With the Final Fantasy crossover shaking up Standard and Edge of Eternities on the horizon, players are once again eyeing artifacts as a potential backbone for powerful strategies. Artifact affinity decks—those that reduce casting costs or gain value based on the number of artifacts you control—have a long history in Magic, but their viability in Standard depends on more than nostalgia. To see if artifact affinity is more than a gimmick in this new landscape, you need to evaluate synergy, support, and the evolving card pool.

First, examine whether true “affinity” effects or close equivalents exist in Standard. Classic affinity mechanics reduce the cost of spells based on artifact presence, but even without that exact wording, look for cards that reward artifact-heavy builds. Some recent designs grant bonuses when casting artifacts, generating free artifact tokens, or scaling in power based on artifacts in play. If you can spot a critical mass of these enablers—especially at low mana costs—it’s a strong signal that affinity-style decks could take shape.

Second, look at the broader ecosystem of artifact synergy. A viable affinity deck needs more than just cost-reduction gimmicks—it needs cards that generate value for going all-in on artifacts. This includes artifact token makers, recursion tools, and payoffs like draw engines or scalable threats. With Final Fantasy introducing mechanically unique cards and Edge of Eternities potentially expanding the artifact pool, the opportunity for synergy may be deeper than it first appears. Pay special attention to color pairings that open up versatile support, like blue for card draw or black for recursion.

Third, assess the deck’s position in the meta. An affinity deck that floods the board with cheap artifacts might crumble to board wipes or suffer against faster aggro if it lacks early interaction. But if the format slows down or leans heavily on midrange and control, artifact affinity could exploit tempo advantages and out-value opponents. Watch how dominant decks are built—if they rely on removal that misses non-creature permanents or struggle against wide boards, an artifact deck with flexible threats and resiliency could carve out a real spot.

Artifact affinity isn’t guaranteed to shine just because it has a history—it needs the right blend of efficiency, synergy, and timing in Standard. With the influx of Final Fantasy cards and new tech and mechanics introduced from Edge of Eternities, the pieces may be coming together. Keep an eye on what drops next, because the line between a janky combo and a tiered strategy might be thinner than it looks.

Thanks for reading, and until the next blog post.