Magic: The Gathering's exciting new crossover with Final Fantasy is almost here! This June, get ready for a fully draftable, Standard-legal set, plus four preconstructed Commander decks, each themed around a different mainline Final Fantasy game: VI, VII, X, and XIV.
A First Look at the Commander Decks:
Browse the gallery below for an exclusive sneak peek at the key card and packaging for each deck.
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Each 100-card deck features a mix of reprints with new Final Fantasy art and brand-new cards designed for Commander. The decks delve deep into the lore of each game, capturing iconic moments and characters.
Deck Selection and Design:
The choice of Final Fantasy games was a careful balance of gameplay considerations and story recognition. While FFVII and FFXIV were easy choices, FFVI and FFX required more deliberation, ultimately selected due to their popularity within the development team. The team's passion for Final Fantasy shines through every stage of development.
FFVII's deck blends the original game's narrative with the aesthetic of the Remake trilogy. FFVI's design draws inspiration from pixel art sprites, concept art, and the Pixel Remaster, with direct consultation from the FFVI team to ensure authenticity.
Commander Choices and Deck Strategies:
While Cloud was an obvious choice for FFVII, other commanders required more thought. The FFVI deck, focused on the World of Ruin, centers around Terra, while FFX features Tidus. FFXIV's commander is Y'shtola, representing her Shadowbringers arc. The team explored a "Warrior of Light" commander but ultimately opted for a more focused approach.
Each deck's color identity was strategically chosen to reflect both the game's themes and desired gameplay. All four decks include White, facilitating the inclusion of a wide range of heroes. The decks utilize distinct strategies: FFVI focuses on graveyard recursion, FFVII on equipment and "power matters" cards, FFX on creature empowerment mirroring the Sphere Grid, and FFXIV on non-creature spellcasting.
Beyond the commanders, each deck features a host of beloved Final Fantasy characters as legendary creatures and on spells.
Release and Collector's Editions:
The Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy set launches June 13th. All four Commander decks will be available in regular ($69.99 MSRP) and Collector's Editions ($149.99 MSRP), with the latter featuring Surge foil treatment on all 100 cards. While these four decks represent a selection of the series, all sixteen mainline games will be featured across the accompanying products.
