Deciding between Y’shtola and G’raha Tia as your commander in the **Magic: The Gathering** *Scions and Spellcraft* preconstructed deck inspired by *Final Fantasy* can be straightforward if you understand each commander’s abilities and their synergy with the deck’s cards. *Scions and Spellcraft* is one of four new commander decks launched as part of the *MTG: Final Fantasy* collaboration. This deck immerses players in the world of *Final Fantasy XIV*, a widely acclaimed MMORPG, allowing them to reconnect with beloved characters, iconic locations, and significant story events.
The preconstructed deck includes characters such as Alisaie and Alphinaud Leveilleur, Estinien Varlineau, Krile Baldesion, Lyse Hext, Tataru Taru, Thancred Waters, and Urianger Augurelt, all part of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. Additionally, it features notable figures like Ardbert, Emet-Selch, and Hermes. The card art complements the theme, showcasing elements like the Command Tower card, which features the Crystarium from *Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers*. The deck operates as an Esper deck, utilizing Black, White, and Blue mana along with combinations of those colors. Before playing, you’ll need to select one of the commander cards.
Exploring Y’shtola & G’raha Tia in the MTG: Final Fantasy Scions & Spellcraft Deck
All About Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed & G’raha Tia, Scion Reborn
The *Scions and Spellcraft* preconstructed deck features two potential commanders. The primary commander is Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed, and the alternative is G’raha Tia, Scion Reborn. Both are the sole Legendary Creature cards in the deck with the Esper color combination, making them viable commander options. For comparison, a card like Emet-Selch, who falls under the Dimir color scheme, would restrict the use of any White cards in the deck, though it remains a powerful choice for a commander in *Magic: The Gathering*.
The table below summarizes the key details of Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed, and G’raha Tia, Scion Reborn available in the *Scions and Spellcraft* preconstructed deck, including their mana costs, abilities, and more:
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Commander Cards from Scions & Spellcraft
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Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed
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G’raha Tia, Scion Reborn
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1, White, Blue, Black
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White, Blue, Black
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Cat Warlock
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Cat Wizard
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2/4
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2/3
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Vigilance
At the beginning of each end step, if a player lost 4 or more life this turn, you draw a card.
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell with mana value 3 or greater, Y’shtola deals 2 damage to each opponent, and you gain 2 life.
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Lifelink
Throw Wide the Gates – Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, you may pay X life, where X is that spell’s mana value. If you do, create a 1/1 colorless Hero creature token and put X +1/+1 counters on it. Do this only once each turn.
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Both commander options, Y’shtola and G’raha Tia, focus on utilizing noncreature spells, placing the deck firmly in the spellslinger category. They offer distinct advantages and disadvantages, impacting the game flow differently. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses will aid in making an informed choice about which *Final Fantasy XIV* character you want leading your deck.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Y’shtola in the MTG: Final Fantasy Scions & Spellcraft Deck
Y’shtola: A Powerful Spellslinger With Exceptional Card Draw Potential
Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed, serves as the main commander in the *Scions and Spellcraft* deck for a reason. Her primary ability encourages you to deal at least 4 damage to any player each turn, activating card draw at the end of every end step, not just your own. If you’re not getting enough combat damage during opponents’ turns, you can trigger her ability by casting spells with a mana value of 3 or more, enhancing your card draw in this *Magic: The Gathering* preconstructed deck.
The beauty of Y’shtola lies in her ability to facilitate card draws based on incoming damage from other players, making it strategic to sometimes let combat damage hit you. This approach is risky, but Y’shtola has ways to recover life, as she grants you 2 life whenever you cast a noncreature spell with a mana value of 3 or higher. The majority of cards in the *Scions and Spellcraft* deck align well with Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed, maximizing her effectiveness.
This preconstructed deck includes numerous noncreature spells valued at 3 or more mana, amplifying Y’shtola’s abilities. However, some cards may be included purely for thematic reasons, which might not align with her primary strategy and could disrupt gameplay. Y’shtola’s Vigilance also proves advantageous, especially in the early game, where opponents may not feel concerned about defending her, allowing her to serve as a solid defender in *MTG*.
You can diversify the ways to trigger Y’shtola’s card draw. For instance, during your turn, cast a noncreature spell valued at 3 or more mana to deal 2 damage to each opponent, then have Y’shtola attack an adversary to meet the 4 life lost requirement and activate her card draw.
However, one drawback is that Y’shtola is relatively expensive at 4 mana. It may take a few turns to fetch her from the command zone, especially if you lack ramp cards early on. This delay could leave you vulnerable, as you’ll need to hold onto noncreature spells for when she finally enters the battlefield. This challenge is heightened if you’re struggling with mana in *Magic: The Gathering*; the long-term advantages are substantial, but they come with risks.
Advantages & Disadvantages of G’raha Tia in the MTG: Final Fantasy Scions & Spellcraft Deck
G’raha: A Potential Token Army Builder
On the other hand, G’raha Tia, Scion Reborn, serves as the secondary commander option in *Scions and Spellcraft*. While like Y’shtola, G’raha focuses on noncreature spells, he is not limited by their mana cost. When you cast a noncreature spell, you can choose to sacrifice life equivalent to the spell’s mana value. If you do, you create a 1/1 colorless Hero token with additional +1/+1 counters equal to the life paid. This unique effect can be activated once per turn, allowing for potential board advantage through token creation.
Depending on your resource management, you could generate one Hero token each turn, provided you’re willing to expend life for it. Although this life loss can be a negative factor, G’raha mitigates some of it through his Lifelink. Yet, you’ll likely only recover 2 life from combat, which may not counterbalance the life you’ve lost by creating tokens. As a result, G’raha can be a precarious commander as you risk continuous life loss to generate Hero tokens, although these tokens can be useful for defense in *Magic: The Gathering*.
However, a limitation of G’raha’s Hero tokens is their lack of abilities like Flying, Reach, Lifelink, or Trample, meaning they may not have a significant impact. While you may effectively fill the board, you might struggle against flying creatures or fail to regain the life lost in the process. Furthermore, since a lot of the deck’s noncreature spells have low costs, the generated Hero tokens may not pose enough of a threat to your opponents in *MTG*.
Without Trample, the Hero tokens may easily be blocked, preventing any meaningful damage.
A positive aspect is that G’raha is one mana cheaper than Y’shtola, allowing him to be deployed onto the battlefield more swiftly. This can enable you to start populating your side quicker than your opponents, especially when minor life loss in the early turns can provide a strategic edge.
Choosing Between Y’shtola and G’raha Tia as Commander in MTG: Final Fantasy’s Scions & Spellcraft Deck
A Card Can Be Excluded From the Deck Upon Upgrades
Ultimately, Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed is the superior commander for the *Scions and Spellcraft* Final Fantasy preconstructed deck. Her abilities allow consistent usage throughout the game, making her an impactful choice, even if her entry takes a bit longer. The advantage of Y’shtola lies in her ability to utilize her skill even when it isn’t your turn to deal damage, which can help prevent you from being seen as a threat for an extended period. In contrast, G’raha Tia doesn’t quite make the same impression as a commander and can even be exchanged for stronger spells as the deck evolves.
Y’shtola emerges as one of the standout cards in this *Final Fantasy MTG* set, providing substantial control without being an overt threat. With some thoughtful upgrades, the *Scions and Spellcraft* preconstructed deck can become exceptionally formidable, enabling you to win matches by hurling multiple noncreature spells in succession while utilizing Y’shtola’s abilities for optimal gameplay.
