The earlier Gaeas Cradle comes into play, the more mana it yields: on turn 1, itll produce 1 mana, but starting from turn 2, its value scales depending on how quickly you can flood the field, and by turn three, youre looking at an income of maybe four mana or higher
Blink him to spread the misery around
Bartz can very easily bond with Chocobos, making his affinity for birds make a ton of sense
Now your opponent has to weigh the pros and cons of banishing one of your attacking characters because it means committing one of their characters or resources and giving an extra draw versus keeping them alive and trying to get ahead another way
When Cornered by Black Mages works, you get to kill your opponents 3- or 4-drop and net something extra
Knights are one of the strongest and most well-supported creature types in Magic: The Gathering