Set to launch on June 13, the Final Fantasy x Magic: The Gathering crossover will have a fully draftable Standard-legal main set and four Commander preconstructed decks – each based on a single mainline Final Fantasy game.
Contents
Highlights
- Details on new decks for Final Fantasy Magic: The Gathering
- Details on MTG X Final Fantasy’s Jumbo Cactuar
First Final Fantasy x MTG Spoilers
The Commanders: Terra, Cloud, Tidus, and Y’shtola
In an extensive interview on IGN yesterday, Wizards of the Coast Senior Game Designer Daniel Holt and Chief Story Designer Dillon Deveney talked about why they chose these four Final Fantasy commanders and how they managed to squeeze the entire story of each game into a single 100-card deck.
The team chose these four games in the Final Fantasy series based on a balance between what they wanted to see in each deck’s gameplay and how well-known each story is overall.
Some of the picks for face Commanders were obvious. Cloud was a no-brainer for Final Fantasy VII. Terra took the lead for the Final Fantasy VI deck (although Celes was a strong contender), and Tidus would command the Final Fantasy X deck. But Final Fantasy XIV posed a different challenge.
I won’t deny that Cloud was a pretty obvious choice for the face commander of the Final Fantasy VII deck. The others went through a few rounds of brainstorming, though! In Final Fantasy VI, since we were focusing on the themes of the game’s second half, Celes was a big contender for the lead.
And with Final Fantasy X, we know Yuna is a fan favorite and could have led the deck to success. We ultimately landed on ‘the main protagonist’ character for each of these titles, resulting in Terra and Tidus filling those slots, respectively. However, Final Fantasy VI is an ensemble cast, and Terra is often portrayed as the face of the series.
For Y’shtola, it came down to a mix of the character’s popularity and being a spellcaster. Her story and character development offered various abilities and moments to pull from to lead the deck.
Here’s what players and fans think of the cards:
MTG X Final Fantasy’s Jumbo Cactuar
While there are plenty of things to look forward to, one release stands above the rest regarding pre-release hype. MTG’s upcoming Universes Beyond Final Fantasy crossover is the most anticipated set we’ve seen in quite some time, but one early reveal has split fans of the game.
Jumbo Cactuar has put players in different positions. Some are rushing to create combos, while others are tearing their hair out over what its inclusion means for the game.
Jumbo Cactuar’s “10,000 needles” ability increases his total power to 10,000 with each attack. A card power of 10,000 can lead to absolutely hideous combos thanks to MTG’s plethora of “do X where X is a creature power” type abilities.
Players have already figured out ways to summon 10,000 energy by playing every land card in their deck and instantly defeating all the other players at the Commander’s table.
While some players are excited about the possibilities this card offers, others are furious that it was even conceived in the first place.
Jumbo Cactuar from the MTG X Final Fantasy crossover seems doomed to be banned, but given that the set has yet to be released, it’s unknown how many games it will dominate before that happens.
Conclusion
The Final Fantasy x Magic: The Gathering crossover launches June 13, with the four Commander decks priced at an MSRP of $69.99 each for the regular version and a premium Collector’s Edition of each deck at an MSRP of $149.99.
