Wizards of the Coast has been step by step rolling out what it is obtained in retailer for Magic: The Gathering and its huge Remaining Fantasy crossover this summer time. Over the weekend, the group debuted a major chunk of playing cards, from each the primary set and the Commander decks, and followers are having fun with a few of the enjoyable and even shocking cuts from their favourite Remaining Fantasy video games.
The Universes Past collaboration with Remaining Fantasy is getting each the same old Commander remedy and a booster-driven sequence, so there are a whole lot of playing cards to go over. The principle set tinkers with the whole lot of Remaining Fantasy’s mainline, numbered video games, operating from Remaining Fantasy 1 to Remaining Fantasy 16. The Commander Decks, in the meantime, deal with 4 particular video games: Remaining Fantasy 6, 7, 10, and 14, with their respective Commanders of Terra, Cloud, Tidus, and Y’shtola.
A few of the playing cards proven ultimately Saturday’s Magic: The Gathering panel at PAX East captured the journey of particular person characters all through their video games. Remaining Fantasy IV’s Cecil, for instance, has a whole mechanic round remodeling from a Darkish Knight right into a Paladin. The summons of Remaining Fantasy make the most of a “Saga Creature” set-up, to behave as highly effective however short-term forces on the sector, melding Magic and Remaining Fantasy ideas within the course of.
Then you may have playing cards like Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER, with art work from Sq.’s Tetsuya Nomura. The transformation alongside the cardboard illustrates Sephiroth’s varied varieties all through the FF7 universe, from a younger fighter into, ultimately, Safer Sephiroth on the cardboard Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel.
And what would a Remaining Fantasy be with out some Cids? The Remaining Fantasy set will embody a Cid from every of the numbered Remaining Fantasy video games, although Wizards is choosing the older Cid from Remaining Fantasy XV over his daughter, Cindy.
After Saturday’s panel, although, Wizards of the Coast launched the decklist for the 4 aforementioned Commander decks, and followers began poring over the artwork and additions to see how the group tailored these 4 Remaining Fantasy video games into Magic. Fairly properly, it seems.
Reprints, or new variations of present Magic playing cards, get some intelligent crossovers with Remaining Fantasy lore. Skullclamp, for example, attracts on the Jenova challenge in Remaining Fantasy 7 for its artwork.
Collectively, Eternally additionally takes an emotional stab on the Remaining Fantasy 10 followers on the market. It should not be shocking that Remaining Fantasy 10 has some emotional wellsprings to attract from, with its central protagonists’ journey by means of a ruined land, on a somber pilgrimage. A number of decks’ playing cards reference some notable character moments, by the way in which, so that you would possibly need to go into these decklists conscious that there can be some story spoilers for every respective sport.
However to lighten issues up, one among Remaining Fantasy 10’s extra iconic, and incessantly memed, moments additionally made the minimize with Inspiring Name.
In reality, Wizards discovered various methods to include Remaining Fantasy’s less-serious moments into playing cards. Intelligent Concealment places a spin on the Wall Market scene with Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa in clothes, heading to Don Corneo’s, and even has a mechanic that appears becoming for the occassion. I am an enormous fan of the Secret Rendezvous card, which has 4 totally different variations of the Golden Saucer date scene from Remaining Fantasy 7 with every potential date: Aerith, Tifa, Yuffie, and Barret.
Even nonetheless, followers have been discovering the tiny particulars that present how a lot homage is being paid to the supply materials. The Remaining Fantasy 14 set, particularly, has fairly a number of references to the critically acclaimed MMORPG. The Hildibrand Manderville card mimics the notorious gentleman’s behavior of disappearing and returning, making for fairly an fascinating White/Black card within the course of.
One person on the FFXIV subreddit famous that the Archaeomancer’s Map card makes use of an actual doable location present in a Gaganaskin Treasure Map, for example.
In flip, Remaining Fantasy 14 gamers have been having enjoyable with the playing cards. There are some jokes about questioning who the Thancred card represents, referencing the “That is Thancred” meme. And there is the choice taste textual content a person added to the Ceremony of Replication card, commemorating everybody’s favourite speech from A Realm Reborn:
Even the Tome of Legends card depicts a Wondrous Tails guide, with all of the little particulars you see in-game when a participant picks up their Tails and, in fact, a number of missed four-in-a-row connections.
There’s some clear consideration to element put into these playing cards, and it is actually obtained me intrigued to see the complete set. Whereas the Commander video games obtained a whole lot of love in these playing cards, a number of reveals from Saturday’s panel like Commune With Beavers have me desirous to see how a few of the different Remaining Fantasy video games obtained adapated into the complete Magic set.
Magic: The Gathering’s Remaining Fantasy set is out on June 13, 2025, with pre-release weekend one week prior.
Eric is a contract author for IGN.
