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One Grotesque 1999 Card Makes an Underrated Final Fantasy Commander a Total Powerhouse
The article argues that Bone Shredder, a 1999 Magic: The Gathering card, can turn Squall, SeeD Mercenary into a far stronger Commander than he initially appears. Rather than relying solely on a conventional “Voltron” strategy of boosting Squall to defeat opponents with Commander damage, the deck uses his combat-damage recursion to repeatedly return cheap permanents from the graveyard. This makes Squall a recurring-value commander capable of removing threats over successive turns.
Bone Shredder destroys a nonartifact, nonblack creature when it enters play, then normally requires its controller to pay three mana on the next upkeep or sacrifice it through echo. Squall can return the sacrificed creature whenever he deals combat damage to a player, potentially providing creature removal every round. The pairing is thematically notable because Final Fantasy VIII launched in Japan on 11 February 1999, four days before Bone Shredder was released in Urza’s Legacy.
In short
- Squall can repeatedly revive Bone Shredder for ongoing creature removal.
- This offers a stronger plan than straightforward Voltron play.
- The card and Final Fantasy VIII debuted four days apart.
Explained simply
Magic: The Gathering is a card game in which players build decks around a chosen leader, called a commander. Squall, SeeD Mercenary is based on the hero of Final Fantasy VIII; his ability can return a cheap permanent from the graveyard when he deals combat damage to an opponent.
Bone Shredder is a creature card that destroys certain opposing creatures when it enters play, then demands three mana on the next turn or is sacrificed. A deck can use Squall to bring it back after it is sacrificed, repeating the removal as long as Squall can keep hitting opponents.
This gives Squall a strategy built around recurring useful cards, rather than relying only on making him strong enough to defeat opponents in combat. The pairing also connects two releases from February 1999: Final Fantasy VIII launched in Japan four days before Bone Shredder appeared in a Magic set.