Magic: The Gathering's Most Controversial Final Fantasy Card Isn't As Broken As You Think
Magic: The Gathering finally unveiled its long-awaited collaboration with Final Fantasy, showcasing four exciting new commander decks alongside a fully expanded release themed after the iconic series. Although the commander decks are themed after FF7,FFXIV, FF6, and FF10 respectively, the full set will include cards from all sixteen main entries across the franchise. While the Final Fantasy collaboration has been met with a fairly positive reception so far and sold out fairly quickly, some cards haven't received as much favor as others.
Complaints over MTG's Universes Beyond collaborations aren't a recent occurrence, as there's been much debate about whether they take away from the core experience of the game. Despite these concerns, each of the major Universe Beyond crossover sets seems to be more successful than the last,offering an incredibly high level of quality and flavor that pays respect to its source material. While there's plenty more to be excited for when the rest of MTG's Final Fantasy collaboration cards are revealed, the mixed reaction to the current offerings might be a little exaggerated.
Jumbo Cactuar's 10,000 Power Isn't As Overpowered As It Sounds
A Surprisingly Tame Card By Commander Standards
While there's no doubt that a 10,000/7 creature for only seven mana certainly puts most cards from the past to shame, it's not as utterly game-breaking as it seems. Without additional effects like Flying, Trample, or Hexproof, the Jumbo Cactuar is incredibly susceptible to being simply blocked or even removed from the game before ever getting to the attack phase. Even in standard matches where there are fewer cards dedicated to removal, the high mana cost offers even less room to empower the Cactuar before an opponent can react in turn.
Magic: The Gathering's Five New Commander Brackets Explained
Magic: The Gathering's five new commander brackets are easier to understand than they seem, it just takes some reading and understanding.
Given how much utility Commander decks often have in order to react to massive creatures and game-ending combos, a card with a high mana cost and additional setups like Jumbo Cactuar isn't the deadliest threat out there. This isn't to say a card like Jumbo Cactuar doesn't have high potential when paired correctly, especially given how easy it is to apply trample with a simple green spell, but its main benefit will likely be using up an enemy's removal. Even without getting to deal 10,000 damage, taking one more removal spell from an opponent's hand is still a useful benefit.
Commander Cards Tend To Seem Scary At First Glance
A Format That Leans Toward Large-Scale Attacks
The Commander format is no stranger to seeing cards with incredibly powerful abilities on their own, but with so many options on a board, the element of surprise is often the most useful tool. The stronger a card seems right off the bat, the more likely a target it tends to become, while cards that slowly ramp over time or interact with triggers can be more difficult to deal with in a regular game. Without all the cards fully revealed, there very well may be another card that seems even more overpowered than Jumbo Cactuar when pre-orders start arriving.
The difference between 40, 10,000, or infinite damage is fairly negligible when they all have the same outcome.
While I had the same reaction when first seeing Jumbo Cactuar's unique ability for the first time, the difference between 40, 10,000, or infinite damage is fairly negligible when they all have the same outcome by the end of a Commander match. There's definitely merit in being worried about collaborations taking cards to extreme levels that overshadow regular sets or break pre-existing standards, but a singular flavored card like Jumbo Cacturr doesn't feel as significant as other changes being made to the franchise.
There's Still Ways To Make Jumbo Cactuar A Deadly Threat
Plenty Of Combo Potential For MTG's Latest Collaboration
While I don't think Jumbo Cactuar is as overpowered as it seems on its own, that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of great options when it comes to creating unique and deadly combos. The most obvious option, by far, is using the Fling spell to instantly eliminate any defending opponent by throwing it right at their face. However, this does require Jumbo Cactuar to survive until its first attack phase.
Other cards like Goblin Tunneler and Rogue's Passage that make creatures unblockable are also fairly great options with little investment, with Jumbo Cactuar seeming to pair pretty excellently with both red and green spells respectively.
One of the most exciting aspects of any major release is finding all the powerful combos their standout cards are capable of, and Jumbo Cactuar is no exception. While it's unlikely to stack up against Magic: The Gathering's new high-level commander brackets,there's still a plethora of interesting combinations and ways to add the thematic card as a fun upgrade to pre-existing decks. Personally, I would love to add a Jumbo Cactuar to my own Gishath deck after the Final Fantasy collaboration releases, even if a cactus wouldn't necessarily fit in thematically alongside its dinosaur companions.
