Limit Break: Standard Boros Equipment

Note: This article was translated from Chinese by AI and may contain errors. Read the original Chinese version.

Before We Start

The much-anticipated crossover set FINAL FANTASY has finally launched! Led by FFVII protagonist Cloud, Equipment is a major theme running through the set. I published a Standard Equipment deck on this site back when it first launched, and all of that deck’s core pieces are still in Standard, so this is a great time to retune it! What kind of evolution can this set bring to that deck?

Card Analysis

Cloud, Midgar Mercenary
Legendary Creature – Human Soldier Mercenary
When Cloud enters, search your library for an Equipment card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
As long as Cloud is equipped, if an ability of Cloud or an Equipment attached to it triggers, that ability triggers an additional time.

As the most famous protagonist in the entire FINAL FANTASY series, the booster-pack Cloud is clearly designed as a tribute to Stoneforge Mystic. It also finds an Equipment on entering, but it cannot drop the Equipment directly into play like the Mystic. Instead, when it is equipped, both the Equipment’s and its own triggered abilities trigger an additional time. That lets it get double the effect when equipped with Equipment that has triggered abilities (such as his signature weapon Buster Sword or the ward-granting Lavaspur Boots). Besides the booster version, the Standard card pool has another Cloud:

Cloud, Planet’s Champion
Legendary Creature – Human Soldier Mercenary
During your turn, as long as Cloud is equipped, it has double strike and indestructible.
Equip abilities you activate that target Cloud cost {2} less to activate.

The Cloud printed in the starter deck is a powerful finisher. His static ability not only lets every Equipment with an equip cost of {2} or less be equipped for free, but once equipped he also gains double strike and indestructible. As long as the Equipment gives haste and trample, a Limit Break that takes the opponent out is easy. The decklist is as follows:
Decklist

After several rounds of testing, I ultimately kept to the deck’s original core concept, building around Bladehold War-Whip and Kellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon. Bladehold War-Whip’s {1} equip cost reduction is the key of keys, and makes a night-and-day difference to tempo. Kellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon is the important tutor for finding key cards like Bladehold War-Whip. With Cloud, Midgar Mercenary added, the deck has as many as seven Equipment tutors, almost guaranteeing that Bladehold War-Whip shows up.

Besides Cloud, FINAL FANTASY has many other legends that interact with Equipment. I chose Zack Fair, the original owner of the Buster Sword, the FFIX dragoon Freya Crescent, and the captain of the Knights of Pluto, Adelbert Steiner. Zack Fair is a one-mana creature that gives a teammate one-time protection. Because he hands over one Equipment attached to him along with it to the protected creature, you can equip him and use him as a threat. Freya Crescent is a one-mana mana dork dedicated to Equipment, helping you land Bladehold War-Whip quickly on turn two; on your own turn she also has the dragoon’s signature flying passive, which you can use as a source of evasive damage. Adelbert Steiner is a powerful life-gain engine whose size grows with the number of Equipment you control, the best partner when trading blows with aggro decks.

For other Equipment, I chose Cloud’s signature weapon Buster Sword, the blue-black sword Sword of Once and Future that can cast instants and sorceries (and Adventures) from the graveyard for free, the one-mana haste boots Lavaspur Boots, the removal that can be tutored up, Chainsaw, plus The Irencrag with the Everflame sword stuck in it, and Cragflame, the signature weapon of the Bloomburrow story protagonist Mabel, Heir to Cragflame.

For removal, considering the deck’s aggressive nature and the casting restriction on Sword of Once and Future, I dropped the Equipment-specific removal Rebel Salvo and switched to the face-capable Burst Lightning and Lightning Helix. Finally I added the all-purpose Aura Sheltered by Ghosts, which can be tutored out by Kellan.

Gameplay Demo

The combination of Cloud, Midgar Mercenary and Kellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon gives the deck excellent consistency. With nothing else to do, fetch Bladehold War-Whip first; once you have the War-Whip, fetch Lavaspur Boots; if you need removal, fetch Chainsaw; once the board comes together, fetch a sword and put your opponent out of their misery. Compared with the early version, both the power and the satisfying feeling have gone up a level.

Conclusion

The unfortunate part is that this deck has only about two more months of shelf life. After the September Standard rotation, Bladehold War-Whip will be gone. As mentioned above, whether you have that one-mana equip reduction makes a world of difference, and it does not look like the next few sets will bring a replacement either. Players who want to try it had better act quickly!