Sphere of Influence: June 27, 2025

Papalymo Totolymo | Illustrated by Immanuela Crovius

Welcome to Sphere of Influence, a pre-FNM look at some potential movers and shakers that are worth picking up before their prices increase.

As impossible as it may feel to keep up with all of Magic's new sets, it feels doubly impossible to do so with the many preconstructed Commander decks Wizards of the Coast prints to accompany almost every release; no one wants to buy an entire deck for a handful of cards. Final Fantasy was no different, and there are plenty of cards, printed in precons, that are not only killer new Commander cards but remain pretty cheap for the moment. Pick up as many of these as you can before they're relegated to precons that collectors may be keeping sealed:

Espers to Magicite - $1

For only four mana and at instant speed, this card acts as non-symmetrical graveyard hate and a reanimation source, of sorts. This card reminds me of Author of Shadows, whose only advantage is that it's a creature that can be recurred for multiple uses and, for this reason, may hold additional utility in black. That's about it, though; Espers to Magicite excels in every other way. This is a powerful take on this sort of effect.

Coin of Fate - $0.50

Six mana nets you a surveil trigger, a reanimation spell, the monarch, and a card drawn at end of turn, and this effect can be spread out over a few turns if need be. Your opponent's ability to tuck one of your potential reanimation targets into your library isn't much of a downside if your deck contains a fair amount of redundancy (and it should!), and the fact that it's an artifact means it will trigger any synergy pieces you have out. This is an excellent way to out-value opponents pretty easily, especially after you claim your first monarch card.

Papalymo Totolymo - $0.50

This humble Dwarf Wizard comes down early and begins accumulating value effortlessly for doing something you'd probably do anyway. Then, when they've outstayed their welcome, you can crack 'em to wipe out three ostensibly scary threats at the table in one fell swoop. Commander rewards players for extracting maximum value from every card in their deck, and I have no doubt Papalymo will turn into an all-star after a bit of playtesting time has passed.

Wrecking Ball Arm - $1.50

Blackblade Reforged is already a Commander staple, and Wrecking Ball Arm is essentially the same card. Sure, it's slightly worse later in the game, but it's much better early on and will surely beef up your commander for big damage early on; plus, it can't be blocked by tiny tokens or the likes of mana dorks. Notably, the buff is just enough to constitute a three-turn commander damage clock, too. This one has the makings of a new staple.

Alisaie Leveilleur - $0.75

Two mana is a significant cost reduction, even if it only applies to the second spell you cast per turn. It won't take much effort to begin extracting full value from this new card: a simple reordering of spells can yield a free Arcane Signet or Thought Vessel. Once you begin casting two spells a turn, you'll snowball into the late game at a significant advantage over your opponents. Any deck with a mana value average of 2-3ish will benefit greatly from Alisaie.

Command Attention

Did any of the Final Fantasy precons catch your eye? How about any cards within those precons that you'd like to pluck for your own decks? Let me know!