When to First-Pick Finale of Promise in MTG Drafts

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Finale of Promise card art by Jaime Jones

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Why Finale of Promise shines in red-dominated drafts

Draft season is where red’s impatience meets big-payoff gadgets 🧙‍♂️🔥. Finale of Promise arrives as a dramatic crescendo, a mythic spell that asks you to commit to X and then watch the spellcraft fireworks begin. With a cost of {X}{R}{R}, you’re signaling you’re all-in on a high-ceiling turn where you can resurrect instants and sorceries from your graveyard without paying their mana costs. The kicker, of course, is that if you’ve loaded your graveyard with a few strong targets, Finale can flip the script in a single swing. And if X reaches 10 or more, you copy those spells twice—not once, not twice—twice. It’s a red bolt of chaos that can become a controlled demolition in the right hands ⚔️💥.

“A well-timed Finale can turn a handful of cheap spells into a frenzied, multi-copy payoff that steals the initiative from your opponents.”

Let’s break down what makes this card tick. It’s a red sorcery from the Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander (OTC) line, a set built around bold, splashy combos and commander-grade shenanigans. It’s a mythic with a moderate mana cost but a very high ceiling, especially for a spellslinger or graveyard-themed red deck. The ability to cast up to one target instant and/or one target sorcery from your graveyard for free, provided their mana value is X or less, gives you tremendous flexibility. You’re not just replaying a single spell—you’re potentially reloading several options in one go, then doubling them if you push X high enough. And because the copied spells are copies of the originals, you can line up multiple targets and maximize value in a single sequence 🧙‍♂️🎯.

There’s a delicate balance, though. In Limited, you’re at the mercy of what you’ve picked and what your opponents are doing. The more you plan to push X, the more you need reliable red mana sources and a graveyard full of cheap, meaningful spells to replay. Finale isn’t a guarantee on turn three; it’s a guarantee that if you’re able to fuel it, you’re going to threaten a game-ending sequence. The exile-after-copy clause prevents infinite loops, which feels like a design nod to balance in the chaos—a smart restraint that keeps red’s pyrotechnics from spiraling out of control 🧨.

From a design perspective, Finale of Promise embodies a very modern red-spellslinger ethos: it rewards planning, it rewards mercy in the late game, and it rewards a little risk. The art by Jaime Jones captures that audacious, high-stakes vibe—an image of a red-hot spellbook leaping off the page, ready to sizzle bodies and brews alike. The card’s EDHREC rank sits around 4,751, which hints at its specialized appeal in Commander, but in a draft setting it can become a real game-changer when your deck is built to maximize spell density and graveyard tempo 🧭💎.

Draft priority guidelines

  • Open red pool matters: If your pod is leaning red or you’ve spotted several impactful red instants and sorceries, Finale becomes a prime target early. It’s a premium payout card that scales with the quality of your targets.
  • Graveyard synergy pays off: The more you can populate your graveyard with cheap, valuable spells, the more X becomes a multiplier rather than a risk. Cards that help you discard, flashback, or rebuy small spells pair beautifully with Finale.
  • Manabase matters: Ensure you have enough red mana sources to reliably ramp toward a meaningful X. Finale asks you to invest in the turn it truly shines, so plan for a stable mana base that can support late-game explosions 🔥.
  • Versatility vs. tempo: If you’re short on ramp or have a slower curve, treat Finale as a high-upside finisher rather than a guaranteed engine. In the right deck, its upside easily eclipses the risk, but it’s not a “slam-dunk” pick in every pod.
  • Commander-friendly design: In EDH/Commander contexts, the spell-copying and graveyard-reuse angle is especially potent with a broader suite of spells to recur, which is why the card has a dedicated, if niche, fan base. It’s the kind of pick that can signal a late-game showdown in group formats 🧭🎲.

As you weigh the pick order, remember that Finale of Promise rewards patient setup—and in a format where every card you draw counts, that slow-burn payoff can become a fireworks display. If you’ve drafted a red-dominant deck with a healthy dose of cheap spells and some graveyard-friendly pieces, you’re looking at a card that can swing the game in spectacular fashion. And hey, if you don’t end up playing it this draft, it’s the kind of card that sticks in your mind for future red-dominated sets where the synergy is even more pronounced 🧙‍♂️💥.

For those who love chasing the next clever play, Finale of Promise also invites you to explore the broader world of red deck construction, where speed, risk, and reward collide in spectacular fashion. Its gritty, fiery design fits the spirit of MTG’s most punishing color and the thrill of turning a graveyard into a springboard for victory 🎨⚔️.

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Finale of Promise

Finale of Promise

{X}{R}{R}
Sorcery

You may cast up to one target instant card and/or up to one target sorcery card from your graveyard each with mana value X or less without paying their mana costs. If a spell cast this way would be put into your graveyard, exile it instead. If X is 10 or more, copy each of those spells twice. You may choose new targets for the copies.

ID: 0dbbb636-96c2-472c-a51d-d527e8e97798

Oracle ID: d6fafb50-9531-4fbf-bb1e-ebb4dd39281c

Multiverse IDs: 658610

TCGPlayer ID: 545266

Cardmarket ID: 764767

Colors: R

Color Identity: R

Keywords:

Rarity: Mythic

Released: 2024-04-19

Artist: Jaime Jones

Frame: 2015

Border: black

EDHRec Rank: 4751

Set: Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander (otc)

Collector #: 166

Legalities

  • Standard — not_legal
  • Future — not_legal
  • Historic — legal
  • Timeless — legal
  • Gladiator — legal
  • Pioneer — legal
  • Modern — legal
  • Legacy — legal
  • Pauper — not_legal
  • Vintage — legal
  • Penny — not_legal
  • Commander — legal
  • Oathbreaker — legal
  • Standardbrawl — not_legal
  • Brawl — legal
  • Alchemy — not_legal
  • Paupercommander — not_legal
  • Duel — legal
  • Oldschool — not_legal
  • Premodern — not_legal
  • Predh — not_legal

Prices

  • USD: 0.52
  • EUR: 0.44
  • TIX: 0.28
Last updated: 2025-11-15