Spoiler Highlight: Cecil, Dark Knight on Standard & Pioneer

The first previews of Final Fantasy came out earlier than expected, but they have already built a colossal hype both in the Magic community and among fans of the famous RPG franchise from Square Enix by introducing iconic characters such as Emet-Selch, Unsundered, Stiltzkin, Moogle Merchant, commanders such as Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER and the card that will be our highlight today: Cecil, Dark Knight.

With a relevant body, efficient abilities and an extremely low cost, Cecil has drawn attention for its potential in the game's competitive formats as one of the most efficient one-drops to emerge in Standard in the coming weeks, but whose potential is amplified as we enter non-rotating formats, where it will be accompanied by historic staples.

Cecil Harvey is the main character of Final Fantasy IV. He is the captain of the Red Wings, the elite air force of the Kingdom of Baron.

At the beginning of the game, Cecil is a Dark Knight who follows orders as needed, but the King's increasingly tyrannical decisions, such as taking the Crystal of Mysidia by force, lead him to doubt his loyalty as his remorse grows.

Eventually, the protagonist discovers that dark forces are manipulating the kingdon, and in his quest to gain enough strength to save Baron, Cecil travels to Mount Ordealis, where he renounces his dark armor and becomes a Paladin after confronting his inner shadow, refusing to raise his sword against it and beginning his redemption arc.

Cecil, Dark Knight is a perfect representation of the character's arc in Final Fantasy IV. Mechanically, Cecil is notoriously strong in the game when he's a Dark Knight because his Darkness ability is an area attack that basically clears most common mobs in exchange for a portion of the heros HP, but once he becomes a Paladin, his abilities become more focused on supporting and protecting the party while he retains much of his physical strength - both sides are reflected on the card.

For Magic, what matters is that Cecil is a 2/3 with Deathtouch for one mana that, under the right conditions, transforms into a 4/4 with Lifelink that protects all your creatures whenever he attacks - it's a lot of value for a very low cost.

These advantages, as you'd expect from the Dark Knight, come at a price: just like in Final Fantasy IV, Cecil has the Darkness ability, where whenever he deals damage, that same amount is dealt to you - he transforms when you have half or less of your life total, which requires some setup.

However, Cecil is a 2/3 with Deathtouch for one mana. Yes, it has a drawback, but it makes up for it by simply being a wall against any creature in attrition games, while being an efficient beater when we are the beatdown, and once transformed, a 4/4 with Lifelink provides a way to hold games or extend the clock even further.

Considering the Standard, this is not a card you want to play specifically in Aggro, but an impactful one-drop that benefits from a slower start to pressure the opponent while being one of the best ways to hold an Aggro beatdown. In addition, it bypasses some traditional removals like Torch the Tower without Bargain, or Burst Lightning, making the opponent's trades with it almost always inevitable.

On the other hand, Cecil is an easy target to Cut Down and Nowhere to Run before he transforms, and he can't survive against Obliterating Bolt even as a Paladin. Plus, with so many Bounce cards in the format, it's hard to keep him transformed for long.

Where Cecil (and probably a dozen other cards in Final Fantasy) shines is in the ability to enable Mox Amber very early in formats where it's legal, allowing for more consistent sequencing.

In Pioneer, for example, Cecil, Dark Knight has the best one-mana legendary creature body in the format, and within its color, we can combine it with other legendaries and Mox Amber to start the game with land, Cecil and Amber for Thoughtseize, already allowing for a three-drop on the second turn and, ideally, a Sheoldred, the Apocalypse or another four-drop on the following turn.

If a player wants to go all-in on the plan to transform it - which is not recommended in a Fatal Push format - cards like Shock Lands make it easy to reduce life to ten, making Cecil a sort of Death’s Shadow with limitations, but with the same high-risk, high-reward properties.

Another core factor in Pioneer is that the new card is Human, and given that other known humans in Pioneer, such as Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Kytheon, Hero of Akros and Adeline, Resplendent Cathar are legendary creatures, it is possible that Cecil will motivate players to use Mox Amber in a more aggressive list where these legends can join together to create a consistent archetype - it is worth mentioning that Cecil transforms without leaving the battlefield, and therefore he retains +1/+1 counters that he gets through Thalia’s Lieutenant.

Cecil, Dark Knight seems like a high-risk, high-reward card that surprises players with its body, cost, and versatility of being a 4/4 with Lifelink for one mana that protects your other creatures.

However, it will have to pass the interaction test. Yes, it holds Aggro like few creatures do and turns any trade into food for other copies of it, but a high-interaction format like Standard and Pioneer present many risks for a more conditional creature: there is little point in playing around its mechanic if, at the moment of transforming, Cecil takes a bounce or a Cut Down, or any other removal in response, and you have wasted your resources for nothing.

It is likely that it will find homes because a 2/3 with Deathtouch for with an extra advantage is good for its individual power, but it would not be surprising if players who bet on running it have problems against Burn and Bounce.

In Pioneer, Mox Amber is a card waiting to become a staple in more decks, and perhaps Cecil will help in that regard as another efficient one-drop that enables more Legend-based decks - a feat that will become common among Final Fantasy cards.

In other formats, like Modern or Legacy, it doesn't seem very relevant. Yes, a one-drop with its stats is technically good for Legacy's power level, but the ceiling of those formats is also high, and it seems like an inferior card for the Metagame than Delver of Secrets or Dragon's Rage Channeler in Legacy or Guide of Souls, Ocelot Pride and Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer in Modern.