6 Combos to Try in Opus II

As we start our departure from the Opus 1 with the introduction of Opus 2, many players are left to their own devices about what new decks to build and how to modify pre-existing lists. Below are 6 combos that I am particularly excited to test or believe may become cornerstones of new decks in the months that follow.



6.) Al-Cid + Onion Knight



I felt mono-lightning was the only viable single-element archetype viable in Opus I’s card pool, and I was excited when mono-lightning received support in the form of Edea and Al-Cid. Al-Cid functions as both a pseudo CP-ramp card by allowing you to summon two monsters in one turn, but also as a way to damage smaller enemies. Throw Onion Knight into the mix, and you’re dealing 6000 damage to an enemy twice! While other cards such as Al-Cid+ Rygdea allow you to hit the important 9000 damage benchmark and resolve his effect to tap another monster, the mono-lightning deck also runs the Light Onion Knight, giving you even more opportunities to combo and pressure opponents. I am confident mono-lightning is a viable archetype; we’ll have to see what Forwards players like to summon off Al-Cid the most.



5.) Kain + Rosa



Kain+Rosa is one of the most obvious combos to stem from Opus 2, but I also think it has serious potential as part of a Lightning Water list. While other combos like Drace and Larsa depend on two forwards and are more prone to removal, Rosa functions great as a standalone spell that helps protect Kain. Facing an 8000 power Forward with First Strike is intimidating enough, but throw in a Lulu, and there are very few Forwards beating you in battle. Add the fact that your Dragoons have 8000 power while Kain is on the field, and you create a board that is not only difficult to break, but probably nets you draws from Rosa if they do find a way to.





4.) Ultimecia + Laguna

Many people would argue that the Prishe+ Ultimecia +Minwu Water Earth deck was the best deck in the Opus 1 format; I knew I shared those feelings. Some players opted for a Water Ice variant to try to abuse the Freeze mechanic in a deck with Ultimecia. My problem with those lists were that it frequently felt forced, like players were just running Water in an Ice deck for one card. Opus 2 turned that idea upside-down; cards like Semblance of a Witch and Rinoa (which tutors Ultimecia!) gives the deck the synergy I think it needs to be a top contender.



While I’m not sold yet if running the 3 CP Laguna over the 4 CP Laguna is a good business decision, the new Laguna does merit consideration. You could keep enemy Forwards locked down indefinitely while Laguna is on the field; and you know the are coming in tapped while Ultimecia is on the field. I would of loved to see this card with almost any other name; we’ll see if it can make the cut in the weeks to come.



3.) Lenne + Bahamut



One of the biggest differences between the Japan meta and the US meta in Opus 1 was that Japan LOVED Bahamut. They valued how it could be used to remove Golbez from the game and create game-winning openings. However, the card saw less success stateside; I think it stemmed mostly from a lack of popularity in both Fire and Golbez (for a while) specifically. With the release of Lenne, we have the opportunity to play Bahamut without the need for 1.) A large fire package and 2.) that nasty 9 CP investment to cast the card. Lenne using her effect to cat Bahamut may destroy herself in the process, but not before removing two opposing Forwards. It’s also great that cards like Moogle, Ghis, and Merlwyb can discard copies of Bahamut that you may not want to hard cast.





There are many decks that can utilize this combo. Water Earth can also run Shantotto to make Bahamut able to be cast. Water/ Wind doesn’t have a lot of great Summons in general, and Brother and Paine both act as tutors for your combo pieces. Even Water Lightning gives you the opportunity to resolve multiple Lenee through Sage.

Which Yuna you play probably depends on the rest of the deck. If you’re already running cards like Moogle, Odin, or Asura, playing the 2 CP Yuna may be worth a draw. 2 CP Yuna also allows for a more fluent curve within the deck. However, the 3 CP Yuna acts as a powerful tool to negate Backups such as Minwu and Forwards like Squall trying to break up your combo.



2.) Vaan + Jhil



There was a time that I thought Opus I Jhil Nabatt was the strongest card in Opus 1, and I currently still hold the opinion it can be the best EX Burst to resolve depending on the matchup. The opportunity to disable multiple opposing monsters simultaneously is incredibly appealing. When the new Opus II Vaan was leaked, my head immediately went to the idea of using Vaan to loop Jhil every turn to invalidate opposing Forwards for virtually free.



While I think in a vacuum, Jhil+Vaan is the strongest combo to come from Opus II, I remain skeptical because I don’t think Ice+Wind are the most synergistic elements at the moment. While Ice has a bunch of great cards that Freeze, the color is actually pretty limited to Snow, Shiva, and Laguna for quality dulling cards that are relatively productive at the same time. Wind does not add to the number of cards that dull, so the deck really has to rely on the opponent being aggressive to begin the loop; that’s hard to do when Vaan has to be on the field for a turn before you can begin the play.



I currently think the best way to abuse Vaan is actually in a Water Ice deck, and using cards like Chaos and Devout to play Vaan without fully investing into Wind. It’s certainly a combo that has a lot of potential; we’ll have to see what creative answers people come up with to play it.



1.) Leila + Zemus





Zemus has been getting some serious recognition among the US playerbase. In a lot of ways, it puts the opponent on a timer; if you give me seven turns with a Forward on the field that can attack, you lose. Now this strategy has potential, though 4 CP for a card that you never want to see in multiples AND doesn’t directly generate advantage certainly can put you in a position where you get overwhelmed before you can threaten game with Zemus. However, Leila overcomes a lot of that by generating cards every turn.



Leila was one of my favorite cards in Opus I. With Zemus supporting her, she can consistently go in for direct hits and generate card draws every turn. Running water also allows you to maximize in Moogle and Merlwyb, run 3 copies of Zemus, and discard extra copies into playable cards. Water also gives you access to cards like Minwu and Rosa to protect Leila, Leila only needs a couple turns on the field to create insane game states.



So what are your favorite combos from Opus II? What decks are you looking forward to testing? Comment below what your ideas are, and we’ll look forward to next time!

Bio: Career counselor and massage therapist by day, Richard “Zappdos” Zapp has over 10 years of competitive gaming experiencing including games like Super Smash Bros. Melee, Kaijudo, Yugioh, and now the Final Fantasy TCG. He has created content for competitive games on sites including Youtube, FFTCGMognet, and DrawforTurn.com