Pre-orders Soar for Magic’s Final Fantasy Commander Deck

Okay, so picture this: Magic: The Gathering is diving headfirst into these weird and wonderful mashups, and yeah, it’s raised some eyebrows. Controversial? Sure, but the success is kinda undeniable. Like, those new Final Fantasy commander decks? Already gone from shelves, snapped up faster than hotcakes on a Sunday morning. Amazon, big ol’ box stores, you name it — they’re all out.

Let me ramble a bit — there are four decks, each one nodding to a different Final Fantasy saga. You’ve got Limit Break starring Cloud and Tifa from FF7 (talk about a nostalgic punch to the gut), still lingering on Amazon for $69.99. But that big shiny $399.99 box set? Poof. Vanished on Star City Games. Though, if you’re rolling in cash, there’s this fancy all-foil version for a whopping $1,249. Good luck finding anything on Card Kingdom, though. All gone.

Now, these decks? They’re jam-packed with all sorts of goodies. New legendary creatures, artifacts, and throwbacks like Sunken Ruins (remember that one?). Some of the mechanics scream Magic but wear a Final Fantasy mask — like, Cloud’s Limit Break gives you choices, feels kinda like Thunder Junction’s spree. And those summons? Totally channeling Kamigawa vibes, turning into enchantment creatures, but they pull a disappearing act after a few turns. Slick way to show the fleeting nature of power if you ask me. Oh, and that Job select equipment? It’s like Mirrodin Besieged’s living weapons, but with a wardrobe change. Fun stuff.

Now, each deck aligning with a specific game sounds cool on paper. But does it play nice? Not always. The FF14-based Scions & Spellcraft deck kinda trips over itself with too many creatures when it’s better at non-creature shenanigans. It’s a bit of a jumble. Like, maybe they should’ve thrown some artifacts its way from Limit Break.

Tangent alert — the real joy? Tinkering and modding these decks. Releases June 13, but unless you’ve got a time machine, you’ll probably be waiting a bit. Pre-orders disappeared quicker than a sneeze. Good luck getting your hands on ’em.