A set entirely based around the Final Fantasy IP and some of its most beloved games? Hmph. How very glib. Square Enix and Wizards of the Coast have junctioned to form quite a powerful set here, but as always, new sets means new triggers that could potentially cause some problems. If such Warnings for Missed Trigger were NOT your intention, grab some Gysahl Greens and read on.
VIII cards have one or more triggers that upgrade to a Warning when missed:
I. Cactuar
“At the beginning of your end step, if this creature didn’t enter the battlefield this turn, return it to its owner’s hand.”
Cactuars are notoriously slippery critters, so it makes sense that this creature doesn’t want to stick around on the battlefield too long. That said, generally having more creatures is better than having fewer, so a player forgetting to return this to their hand when necessary will earn a Warning.
II. Esper Terra, the saga back face of Terra, Magical Adept
“[Create a token.] Sacrifice it at the beginning of your next end step.”
III. Firion, Wild Rose Warrior
“[Create a token.] Sacrifice that token at the beginning of the next upkeep.”
IV. Random Encounter
“[Put milled creature cards onto the battlefield.] At the beginning of the next end step, return those creatures to their owner’s hand.”
“[Create a token.] Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.”
Esper Terra, Firion, Random Encounter, and The Fire Crystal are all pretty similar: “Put something on the battlefield, get rid of it later.” Having more things is better than having fewer things – that explains the large amount of Thieves in the Final Fantasy universe – so forgetting to get rid of the thing later will earn a Warning. For all of these cards, the remedy never expires.
VI. Sleep Magic
“When enchanted creature is dealt damage, sacrifice this Aura.”
An Aura that keeps an opponent’s creature tapped is pretty decent, but a triggered ability that makes that Aura fragile is not. If a player forgets to sacrifice this Aura and lets the creature wake up, they’ll earn a Warning.
VII. Stolen Uniform
“[Gain control of target Equipment.] When you lose control of that Equipment this turn, if it’s attached to a creature you control, unattach it.”
This Instant would be much better if it didn’t make you return your ill-gotten Equipment after you were done with it, so a player forgetting to do so will earn a Warning. Note that even though this is a delayed trigger, it doesn’t undo a zone change trigger, so the remedy for this trigger can expire if somehow both players fail to notice the stolen Equipment wasn’t unattached for a full turn.
VIII. Zell Dincht
“At the beginning of your end step, return a land you control to its owner’s hand.”
Zell is a pretty worldly guy – when the party visits a new place, he’ll frequently mention a bit of its history. It makes sense that he’d care about lands to some degree. That said, Zell also sticks with what seems to be the theme of generally detrimental triggers in this set: More things is better than fewer things. Zell would be quite a bit better without this trigger, so a player forgetting to return a land to their hand will earn a Warning.
II notable cards have a trigger that does NOT upgrade when missed:
“Whenever Cecil deals damage, you lose that much life. Then if your life total is less than or equal to half your starting life total, untap Cecil and transform it.”
While it’s true that generally losing life isn’t great, transforming Cecil generally is. Missing this trigger should not upgrade to a Warning.
II. Dark Confidant
“At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal the top card of your library and put that card into your hand. You lose life equal to its mana value.”
The one, the only, the Bob returns to Standard with some new art and the same fantastic triggered ability. Like Cecil above, sure, losing some life isn’t ideal, but card advantage is one of the best things to have in Magic. Missing this trigger should never upgrade to a Warning.
Note that if someone misses this trigger at a suspicious time like when they’re at 1 life, you may want to ask a few more questions to make sure it wasn’t intentionally missed.
Other notable cards and mechanics:
I. Galian Beast, the back face of Vincent Valentine
“When Galian Beast dies, return it to the battlefield tapped (front face up).”
Unlike Firion et al mentioned earlier, this isn’t a delayed trigger that undoes a zone change, so it doesn’t fit the special carve out where it has to happen when noticed. If this trigger was missed and it’s been more than a full turn, there’s no remedy to apply and Vincent will stay in the graveyard, taking some well-earned rest.
That’s all we’ve got for Final Fantasy. Join us next time for an adventure into the Edge of Eternities!
Regarding Saga Creatures (like Summon: Fat Chocobo): There is ongoing discussion about whether or not the final chapter ability of these should be considered generally detrimental.