Final Fantasy Equipment Commanders Push Multi-Format MTG Staples To Record Prices

Last updated on July 3, 2025

[cardStoneforge Mystic[/card] (Worldwake) – art by Mike Bierek.png

As soon as Final Fantasy x MTG was announced, it was easy to guess that equipment would play some role in this Universes Beyond Magic set. After all, Cloud and his Buster Sword are among the most iconic duos in the history of video games.

The guess was confirmed when the Final Fantasy Commander Precons were revealed, with (as foretold!) the No products found. being commanded by Cloud and his big sword…

But, as it turned out, Cloud and swords weren't the main stars in the MTG card market: Y'shtola stole the scene as the most popular Final Fantasy commander, then Vivi took center stage, and it was creature sagas, rather than big swords, that also shared the limelight.

Until now, at least.

Because it looks like Final Fantasy‘s equipment hype was not wrong; just a bit late to the party.

Lead by multi-format staple Stoneforge Mystic, which shot from a flat $20 to well over $33 in a matter of days in US markets…

Source: MTGStocks – Stoneforge Mystic, Double Masters printing

… now three different white equipment-matters cards have seen ten-bucks jumps in the last few days, and even larger rallies when compared with a month ago.

Stoneforge Mystic: A Spiking Staple

Stoneforge Mystic – art by Livia Prima

Stoneforge Mystic is how a peak performance across many Magic formats looks like. It's a staple in Hammer Time decks in Modern, and Death & Taxes in Legacy (usually as a maindeck four-of). It's also a staple in competitive Duel Commander decks, usually serving under Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd‘s banner. And this Kor artificer has what it takes to hold its own in cEDH, like in Zirda, the Dawnwaker decks.

As such, it's no wonder that it's never been below $20 – but it has been a flat twenty-bucks card for years. Yet, as seen in the previous graph, now Stoneforge Mystic‘s Double Masters copy shot from that $20 plain to a $33+ peak. And its original Worldwake printing jumped much higher:

Source: MTGStocks – Stoneforge Mystic, Worldwake printing

(I wouldn't fault you for thinking we've pasted the same image twice… but notice how it shoots all the way past $40, going close to $50 on average in the US markets!).

Stoneforge Mystic is for certain no stranger to massive spikes – $48 is still far from the $76-$78 peaks it saw in 2019 and 2021. So what's going on now?

As it turns out, it's not just its continued multi-format stardom: Stoneforge Mystic is taking part in Cloud's long-awaited surge as a solid equipment commander.

For starters, Stoneforge Mystic is very popular in casual Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER, who is the most popular (by far) of the Cloud variants in Commander. And the Mystic is also in wide demand when Lightning, Army of One, a Boros commander from the FIN main set, sits in the command zone.

But it may be with a different Cloud where the Mystic is finding most success as of late:

Marred a bit in overall popularity by its mono-white color identity, Cloud, Midgar Mercenary sees a lot less play as a commander than his ex-SOLDIER version. But here Stoneforge Mystic‘s inclusion rate shoots up to 70%. And it's also with Cloud, Midgar Mercenary at the helm that they are finding the most success in competitive Duel Commander decks.

And it so happens that Stoneforge Mystic is having a little aid from two friends…

Sigarda's Aid's Month-Long Rally

Stoneforge Mystic‘s spike was an overnight surprise. But the white enchantment which the Mystic is often paired with had been heralding the increased demand all June:

Source: MTGStocks

A month ago, Sigarda's Aid was at $8; by the end of last week it had doubled that number all the way up to $16; and since then this white enchantment has kept rallying an extra 50% since then, to $24 nowadays – in other words, an eye-opening 300% rally in a month!

What's more, this is the all-time high for this Eldritch Moon enchantment, more than doubling its previous $13 record. 

Sigarda's Aid and Stoneforge Mystic are long-time comrades, having fought endless Hammer Time battles in Modern. And now, as you can probably guess, Sigarda's Aid and Stoneforge Mystic are rejoined under the banner of either Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER, Lightning, Army of One, or Cloud, Midgar Mercenary.

In fact, you're slightly more likely to find the Aid than the Mystic with any of those three commanders. It's a great tech to upgrade your Limit Break Commander precon. And, specifically with Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, Sigarda's Aid has a near auto-include rate of 80% – and, like Stoneforge Mystic, shows up in Cloud's competitive decks in Duel Commander.

What Will Happen With These Cards' Prices?

Cloud, Midgar Mercenary – art by Kazto Furuya

With our usual caveat that this is not investment advice (always do your own research, folks!), these white cards seem like very well-known staples that now happen to have also found additional large demand in casual Commander, and with even some competitive chops in the case of Cloud, Midgar Mercenary. Equipment spikes are nothing new, but seeing three classics move simultaneously (and one of them not being tied to success in 60-card formats) suggest there’s real, increased EDH demand.

Demand on TCGplayer seems organic (there's no huge single-day spike when looking at traded volume, which could signal a buyout – for all three cards, there's increased demand but distributed across the whole of June). There's a lot of inventory available, but most of it is near the current prices. And in the case of the Mystic and the Aid, they are doing very well in top-tier 60-card decks.

From what little we know so far, the upcoming Magic sets don't have a focus on equipment, so things may cool off once Edge of Eternities puts the hype on counters and starships… but, for now, the forge's hot and pumping out equipment!

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