Magic: The Gathering Meets Final Fantasy – A Crossover for the Ages! Which Commander Deck Will You Choose?

Get ready, gamers and card collectors! The highly anticipated collaboration between Magic: The Gathering and Final Fantasy is almost here, set to release on June 13th. This epic crossover brings together two iconic franchises, blending the strategic gameplay of MTG with the beloved characters and worlds of Final Fantasy. The biggest draw? A collection of four pre-constructed Commander decks, each focusing on a different Final Fantasy game: FFVI, FFVII, FFX, and FFXIV. But with so many options, which deck should you choose?

What is Commander?

For the uninitiated, Commander is a popular Magic: The Gathering format played with 3-5 players. Imagine a multiplayer free-for-all filled with strategic combos. Instead of the standard 60-card deck, Commander decks require exactly 100 cards with no duplicates (except for basic lands). And, most importantly, each deck revolves around a specific Commander card. Your Commander dictates the colors you can use and influences your overall strategy. These pre-constructed decks are designed to be ready-to-play, making them perfect for a game night with friends.

First let's quickly review the Magic the Gathering color wheel:

• Blue: Counterspells and control, aiming for longer games.
• Green: Ramp decks, focusing on gathering resources to play powerful cards quickly.
• Red: Aggressive decks, flooding the board early to attack directly.
• White: Removal and defense, bolstering defenses and eliminating threats.
• Black: Sacrifice and combos, sacrificing creatures/spells to search for needed cards.

A Look at the Decks

Let's dive into the specific decks, which one is calling to you?

• Terra (FFVI): This deck combines red, black, and white. Terra's abilities involve sacrificing cards for powerful effects, including granting her flying to directly attack your opponent or remove cards. Ideal for aggressive players and FFVI fans!
• Cloud (FFVII): Featuring red, green, and white, this deck simulates equipping materia with Cloud's ability to add equipment. It allows you to draw cards based on equipped creatures, offering multiple strategies. A solid choice for those who want to power up their creatures by consistently drawing cards.
• Tidus (FFX): A green, white, and blue deck that uses the Sphere Grid mechanic. Tidus can place counters on creatures and use "Cheer" to draw cards and add counters to others. A resource-building deck that supports counterspells.
• Y'shtola (FFXIV): This white, blue, and black deck is considered by some to be the most powerful. Y'shtola lets you draw cards when players lose life and deals damage while healing you when playing cards with a cost of three or greater. Excellent for chipping away at your opponent while also keeping you healthy, or if you love FFXIV.

Exclusive Card Reveals

Nerdist recently revealed three new cards from the set: Battle Menu, Combat Tutorial, and Fight On!

Battle Menu, showcasing characters from Final Fantasy VI (Relm, Cyan, Gau, and Terra) battling the Humbaba boss monster, recreates the game's iconic menu, offering powerful in-game options.

Combat Tutorial, brings humor with Lulu's exasperated expression towards Tidus in Final Fantasy X, homaging an early battle with a Water Flan.

Fight On! with Aerith healing Yuffie, while Cloud battles the Materia Keeper, perfectly capturing the spirit of endurance and friendship in Final Fantasy.

The Art of Amano

Legendary Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano has also contributed his talents to the collaboration. Known for his ethereal and vibrant designs, Amano reimagined characters for this set, emphasizing their essence. For Kefka, he aimed to capture the character’s craziness. He created both his original and final boss incarnations. He envisioned Terra, portraying both her controlled soldier form and magical esper form. The artist had previously worked with magic for the War of the Spark deck in earlier years but remarks about the powerful impact that the cards have despite the small size.

Final Thoughts

This Magic: The Gathering – FINAL FANTASY collaboration promises a treasure trove of nostalgia and strategic gameplay for fans of both franchises. Whether you're drawn to the aggressive tactics of Terra, the strategic flexibility of Cloud, the resource management of Tidus, or the powerful control of Y'shtola, there's a deck for everyone. Which Commander deck are you most excited to try? Let us know in the comments below!

• Final Fantasy
• Magic: The Gathering
• Yoshitaka Amano