This June, Magic: The Gathering and Final Fantasy unite in an exciting crossover! This isn't just a single game represented; four mainline Final Fantasy titles—VI, VII, X, and XIV—each get their own preconstructed Commander deck.
Check out the gallery below for a sneak peek at the key card and packaging for each deck.
Final Fantasy x Magic: The Gathering - Commander Decks Unveiled
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The crossover includes a fully draftable, Standard-legal set and four preconstructed decks (shown above). Each deck boasts 100 cards: reprints with new Final Fantasy art and brand-new cards designed for Commander. The unique twist? Each deck centers around a specific Final Fantasy game.
Senior Game Designer Daniel Holt explains the deck design: "Final Fantasy's rich lore, characters, and settings provided ample material for each deck. Focusing on individual games allowed us to delve deep into their stories, capturing beloved moments we might have missed otherwise."
The game selection balanced gameplay desires with story recognition. While FFVII and FFXIV were easy choices, FFVI and FFX required more deliberation, ultimately chosen due to team favorites. Holt highlights the team's passion: "Everyone was invested, as we have many passionate Final Fantasy fans."
For FFVII, the deck tells the original game's story, blending its original narrative with the modern aesthetics of the Remake trilogy. Principal Narrative Game Designer Dillon Deveney explains: "We captured the original's narrative, using Remake's aesthetics to enhance character designs and locations. We chose between original, remake, or a fusion of both where scenes overlapped."
FFVI, with its pixel art, presented a unique challenge. Deveney describes their approach: "We aimed for a design that feels familiar, a hybrid of original concept art, sprites, and Pixel Remaster portraits. We collaborated with the FFVI team to preserve core elements while exploring new details."
Commander deck leaders were carefully chosen. Cloud was an obvious choice for FFVII, but others involved brainstorming. While Celes was considered for FFVI, and Yuna for FFX, the final choices were the respective main characters. FFXIV, being an MMO, presented a different challenge. Y'shtola was selected for her popularity, spellcasting abilities, and rich storyline, specifically her Shadowbringers arc.
Deck color identities were carefully considered, with White included in all four for thematic consistency and hero representation. FFVI focuses on graveyard recursion, FFVII combines equipment strategies with environmental elements, FFX uses the Sphere Grid system to empower creatures, and FFXIV utilizes a non-creature spellcasting theme.
Supporting characters also play a significant role. Holt emphasizes: "FF games are full of beloved characters, and including them was crucial. Fans can expect to see many favorites as legendary creatures and in spells."
The Final Fantasy set launches June 13th. While only four games are represented in the Commander decks, Holt assures that "all sixteen mainline games will have their moments in accompanying products."
Both regular ($69.99 MSRP) and Collector's Edition ($149.99 MSRP) versions of the four decks will be available, with the latter featuring Surge foil cards.
