A total of 331 Standard decklists were submitted for Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™, but some stand out more than others. The spiciest ones use innovative combinations of cards, introduce a novel archetype to the format, or do something that no one saw coming. In this article, we’ll dive into seven of the most intriguing Standard decks that caught my eye. Each one makes clever use of cards from Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY and holds real potential to win the Pro Tour.
2 Cori Mountain Monastery
4 Lush Portico
4 High Noon
1 Brushland
4 Elegant Parlor
2 Get Lost
4 Overlord of the Boilerbilges
2 Mountain
2 Cavern of Souls
2 Esper Origins
4 Thornspire Verge
4 Lightning Helix
4 The Elder Dragon War
4 Fear of Missing Out
2 Plains
3 Joshua, Phoenix’s Dominant
4 Yuna, Hope of Spira
1 Karplusan Forest
3 Screaming Nemesis
4 Sunbillow Verge
1 Devout Decree
1 Sheltered by Ghosts
1 Overwhelming Surge
3 Destroy Evil
2 Ghost Vacuum
2 Esper Origins
1 Pyroclasm
1 Summon: Bahamut
2 Heritage Reclamation
1 Screaming Nemesis
Bryan Hohns is the only player at this Pro Tour to bring Overlord of the Boilerbilges and The Elder Dragon War to the table. These two cards have remarkable synergy with Yuna, Hope of Spira, the cornerstone card of his deck. His passion for the card fueled his desire to play this spicy new strategy.
Yuna, Hope of Spira
The Elder Dragon War
Overlord of the Boilerbilges
The core game plan centers on reanimating Overlord of the Boilerbilges from the graveyard. You can discard it using Fear of Missing Out; Joshua, Phoenix’s Dominant; or The Elder Dragon War, or you can mill it with the surveil effect from Esper Origins. Then, on turn five, Yuna, Hope of Spira brings the Overlord back to life. Not only does this generate an amazing board presence, but it also lets you ping something … with lifelink!
“This deck could be accurately called Naya Burn Reanimator Control Enchantress, as it somehow mixes like five different themes into one,” Hohns joked. And he’s not wrong. Beyond the main enchantment-reanimation plan, the deck can burn opponents out with Screaming Nemesis and Lightning Helix, and it can control the game with spot removal, High Noon, and The Elder Dragon War‘s sweeping first chapter. With this potent mix of flexibility and firepower, it’s easily my favorite deck in the entire field.
3 Thundering Falls
4 Agatha’s Soul Cauldron
2 Abrade
4 Vivi Ornitier
4 Winternight Stories
3 Into the Flood Maw
3 Mountain
2 Island
3 Voldaren Thrillseeker
1 Spell Pierce
4 Marauding Mako
4 Fear of Missing Out
3 Tersa Lightshatter
2 Soulstone Sanctuary
4 Riverpyre Verge
2 Glacial Dragonhunt
4 Spirebluff Canal
4 Shivan Reef
4 Proft’s Eidetic Memory
2 Negate
1 Scorching Shot
2 Draconautics Engineer
2 Enduring Curiosity
3 Unable to Scream
1 Abrade
3 Lithomantic Barrage
1 Spell Pierce
While nearly every Izzet player at the Pro Tour leaned on Cori-Steel Cutter, three players submitted a radically different take, ditching the Cutter entirely in favor of another powerful artifact: Agatha’s Soul Cauldron. Those three are U.S. Regional Champion Peter Husisian, Hall of Famer Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa, and Pro Tour champion Jake Beardsley. The latter two collaborated as part of Team Cosmos Heavy Play, ultimately settling on the same carefully tuned list.
Vivi Ornitier
Agatha’s Soul Cauldron
Proft’s Eidetic Memory
The key objective of their deck is to discard Vivi Ornitier (using cards like Glacial Dragonhunt, Fear of Missing Out, Tersa Lightshatter, or Winternight Stories) and then exile the Wizard with Agatha’s Soul Cauldron. This grants Vivi Ornitier‘s activated mana ability to any creature with a +1/+1 counter, which, thanks to Marauding Mako and Proft’s Eidetic Memory, ends up being most of them. “Vivi Ornitier and Agatha’s Soul Cauldron are a very explosive combination,” Damo da Rosa explained. “It can add a lot of mana on a turn and sometimes kill you from nowhere. We liked that the deck had access to this combo element as well as a very reasonable fair plan (similar to Oculus).”
Beyond the Vivi Ornitier synergy, Agatha’s Soul Cauldron offers additional utility. Exiling Voldaren Thrillseeker turns any counter-laden creature into a threat that can deal direct damage. And on top of that, you get to play main deck graveyard hate. Damo da Rosa appreciated that aspect “because we expected Azorius Omniscience to be one of the most played decks,” and that forecast turned out to be spot-on. This version of Izzet may not be churning out Monk tokens, but it’s a fiery strategy that could take the tournament by storm.
4 Infestation Sage
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Dark Confidant
2 Dalkovan Encampment
2 Starting Town
1 Zahur, Glory’s Past
5 Swamp
4 Caves of Koilos
3 Enduring Innocence
4 Voice of Victory
4 Vengeful Bloodwitch
4 Nezumi Linkbreaker
2 Shadowy Backstreet
4 Bleachbone Verge
3 Worthy Cost
4 Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER
2 Raise the Past
4 Bartolomé del Presidio
2 Go for the Throat
2 Strategic Betrayal
1 Get Lost
2 Destroy Evil
2 Ghost Vacuum
1 Loran of the Third Path
3 Duress
2 Invasion of Gobakhan // Lightshield Array
Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER has breathed new life into Orzhov Sacrifice, and two Pro Tour debutants independently arrived at the archetype as their weapon of choice: Luis Monge from Costa Rica and Juli Caballero Queralt from Spain. While Monge’s list leans into additional crime synergies, Caballero Queralt’s version goes all-in on the sacrifice theme, and that’s the list featured above.
Infestation Sage
Bartolomé del Presidio
Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER
Like a Vengeful Bloodwitch that triggers off everyone’s creatures, Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER drains your opponent whenever a creature dies. However, Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER‘s built-in card draw makes him a far better standalone card than a typical payoff creature, as he can turn even a humble Infestation Sage or Voice of Victory token into a fresh card. And with enough tokens and sacrifice outlets, transforming Sephiroth into a formidable 5/5 flier is a very real possibility.
With a deep pool of card-draw effects like Dark Confidant, Enduring Innocence, Worthy Cost, and Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER, the deck churns through its library at an impressive pace. Eventually, Raise the Past ties it all together, bringing back a critical mass of sacrifice outlets, token makers, and life-draining threats to close the game. It’s an elegant, synergistic deck that looks like a blast to play.
1 Swamp
1 Agatha’s Soul Cauldron
4 Molt Tender
2 Llanowar Elves
2 Town Greeter
6 Forest
1 Coati Scavenger
4 Llanowar Wastes
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Wastewood Verge
4 Blooming Marsh
4 Insidious Roots
2 Osteomancer Adept
4 Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler
2 Dragon Sniper
2 Rubblebelt Maverick
2 Disruptive Stormbrood
1 Great Arashin City
2 Cache Grab
4 Haywire Mite
4 Overlord of the Balemurk
2 Dredger’s Insight
3 Dark Confidant
1 Skyfisher Spider
2 Go for the Throat
1 Coati Scavenger
1 Ghost Vacuum
1 Cankerbloom
2 Souls of the Lost
1 Voldaren Thrillseeker
2 Dragon Sniper
1 Gastal Raider
One of the biggest metagame surprises was the unexpected resurgence of Insidious Roots decks. Five members of team Handshake Moxfield—Simon Nielsen, Matti Kuisma, Eli Kassis, Julien Henry, and Alex Friedrichsen—locked in a Golgari build that they hoped would catch the competition off guard.
“The deck does crazy powerful things when Insidious Roots is involved and has a lot of staying power through Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler and Overlord of the Balemurk,” Simon Nielsen explained. The Pro Tour champion was clearly intrigued: “It was hard to determine in testing whether this deck was great or just ok, and I was very curious to see how this would do into an unsuspecting field.”
Insidious Roots
Town Greeter
Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler
The key card in the deck is Insidious Roots, an enchantment capable of flooding the board with Plant tokens. Every time you exile a creature card from your graveyard with Molt Tender or Scavenging Ooze, or return one with Overlord of the Balemurk, Insidious Roots creates a Plant, then buffs all of your Plants with +1/+1 counters. Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler amplifies this synergy even further by letting your freshly sprouted Plants tap for mana immediately, fueling truly explosive turns.
The deck picked up several upgrades from recent sets, including Dark Confidant for the sideboard and Dragon Sniper as a cheap creature with deathtouch. But the real standout addition is Town Greeter, which fills the graveyard and generates card advantage. All of these new additions provide fuel for Molt Tender while maintaining a sufficient density of creatures for Tyvar’s second loyalty ability.
Haywire Mite also fits in for similar reasons, and it offers valuable utility against Cori-Steel Cutter, Temporary Lockdown, and Omniscience in a metagame teeming with targets. All in all, even though the archetype has largely flown under the radar, it quietly posted strong results at the recent Regional Championships. And now, under the bright lights of the Pro Tour, all eyes will be on whether it can rise to the occasion.
1 Agatha’s Soul Cauldron
2 Forest
2 Starting Town
1 Curious Forager
4 Molt Tender
2 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Keen-Eyed Curator
4 Llanowar Elves
1 Cankerbloom
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Blooming Marsh
4 Insidious Roots
4 Rubblebelt Maverick
1 Osteomancer Adept
4 Dredger’s Insight
4 Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler
2 Haywire Mite
4 Copperline Gorge
3 Karplusan Forest
4 Terra, Magical Adept
4 Overlord of the Balemurk
1 Skyfisher Spider
2 Deep-Cavern Bat
2 Agatha’s Soul Cauldron
2 Disruptive Stormbrood // Petty Revenge
1 Keen-Eyed Curator
1 Defiled Crypt // Cadaver Lab
1 Glissa Sunslayer
1 Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor
1 Haywire Mite
3 Anoint with Affliction
The other Insidious Roots deck came from eight members of Flexslot Diamond: Bartek Wojciechowski, Krista Oscapinski, Mark Jacobson, Ivan Espinosa, Corey Burkhart, Mikey Bishara, Enzo Birk, and David Akers. This group opted to splash for red to maximize a powerful new card.
Terra, Magical Adept
Overlord of the Balemurk
Cankerbloom
“The pieces for Roots have been around for a while,” Corey Burkhart explained, “but the newly printed Terra, Magicial Adept was the glue it needed to put it all together. It’s the perfect card for fueling the graveyard and digging to your all-important Insidious Roots.”
Once transformed, Esper Terra can copy Overlord of the Balemurk foradditional value,opening the door to wild combo turns. The newly created Overlord token returns a creature upon entering, then can immediately attack to bring back another. With the right setup, it can even go infinite. With Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler and Insidious Roots in play, tokens can tap for mana right away, enabling the following loop:
- Start with nine mana available.
- Spend six to transform Terra, Magical Adept into Esper Terra.
- The first chapter ability of Esper Terra creates a token of Overlord of the Balemurk, which returns Cankerbloom from the graveyard. Insidious Roots creates a Plant token.
- Tap the Plant and the Overlord for two mana. Spend three to cast Cankerbloom and sacrifice it to proliferate, adding a lore counter to Esper Terra.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 twice, triggering the second and third chapter abilities of at the cost of one mana each.
- When you reach Esper Terra’s final chapter ability, you add ten mana and transform the Saga back into Terra, Magical Adept, who can activate again immediately thanks to Tyvar.
Each loop nets one additional mana, allowing you to repeat it arbitrarily often to generate infinite mana. Eventually, you’ll choose not to tap the Overlords for mana, attacking instead with an army of infinite hasty Overlord of the Balemurk tokens for the win. It’s a convoluted setup, but a deeply satisfying way to end the game.
4 Brushland
2 Warden of the Inner Sky
3 Forest
1 Kellan, Daring Traveler
4 Sentinel of the Nameless City
2 Restless Prairie
4 Brightglass Gearhulk
4 Novice Inspector
4 Herd Heirloom
4 Hushwood Verge
3 Dusk Rose Reliquary
5 Plains
1 Invasion of Gobakhan
1 Haywire Mite
4 Regal Bunnicorn
4 Teething Wurmlet
1 Soul-Guide Lantern
4 Razorverge Thicket
4 Scrapshooter
1 Phoenix Down
2 Sheltered by Ghosts
2 Ghost Vacuum
1 Pick Your Poison
2 Wilt-Leaf Liege
2 Authority of the Consuls
1 Haywire Mite
1 Dusk Rose Reliquary
1 Phoenix Down
3 Invasion of Gobakhan // Lightshield Array
Josh Morton, who with through a Top 8 finish at Magic Spotlight: Dragons, is the only competitor at this Pro Tour to register a deck featuring Novice Inspector, Teething Wurmlet, Warden of the Inner Sky, Regal Bunnicorn, Herd Heirloom, and Brightglass Gearhulk. “I saw Gabriel Nassif playing a version of it on his stream and it looked super fun,” Morton said.
Brightglass Gearhulk
Teething Wurmlet
Phoenix Down
While Brightglass Gearhulk decks have had a presence in Standard, typically in builds with Llanowar Elves and Collector’s Cage, Morton’s deck charts its own path. With Novice Inspector and Sentinel of the Nameless City, it leans more heavily into artifact tokens, boosting Teething Wurmlet, enabling Warden of the Inner Sky, and supercharging Regal Bunnicorn. The result is a synergistic deck capable of consistent, aggressive starts. Scrapshooter also shines as a well-positioned three-drop in a metagame dominated by Cori-Steel Cutter and Temporary Lockdown.
The lone inclusion from Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY is Phoenix Down, but it plays a crucial role. It’s a prime tutor target for Brightglass Gearhulk, and while its second mode can exile Screaming Nemesis—a Spirit—the main attraction is its ability to bring back Brightglass Gearhulk for just three total mana. That’s a fantastic rate, especially when it also triggers Teething Wurmlet along the way.
1 Swamp
1 Restless Cottage
1 Sheoldred’s Edict
4 Dark Confidant
1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
3 Burst Lightning
2 Cecil, Dark Knight
3 Starting Town
1 Tear Asunder
1 Underground Mortuary
2 Go for the Throat
3 Duress
2 Llanowar Wastes
1 Mountain
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
3 Blooming Marsh
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Shoot the Sheriff
1 Opera Love Song
4 Cori-Steel Cutter
3 The Last Ride
2 Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor
2 Raucous Theater
3 Questing Druid
4 Sulfurous Springs
3 Deep-Cavern Bat
3 Cut Down
1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
1 Blot Out
1 Tear Asunder
2 Ghost Vacuum
1 Pick Your Poison
1 Duress
1 Pyroclasm
2 Anoint with Affliction
2 Heritage Reclamation
2 Magebane Lizard
1 Lithomantic Barrage
Pär Jones earned his spot at this Pro Tour with a 19th-place finish at the Regional Championship in Prague, where he was the only one out of nearly 1,000 Modern players to bring Tarmogoyf and Dark Confidant. Now in Las Vegas, his Standard deck looks remarkably close to the Jund Sagavan deck he used to qualify.
Cecil, Dark Knight
Dark Confidant
The Last Ride
Dark Confidant, the classic engine piece that trades life for extra cards, remains a powerhouse in midrange decks with low average mana values. When you mostly reveal copies of Duress, Cut Down, Burst Lightning, and other cheap spells alongside your lands, Dark Confidant provides a robust draw engine with minimal life loss. All the extra cards you draw will help trigger the flurry ability of Cori-Steel Cutter. What’s more, in this deck, the usual downside of life loss can actually flip into an advantage.
Cecil, Dark Knight wants you to quickly drop to 10 or less life, and The Last Ride has a similar requirement. Thanks to Dark Confidant and a suite of pain lands, including the new Starting Town, it becomes easy to manipulate your life total in the direction you want. While the synergy between Cecil, Dark Knight and Dark Confidant has been welcomed in a variety of Pro Tour decks, Jones’s deck stands out for his qualification story and for being the only list to include The Last Ride. As such, it embraces the life-loss strategy fully. With the deck’s synergies firing on all cylinders, Jones’s deck promises an electrifying ride.
If you’re on the lookout for an exciting new Standard deck to experiment with, any of these seven innovative builds could be the perfect choice. They might just hold the key to victory at Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY. And should they perform well, you’ll undoubtedly have the chance to watch them in action during this weekend’s livestream!
