The Darkness Crystal – Final Fantasy
Date Reviewed: June 25, 2025
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.25
Casual: 4.00
Limited: 3.50
Multiplayer: 3.88
Commander [EDH]: 4.17
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Like some other cards we’ve reviewed recently, The Darkness Crystal seems to have a couple of different strategic directions going on. It’s a cost-reduction effect, but it comes comparatively late in the mana curve compared to some similar effects, making it more meaningful in slower environments like multiplayer and Commander. It’s a graveyard hoser, which again comes online later than the fastest graveyard decks are able to operate. It’s a theft effect, but it relies on other game events going your way or perhaps being made to go your way by the rest of your deck (and/or the rest of the table). Even so, removing creatures is kind of what everything in black is designed to do – I had a whole thing about this in the Mystery Booster discussion – and the cost reduction effect certainly helps with that. This may not be a particularly essential card for any particular deck, but it does offer something fun to experiment with.
Constructed: 3
Casual: 4
Limited: 3.5
Multiplayer: 4 (scales pretty well to multiple opponents)
Commander [EDH]: 4
yay darkness
Crystals are one of the integral parts of older Final Fantasy games, showing up in a good swath of the pixel-era games and IX. That said, most of them are limited to earth, fire, wind, and water; there are additional crystals in III and IV, and The Darkness Crystal here hearkens back to Final Fantasy III on the NES.
The crystals both offer cost reduction, a passive benefit, and an active benefit. Making all black spells cheaper is quite an efficacious boon to have on your side, and cost reduction can stack with other sources of it. The passive here is solid as graveyard hate, which is good for thwarting a fair few strategies, and the active lets you turn those creatures against your opponents. Six mana is a lot, and the creature comes back tapped, but it is powerful, and it’s a nice threat in a late game.
The Darkness Crystal is an interesting mix of effects, and while all three of them are powerful, I feel like you’ll plan most around the cost reduction and have the other two as additional bonuses. Four mana is a bit high for cost reduction, admittedly, but the crystal doesn’t just sit there and do Nothing, and I feel like that gives it a solid niche.
Constructed: 3.75
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4 (not a massive bomb, but a potent value engine)
Multiplayer: 4 (the life gain can add up quickly with more bodies dying)
Commander [EDH]: 4.5
Thijs
Crystals are an integral part of Final Fantasy’s history, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that each of the five colors has a crystal card. They all have the same first ability, making spells of their color {1} cheaper, and then each has its own unique second and third abilities.
The Darkness Crystal is the black iteration of these artifacts, and it’s packed with flavor. Not only is it a Jet Medallion, but it comes with an ability reminiscent of Leyline of the Void and a third (albeit expensive) Grave Betrayal-like ability. The problem is that, even though there is a lot going on in this card, the abilities don’t do a lot by themselves.
For constructed formats this card is probably a bit too slow. There is plenty of graveyard hate around for less mana and in mono black you want speedier spells. I can definitely see this card making an impact in commander though. Playing it in a deck with for example Ketramose will add a lot of value.
I love the fact that the crystals have so many similarities to the crystals in the Final Fantasy universe. They’re powerful sources of magic and make your protagonists better, just as the cards will make any deck better. It’s up to you to figure out where they fit best.
Constructed: 3
Casual: 3,5
Limited: 3
Multiplayer: 3,5
Commander [EDH]: 4
We would love more volunteers to help us with our Magic the Gathering Card of the Day reviews. If you want to share your ideas on cards with other fans, feel free to drop us an email. We would be happy to link back to your blog / YouTube Channel / etc. 😉