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Counterplay Guide: Countering a Red-White Legend from Final Fantasy Commander
Banon, the Returners' Leader arrives with a bright flash of mana and a stubborn willingness to grind away at the graveyard. This legendary creature — a Human Cleric Rebel priced at {R}{W} for 2 mana — strolls onto the battlefield as a dual-colored threat that leans into two distinct dimensions: aggressive disruption and a sneaky recursion plan. With a lean 1/3 body, Banon isn’t going to win the race on raw stats alone, but his Pray ability and the attack-based card draw make him a persistent problem for opponents who lean on graveyard shenanigans or heavy creature-based strategies. 🧙♂️🔥💎
From a lore perspective, Banon carries the flavor of a beacon in a world where hope flickers against overwhelming odds. The flavor text — “You are this world's last ray of light... our final hope.” — captures the tension of a leader who genuinely believes in turning defeat into opportunity, one spell, one graveyard, and one swing at a time. That belief translates into a real game plan: Banon rewards players who can navigate the delicate balance between aggressive plays and graveyard exploitation. As fans, we nod to the artistry of Daniel Landerman and savor the crossover charm of Final Fantasy Commander (fic) that this rare card embodies. 🎨🎲
What Banon actually threatens on the battlefield
- Pray ability: Once during each of Banon’s controller’s turns, you may cast a creature spell from among cards in your graveyard that were put there from anywhere other than the battlefield this turn. In other words, Banon creates a tense, recurring option to reanimate threats from the graveyard, provided those creatures found their way there by means other than dying on the battlefield that same turn. This can fuel a slow reanimation engine or surprise your board with a last-minute threat. ⚔️
- Attack-driven card draw: When Banon attacks, you may pay {1} and discard a card to draw another. That subtle loop encourages your opponents to push through lines with a plan to refill their hand, turning less-pressing threats into consistent pressure. It’s not a game-ending combo, but it compounds decision points in a long game. 🔥
- Two-color aggression in a friendly shell: The red-white pairing brings haste, removal options, and robust artifact/utility support in Commander, which often translates into a proactive, tempo-forward playstyle. Banon is a pressure point that can tilt a game toward a midrange or control matchup depending on how a table responds. 💎
Core counterplay strategies you can rely on
Countering Banon effectively isn’t just about silencing a single card; it’s about shaping the surrounding board so that his angles of attack are narrow and his Pray engine can’t run unimpeded. Here are practical routes you can take, organized from low-cost, high-impact options to broader, strategic playstyles. 🧙♂️🎲
- Graveyard hate that sticks: Banon’s Pray hinges on creatures in graveyards that were put there by non-battlefield means this turn. Silencing that engine with graveyard disruption is often the cleanest answer. Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void, and Grafdigger's Cage are classic inclusions that punish reanimation and graveyard recursions alike. They deny Banon the raw material he loves to fetch, slowing his plan to a crawl. 🧹
- Exile and bounce hate: When Banon threatens to reanimate, exile effects like Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, or Oblivion Ring can remove him from the battlefield before he can leverage Pray. Bounce effects (Capsize, Cyclonic Rift when safe, or Kiki-Chord-style returns) can also reset the board state around Banon, giving you a window to stabilize. 🪄
- Targeted removal and protection: If you don’t want Banon to recirculate in a vacuum, targeted removal or "threat-elimination" is viable. Alongside standard answers, consider protection and bounce for your own key threats to avoid trades that fuel Banon’s engine. Remember that Banon’s color identity means some of the best removal lines live in the red-white spectrum. ⚔️
- Counterspells and permission: In a multiplayer setting, turning the table into a permission-heavy game can deny Banon his moments to Pray or to swing in for a valuable attack. A well-placed counterspell on Banon or the critical creature recast spell can buys you crucial turns to answer other threats. 🧙♂️
- Disruption of the attack step: Banon’s attack ability invites you to block and tax with tapper effects or with combat tricks that delay or prevent the draw engine from gaining momentum. Forcing your opponents to choose between removing Banon or letting you stabilize creates a clearer path to victory for your table. 🛡️
Deck design notes: meta considerations and synergy
In a Commander environment, Banon tends to slot into aggressive or reanimator-adjacent shells that lean on quick impact plays and recurring threats. A pragmatic counterplay strategy includes:
- Graveyard control as a core condition: If your deck can consistently shut down the graveyard, Banon’s Pray becomes a less reliable engine. Plan a few fall-back lines like graveyard hate that fits your command zone lifestyle and color identity. 💎
- Robust early interaction: Early removal or disruption can prevent Banon from establishing a foothold before you’ve drawn enough answers. The first few turns matter here; don’t overcommit if you don’t have a plan B. 🔥
- Board state discipline: Keep your own board options diverse so Banon’s draw trigger doesn’t spiral into excessive card advantage. If you force him to pay extra costs or discard for a draw, you’re creating stall room for you to reset the tempo. 🎨
- Communication at the table: In an epic three- or four-player game, a quick read on who is targeting Banon can prevent multi-pronged attempts to fuel his Pray and keep everyone in the game longer. Collaboration, even momentary, can be a strategic asset. 🤝
Practical example: play patterns to watch in a typical game
Imagine Banon arrives with a small battlefield, and the table has one or two graveyard-based threats. If you counter their first Pray attempt, you slow the engine. If you cast Rest in Peace early, Banon’s subsequent Recursion becomes dwarfed by a permanent exile lock. If Banon still makes it to an attack, a well-timed draw-and-discard line on your opponent can be answered with a timely removal spell, timing your responses to the rhythm of the table. The key is to keep pressure on that critical swing turn when the Pray trigger could otherwise reload the battlefield with value. 🧙♂️⚔️
Flavor, art, and value for collectors
Beyond the table, this Final Fantasy Commander crossover brings a splash of crossover lore into your collection. The card’s rare slot, foil variants, and its place in a vibrant crossover set add not just gameplay value but collector intrigue. The artwork by Daniel Landerman carries a distinctive, cinematic feel that fans of both franchises can appreciate, making it a standout piece in a RW EDH or a casual cube. The EDHREC rank sits in a reasonable slot for a commander of this niche, with market values reflecting a niche but growing demand. 🎨💎
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