MTG Final Fantasy Hits Standard in Two Weeks: Are We Ready?

In the next two weeks, MTG faces an unprecedented development. We’ve known it coming since its announcement last December 2024. It is none other than MTG Final Fantasy becoming the very first Universes Beyond set to be Standard-legal.

^{Ah yes, the upcoming indomitable duo.}

Broken promises aside, this is not just about Cloud meeting Omnath. Universes Beyond were originally designed for Modern and Commander, and yet it has been admitted that the Final Fantasy and Spider Man were retrofitted mid-development for Standard implementation.

Like it or not, though, it is nearly upon us. Are we ready for it? I mean competitively, financially, and philosophically.

One Big Hit is All it Takes

When Universes Beyond was announced in 2021, Wizards explicitly stated that "Universes Beyond cards will not be Standard legal." At that time, it held the foundational promise that prevented larger criticism about crossover dilution. So long as the “main MTG” remains untouched, we can UB as a separate thing.

^{Gameplay, flavor, fandom, fun drafts, and good ol' classic broken cards. The one set to rule them all.}

Since the announcement, many players have speculated that this change started when MTG Lord of the Rings became a runaway success, since its release in June 2023. It wasn’t just the best UB set ever, it was the best-selling set ever, surpassing Modern Horizons 2. Hasbro most likely took this as proof that UB has the potential to grow out of its intended meta without too much backlash. As such, it may greenlit the idea to extend UB’s legality to most Standard (WoTC may have decided on this too, of course, so correct me if I am wrong).

As Final Fantasy and Spider was still early in development in 2022, this aligned perfectly with everything MaRo has stated. He is technically correct that no such announcement was considered in 2022, and he would also be correct that the two sets were redesigned for Standard sometime mid-development, when MTG Lord of the Rings already came in with the cold hard cash.

But even with the assurance that adjustments were made, surely, being that the 2025 suite of UB sets is supposed to be not Standard-legal, wouldn’t that remain a considerable risk for the game’s balance?

Was There Even a Development Dilemma?

As hinted earlier, Final Fantasy was originally conceived for formats where The One Ring, Force of Will, and Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer coexist. Lord of the Rings gave us format-warping, errata-friendly cards precisely because it didn't need to worry about Standard's constraints.

No worries, though… right? According to MaRo, the change came "at just the right time" for power level adjustments. However, the caveat was that there's still a "non-zero chance" that Final Fantasy cards will be more complex than traditional Standard cards.

Aha! The smoking gun has exposed itself! Critics will point out.

Yep, this is definitely a remnant of their original Modern/Commander design philosophy for UB, and honestly, they may not be as crazy as we think. But there is a nuance here.

^{Not gonna lie, it has a lot of meme potential in it.}

As the spoiler season came and went, we did see the appearance of cards like Starting Town and Vivi Ornitier. However, much of the commentary of other players with these cards didn’t really give me a hint that they were too broken for the format. In fact, there was also a good amount of doubt about the overhype. So the “MTG Final Fantasy may be too complex for Standard” statement is more of a circumstantial probability than any direct evidence pointing to the set’s flawed design for the format.

At the very least, the only thing that even I can be sure of, though, is that there will be a good number of unexpected, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, level of sleeper hits. This is based on the general mismatch in gameplay expectations of new mechanics versus how the synergies would actually work in play.

Fitting MTG Final Fantasy into the Meta?

But to better predict the set's impact, we must first understand the current Standard environment. As we all know, the meta is dominated by Izzet Prowess, followed by various control and midrange strategies in the color flavors of Mono Black, Dimir, Jeskai, and Azorius variants. Four Color Overlords and Golgari Aggro still make the rounds somewhat, but they often just randomly switch around in the lower top 8. In Bo1, the smattering of Red is, as usual, even more evident, with Mono-Red and Boros eating up the entire list with Izzet. (Gruul is not as active as before, however)

^{One of the hottest cards that almost made it to my flavor win list.}

The most trending MTG Final Fantasy card is none other than Vivi Ornitier, and you probably already see why with our meta recap earlier. It is an instant Izzet fit, with a thematic body and abilities to boot. The card doesn't compare favorably to Cori-Steel Cutter in terms of immediate impact, sure. But its potential to generate explosive turns is exactly the kind of thing Izzet does for their consistent surprise “burst” win strategies, so it fits. If Cori-Steel Cutter faces a ban, would Vivi take its place “trend” wise? Hell no. But the hype is still there, until at least June 13th.

^{Not sure if his transformed version will ever be consistently playable as a staple, though. Still, emblems gonna emblem.}

Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER // Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel is another card that spiked in trend a lot when it came to Standard meta discussions. Generally described as a “super amped” Blood Artist, the general hope for FF7’s main antagonist was to finally re-enable a full sacrifice deck on the higher ranks of the meta. Orzhov Midrange (featuring Braids, Arisen Nightmare) and Rakdos Anvil were occasionally here and there for the last few years sure. But they were never really consistent top-eighters, especially since the consequent bans of The Meathook Massacre (October 2022) and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki (May 2023) in Standard.

Then again, even if not specifically for a full sacrifice deck, its mana curve and overall synergy still check out with the current blend of Mono Black Midrange decks in 2025. A nice value addition to decks that already get frequent fixing and hand manipulation from the likes of Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber and Deep-Cavern Bat. So maybe a new staple addition then? We’ll see in the next few weeks.

^{Looking kinda different there eh, Bob?}

On the flip side, almost nobody is really expecting Dark Confidant to make a triumphant return in the current Standard meta. Reimagined art-wise as an early Lesser Ascian from FF14, the card is the OG (and mandatory) version of the recently rotated out Sorin the Mirthless. While still providing potent value as a cheap draw engine, not being able to choose what you lose your life against is really bad for the current hyper-aggro meta.

As such, people are generally pessimistic that Bob will make the same impact as it did all these years. Nobody seems too disappointed though, although it puts into perspective just how much the game has been power crept all this time…

Are Your Pockets Ready As Well?

Beyond gameplay implications, Final Fantasy also brings economic concerns. I am pretty sure the die-hard ones, outside or inside the player base have already prepared well. But for the more practical folk, brace yourselves for Play Booster boxes spiking from around $130-$150 to now $200. And while the implied price of an MTG Final Fantasy Collector Booster box is about what you expect at $450, actual market listings have already repositioned themselves for the hype and are selling them at a whopping $600-$750 for pre-orders.

This pricing structure represents a fundamental shift in how Standard operates. Previously, the format served as an accessible entry point for competitive Magic. Now, with mandatory Universes Beyond sets that are usually sold at premium prices depending on the IP, that accessibility is under threat.

“Greatness, at Any Cost” Indeed

According to Mark Rosewater, while enfranchised players leaving is part of Magic's "natural evolution," the game's longevity comes from constant adaptation. But even I think that this has its limits, and this particular development might simply be a bridge too far for certain players.

The financial reality is undeniable, though. MTG Lord of the Rings quickly became the best-selling set of all time. Hasbro and WoTC have all the incentive to follow the money, and their skewed data suggests the core audience isn’t really enough to satiate their business growth targets.

^{Yep, more or less at the same development period. Wait a minute...}

Ignoring other frowned-upon developments over the last few decades, I guess would still all come down to trust. If products can have their format legality changed mid-design, what other fundamental promises might be broken? How many more inches do we have to give away as they chip through what was traditionally acceptable?

At this point, any aspect of Magic's future is negotiable if the financials are compelling enough. And that is just a single minor facet of the “limits” that we have mentioned earlier.

Take It Or Leave It

All in all, all of my incoherent rambling about trends and shifts as MTG Final Fantasy’s release date closes in just makes one thing very clear to me: it would never really matter if you were ready or not.

June 13th will welcome the first UB set in Standard. Maybe Sephiroth will launch a full sacrifice deck that will make waves in a Regional Championship. Perhaps some unknown Chocobo synergy will break MTGO for a weekend. Dark Confidant could either see zero play or somehow spike in price because one streamer goes 5-0 with it. And Vivi? Vivi will probably just be "pretty good" in the same decks that were already dominating in the first place.

Or maybe none of that will happen. Maybe the set will land with a thud, too incompatible in Standard, and would find better homes in Pioneer, Explorer, and Modern.

Either way, existing players will just have to take it, or leave it. None in between.