Deck Overview
Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER is a Naya Equipment commander that rewards building an entire equipped party rather than placing every weapon on a single creature.
Whenever Cloud attacks, it draws one card for each equipped attacking creature. If Cloud has at least seven power, it also creates two Treasure tokens.
The deck is therefore designed to:
- Deploy inexpensive creatures and Equipment.
- Create additional equipped creatures through Job select.
- Reduce or bypass equip costs.
- Cast Cloud onto an established battlefield.
- Attack immediately for several cards and two Treasures.
- Convert that advantage into extra combats or a lethal wide attack.
The final list contains 29 creatures including Cloud, 20 Equipment cards, seven Job select cards and 37 lands.
The Early Game
The first turns should develop creatures and Equipment, not simply accumulate mana.
The best early creatures either carry Equipment efficiently or provide an additional strategic benefit.
Freya Crescent produces mana specifically for Equipment spells and equip abilities while becoming an evasive attacker during your turn.
Torgal, Clive's Companion, represented by Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful, is a one-mana carrier that grows whenever another legendary permanent enters. The deck contains 26 other legendary permanents, allowing Torgal to become a relevant attacker without requiring a dedicated investment.
Zack Fair protects an important creature and transfers one of its Equipment when sacrificed.
Zidane Tribal, represented by Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, creates Treasures and additional cards when Equipment helps it connect.
Item Shopkeep gives menace to one equipped attacker whenever the party attacks. This is particularly valuable for connecting with Cloud's Buster Sword, Mask of Memory, Buster Sword or Cloud itself.
The deck can also begin by casting a Job select Equipment. These cards provide both a creature and an Equipment in one spell, so they satisfy both halves of Cloud's attack trigger without requiring a separate carrier.
Job Select
The Job select package consists of:
- Dragoon's Lance
- Monk's Fist
- Red Mage's Rapier
- White Mage's Staff
- Bard's Bow
- Paladin's Arms
- Samurai's Katana
When one of these Equipment cards enters, it creates a 1/1 Hero token and immediately attaches itself to that token.
The individual cards fill different combat roles:
Dragoon's Lance provides flying during your turn.
Monk's Fist is the cheapest colorless Job select card and establishes an equipped attacker for two mana.
Red Mage's Rapier can produce large damage bursts when followed by interaction or another Equipment spell.
White Mage's Staff creates a 2/2 equipped attacker and supplies incidental life gain.
Bard's Bow creates a 3/3 with reach.
Paladin's Arms creates a 3/2 attacker with ward.
Samurai's Katana creates a hasty 3/3 with trample, allowing it to contribute during the turn it enters.
The printed equip costs on some Job select cards are expensive. The deck compensates through Puresteel Paladin, Professor Hojo, Forge Anew, Raubahn, Armory Automaton and Cloud's entrance ability.
Equipment Engines
Firion, Swordmaster
Firion, represented by Sram, Senior Edificer, draws a card whenever an Equipment spell is cast.
Because this ability triggers on casting, it still draws a card even if the Equipment is countered.
Puresteel Paladin
Puresteel Paladin draws whenever an Equipment enters.
Once metalcraft is active, every Equipment gains equip zero. Job select cards, mana artifacts, Treasure tokens and Staff of the Storyteller make three artifacts relatively easy to establish.
Giott, King of the Dwarves
Giott converts redundant lands and situational cards into fresh draws whenever an Equipment enters.
Its double strike also makes it an excellent carrier for power bonuses and combat-damage Equipment.
Cloud, Midgar Mercenary
Cloud searches for any Equipment when it enters.
Common targets include:
- Skullclamp when additional cards are needed.
- Cloud's Buster Sword to control combat.
- Hero's Blade or Wrecking Ball Arm to bring the commander to seven power.
- Conqueror's Flail to protect an important attack.
- Genji Glove when an extra-combat finish is available.
While Cloud is equipped, its triggered abilities and the triggered abilities of Equipment attached to it trigger an additional time.
Cloud's Buster Sword therefore receives four charge counters after combat damage. Mask of Memory draws and discards twice. Sword of the Animist searches for two basic lands, and Buster Sword produces two combat-damage triggers.
Professor Hojo
Professor Hojo reduces the first activated ability targeting one of your creatures during each of your turns by two mana.
Equip abilities target, so Hojo normally provides one discounted equip activation and draws a card when that ability targets a creature.
Cid and Squall
Cid, Freeflier Pilot and Squall Leonhart, represented by Danitha Capashen, Paragon, reduce the cost of Equipment spells.
Cid can also recover an Equipment from the graveyard, while Squall is a strong first-striking, vigilant and lifelinking carrier.
Firion, Wild Rose Warrior
Whenever a nontoken Equipment enters, Firion creates a temporary copy of it.
A copied Job select Equipment retains Job select. It creates a second Hero token and attaches itself to that Hero.
For example, Samurai's Katana with Firion on the battlefield creates two equipped 3/3 creatures with haste and trample.
The copied Equipment also triggers Puresteel Paladin, Giott and Barret, Avalanche Leader.
Barret, Avalanche Leader
Barret creates a 2/2 Rebel whenever an Equipment enters, including the temporary copies created by Firion.
At the beginning of combat, Barret can attach an Equipment to a Rebel for free. The Rebel then becomes another equipped attacker for Cloud.
Supporting the Attack
Helitrooper is an evasive carrier, discounts equip abilities targeting itself and grants flying to another attacker.
Raubahn, Bull of Ala Mhigo moves an Equipment onto an attacking creature after attackers are declared. This bypasses expensive equip costs and allows the most important Equipment to be placed on an unblocked attacker.
Armory Automaton can collect any number of Equipment when it enters or attacks.
Ashe, Princess of Dalmasca looks at five cards whenever it attacks and can place an artifact into your hand.
Garnet Til Alexandros 17th, represented by Loran of the Third Path, removes an opposing artifact or enchantment while leaving behind a vigilant Equipment carrier.
Elena, Turk Recruit returns an Equipment, legendary permanent or Saga from the graveyard and grows whenever another historic spell is cast.
Red XIII, Proud Warrior returns an Equipment from the graveyard and gives the other modified creatures vigilance and trample.
Serah Farron reduces the cost of the first legendary creature spell each turn. This can reduce Cloud from five mana to three. Once transformed, Crystallized Serah gives the deck's legendary creatures +2/+2.
Yuffie, Materia Hunter can enter through ninjutsu, steal an opposing noncreature artifact and immediately attach one of your Equipment to itself.
Reaching Seven Power
Cloud begins as a 4/4. Reaching seven power produces two Treasures on every attack.
The principal seven-power enablers are:
Hero's Blade: Attaches automatically when Cloud enters and makes it a 7/6.
Conqueror's Flail: Cloud is red, green and white, so the Flail gives it +3/+3. It also prevents opponents from casting spells during your turn.
Wrecking Ball Arm: Sets Cloud's base power and toughness to 7/7 and makes it difficult for small creatures to block.
Buster Sword: Gives +3/+2, making Cloud a 7/6.
Colossus Hammer: Makes Cloud a 14/14. Its equip cost is normally bypassed rather than paid.
Bastion Protector, Champion's Helm, Summoning Materia and Sidequest: Play Blitzball can also combine with smaller bonuses to reach seven.
Equipment Roles
Card advantage
Skullclamp converts expendable Heroes, Rebels and Spirit tokens into cards.
Mask of Memory provides early card selection and becomes especially powerful on an evasive carrier.
Cloud's Buster Sword, represented by Umezawa's Jitte, dominates creature combat and can also increase damage or recover life.
Sword of the Animist develops the mana base while increasing the number of equipped attackers.
Buster Sword draws after combat damage and can cast another spell from hand without paying its mana cost.
Summoning Materia allows creature spells to be cast from the top of the library while providing vigilance, a power bonus and an additional green mana source.
Protection
Champion's Helm gives a legendary creature hexproof.
Conqueror's Flail prevents interaction during the entire turn.
Bastion Protector gives Cloud +2/+2 and indestructible.
Zack Fair can sacrifice itself to give another creature indestructible while transferring its counters and an attached Equipment.
Restoration Magic can protect one permanent for no additional mana or the entire battlefield through its Curaga mode.
Evasion
Item Shopkeep grants menace.
Helitrooper and Dragoon's Lance grant flying.
Red XIII grants trample to the other modified creatures.
Wrecking Ball Arm prevents creatures with power 2 or less from blocking its carrier.
Staff of the Storyteller
Yuna's Sending Staff, represented by Staff of the Storyteller, creates a flying Spirit when it enters.
It receives a story counter whenever one or more creature tokens are created. The deck creates tokens through every Job select card, Barret, Firion's copied Job select cards and Cloud's Treasure-generating attacks.
The Staff converts those counters into cards while its Spirit serves as another evasive Equipment carrier.
Primary Finishing Lines
Hero's Blade and Genji Glove
The cleanest commander-damage finish requires Hero's Blade and Genji Glove on the battlefield before Cloud enters.
When Cloud enters:
- Hero's Blade attaches itself to Cloud.
- Cloud's entrance ability attaches Genji Glove.
- Cloud becomes a 7/6 with double strike.
- Cloud attacks, draws cards and creates two Treasures.
- Genji Glove untaps Cloud and creates an additional combat phase.
An unblocked Cloud deals 14 commander damage in each combat, for a total of 28.
Tifa, Martial Artist
Whenever a creature with power seven or greater deals combat damage during the first combat phase, Tifa untaps the team and creates an additional combat.
Cloud can reach seven through several Equipment cards, while Sephiroth can make every modified creature a base 7/5.
Sephiroth, Fallen Hero
When Sephiroth attacks, every modified creature can become a base 7/5 until end of turn.
Because Equipment counts as a modification, a developed party can suddenly attack as a group of large creatures before applying the additional bonuses from its Equipment.
Barret Wallace
Barret deals direct damage whenever it attacks equal to the number of equipped creatures.
This gives the deck reach through blockers and rewards exactly the same battlefield that maximizes Cloud's card-draw trigger.
Blessing of the Oracle
Blessing of the Oracle, represented by Akroma's Will, is the strongest wide-board finisher.
With Cloud under your control, both modes can be chosen. The party gains flying, vigilance, double strike, lifelink, indestructible and protection from every color.
Interaction
The removal suite is inexpensive so that the deck can interact without abandoning battlefield development.
- Swords to Plowshares
- Path to Exile
- Dispatch
- Lightning Bolt
- Nature's Claim
- Slash of Light
- Garnet Til Alexandros 17th
Dispatch becomes unconditional exile once metalcraft is active.
Slash of Light scales with both the number of creatures and the number of Equipment controlled, allowing it to remove considerably larger threats than a normal damage spell.
The deck generally wants to remove blockers or engines and continue attacking rather than reset its own developed battlefield.
When to Cast Cloud
Cloud should usually be cast onto an established battlefield rather than as the first meaningful permanent.
The ideal Cloud turn begins with:
- At least two other creatures ready to attack.
- Equipment attached to those creatures.
- An Equipment that brings Cloud to seven power.
- Protection or Conqueror's Flail when the opponent has available interaction.
Cloud has haste, but the other creatures do not. Develop the party first and use Cloud as the card-advantage payoff.
Equipment should normally be spread among several creatures. Cloud counts equipped attacking creatures, not the number of Equipment attached to a single attacker.
The exception is a commander-damage finish or a situation where a specific Equipment must connect.
Mulligan Guide
A strong opening hand normally contains:
- Two to four lands.
- Access to the three commander colors by turn five.
- A cheap creature or Job select Equipment.
- An Equipment engine or useful Equipment.
- No more than one five-mana card.
Hands with several conventional Equipment cards but no creature, Job select card or engine should usually be returned.
A hand with Torgal is substantially better when it also contains multiple legendary permanents. A hand with Freya is better when it contains Equipment whose cost or equip ability can use her restricted mana.
White is the deck's most demanding early color because Cloud, Midgar Mercenary and Puresteel Paladin both require double white. Sequence the mana base accordingly.
Playing from Ahead
When ahead, spread Equipment across several creatures and force the opponent to answer the battlefield before Cloud enters.
Conqueror's Flail and Champion's Helm protect the most important attacker. Restoration Magic should be preserved for removal or a sweeper rather than used to win an ordinary combat.
Do not deploy every card simply because mana is available. Cloud and the dedicated draw engines make it possible to maintain pressure without emptying the hand.
Playing from Behind
Cloud can rebuild a hand immediately if enough equipped attackers survive.
Cloud's Buster Sword controls small and medium creatures, while Slash of Light handles a larger threat. Garnet and Nature's Claim remove artifacts or enchantments that prevent profitable attacks.
Skullclamp, Yuna's Sending Staff and Giott can convert expendable resources into new cards until the deck can rebuild its party.
Summary
This deck develops an equipped party before using Cloud as its command-zone payoff.
Job select supplies complete equipped attackers. The support creatures reduce costs, move weapons, recover resources or generate cards. Cloud then transforms a wide attack into a new hand and additional mana.
The deck can win through ordinary combat, commander damage, additional combat phases, Sephiroth's modified army, Barret's direct damage or a protected Blessing of the Oracle attack.