An Magic: The Gathering card from the Final Fantasy set was recently previewed, and it has caused a bit of buzz among players for its color identity. Although having strong opinions over what color a card is may seem inconsequential to some, the integrity of Magic's Color Pie is vitally important for maintaining the game's balance. So, when a card like this comes along that seemingly breaks that mold, players are understandably a bit nervous about what it could mean for the game as a whole.

The card in question depicts Zell from Final Fantasy 8, and was revealed in celebration of the character's birthday on March 17. Final Fantasy made similar announcements showing off Final Fantasy characters' cards previewed if their birthday falls between now and the set's release on June 13, 2025. However, they might not all cause the same stir as Zell has.

The Latest Final Fantasy Card Breaks Magics Color Pie

Zell Dincht Is A Red Card With Traditionally Green Abilities

Zell's Magic: The Gathering card may be red, but its ability that allows you to play extra lands is much more commonly seen on green cards. While this isn't the first time this ability has popped up in red - Nahiri's Lithoforming also allows you to play additional lands - it is the first time a mono-red creature has been given this static ability. Zell's ability to gain power for the number of lands you control also feels more green, though forms of have popped up in other colors, like the blue, white, and black Dakkon Blackblade.

Although many landfall decks, like the ones built around Omnath, Locus of Rage, include red cards, it's still a little abnormal to see such strong land on a red-only card. This means Zell somewhat breaks Magic's Color Pie, which is often a contentious design choice when MTG designers decide to do it. Although Zell doesn't seem like it will be a game-breaking card, it is still understandable why Magic players get a little nervous when they see the boundaries of the Color Pie being pushed or broken.

Why The Color Pie Is So Important

The Color Pie Ensures Magic's Best Cards Are Spread Out And Balanced

Magic: The Gathering's Color Pie refers to the mechanical divisions between the game's five colors of mana. While there is a fair amount of overlap in what each color can do, each one has its specialty. By restricting certain mechanics and strategies to specific colors, Magic is able to maintain a strong balance in the game's power level.

There are several factors that tie into how Magic balances the power of an individual card. One way is by increasing the overall Mana Value, meaning the total amount of mana you pay to play it goes up the more powerful a card is. However, to avoid mana values climbing to extreme heights, cards can also be balanced by requiring multiple colors of mana to cast. So, a five-mana card with no color restrictions is therefore less powerful than one that requires a mana of each color.

This also makes it more difficult for you to just throw all the best Magic cards in one deck, as they are spread across multiple colors. That's not saying it's impossible, just that the added challenge is an important way that Magic: The Gathering balances its cards. If any one color is able to do too many things, then this balance is thrown off, which is why players are concerned when a card like Zell appears to break the color pie.

This Color Pie Break Doesn't Seem Too Bad

Zell's Drawbacks Stop This Card From Stealing Green's Thunder

Though Zell Dincht breaks the Color Pie, it does so in a way that is somewhat common for Magic cards. Instead of simply having green abilities, the card includes a drawback that makes them a bit worse than their green counterparts. This is similar to how red and white often have drawbacks to their forms of card draw to avoid the Color Pie tilting too far in their favor (though these colors are far from the most problematic in Magic).

By forcing players to return a land to their hand each turn, Zell Dincht's mana acceleration becomes temporary. It doesn't help you on other players' turns, and you'll still only end up with one permanent new land per turn. Compare this to Azusa, Lost But Seeking - a green card with the same mana value that allows you to play two extra lands per turn with no catch - and you can see how different the red version of this ability is. However, that isn't to say that Zell Dincht doesn't offer some interesting interactions thanks to its built-in drawback.

The New Zell Card Sets Up Some Interesting Interactions

Bouncing Lands Can Have Advantages When Paired With Landfall Or Dual-Faced Cards

Although Zell's stipulation about returning a land to your hand is a drawback to mana acceleration, it can actually be a pretty good boost to Landfall strategies. Landfall abilities trigger when you play a land, and Zell's ability will ensure you have at least one to play every turn thanks to it returning one to your hand. This can make Landfall abilities more consistent than when you have to rely on drawing into land to play.

Zell also interacts well with lands that have abilities that activate when they enter the battlefield. If you're playing a Hideaway land like Spinerock Knoll, you can use Zell's ability to bounce it into your hand and refresh the card hidden there after you played the first one. Dual-faced cards that can be either lands or spells can be played as a land first, then you can pick them up on a future turn when you're ready to cast them, giving them even more versatility.

I have also seen Magic players pointing out that Zell works well with City of Traitors, a land that taps for two mana but must be sacrificed when you play a new land. However, if you continuously bounce it into your hand with Zell, it can be used to generate two mana each turn without getting sacrificed. With over 20,000 unique cards in Magic: The Gathering, there are likely more interactions that I'm missing, but you can see the potential. Though, I think I'm still more excited about the controversial Cactuar card.