it hits or not. Name clash doesn’t hurt too much here since 1) Clive L is an L and 2) Clive C can throw himself in the trash at any point. He’s also the primary target for Phoenix’s trigger, which lets him dumpster himself every single turn, and should you manage to end up with a Primed Ifrit (XVI) somehow he can fuel that massive Special. A good workhorse with decent synergy who has the potential for massive growth.
B
Black Mage
If it’s the late game or if you just really need to kill something, it can be worthwhile to lose a Backup to do it. Usually though this card will just be blank.
C
Salamander (XII RW)
Honest SQEX please don’t do this shit with the card names. XII or RW alone would have been fine. 2nd point, and I’ll touch back on this when I get to Human in a sec, you cannot expect to get to five Backups this set. This set has haymakers galore, and is not built for long, protracted games where you eke out marginal advantages every turn. 7K isn’t really that much, although there are still some great targets for it. Jill and Cidolfus start a stack when they hit the board, so a well timed Salamander will stop them from being able to Prime. Lightning is impossible to deal with in combat, and Salamander happens to hit her for exactsies. Hitting Tidus before his ETF goes off will at least stop them from drawing a card. Slaying a Magna Roader might just bring its Ice count down enough that it doesn’t get the discard. Removal is always good, just saying this isn’t quite on par with some of the other removal we’ll see later.
B
Joshua
Joshua lets you rawdog an Eikon early, then when it eventually dies, put it back in the deck for Priming fuel. This handily skirts the issue of drawing the Eikon before the Dominant. He can also put cards like Clive C back to fuel Takatsugu, though this takes fuel away from Phoenix. He is mandatory, so if Clive is your only target then he’ll sweep Clive away before he can Prime into Phoenix.
B
Cetia
The crown jewel of the main six Warriors of the Crystal. Cetia is certainly serviceable solo, though it is only in the presence of the true power of friendship that she attains her full potential. As a preface for how this tribe works, we have a Warrior of the Crystal in every primary Element, Raph in Dark, and then while he doesn’t have the Job himself, Lucio in Light. Crystals are difficult to come by outside of Lightning, so while yes Crystals do let you circumvent having to for instance actually pay Fire for Cetia, you need Lucio’s constant stream of Crystals, or Jack Garland to actually play these off-Element with much regularity. That said, even if you’re just in two Elements with Cetia and whomever else, Cetia only really needs one friend to hit 8K and do some real damage.
B
Takatsugu
It is hilarious to me that this only gets Clive C and Joshua, which means Priming into Phoenix actually does nothing since you have all the targets already. That said, if you’ve burnt an Eikon already, then if it’s exiled Clive gets huge, and if it’s dead Joshua puts it back in the deck, so Takatsugu winds up being a solid mid-game play anyways. Three bodies from one card happens very rarely, especially when two of them can be 9Ks. Oh, yeah, he does piddling damage too, so if you can find an opportune time to play him you might be able to take down a 3K or finish off a Forward that blocked.
B
Human
If you actually have 4 or more Backups of the same element this set, something has gone horribly wrong in your game. There are so many early, offensive threats that I think many games won’t even go to four Backups, and having four of the same will be extremely difficult given how Limited is basically forced to play at least two Elements in your deck. Looking just at his first ability then, this cycle is excellent. They can function as “2CP” Backups on T1 if you need them to, but excel past that, as T2 Backups. They will help you dig deeper into your deck while building resources at an efficient rate. These very often will be the best Backups in their Element.
B
Neon
I love the damage being adjustable. Do you just need a small amount? Here, have a Crystal too. Need a bunch of damage? Just pay 1 more CP. I cannot think of a draft set where I would not have slammed a 6/9 that deals 10k on entry, and Neon is even more flexible than that.
A
Bahamut
Do not fire off his 2nd mode unless you know for a fact you’re going to win because of it. This set has some strong EX Bursts, SOPFFO Bahamut and Warrior of Light both have the potential to deal 8k, and that’s just in Fire. If Mateus, Cu Sith, Tidus, or the like will stop you from having lethal, then only pop this if it’s your last option. With that warning, wow what a board clear. A great way to ignore the additional cost of Odin. Bahamut ZERO was the best card in Opus 9 Limited and while Bahamut isn’t quite there, it’s still definitely Top 5. Alternatively, it kills basically any single Forward in the set. If you’re on the back foot and can’t set up a lethal swing, it’s nice that this card has a backup gameplan.
S
Bahamut
There is a new rule this Opus. Do not ever go to five damage. And this card is why. 9CP and you lose. Now yeah, sure, 9CP is one less than a billion. But all it takes is one “Draw a card” EX Burst like Terra, Mateus, Wing Wraith, Y’shtola, and suddenly that Bahamut’s looking a lot more likely. Bahamut himself dodges several impactful EXs, being too big for the 8k damage ones, and too expensive for Tidus to bounce. This lets him truly become a terror in the midgame. Sure he dies to lots of removal, but as long as you’re getting a fair amount of value off his ETF it should be fine to risk trading with something like a Valigarmanda. Should your opponent not have a clean way to deal with Bauhaus, he becomes an absolute house. Notably, his ability is not tied to his ETF. If he kills something in combat? Deal 1 damage. Even if he trades. This thing is a C, so if your opponent is on Fire, you can damn well expect they have at least one waiting in the wings. It is more than any other card in the set the one you must be most aware of, and I know I’ll be thankful every day that this wasn’t in the same set as a Hecatonchier reprint.
A
Phoenix (XVI)
Tragic that Phoenix only has two targets, Clive C and Joshua, because half the time Phoenix can’t even bring back Joshua. Clive is a solid option, as if you have one on the field already, you can sacrifice him to 5k something, then swing with Phoenix to bring him right back. This is especially strong once Clive gains Brave, as then he can swing as a 9k and then set up a Phoenix attack. Phoenix is only a 7K in a set where that’s not very good, so Clive being there to deal some damage to potential blockers will help him get in.
B
Firion
So we’re just getting 3/8s now. Ok. Firion reminds me of the first single I ever bought, having decided to stop playing at a local level and step up to competitive FFTCG, Opus V Wol. Depending on the board state, you get to pick whichever effect is more useful in the circumstance. In this case it seems pretty straightforward. Does your opponent have an 8k you don’t want to trade with? Pick First Strike. Otherwise, pick Brave.
C
Josef
I don’t have a good term for this kind of card, but Josef is the kind of combo piece that you pick second. Let me explain. He has two combo pieces, Firion H and Leon L, both in Lightning. So, since both of those are more rare than Josef, since they stand on their own while Josef requires access to one or more of them, it makes sense not to pick up Josefs until you have one or more of them. Once you do have them, Josef becomes an important and integral part of your deck. Without them, Josef is worse than chaff. I kinda hate rating these cards because they’re only good under very specific circumstances and total dogwater otherwise, and I worry that someone’s going to see “wow Josef is a B, I should pick him over Human for my Fire/Ice deck.”
B
Tenzen
I’m surprised to see there’s actually two Samurai this set, Cyan and Jed. Cyan even pulls naturally towards Water, setting Tenzen up more easily. While Cyan and Jed are both fine cards, Tenzen really pushes them over the top. And unlike Bahamut, you don’t need to set up for a perfect lethal turn. Since they’ll all have Brave you’re not really opening yourself up for any kind of counteroffensive.
B
Fire is the Element to beat this set. With the sole exception of Cyan, every card is a banger. One thing I like to do when assessing an Element’s strength in Limited is look at just the Commons, and every C here is quality. Clive is the standout, synergizing with basically the whole Element and acting as the backbone for many Fire decks. Bahamut represents an existential threat that must be respected as the game marches on. Moving on from Commons, Neon is one of the set’s few Crystal generators. Deadly Nightshade is extremely cheap damage. These cards the C/Rs that would pull my draft into Fire. There are certain cards like Selh’teus that will give Fire a lot of trouble, so let’s look at what other Elements can offer to improve our Fire deck.
Fire/Ice will look to play an aggressive tempo game, pairing Fire’s hard removal with Ice’s soft. Bhunivelze and Shiva (XVI) add massive haymakers to Fire’s already impressive arsenal. Takatsugu and Phoenix (XVI) are able to take good advantage of Dull/Freeze like Piscodaemon, as they each play out multiple attackers.
Fire/Wind gives us first and foremost Wing Wraith. This helps all our burn hit that much harder. Belgemine helps further this plan, while Minwu helps us rebuy our Firions. Many of Fire’s best cards are very expensive, so potentially cheap threats like Onion Knight, Tidus, and Vaan help field a board while saving up for our big plays.
Fire/Earth gives us a bunch of removal that comes while building a board presence. Cloud, Leo, Hugo and Titan (XVI), Morse, Lightning. Pairing that with Fire’s removal lets us play a very oppressive game where we nuke everything off the board and use our Forward generators and recursion to field a constant stream of attackers, cards like Takatsugu and Phoenix (XVI), Noctis and Y’shtola.
Fire/Lightning focuses hard on aggro. Fire’s Firion is an excellent source of fuel for Lightning Firion. Behemoth, Noel, and Bahamut all work in tandem to put obscene pressure on the opponent’s Damage Zone. Like Wing Wraith, Vivi is a huge boon to much of Fire’s direct damage. And this is the only way to make use of Josef.
Fire/Water gives us Kimahri, Cecil, and Siren, which we can use to protect our more devastating cards like Clive L, Ifrit (XVI), and Bahamut C. It doesn’t have any Dominants or Eikons which make Clive L and Joshua less impactful, and there are few other direct synergies. Ultima Weapon is tempting though.
Ice
Umaro
Incredible. Truly good at every stage of the game. Whether you need more Backups or some efficient removal, Umaro’s your beast. Avoids name clash with itself too, since he pitches straight from hand. In the running with Cloud for best Backup of the set.
A
Ulmia
This is ok at interrupting early economy building, but paying an extra CP to potentially deny them one CP isn’t a trade I’m happy to make. She can buy you some time against early aggressive threats like Odin (XVI), assuming they don’t have the S. Shantotto, Tenzen, and Selh’teus can all enable the discard, but none of them are particularly proactive plays in the early game. Ulmia just isn’t going to get any value most of the time you play her.
D
Kurasame
Once you’ve got three or more Backups, this becomes quite a worthwhile speed bump. His own ETF helps set up his attack trigger, which makes him even more efficient. While 7K may not be very much, cards like Piscodaemon can help keep him safe while he continues to draw cards turn after turn.
A
Gogo
Terra is really the only VI Forward in the set worth trying to abuse with Gogo. I look forward to seeing what degenerate strategies he enables in Standard, but here his best is to help Terra recur more Summon.
D
G Deleter
There are five different Ice Backups, so if any Element is going to trigger one of these, it’s Ice. I still wouldn’t go for it though, or you’ll start calling this guy Hope Deleter.
C
Shiva (XVI)
Assuming you’re playing her independently of Jill, Shiva is a powerhouse with a lot of potential. Even if you’re only hitting one Forward you should end up ahead. Hitting two and proccing the discard is clearly the dream, and pays back Shiva’s cost and then some. Cards like Mateus and especially Piscodaemon will make this significantly easier. Once we factor Jill into the equation, Shiva is an incredible closer. Only needing one single Dull Forward to get max value off Shiva makes her so much more flexible. Since this card is fetchable by its pair, you don’t quite need as many Shivas as you do Jills, so even though Shiva is clearly the more powerful of the two Jill will still get the nod.
B
Genesis
There are no other SOLDIERs in the set (Cloud is a warrior) so we’re only getting one trigger, and one of the options does nothing. He’s still a reasonable card, D/F two is strong and he has a lot of power, but he’s gonna have to sit alone, friendless, loveless.
B
Zalera, the Death Seraph
60 Forwards this set are 4 or less, while 24 are 5 or more. This makes Zalera much more accurate at hitting higher costs. By pairing this with a discard, Zalera ends up being pretty affordable. Some of Ice’s other removal requires Dull targets, so it’s nice that this hits a different limitation, giving Ice a bit more flexibility than it may have had in the past. This is especially important in a set with Titan (XVI).
A
Shantotto
Shantotto will be a welcome addition to Summon heavy decks. There are several 3/8s this set, so if you can get Totto’s discount twice you’re feeling fine. Her action ability is a nice bonus. It’s a lot of investment to land a 4CP Forward, then cast a Summon next turn, then give up a blocker, but D/F is a pleasant payoff. Shantotto isn’t winning any medals this set, but will quietly be one of Ice’s better collaborators. For Valefor, remember that the final cost is calculated after you declare X, so if you decide X is 5, Totto will bring the total cost from 6 to 5.
C
Jill
Assuming you’re playing her independently of Shiva (XVI), Jill is perfectly serviceable. Potentially cheaper depending on if you’re in Fire or have Torgal, but even at full price she’s fine. D/F tacked to a 3/7 is a card I’m more than happy to play. This kind of effect is good at any point from the midgame onwards. It helps stymie your opponent’s aggression, it clears a path for attackers, it negates powerful attack triggers too. With Shiva, Jill is clearly insane. Sets up a combo kill on nearly any Forward in the set while also preying on any other dull Forwards the opponent may have. With both Jill and Shiva at R this combo isn’t even difficult to pull together in Draft.
A
Squall
Squall gets a solid chunk of damage on both his entry and exit. This only hits Dulls, pushing him into a more defensive role, as he can block and trade up to 13K. His S lets him truly shine. +1K and First Strike is enough to threaten nearly any Forward in the set. A truly terrifying board presence. This Common is so good you might call him a Hidden Legend.
A
Terra
Boy there’s a truckload of Summons this set, with a cycle at both C and H. Terra shouldn’t be hard to get value off of. Mateus and Zalera are both strong summons, and no matter what element you pair Terra with she will always boast strong synergy with it.
B
Torgal
Not sure I want to add a bunch of off-Element cards to my deck that are only playable if I draw my Rare Backup who can’t be searched. Helps make Joshua’s weird Prime cost a little more palatable, at least. Honestly the best text on this card is the text on Jill.
C
Piscodaemon
Good amount of temporary removal at a good cost. Ice has a couple value Forwards like Terra and Kurasame that aren’t expecting to win any fights, and Piscodaemon helps clear the way for them while also locking down major threats until you can find a more permanent solution.
B
Bhunivelze
One of the set’s premier closers. Love that you can feed him monsters too, getting an extra count on his trigger for only 2CP. In aggressive decks this helps clear blockers for a final lethal turn, and in slower decks it completely breaks a board stall wide open.
S
Velis
Velis is very playable on his face. The fact that he can get more triggers puts him above and beyond. A great way to disrupt the opponent while developing your own board, or get rid of key blockers.
A
Mateus (XII RW)
Helps either knock out small things on its own or set up for another card to come along like Shiva (XVI) or Cloud to blow down something bigger.
B
Nu Mou
Nu Mou can be worth cashing out if you really need some breathing room, or are going for the kill.
C
Snow
With an Earth Lightning and a Lightning Lightning, Snow’s got a bit of flexibility. The Earth Lightning is the ideal target, but she benefits greatly from easy access to more Lightnings, so even an Ice/Earth deck may dip into Lightning (the element) so Snow can fetch up another Lightning (the protagonist). Now if only he weren’t quite so expensive.
C
Ice is a very strong supporting Element. It is very uncharacteristically flexible. Ulmia and Gogo are the only actual misses this set, and even they are (very) conditionally playable. We have plenty of sources of Dull/Freeze, as well as multiple cards that break Dull Forwards. We have Squall, Shiva, Genesis, and Bhunivelze who stop us from being bullied by 9Ks. One big issue is that we have five different Backups. This means we have fewer Forwards than any other Element, so make them count. As far as cards that will pull me into Ice, Terra will always be a hit. Every last Summon this set is solid, and promising doubles on them is just good politics. Umaro is powerful in a way that we’ve never seen before. Jill and Shiva both scream to be drafted. Getting passed Kurasame, Bhunivelze, or Zalera should inspire an instant and immediate pivot into Ice.
For Fire, we’ve got some strong D/F, say from Piscodaemon, to ensure Clive L or Ifrit (XVI) get to connect for their damage triggers. Both we and they have powerful removal. A focus on cheap, tempo Forwards like Terra and Jill will lead us to victory. A focus on cheap but temporary removal like Piscodaemon will lead us to victory. A focus on cards that put multiple Forwards onto the field like Takatsugu and Phoenix will lead us to victory. A focus on game ending plays with Ifrit (XVI) and Bhunivelze will lead us to victory.
For Wind, we get a bunch of relatively cheap Forwards, Vaan Nono Onion Knight Belgemine, who can pressure damage while we clear the way with Dull/Freeze. Belgemine loves that Mateus is cheap, making her easier to enable. Honestly there really isn’t that much major synergy here. They’re both good, they just don’t lift each other up very much.
For Earth, hoo boy is Earth happy to see us. They have multiple cards that prey on Dull Forwards like Cloud and Cactite, and Dull Forwards are our speciality. Y’shtola grabbing Terra grabbing a Summon gives us strong recursion chains in the mid to late game, while Y’shtola grabbing Squall lets us leverage his powerful S. Some of our cards are a little on the smaller size, and Moogle (SOPFFO) and Basch help get them up to respectable numbers. While Dull/Freeze gatekeeps potential attackers, Lightning can act as a strong deterrent for those who actually get through. Oh, and Selh’teus helps make Ulmia not cheeks.
For Lightning, Chime gets Umaro. That’s pretty neat. We can clear the way for Behemoth to do his thing. We appreciate Ramuh casting Zalera on the cheap. Vivi helps us turn cards like Terra into real combat threats. And Jack Garland boosts our Combat Step control to new heights.
For Water, Gau gives us easy and repeatable access to our powerful Piscodaemon. He also helps set up for powerful Bhunivelze turns. We can lock down anything that might be able to block and kill Astrius so he can focus on going face. If you’re dead set on trying to make Relm work, Umaro, Gogo and Terra are here.
Wind
Ashe
With 24 potential targets throughout the set, Ashe will always have game against every opponent (though she may struggle against WaLi with only three total 5+ drops). On top of that she boasts EX and a second ability which helps in combat and against Ice.
B
Valefor
Wind has two 1s, three 2s, five 3s, two 4s, and four 5s. Valefor will reward keeping a close eye on what all you’ve put in your deck, and what all has come out already. Early game, X=3 should be a pretty safe bet, giving you potential access to three different Backups. Later on, unless you’re looking for something specific, it’s likely worth kicking up to 5 for access to your 9Ks.
B
Vaan
There are a bunch of 3/8s running around, like Fire Firion, Sophia, and Dion. This makes Vaan being (more or less) a 3/9 quite welcome. You do need stuff to do with those two Backups he restands, but in an element with Leech Bat, Belgemine, Wing Wraith, and Vaan’s own 2CP Special, I don’t think you’ll have to look very hard. This makes two sets in a row where Vaan is a staple C (see Opus 23 Vaan here), featuring some strength every Wind deck wants while also having an extremely strong S letting you draft as many copies of him as you like. These Vaans, and cards like them, may not make waves in Standard, but I love to see cards so intentionally designed with their Sealed/Draft environment in mind.
B
Viera
I am on my hands and knees begging you not to throw a Backup in the trash for 2CP.
C
Onion Knight
Warp 1 is not a very long time to wait, and if you can afford the time then save that CP. Onion Knight lends himself to a longer game, which gives time to get his Damage 3 online. This turns him into a serious threat, able to trade with all sorts of goodies, and dodge any lesser attempts to destroy him. Onion Knight also represents an easy way to enable Bartz’s ETF, and if your opponent isn’t pressuring you at all, he can even help get a free Tidus out.
B
Garuda (XVI)
Cards like Garuda will make it so, so crucial to have strong removal. If this thing is left unchecked, it will completely take over the game. This card is genuinely better than Astrius and that guy’s an L.
A
Thief
Wish these said “draw 1 card or gain 1 Crystal.” Give them some flexibility. Let me use Sophia.
C
Zidane
Love that he gets to choose, so if you share one Element with your opponent you’re not gambling on a 50/50 like Top of Deck Zidane. I don’t know how much stock I put into this idea, but it may be worth splashing a couple cards here and there just to make Zidane more able to steal big bombs. Imagine splashing Fire Firion for Minwu and using it to cast Ifrit (XVI). It can also be used as proactive BZ removal. Earth has both Noctis and Y’shtola, so Zidaning a Morse or Lightning can stop them from replaying their better cards for a second or even third time. While it may be tempting to do this for Ifrit (XVI), to keep Joshua from recycling him into the deck, but this turns Clive C into a 9K. Anyways once you’re on Damage 5 hit whatever you want, you can cast it all anyways. This also lets you cast any of those splash cards anyways, although much more safely it enables wild off-Element LBs like Iron Giant.
A
Jeume
Jeume… exists? There are so many 3/8s this set that I cannot bring myself to be happy with a 4/8, especially with as much Summon based removal that absolutely ignores her protection.
D
Leech Bat
Leech Bat is a card that is really bad if you just throw it out, and potentially effective if played carefully. First thing to point out, you are losing 3CP. The 1CP you paid for Leech Bat, and 2 more since you can no longer pitch the Leech Bat to pay for other things. And you are not impacting your opponent’s economy. So whatever you take has to be really impactful. If you can trigger this in the first couple turns against a slower deck, you may be able to disrupt their Backline development, slowing them down even further. If you’re itching to play your bomb, you can use this to scout your opponent’s hand and see if they have counterplay. And if you get the feeling they’re holding onto something, for instance if they look like they’re building towards a Bahamut turn, you can use this to snipe that card from their hand. But again, at the end of the day, you’re losing 3CP and they are not.
D
Sophia (SOPFFO)
It will be extremely rare that there will be a Monster on the table when you cast this, which is fine because the other option is so good. There’s plenty of 5+s out there to smack, and you get a pretty good body too. Unfortunately, Wind has no way to create Crystals, so she’ll only see her full potential if paired with Neon, Lucio or Lightning.
B
Tidus
There’s only one other card with Warp: Onion Knight. Even if you manage to Warp Tidus the same turn you activate Onion Knight’s rewarp, that’s still a three turn Tidus. Free is free, though. If you think you have the time, it’s not that bad a play. I think I’ll just be sticking with him as a 5/9 Haste that can’t be chosen by Summons, who gives OK haste too. If you’re in Water too, be aware of name clash with Tidus C, and don’t load up too much.
C
Nono
Two Wing Wraiths and a Nono and you can kill a 10K with damage to spare. It kills me that that’s not even that bad. Once you’re on Damage 3, Vaan into Nono is a great way to get casts #2 and #3, letting Nono hit for full value. Valefor puts the card it finds into play, so will only count as one, but there’s plenty of cheap cards around.
C
Bartz
There are three “reliable” ways to get a card exiled this set. One is to get a Primed Eikon yeeted. Two is Odin. Three is Warp from Onion Knight or Tidus. If you’re used to Urianger from Opus 20, he was in an environment with several good Warp cards, notably Sephiroth 20C. While he was reliable, Bartz is less so. But that’s fine. He’s a 2CP Backup and you’re gonna play him whether he has real abilities or not.
C
Benedikta
While First Strike feels like it makes sense in Wind, it’s really rare that Wind actually gets it. As a 3/8 First Strike/Haste, I’m already pretty happy to let Benedikta Dom me. I mean Garuda. Dom Garuda. Not me. Nono is our only Storm payoff, so Garuda can be a good way to set up for that. Since Ongoing Effects get commuted through Priming, a Benedikta will retain her haste after turning into Garuda, giving you instant access to Garuda’s insane trigger for only four CP. Even without Garuda, with both Haste and First Strike, Benedikta is one of the best 3/8s in the set.
S

Belgemine
Wing Wraith alone makes this incredibly consistent. You might have to pitch and overpay for a couple, but between the Wing Wraiths and Belgemine herself you can erase four, maybe even five Forwards in one turn. Salamander (XII RW) is another card that appreciates Belgemine’s first trigger, two of those and Belgy can hit two for 11K apiece.
S
Minwu
Firion, Firion, and Leon are your only options here. “But Jeff,” I hear you say, “you forgot The Emperor!” Not so, The Emperor is secretly a SOPFFO character, distancing himself from the crew. Should you have those cards, Minwu is an excellent companion piece, both protecting and reanimating them. He even lets you use them as a splash, pitching them for CP early, then bringing them back later, skipping needing to actually match Element. This can help you play off-Element LBs, Tenzen Gilgamesh Iron Giant and Tonberry & Cactuar and still get value off your splash cards.
B
Wing Wraith
What? No (XII RW) for Wing Wraith? Wing Wraith, a card name that I’m certain I will mispronounce half the time (thanks Tolkein), is a well suited card in this environment. There are a few extremely big Forwards that Wing Wraith helps 7s and 8s trade into. There are plenty of smaller sources of damage around that Wing Wraith can turn lethal, from Warrior of Light to Nono to Raph (close enough). Notably, Wing Wraith and Vivi work well together, giving you a steady stream of 7Ks turn after turn. It also allows Vajradhara Wu to target anything you want for only 1CP. All this synergy, and it doesn’t even need it. Three in a row and you can take down just about anything. Looking forward to putting six of these in one deck.
A
Zidane
At only 5k, there’s plenty of Forwards that can easily block and kill Zidane. He also has name clash with the excellent Zidane H. That said, he’s a cheap evasive threat. If you have the removal to clear the way for him, he’s easier to squeeze damage out of than things that can be blocked by big bodies. His potential to draw a card will be much more reliable in Draft than Sealed, but even then won’t actually be very reliable at all, so don’t count on getting it.
C
Wind is an Element defined by a single card: Wing Wraith. Which isn’t to say you can’t build Wind without it. If the other Wind player at the table is snapping them all up, or you only opened one in your Sealed pool, dread not. Just avoid Belgemine and Nono and things will work out fine. Between Benedikta, Onion Knight, and Vaan, Wind has the best suite of 3/8s in the set. They’ll help deal with your opponents bread and butter while Ashe, Garuda, Sophia, and Belgemine contend with the more serious dishes, while Valefor helps get you whatever it is you need for the current situation. Wind definitely wants access to a bit more removal, so keep that in mind when shopping around for a second Element. Wind is also a very synergy driven Element, so picking up some cards that are just straight up good on their own will help stabilize Wind’s flightiness. If I see a Garuda, Benedikta, Belgemine, or Valefor going around in Draft, I’m going to seriously think about throwing myself to the Wind.
Fire gives us removal galore. Warrior of Light Deadly Nightshade Clive Cetia Neon and more are all happy for King Wing Wraith. Takatsugu and Phoenix field quick boards full of Forwards that love Wing Wraith support, especially once you get the Phoenix/Clive loop going. Bahamut and Bahamut help by giving us that big, powerful removal we’d like more of. And Joshua gives us MORE GARUDA.
Onion Knight and Tidus both appreciate stalling for time, and Ice’s Dull/Freeze delivers. We have a bunch of cheap Forwards, making it easier to set up for crushing Bhunivelzes. Um… oh, if your Wing Wraith chain gets interrupted, Terra can grab one back to start again. Like I said before, these two Elements aren’t bad together, if that’s where your draft takes you then don’t stress, they just aren’t particularly synergistic.
Earth gives us stability. Where we’re looking to combine our cards in cool ways, they instead are just fielding multiple Forwards at once with Noctis and Hugh Yurg. Morse and Lightning both absolutely stand on their own, and all Basch asks is lots of teammates. If you haven’t revealed a Wing Wraith yet, you can target a 9K with Hugo. If you can sell the idea that you’re just looking to Prime into Titan, they may not pay the 2, letting you finish off the 9K with the Wraith and save the Prime for something else. And Vajradhara Wu is a great card all around.
Lightning also offers that big removal we were so happy for in Fire with Valigarmanda, Odin, and Ramuh. Our LB Zidane offers an evasive threat to couple with Noel, opening the possibility for a deck heavy with those and Behemoths. Since several of our Forwards are so good, Jack Garland is quite easy for us to abuse. And my personal favorite reason to lean Lightning, Sophia is actually reliable here.
Water lets us get triggers off our Garuda. Both Jecht and Tidus love to see a good Garuda. Kimahri, Cecil, and Siren all help keep our girl safe as she lifts and flips card after card. And since Garuda removes so many Forwards, we can actually aim Strago and Leviathan.
Earth
Ash
This isn’t Opus 1 where getting 1CP off a trade can seriously impact the game. Sure, Ash can trade with stuff that costs 3, or even 4, but often times those cards are already getting value elsewhere. To his credit, he is one of the few ways to make a Crystal this set. That way when Neon offs him for free, the bag you’re left holding isn’t totally empty. Keep in mind that Human and Thief must declare a target, even if they don’t have the four-of-a-kind bonus. If Ash is the only Forward on the field when they come in then you get a Crystal. Surely that will happen more often than three games out of a hundred.
D
Cu Sith
Seriously why are we differentiating Salamander (XII RW) from Salamander (Tactics) when both are from Ivalice? I gotta move on or I’m gonna write another article with twelve pictures of Wakka. I am once again on my hands and knees begging you not to throw a Backup in the trash for 2CP. There may be some fringe case where this is put into EX and drawing a card will give you the CP to cast Fenrir, but 99% of the time you’re using the 2nd effect. Cu Sith is good in combat as it turns trades one-sided. It can keep Morse and Vajradhara Wu safe. It can counter powerful damage effects like Ifrit or Bahamut (XVI). And it can negate the bonus from Behemoth. Widely applicable, although many cases it won’t be getting too much value.
B
Cloud
A perfectly normal Backup boasting two strong abilities. This card is good at every stage of the game, and while you still shouldn’t stock up on too many of the same name Backup, the S at least lets you pick up 3 or so without worry.
B
Titan (XVI)
Titan feels like he may be too expensive. Priming into him through Hugo is cheaper and you get an extra effect on top. If his damage trigger could happen more than once, I’d be much higher on him, but even if he just outright 9K’d the target I think I still wouldn’t be too impressed. He is exceptional against Ice, I’ll give him that.
B
Cactite
Cheap, powerful removal, even if the timing is pretty strict.
A
Noctis
There’s a surprising number of targets for this. Ash, Moogle, Morse, Lightning, Rulgia, and Leo. Most of those are good, too. Boasting a sizable power himself, Noctis is a great way towards establishing a wide board presence.
B
Basch
Characters that may give Basch a discount include Deadly Nightshade, Ashe, Vaan, Nono, and Cactite. That’s not a big list, so get used to paying full price. Once we’re looking at his second ability, we get to add a whole new slew of cards, Salamander, Zalera, Mateus, Wing Wraith, and Cu Sith. If you’re in EaWa, you could make a compelling case to actually use the 2nd option. Even if it isn’t that reliable, if you don’t have a use for the +2K and Brave then you may as well go digging. The revealed cards to the BZ which is good for Noctis and Y’shtola, but bad for your long term health. With all that out of the way, 90% of the time Basch is a 5/9 with a powerful anthem effect, giving you absolutely brutal Attack Steps.
A
Bangaa
3K and Brave. Wow. I don’t get why these effects are so mid when the condition is so steep.
C
Hugh Yurg
It’s Leo. Leo is your only option. He’s is a very good option, to be fair. I like that the card both has a C as its designated companion piece and is also more open ended once you get into Standard. He also gets a little buff he can hand out. It really isn’t that impressive, so I wouldn’t use Hugh Yurg as an excuse to pivot hard into Fire and start picking up Joshuas. That’s just a good idea on it’s own, Fire is really strong.
B
Hugo
This just reads “discard a card, please” but occasionally you’ll catch em without a hand. That’s fine, and makes Hugo a valid if unexciting play on his own. And with a Prime cost of only a single Earth he’s pretty easy to get a lot of value out of.
A
Fenrir
This set has several Forwards who’s power exceeds their cost, notably Bahamut (XVI) and Odin (XVI), so it’s good to attack them from a different angle. It’s unlikely you’re going to be able to hit 7s and 9s with this, but in general it should be pretty flexible removal.
A
White Monk
I dunno why they had to say he’s White… Maybe the most useless of the bunch. No one is leaving their Monsters sitting around for White Monk to break. Earth only has three Backups this set so get used to playing him anyways.
C
Moogle (SOPFFO)
This set wants to be about fair combat so badly, but I’m not sure it is. There are just so many ways to make combat unfair that it’s hard to even want to engage in it. Cu Sith and Siren already scream to your opponent “do not accept trades from me” and now you’re going to just put that on the field where there’s not even a chance of a bluff? The reactivation is nice I suppose, where you might conceivably use it on your turn, then play a Forward MP2 and have it up again for blocks. I too trust my opponent isn’t doing anything degenerate with any of the myriad degenerate cards in the set. Moogle can help keep your Forwards safe from direct damage effects, but like… they can just hit him instead. I feel like SQEX has tried to make this kind of card good for forever now, and they keep being way too conservative with it. Moogle could grant +4K and it still wouldn’t be broken.
C
Morse
Morse is absolutely the king of the 3/8s. The longer the game goes on, and the more times he’s able to attack, the more value he gives you. 10Ks will be the cards to beat, and Morse gives a clean way to trade with them (eventually), or wreck anything smaller. You don’t even need to worry about blowing your Morse load early, since Noctis gets him back. Play him whenever you want, all day every day, and just replay him to the field later when he’ll be even bigger.
A
Y’shtola
Y’like bombs? Y’shtola lets y’get y’bombs back for a second chance. And in the right deck she’s even got a respectable power too. She only counts Forwards, so be careful because Summon speed removal can shrink her mid-combat.
B
Lightning
There’s a lot of removal around that clears her, but a lot of it costs more than she does. If she eats a Salamander, or a Odin, you’re feeling pretty good. Granted, Warrior of Light or God forbid Nono will still ruin your day. Lightning Lightning is a C, so if you’re in EaLi you can set up for some “Back Attack” Earth Lightnings. Truly, since Lightning L’s ability doesn’t require Earth CP, you can have a Lightning/X deck and splash her in, or have an Earth/X deck that happens to run a couple Lightning Cs.
A
Rulgia
He does indeed boost himself, so he’s already way better than Jeume is. Rulgia works as a centerpiece for WotC decks, and is also a fine bit of filler on his own. He doesn’t quite shine in either role, and definitely needs support in order to really showcase his potential, which even at its best is still only fair. The issue I have here is that it feels like Rulgia puts all the WotCs at the power point that they should be naturally. This makes him feel absolutely mandatory, and yet completely unimpressive at the same time.
C
Leo
Perhaps the only reason to play a Monster outside of the very last thing you do in MP1. Leo is an exceptionally cheap piece of removal. Since he can dull himself as part of his ability, he only needs three other Characters. Would you pay 4 to break any Forward? I sure would. Especially if I got to keep a 3K afterwards. You do have to drag a game out for a bit before Leo is useful, but once he is, what a powerhouse.
A
Selh’teus
Selh’teus is a tall drink of water at an affordable price. Very solid filler. Well, actually, I guess you can’t really call LB cards filler if they’re not filling out your deck, huh? Can I say I think it’s bullshit that Valigarmanda still kills this?
C
Earth as an Element will use its removal and recursion to try to outlast the opponent. Noctis, Hugh Yurg, and Y’shtola all bring a second Forward to the party, giving Earth the most Forwards. This is compounded by the fact that we only have three Backups. Keep that in mind when drafting and make sure you get enough. Morse and Lightning can generate value turn after turn. Basch and Moogle ensure we’re always on the winning side in any fight, while Cu Sith helps protect us when the opponent has some trick cooked up. Selh’teus can give Fire and Lightning pause, while Titan can be a strong foil to Ice. If I’m thinking about moving into Earth, cards I’m hoping to see include Titan Cactite Hugh Yurg Morse and Lightning.
If we go Fire, we get some serious Forwards that we’re dying to bring back with Y’shtola. I’m talking Ifrit, I’m talking Bahamut, I’m talking Neon. Phoenix/Clive loops are strong, made safer with the oversight of Moogle and Basch. We’re the element most prone to board stalls, and Bahamut H can offer a clear path to victory in that case.
If we go Ice, we get to pick up every single Cactite and every single Cloud we see and go buck-fucking-wild with his Braver. Kurasame and Genesis help us attack their resources from a different angle. Zalera and Mateus give us a different vector for removal. In general, these two Elements shore up each other’s weaknesses and set up for each other’s strengths.
If we go Wind, we get Ashe and Garuda, who offer a different style of removal which more easily lets us handle a variety of threats. We can hold the fort down well while Tidus and Onion Knight come in, letting us capitalize on massive discounts. Vaan and Garuda help keep Cloud alert and ready to pounce. Speaking of Vaan, Y’shtola gives us repeated access to his powerful S. I kinda hate to say this but Rulgia actually turns Jeume into a serious card. Can’t be chosen by Abilities is a lot better on a 9k Brave.
If we go Lightning, we become the absolute Kings and Queens of the Combat Step. One of Mid’s best targets in the whole set is Y’shtola, who can go on to get something else. While we’re applying powerful offensive pressure, Noel fights on another angle, deftly darting past defenses to deal direct damage. And most important, we get a stack of Lightning C.
If we go Water we, um… we get… there’s… well… oh, and we can’t forget the uh… huh. Damn we don’t really get anything. We already have Cu Sith for protecting our Forwards, and multiple sources of recursion, so it’s not like we care about Water’s damage reduction. NGL I think I’d only move into Water if I had no choice.
Lightning
Valigarmanda
For when you absolutely, positively have to kill that 18K.
A
Odin
5CP is so, so much, but many of the Forwards in this set are so oppressive that it’s important to have ways to deal with them. Cards like Bahamut (XVI) and Odin (XVI) are huge beaters that can dodge lots of other removal. They’re too low cost for Sophia, they can both fight back against Earth which needs Dull targets, Odin can even Special to get around Ice’s Dull/Freeze. They’re too bulky for much of Fire’s direct damage, but this Odin can take them out. Where Fenrir might have trouble hitting higher CP Forwards, this Odin can take them out. When Ultima Weapon or Ur-Dragon King are relying on themselves to meet their 4 count thresholds, this Odin can screw up their math. So yes, it’s expensive, but it’s also extremely flexible.
B
Guardian
These still choose, whether or not you have the requisite Backups, so Guardian can actually be a good way to keep hold of your Leon.
C
Juggler
There are twelve targets (not counting Warrior of Light since he can’t actually be cast) and a couple of them like Lightning, Firion, and Leon are quite powerful. So while most of the time Juggler is just a 2CP Backup, every once in a while he’ll be able to do something cool.
C
The Emperor
I’m stunned. I just get a Crystal for playing The Emperor? I don’t have to wait around for it to die like Ramza or Perrene? Sign me up. This also happens to be Lightning’s only Crystal spender, giving you the complete package all in one. For the sake of argument, let’s assume we have no other Crystals and our opponent doesn’t either. With only the one, Emperor is still decent (if slow) removal. You get to break something, and end up with a 5K afterwards. With a more steady supply, like say from Jack Garland who refunds a Crystal every time The Emperor uses one, The Emperor only gets better and better the more times he can activate. If you’re so flush that you can get his triple off, then, well, good game.
A
Cidolfus
With Odin at C, it’s easy to get enough Summons to make Cidolfus reliable. Since he gets fuel for Ramuh, even though the CP cost to play and Prime him is more than Ramuh’s cost, at the end you’ll still be up 1CP. Both of Lightning’s Summons are excellent, so I welcome a steady way to fetch them out.
B
Jack Garland
If you’re able to stick this at the right time, you can force multiple bad trades. This is a good way to get rid of non-combat Forwards like Belgemine or Tidus, or smaller Forwards waiting for an opening to strike like Terra or Leo. Combine this with Fire/Earth’s big bodies to really take control of Combat, or with Ice’s Dulls to more easily control what must block what. Jack also functions as an excellent source of Crystals. He triggers on any character, so a sacrificed Nu Mou or a triggered Cactite will count just the same as a Forward.
A
Chime
31 cards in the set at 2CP or less, with six in Lightning alone. This is a great way to dig for Backups early, and is an extremely cheap body at any point in the game. Aggressive strats love cheap bodies, especially with cards like Vivi who help them trade up. Chime isn’t going to be any kind of stand-out, but she’s a very efficient piece of lubrication for the engine that is your deck.
B
Noel
This card is going to end so many games. It’s in the same element as Behemoth, too, which means that Lightning can just pull two damage out of nowhere. If your opponent is on Lightning, Noel is a card you must respect, and most of the time that means holding a Summon just in case he shows up. Probably don’t stock up on these, if he doesn’t win you the game he’s very easy for your opponent to deal with. One or two should do you. Unless you’re on an extremely aggressive deck, in which case embrace your inner Christmas caroler.
A
Vivi
Only being able to hit already damaged Forwards makes Vivi so awkward. Lightning does have a few smaller Forwards, notably Chime and Cidolfus, and Vivi certainly helps them punch up. Vivi also helps Fire’s 7Ks from Deadly Nightshade and Salamander surpass that 8K threshold that’s so important this set, and also helps Ramuh (XVI)‘s Summon trigger take down the biggest threats in the set. For a slower deck, looking to push incremental value turn after turn, Vivi will be a strong cog in your machine.
B
Firion
While Firion will struggle to contend with 9 and 10Ks, he’ll dominate the battlefield otherwise. While the Haste and First Strike make for an enticing package, Firion’s true power is in his Special. This pulls him naturally into Fire, where you can pick up Firion C in multiples.
A
Behemoth
Great on certain threats. Evasion like Zidane or Noel. Multiple attacks like Primed Odin (XVI) or a Tenzened Samurai. Bahamut forces a tough choice on your opponent. Take two damage, or lose a blocker and take one damage. Behemoth also works well in Ice, where he can capitalize on Ice’s strong but temporary removal and use that window to force extra damage. Keep in mind, the only thing this card does is deal one damage to the opponent. It doesn’t impact the board in any way.
B
Mid (XVI)
Cidolfus good. More Cidolfus better. She can also get back a whole assortment of other goodies, giving her great flexibility. She can also grab back cards like Squall, Dion, and Barnabas for quick S fodder, even mid-combat.
B
Lightning
With so many 8Ks running around, I’ll definitely take a 9 with room to grow. While I’m not sure how often I’ll be giving her Haste at that price, it’s definitely a great option.
B
Ranan
No one in WotC benefits from having Haste, so while sure it’s nice it’s not really that impactful. Since it’s an ETF, you need to have played another WotC already in that same turn. If that’s Cetia, then you’re losing out on potential damage from her ETF in exchange for Haste. I genuinely don’t understand why this card can’t choose itself. It’s already very expensive for an 8K. Compare to Benedikta, who also has First Strike and is 1CP cheaper. Why is Ranan so much worse than her? Make it make sense.
D
Ramuh (XVI)
Valigarmanda and Odin are both quite expensive, so getting a free cast on them is welcome. I love that Ramuh can cast Summons of any Element, even if he only gets his bonus off of Lightning. This gives him strong synergy with Terra and makes it possible to splash the extremely strong Bahamut. His 8K continues to trigger so long as he’s out, so if you have a steady stream of Lightning Summons you can keep nuking Forwards all game.
S
Ramza
If Ramza were in any other Element I’d like him a lot more, but Lightning already has a near monopoly on Crystal generation. His +1K is a welcome ability, turning him into a genuine monster in the late game.
C
Leon
One of my all time favorite Magic cards is Sleeper Agent. When it comes into play, your opponent gains control of it. At the start of their turn, they take damage from it. So you’re giving your opponent a Forward, but it hurts them every turn. Leon is risky, sure. Fire and Ice both have several ways to choose him that will leave him still alive and on the board. The Backup cycle that needs 4 of a kind first chooses, then checks. This means Human, Guardian, and the like can still take Leon whether they’ve got the Backups or not. This means (almost) every single Element has a card at C that they’re probably running that can interact with Leon. Granted, this means they’re going to start taking damage, but here’s the rub: so are you, probably. Firion, Josef, and Firion are your only other rebels, so if you’re not careful Leon can start backstabbing you. Speaking of Josef, what a companion card. Not only does he “Prime” into Leon, he also offers you a way to choose Leon at Summon speed, and buff him at the same time. Minwu is another excellent companion. Even though he doesn’t stop the self-damage, he at least makes Leon theft-proof. Be careful about his ETF since it is mandatory. While it can be a great way to finish something off, make sure that something isn’t yours. If you don’t have access to Josef or Minwu, maybe give Leon a skip.
A
My first “combo deck”

Gilgamesh
Joshua, Belgemine, Leo, and Leon is not exactly a large list, especially when you consider that two are Ls, one is probably Primed already, and the last already got his value. Most of the time Gilg is gonna remove two things, so it’s important to know what to hit. Fire decks can use Joshua to put Dominants and Eikons back in the deck, but removing them also boosts Clive C, so you gotta balance what’s more important. Phoenix can also bring Clive C back, making him a prime target. Ice can use Terra to recur Summons. Wind has Minwu for Rebels. Earth’s Noctis, Y’shtola, and The Ur-Dragon King are all powerful pieces of recursion, and Earth Lightning can use Lightning Lightnings to fuel her lightning quick entry, so lightening the Break Zone of Lightning Lightnings can burn through her reserves. Speaking of Lightning, they only have Mid (XVI). Water has Stiltzkin but Stiltzkin sucks. Keep these in mind and you should be able to aim Gilg’s two targets well. Even if you’re getting no value from him, he’s still a relatively cheap 7K, and it’s not like he takes up any space in your deck. May as well put him in.
C
There are a bunch of cards that you want dead on the spot. Valigarmanda and Odin let you interrupt cards like Bahamut and hasted Garuda before they can get full value. Lightning uses this strong removal to take down anything it can’t take down in “honest” combat, which due to cards like Lightning, Ramza, Jack Garland, and Firion, it’s really good at. This will tend to lean towards a slower game, where Vivi and Emperor have room to breathe. With a bit of help from an accompanying Element, we can also play an extremely aggressive game. Chime and Leon help flood the board early and cheaply, Behemoth helps push early damage, Cidolfus lets us handle problem Forwards, Ramuh (XVI) clears multiple blockers, and Noel serves as a surprise closer. Lightning is the only reliable source of Crystals outside of Lucio, unlocking the true power of several cards. Lightning is not without issue, but those issues are minor. There are a handful of Lightning cards that are a bit awkward to get good use out of, but the synergy is there to do it. Like Earth, you only have three Backups, so make sure to snap them up early. While Lightning has a lot of strength, your only opportunities to do truly degenerate stuff are Emperor with three crystals, miracle Jack Garlands, and I guess a good Ramuh (XVI) counts. For the most part, you’re gonna have to play fair FFTCG. There are so many cards that would pull me into Lightning. Valigarmanda and Odin for sure, Emperor, Cid, Jack, Noel, Firion, Ramuh, Leon.
Fire gives us II synergy with Firion and Josef. Of the Eikons, Ramuh is least dependent on his Dominant, which means he’ll more often actually be in the BZ for Joshua. Warrior of Light Deadly Nightshade Neon and Cetia all offer cheap damage for Vivi and Leon to capitalize on. Since Lightning is already interested in playing a long game, it’ll often build enough Backups that Bahamut and Ifrit (XVI) don’t take quite so many cards from hand, leaving us significantly less “all in.” Oh, and our Crystals help push Warrior of Light, Cetia, and Neon to new heights.
Ice lets us drop the pretense of playing fair. We already are great at battle, adding access to Dull/Freeze let’s us completely dominate the Combat Step. A timely Piscodaemon, Velis, or Jill help us push enough damage that Noel can easily drop the curtain. We have the best Summons in the set, Shantotto makes them more affordable, and Terra lets us go back for seconds. Squall and Vivi are well suited for each other.
Wind has Wing Wraith. I could stop there. Firion, Vivi, Chime all want Wing Wraith. Even Cid, if you’re out of Ramuhs. Nono is also a cheap source of damage that works with all those cards. Our Crystals make Sophia a genuine terror. We can buy time for Tidus pretty well. Minwu pairs nicely with our Rebels. Odin is a very quick way to enable Bartz. Onion Knight can help drag out games, and allows for some cute plays with Jack Garland.
Earth has several Forwards cheap enough for Chime, which may let us field a board extremely quickly. Earth Lightning loves to have a stock of Lightning Lightnings to burn through. Our Crystals let Rulgia be a very cheap 8k. Moogle (SOPFFO) and Cu Sith give us even more dominance in the Combat Step. Y’shtola’s recursion can be very strong, notably it can fetch up a dead Firion to stop Leon from hurting us.
In Water, Jecht and Tidus give us some breathing room against aggressive strategies to set up. Jed’s true power is unleashed in this matchup, with Ramza, The Emperor, and especially Jack Garland feeding him USDA Prime. Kimahri and Siren give us great emergency buttons for when we get in over our heads in combat. And Gau gives us reliable access to Behemoth for when we want to end a game with Noel.
Water
Astrius
There are eight other FFBE Forwards in the set, so it’s not completely impossible to get his discount in the late late game. His two attack triggers are both strong options. I’m surprised to see direct damage in Water, but here we are. 7K isn’t quite enough for most of the real threats in the set, so you’ll need to pair with cards like Malboro or Wing Wraith, or even… Stiltzkin…
B
Gau
The Monsters in this set are not designed to be sitting on the table, you want to play them the turn you use them, which means playing Gau for free is expensive. Some of the Monsters are pretty good, being able to use his action ability to pull a card like Cactite out is a strong play for such a low cost Backup. It’s also a good way to convert three Backup CP into two hand CP, letting you bank it for a future turn.
B
Kimahri
Jecht, Tidus, and Wakka are all happy to have the lasting protection, and his ETF helps blunt direct damage and win trades. At only R, you should always keep Kimahri (and Siren) in mind when your Water opponent offers a trade in combat.
B
Corsair
Considering Water doesn’t even have an Eikon this would let you Prime into, this might be the worst of the cycle.
C
Jecht
Y’all know I love my boy Jecht, and this set is no exception. Bounce was made stronger with the advent of Limit Break, and it’s been made stronger once again as a way to fight Priming. Bounce a Primed Eikon and they’re stuck with base form. Just knock the Super Saiyan out of them. His -3K will help push damage through, occasionally finish off a blocker, and is also a good punish against strong but small cards like Belgemine and Noel. Sure some cards like Bahamut you really don’t want to let them recast, but in general Jecht is a strong tempo play at most stages of the game.
B
Jed
If only getting a Crystal were easier. If you can snap one up, Jed is a very efficiently costed Foward. And if you happen to have an excess of Crystals from either Jack Garland or Lucio, then Jed opens up a currency exchange shop.
B
Stiltzkin
Your moogle brothers are Nono, Moogle (SOPFFO), and Mog (VI). Between SOPFFO, Stiltzkin, and Mog (VI) you can have a cute little engine in EaWa. Not a good engine, but not a bad one. The main issue is how easily interruptible it is. If you’re on Astrius, you might
D
Strago
In Standard, usually when a strong card gets put into Damage, it’s ok because we have two more of them. In Limited, if your bomb gets stuck in Damage? That’s it, your only one. Strago thus offers an excellent way to reaccess that card. Swap out the worst card in your hand for the best card in your damage. Especially nice when stuck with leftover Dions you can’t otherwise get rid of. Strago’s second ability is almost assuredly a one-time deal, since it’s your turn only. Upon using Strago’s swap, you also get to Leviathan your opponent. This is marginally cheaper than playing a 2CP Backup and casting Leviathan individually, so the package deal is nice. It is however a little more awkward in terms of timing, as you don’t really want to be casting Strago in the early game, limiting his usefulness. There are two cards in the set that can damage you on your turn that you should remember: Bahamut and Leon.
C
Siren (MOBIUS)
Cu Sith except we trade 1cp for the ability to stop damage to your face.
B
Cecil
More damage reduction, hooray… At least this one can function as targeted removal instead. And since it’s “put into the Break Zone” it even works on Selh’teus. As a preview for my upcoming opinion on this element, just know that this is Water’s best removal…
B
Tidus
More limited than Jecht in what he can bounce, but drawing a card is arguably better than -3K.
B
Perenne
Oh my god is that a way to get Crystals?
C
Moogle (FFTA)
I actually like this one. Mainly because it triggers Jecht and Tidus, thus has additional value beyond it’s effect.
C
Mog (VI)
If you’re going with the Stiltzkin plan, I have to admit that Mog is in fact a legal target. If you break into three Elements, you can even make him as big as 8K! Then he can trade up one CP! Wow!
D
Malboro
Lose all abilities is useful in a set with so much First Strike. Malboro also helps break big board stalls. It’s not useful all the time, but on occasion you’ll really want it, so I’d run one at most. Unless you need them for Astrius.
C
Leviathan
A worse Atomos is still an Atomos. Being able to select Monsters would be an issue in any other set, but this set’s Monsters will almost never be sitting on the field. Yeah you don’t have much control over what this hits, but at least it’s cheap. Well, maybe not cheap, but at least not expensive.
B
Relm
With a terrible cost-to-power ratio, an ETF that is both nigh-impossible and unimpressive, and an action ability that has zero possible targets, there’s no realm where I play this card.
F
Wakka
There’s a handful of Cat X Forwards around so it shouldn’t be too tough to get him to 7K or even 8K in a pinch. He’s decent but not great removal stapled to a decent but not great body.
B
Warrior of Light
Literally uncastable.
F-
Water is in a really bad place this set. Most of the cards are pretty playable, but none of them shine. I almost gave Astrius an A just so that Water would have one. You’d think you could make a cool bounce deck off the backs of the Daddy/Daughter Duo Ryan Reynolds and Meg Ryan, but Moogle (FFTA) and Garuda are the only other cards that even bounce. Ok, Lightning technically triggers them, but that’s the opponent’s card so I’m not counting it. Water is trying to play a much more fair game than any other Element this set, and that makes me want to stay very dry poolside and not dive in. Too many of the cards like Relm, Perenne, and Stiltzkin are built around synergy without actually giving enough reward to make those synergies worth aiming for. Oh, and Water also has five Backups, like Ice, meaning you get fewer Forwards than other Elements. However, Water’s biggest weakness is its lack of removal. Both Strago and Leviathan are untargeted, so the opponent can just sac their random Leo or whatever. Wakka is tough to get to relevant numbers. Tidus only hits up to 4CP. Moogle and Cecil both cost a Backup. Astrius only kills 7Ks are you kidding me!? Water’s going to be the Element you pivot into when you realize the Element you want is being cut while Water is as wide open as the open ocean. One big big boon to playing Water is that you definitely won’t be competing with anyone else for these cards. The only cards that will pull me into Water are: Astrius and Unei. But sometimes your opening packs are so bad that say Wakka/Tidus/Siren (MOBIUS) are legit the best cards in your first three packs. How can we salvage drafts where we’re forced into Water?
Fire brings the strength of, well, actual strength. Neon can give us the Crystal to turn Jed into a real threat. Fire really wants cards like Clive L, Ifrit (XVI), and Bahamut to survive, and Kimahri, Siren (MOBIUS), and Cecil can help ensure that. Fire can’t deal with Selh’teus, and Jecht is a very clean answer to that one card specifically. Tenzen is able to grant his buff to Jed.
Ice gives us Velis, a powerful source of D/F that Perenne can later turn into a Crystal. Siren (MOBIUS) is a good card, and Shantotto brings it to a more affordable price point, letting us abuse it even more while further disrupting our opponent, while Terra gives us more opportunities to use both is and our powerful Leviathan. Torgal lets us more easily pay for our LMAO just kidding we don’t even have a Dominant/Eikon. KMS myself.
Wind has a bunch of cool sources of damage like Wind Wraith and Nono that we absolutely can’t capitalize on, not without playing actual dogwater cards like Stiltzkin and Mog (VI). We do get Benedikta/Garuda who are the only non-Water source of bounce in the set.
Earth’s Rulgia makes our Perenne an actual threat. Perenne, as one of the few sources of Crystals in the set, should be cherished, and Rulgia helps her reach her potential. Stiltzkin into Mog (VI) is one of the cheapest ways to generate a bunch of Characters to fuel Leo, leaving you with an army of children. I love how Cu Sith and Siren (MOBIUS) both do the exact same thing. Great. So happy to double up on a situational Summon.
Lightning… Lighting lets us… it… we can use… my dudes I’m so tired… What even is the synergy here? You get real removal? I don’t even have the energy to be snarky anymore. I’m tired, boss.
Light/Dark/Multi-Element/Legacy
Dion
3/8 Brave is a fair chunk of stats. It’s not winning any awards, not while in the same set as other 3/8s like Firion and Sophia, but it’s a tolerable fallback. Pleasantly, you can stick him to the board, then Prime someone else and get a 2CP rebate. Really though, without Bahamut (XVI) There just isn’t much reason to play Dion. With Bahamut, every single copy of Dion past the first in your deck reads “Break target Forward.” While Priming Dion into Bahamut is functionally the same cost as casting Bahamut, the Dion route gives you access to Bahamut’s double 9k burn. Thus, there’s a balance to be had here. You want many Dions as you want to draw him before Bahamut, but you don’t want too many, as once the Bahamut is gone, you’re stuck with a bunch of middle-of-the-road Forwards that you can’t even pitch for CP that I wouldn’t even give a C rating to.
A
Bahamut (XVI)
4/10 Brave is real good stats. There are a few 10ks this set that Bahamut can brawl with, and at only 4CP he neatly dodges Sophia’s ETF. Unlike Dion, you’re more than happy to play Bahamut on his own. Of course you only unlock his true power by converting a Dion into him, I’m just saying that if you open a Bahamut in Pack 5 and don’t have any Dions you’re still throwing it in your deck.
A
Lucio
Many of the Crystal spenders this set are extremely strong, and Lucio is not only the best way to get Crystals, but one of very few. Lucio helps enable Warrior of Light, Sophia, The Emperor, Jed, and Raph. The cards he searches have strong synergy, and Lucio’s Crystals help you ignore Elemental costs. Don’t go too hard on off-Element Warriors, though, as you will need Lucio’s Crystals in order to cast them.
A
Odin (XVI)
Attacking (XVI) twice (XVI) per (XVI) turn (XVI) from (XVI) Turn (XVI) One (XVI) wins (XVI) games (XVI).
S
Barnabas (XVI)
Having First Strike instead of Brave already makes Barnabas a much more playable card than Dion. Barnabas not only Primes into one of the most aggressive cards in the set, but potentially blows out a Forward too. A lot of drafts this set are going to be decided based on a Turn 1 Primed Barnabas, so make sure you have ways to deal with him and Odin because they’re going to be the big bads this format.
S
Raph
This card would be sick if it weren’t so hard to get Crystals. In Lightning decks, or Fire decks ready to avoid spending Neon’s Crystal, Raph can act as a strong attacker who can shrink a threatening potential blocker to a more manageable size, allowing for follow-up combo kills from direct damage sources. In a pinch you can spend the Crystal, trading her attack trigger in exchange for her not fucking dying. If you’re Crystalless, she’s still a 3/9, so easily worth an experimental early pick.
B
Iron Gian (SOPFFO)
What do I even say about an efficiently costed Forward with two great options? If you’re in these Elements, play this card.
A
Magna Roader
So of course the dream is to get both triggers off, but in reality you’re really only going to be able to build towards one. There are no non-LB Multi-Elements in the set (no, Akstar doesn’t count) so you genuinely need to hit eight (8) whole, unique characters, in limited to get both triggers. If this set had more long lasting Monsters, if this were Opus 23, then maybe, but as it stands, no fucking shot. And even getting a single trigger will be a triumph. In Magna Roader’s case, I love how the Ice trigger is so much better than the Wind trigger. “Do I want Zidane 3H but better? Or 1/4th of Belias 2R?”
C
This is in the same Element as Wind Wraith? Why even give it a second mode?
A
The Ur-Dragon King
Holy shit that’s a lot of CP. At least when Bahamut kills something he deals a point of damage. For Ur-Dragon, not only do you need to be getting one of these effects, you better make sure there’s a zero percent chance your opponent can use a Summon to stop you. Both potential payoffs are good, whether you’re getting two back or breaking one. Noctis being able to play out a second Forward does make the Earth side of this card easier to build towards, and luckily that’s (arguably) the better side.
B
Tonberry & Cactuar
In terms of LB cards, 4CP is so cheap. I mean, Leo already basically doesn’t cost anything, and T&C costs only one more and lets you look and pick? Alternatively, there are 31 Forwards this set that T&C can hit. Thirty. One.
A
Ultima Weapon
As an unapologetic X fanboy I wish this guy were a little more relevant outside himself than just giving Wakka +1K. Unlike Magna Roader or The Ur-Dragon King, Ultima Weapon is actually a reasonable cost-to-power ratio on its face. Here, the elemental effects feel like bonuses, and not prerequisites. Both are tippy top tier, don’t get me wrong, all I’m saying is that sometimes you’ll cast Ultima Weapon just to get a cheap 9K.
A
Minfilia
While Earth already has some strong recursion, it’s hard to argue with having more. Earth also only has three Backups, so Minfilia gives some much desired range in Backup options, should you happen to open her. This set has more Light/Dark Characters than any before, which means Minfilia’s 2nd ability is at it’s peak here.
A
Akstar
Fire has Firion, and Ice has five 3CP Forwards, making Akstar shockingly strong. There’s also Iron Giant to further boost Akstar’s damage. With even minimal building around, Akstar will take over any game where he manages to survive.
S
Unei
With two different cycles of Summons, and Priming making bounce stronger, Unei is also very well suited to this limited environment. That means all three Legacies are actually good in Limited, which is more rare than it isn’t. Unei’s powerful recursion, cost reduction, and temporary removal all come together for a strong package that threatens to generate value turn after turn.
S
This set is going to be dominated by two main playstyles. On the one end of the spectrum we have extremely aggressive decks looking to land an early Barnabas into Odin or to abuse the quick and easy damage from Behemoth and Noel, or to stick a Clive L or Takatsugu and go crazy, or convert Lucio into a stream of undercosted attackers. On the other end you’ll have decks loading up on defensive cards like powerful removal, Lightning L, Umaro, and Dion/Bahamut Make sure your deck can contend with both, because some games are going to over in a hurry. JSYK there’s a legit Turn 1 kill in this format, and it’s not hard. Going second, you can pitch three to play and Prime Barnabas into Odin, leaving three in hand. Then pitch one to cast Behemoth, leaving one in hand. Then after swinging twice, pitch a second Barnabas to swing again. Six damage just like that. At any rate, I’m always excited for a new format. Priming looks fun, Multi-Element Limit Breaks are cool, there are lots of card with cool Specials we can actually use, and I’m so curious to actually see what a format balanced around 3CP 8Ks plays like. I wish you all luck at your prereleases and drafts, and as always I’m thankful you’ve chosen to spend your time here with me at The Crystarium.