#absolute virtue

Ultimecia for Dimir makes perfect sense. Time manipulation is very solidly Blue and her personality is pretty definitively in Black, being manipulative and full of malice. I'd say this is pretty close to directly on the mark. It is funny she's just an uncommon though, but concessions had to be made somewhere.

As for Ultimecia, Time Sorceress. 5 mana for a 4/5 is slightly below rate, but you'll be fine. Then her abilities are:

When Ultimecia enters or attacks, surveil 2 (look at the top 2 cards of your library and then choose per card to return it to the top of your library in any order or put it into your graveyard). Solid amount of deck filtering, especially since this happens when she attacks as well. Also means that there is an immediately benefit you get from casting her, which is nice.

At the beginning of your end step, you may pay 8 total mana and exile 8 cards from your graveyard to transform Ultimecia. So that's why the first ability is surveil and why it procs that often: so you can fill your graveyard pretty quick. In theory, you could get her transformed after 4 turns that she's been on the battlefield.

So let's talk Ultimecia, Omnipotent. 7/7 with Menace is very nice, makes her scary to block since she is most likely at least trading with 2 creatures, since you are only allowed to block her with 2 creatures or more. Her other ability is that you'll take an extra turn on the turn she transforms. So we have an extra turn on an uncommon. To be fair, it is with a lot of setup, but still. That will end games.

How good is this card? Let me immediately just say, you aren't using this in 60 card formats, she is too slow. For commander, it is hard, but she isn't bad. She requires setup and you need ways to protect her, most likely via counterspells and reanimation-esque effects because of Blue/Black. You definitely will be a target, though, since you can't really hide the fact you're trying to build up to that extra turn and then potentially the kill shot on the entire table. Aside from that, she isn't really pulling you in any direction, so you can basically do whatever with her.

Now for the art. Credit to Mikio Masuda. Link to their Twitter. Time Sorceress first, wow that's looking fantastic. Good sense of power coming from the magic spell, she herself is looking great with those ridiculous hair horns. The background is relatively simple, but it does give a good idea on where this takes place. Fantastic! Omnipotent next, which is also looking excellent. The planets surrounding her is such a nice touch as well. Also, the head being turned to us and just the light flash, signaling the danger she poses... chef's kiss. This is fantastic!

Now, let's talk about different FF8 character: Rinoa Heartilly!

Green/White makes perfect sense for Rinoa. Compassionate, but occasionally stubborn. Friendly, but naive. Yeah, that's Selesnya alright. I suppose she would have a splash of Red in her, since she is actively trying to make a difference, but Green/White makes sense.

5 mana for a 4/4 is below rate, but not hugely so and actually I lied, because when Riona enters, you create Angelo, a legendary 1/1 green and white Dog creature token, so you do get 5/5 stats for 5 mana, right on rate. Even across 2 bodies, so it is more flexible. Her other ability is that whenever Rinoa attacks, another target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each creature you control. So she and Angelo can attack and Angelo becomes huge, because you control a bunch of tokens and stuff.

This card is pretty good. In 60 card formats, it is probably too slow. Assuming no ramping, which is unlikely with Green, but still: you're looking at turn 5 Rinoa and assuming she survives the next turn, turn 6 you can swing with something big alongside her, assuming you are already able to make a wide enough board state. That said, in commander, for token strategies? She will absolutely be good. She doesn't create tokens herself, so she will need some support on that, but after that, she can make them big! Absolutely do run protection for her and whoever you're buffing though, you don't want her to get blown up before she can attack and you want the buffed creature to be able to hit.

Now for the art. Credit to Francesca Resta. Link to her BlueSky. Wow, this is just gorgeous. The background is so soft of colors. Really, everything here is soft for colors, aside from Rinoa's own outfit, but that's a good thing, since it draws your eyes towards her. Rinoa herself is looking great and I wish to cuddle with Angelo for hours and hours on end. Fantastic art piece, 10/10 :D

Now we move on to Emperor Mateus, or as his card calls him, The Emperor of Palamecia and The Lord Master of Hell.

Wait, WHY IS HE IZZET COLORED? No chance in hell he is not Black. This dude, died, got so upset while dead that he got killed by people he looks down upon that he split his soul in half, one dark and one light. The dark side went to Hell and usurped Satan and the implication is that the light side did the same in Heaven. This man just wants world domination and (after death) world destruction... Izzet, huh. Alright.

Well then, let's get into his mechanics. 2 mana for a 2/2 is perfectly on rate, good job there. Then The Emperor of Palamecia's abilities:

Tap him to get a Blue or Red mana, which can only spent to cast noncreature spells. So yeah, noncreature spells is the name of the game with this guy.

Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, if at least 4 mana was spent to cast it, put a +1/+1 counter on the Emperor of Palamecia. Then if he has 3 or more +1/+1 counters on it, you transform him. Notably, you need to spend 4 mana (or more) on those spells, so cost reducers are not great to use with the Emperor until he is transformed.

And now for the Lord Master of Hell... not Black btw. A 3/3 body, so he even goes 1 up when he transforms, since the counters stay on him. He doesn't go into exile to transform or anything, just flips around. Then, his ability is that whenever you attack with The Lord Master of Hell, you deal X damage to every opponent where X is the amount of noncreature, nonland cards in your graveyard. So, a little group slug-y, though you aren't hit by it. Also, notably, this is damage and not life loss, so any effect increasing damage will increase this.

So... how do I rate this guy? Pretty... highly, weirdly. Not "this guy will see cEDH or top level Standard" play high, but "I see nothing really wrong with this guy" high. A 2 mana 2/2 makes for a good early threat and you can kind of little guy your way to a transformation in Commander, at which point you are hitting people for 3 damage minimum plus whatever damage he can do directly. In 60 card formats, he might see some use in a spellslinger deck, since he can become big relatively quick and then do direct damage. His build up is a little slow, but even by turn 4, you should have a 4/4 on the field and that can definitely be enough to do some damage with.

Now for the art. Credit to Heonhwa. Link to his ArtStation. The Emperor standing on burning buildings with his lackeys, looking to take over the place. Not Black btw! Anyway, this art looks fantastic. Mateus here looks high and might, almost disgusted that he even needs to bother taking over this place instead of having them surrender immediately without a fight. Perfect. Now for the Lord Master. Even better. The angle is even steeper, the Emperor actively looking down upon you, ready to kill you a couple times over so he can get revenge for dying and then go on to destroy everything.

Now we move on to some more FF9 with Kuja, Genome Sorcerer and Trance Kuja, Fated Defied.

Black/Red for Kuja makes sense. Before he loses his mind, he's definitely Black and after he loses his mind he adds the Red, now no longer caring for other people's lives and just wanting to make life as a whole end so it can't carry on without him.

Let's go over the card itself, starting with the front Kuja, Genome Sorcerer. 4 mana for a 3/4 is a smidge behind rate, but nothing too bad. Then his ability is that at the start of your end step you create a 0/1 black Wizard creature token with "Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this token deals 1 damage to each opponent." Then, if you control four or more Wizards (Kuja himself included!), you transform him. This is already solid for a more token based spellslinger strategy.

As for the back side, Trance Kuja, Fate Defied. A 4/6 is pretty solid as a statline. Then for his ability: if a Wizard you control would damage to a permanent or player, it deals double that damage instead. Also works with Kuja himself, so he will start slapping the hell out of things, especially if you are able to give him double strike time.

This card is Wizards tribal the card. It might not be the primary Wizard colors, that would be Blue, but Rakdos can still get a good amount of Wizards on the table. As a commander, he's not super expensive, but it will suck if you have to recast him and you aren't in the greatest protection colors. However, he can flip at the end of your turn if it is just him that gets shot off the board. Aside from that, you will also want to run a good amount of noncreature spells to keep triggering the Wizards' abilities Kuja produces.

In 60 card formats, he's probably too slow. 4 mana, only create the first token on your end step and only transform at 4 Wizards. Does combo somewhat well with Black Mage's Rod, so maybe you can make it work. Just an uphill battle I'd imagine.

Now for the art. Credit to Joshua Raphael. Link to his ArtStation. I love how menacing Kuja looks with the Black Mages in tow. Still he has that over the top flare though. This is awesome, in this case I really love how muted the colors are since it is just so bleak for Kuja here. Then Trance Kuja gets more colorful and manic with him now having lost his mind and preparing to decimate everything in his path. Also love that this is taken from the final boss battle, that's so cool. Great art!

As for the alternative art:

The first double faced card I've had to credit 2 artists! For Kuja, Genome Sorcerer, credit to Masateru Ikeda. Link to their Twitter. For Trance Kuja, Fate Defied, credit to Robert Cornelius. Link to his Instagram (though it’s not been used in a few years). Let's start with Kuja, he's sure looking pretty and flamboyant. Honestly, he's not too far from striking a JoJo's pose and I say that with only positive intentions behind it. A great piece of art! As for Trance Kuja... technically sound, but definitely could've struck a more interesting pose or at least have a more interesting facial expression. The slight smile is very reserved for a state of the character where he's gone insane and wants to destroy everything. Aside from that, he does look good, so not many complaints to be had.

Now, let's talk FF8 with Squall, SeeD Mercenary

Orzhov for Squall... really? I suppose at the end of his character arc he becomes more aligned with White. Black makes sense to me, he's brooding, a loner and quite pragmatic. I would've put him as Dimir personally, but I can accept Orzhov.

As for the card itself. 4 mana for a 3/4 is a smidge behind rat- I have said this exact line with the previous card :| Moving on. His abilities are:

Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, it gains double strike until end of turn. So they attack twice and they attack at a quicker state, with their first attack coming in before the enemy can punch back unless they also have first strike or double strike. Very solid, though does probably push Squall into supporting a voltron strategy.

When Squall deals combat damage to a player, return target permanent card with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. Again, this pushes Squall into a voltron strategy, wanting to be the person to hit a player. Also, this doesn't specify nonlands, so you can keep fishing those out of your graveyard if you have a land that constantly sacrifices itself for an effect.

That's it, not too long or complicated. Like I already said, Squall definitely pushes you into voltron territory, either with him as the creature you pt all your buffs on or as another buffing piece himself. That said... that strategy already isn't fantastic in commander unless you get ignored, it is not gonna feel much better in a 60 card format. For commander, you can run him as a voltron commander or something that buffs your voltron commander. Either way, get some protection to protect both your voltron'd creature and the buffing pieces and then go ham.

Now for the art. Credit to Yuu Fujiki. Link to their pixiv. I love this art. I've heard it compared to Kingdom Hearts and that is just a good thing in my eyes, I love Kingdom Hearts. Love that you see the gunblade slash trail and the background being simple, but still evoking a sense of dread or urgency. He himself is definitely taking from his more anime aesthetic that the FF series as a whole has been trending towards, but he looks good. Great artwork!

As for the alternative art:

Credit to Kato Ayaka. Link to their pixiv. Squall in a pretty classic pose, having slung his gunblade over his shoulder. Not much else to say, though this is definitely going a bit less anime. Do wish he wasn't as darkly lit, but oh well, it isn't a bad thing. Good art still!

Let's now go to FF15 and to Noctis, Prince of Lucis.

Esper makes some amount of sense for Noctis. White due to his status as royalty, Blue due to his isolated personality and Black because of the ego and recklessness. I'd honestly see Red more than Black, but it is fine.

Let's talk about the card. 4 mana for a 4/3. Almost the same as the last two, just flipped around. Still a little behind rate, but still fine. Kind of sucks to be on 3 toughness, since that is usually a threshold you want to be over. His abilities:

Lifelink, I guess because Noctis is the reason why the party's potions have healing properties. Fair enough and it is solid.

You may cast artifact spells from your graveyard by paying 3 life in addition to paying their other costs. If you cast a spell this way, that artifact enters with a finality counter. Literally just the royal arms, you temporarily conjure the weapons and when they get sent to your graveyard again, they instead get exiled due to the counter on it.

This is an alright card... if you don't exploit blink. Fortunately, you are in White and Blue, the main (if not only) blnk colors. With blinking effects, especially repeatable blinking effects, you can keep bring artifacts back, using them assuming they don't immediately sacrifice for using them and blinking them, getting rid of the finality counter. Or blinking them before you use them if they would immediately sacrifice when using them. Without blink, this brings artifacts back 1 time, which can be good enough sometimes, but certainly not all the time. In commander, either as the commander or in the 99 of a deck, he is best if you include blink effects.

In 60 card formats, don't bother unless you have to reanimate only a few very key artifacts. That ability does immediately work on the turn he comes down. Just sucks that he's a 4 mana creature, so you're usually not getting something out of the graveyard until turn 5.

Now for the art. Credit to Jeremy Chong. Link to their Instagram. That sure is Noctis floating in space with the royal arms surrounding him. This genuinely looks like it might be an in-game screenshot, which is impressive. The face isn't quite right for it, but it is still very impressive how close the artist got for me to believe it. Good art!

As for the alternative art:

Credit to Kato Ayaka. Link to their pixiv. Same artist as the one for Squall's alternative art. Uh, yeah, super detailed and a bit more of a realistic vibe compared to the more anime vibes the other alternative arts usually get. The only thing I'm not sure about is the hair. It almost looks like it has rained and therefore it drooped down, but yeah. Very weird, doesn't feel like Noctis' hair at all. Still good art though.

We now move on to FF11 with Absolute Virtue:

I have no idea whether White/Blue is accurate. Literally got nothing.

As for the card. 8 mana for an 8/8 is perfectly on rate, fair enough. Then the abilities:

This spell can't be countered. So no pesky counterspells. Take that Blue players! Wait... Anyway, any effect that says "return target spell to its owner's hand" does work, since that isn't a counterspell, despite mostly functioning like one, just going back to your hand and not to your graveyard.

Flying so it can slap the heck out of your opponents when they have no flying or reach creatures.

You have protection from each of your opponents. As in, you can't be damaged, enchanted or targeted by anything your opponent controls. Protection is weird and not really obvious with how you would think, but at least it is player protection from players, which is a lot easier to explain.

That's it. This is 100% a Limited bomb. You will never see this in 60 card formats, by the time you drop this, you're already half way through a second game. In commander... I mean, I guess it can be a giant protection piece for you, but 1) it doesn't have protection and 2) when this dies or somehow leaves, you are screwed out of 8 mana. And don't even think about running this as your commander. That's 10 mana if it gets killed ONCE.

No, this is 100% the Limited bomb. The card you drop once you're like "okay, we're done here." Huge body, so you will almost always murder whatever you come into contact with. Huge damage, so by the time it connects to your opponent's face, it is either your second to last or last attack to them. Flying, so hitting your opponent's face is easier. Huge mana cost, so it is a late game drop. Limited is great, since it is a lot slower of a format, so you will get to scenarios where you get to 8 mana and have to end the game and that is where this thing comes into play.

Now for the art. Credit to Toni Infante. Link to their website. THEY. DON'T. MISS! THE GOAT! Genuinely, all of the art that Toni Infante has done for this set is fantastic and I still have to get to my favorite of theirs. Anyway, this is fantastic. This feels properly ethereal, surreal and alien. The environment it is hovering around in reflects that, which makes it come together to be this wonderful, weird art piece that makes you go like "wait, what?" and it is great.

Now we move to FF10 with Yuna, Hope of Spira!

Selesnya is what I'd say fits Yuna best, so nothing to say here on my end.

As for the card. 5 mana for a 3/5 isn't great, but it is workable. Then her abilities:

During your turn, Yuna and enchantment creatures you control have trample, lifelink and ward 2. This... is just alright. You need to time your summons to be able to attack together for this to really do much in terms of ending the game.

At the beginning of your end step, return up to one target enchantment from your graveyard to the battlefield with a finality counter on it. This is mainly meant to fish Summons out of your graveyard, but can in fact be used to get any enchantment out of your graveyard like utility enchantments, which is nice, since those have generally less of a chance to randomly get blown up again.

And that's it. Let's just start at 60 cards: nope. Don't bother. For commander, as your commander, she doesn't do much. Protection, but only on your turn. Evasion and lifelink, but too limited in scope to be on many more things. Honestly, if you want to build her, ditch Summons all together. She doesn't manipulate lore counters at all, so really, Summons will just be more trouble than they are worth if you want to run her as your commander. Just take regular enchantment creatures. In the 99 of a deck... yeah, if it is enchantment creature heavy. She brings some protection, some evasion and some lifegain, but isn't outstanding.

Now for the art. Credit to Ninnin. Link to their Twitter. Yuna taking care of Valefor is nice. Good, bright colors, all the details are on point. Aside from that, not much to talk about. Not really a background on this, since Valefor is too big and covers any attempt at a background up basically. Still, very nice art!

As for the alternative art:

Credit to Osamu. Link to their pixiv. That sure is a very nice Yuna. Pretty anime, but not in a bad way. Kind of wish her posing was more interesting, but oh well. Not much else to say, that is just a solid Yuna.

Now, last but certainly not least, we go to FF9 and we have a very special character, Vivi Ornitier!

THE GOAT DON'T MISS! Okay, before I start immediately gushing about the art, let me talk about flavor. Izzet is interesting for Vivi and I feel like it i just has to be the color they chose for very powerful Black Mages in the series, between him, Shantotto and... the Emperor, who still should've been Black, but okay. Anyway, I don't entirely disagree. He's shy and not confident in himself, which can definitely show the more Blue side in him of being very insular. Red definitely comes more from his Black Mage side, because Vivi isn't chaotic like Red usually gets.

Anyway, let's move on to the art- no, I gotta talk about the mechanics first! D'oh! 3 mana for a 0/3 is bad, but don't worry, Vivi got tricks up his sleeve. His abilities:

For 0 mana you add X mana in any combination of Blue and Red, where X is Vivi's power. Activate only once per turn and only during your turn. This doesn't generate power, but my god will it generate a lot. The fact that there is no cost to it is insane. You don't even have to give up blocking with Vivi, it is actually so wild.

Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Vivi and Vivi deals 1 damage to each opponent. Fun fact, if you somehow get lifelink on Vivi, you do heal from it. Anyway, pair this with cantrip effects and very cheap spells to begin with, to keep growing Vivi quick. Also, slap some damage enhancers on there and Vivi will make short work of your opponents.

This might be the best card in the set. It is most definitely the best card showcased on 10/05 and it isn't even close. 0 mana to create a ton of mana, because you keep growing Vivi quick, which in turn makes him produce a ton of mana, which in turn allows you to cast more noncreature spells, which makes him bigger, which makes him produce more mana. This card is insane. In Limited, Vivi will be a wincon, genuinely. If you are able to drop him on turn 3 and your opponent doesn't immediately get their removal to get rid of him, he will do so much burn damage and eventually be threatening enough to just go swinging in.

For 60 card formats, he might legitimately be worth considering at least for burn decks. Drop him turn 3 and get him to a 4/7 minimum on turn 4 by playing a bunch of 1-2 mana spells, making him produce the mana you need as you get close to running out of mana from lands. In commander? Either as your commander or in the 99, Vivi will be able to put the hurt on people. Spellslinger your way to victory with Vivi. This card is stacked and is gonna be a favorite of the set, both with fans of FF9 and MTG players just looking for an Izzet spellslinger deck.

Now for the art. Credit to Toni Infante. Link to their website. THE GOAT NEVER FUCKING MISSES! HOLY SHIT, IT IS GORGEOUS. Vivi is so cute, yet somehow also a bit unnerving as he looks at the spell he's casting in those hollow, beaming yellow eyes. The spell he's casting is beautiful, the color choices are great to really invoke that whimsy FF9 had over FF7 and FF8 for its fellow PS1 brothers, the background is not super detailed, but still very cool looking. This is genuinely perfect and if I had to guess, my favorite art in the entire set. I hope this artist has more in this set, because my lord. If everything is even half as good, we have a good set on our hands.