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Even if you're not a Magic: The Gathering player, you've likely noticed its recent surge of video game crossovers, including Fallout, Tomb Raider, and Assassin's Creed. But prepare for something truly exciting: a Final Fantasy crossover! This isn't just one Final Fantasy game either; from Terra to Y'shtola, four mainline games are represented in the new preconstructed Commander decks.
Browse the image gallery below for a sneak peek at the key card and packaging for each deck. Then, read on for our exclusive interview with Wizards of the Coast, discussing the deck's contents, the game selection, and much more.
Final Fantasy x Magic: The Gathering - Commander Decks Revealed
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Launching this June, Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy crossover includes a fully draftable, Standard-legal set and four preconstructed decks (shown above). Each deck contains 100 cards: reprints with new Final Fantasy art and brand-new cards designed for Commander. While Commander precons often center around characters, colors, or strategies, these decks uniquely focus on individual Final Fantasy games—specifically, VI, VII, X, and XIV.
"The rich lore, beloved characters, and unique settings of Final Fantasy games provided ample material for designing full decks," explains Senior Game Designer Daniel Holt, Commander Lead for the set. "Focusing on individual games allowed us to delve deep into each game's story, capturing beloved moments that might have been missed otherwise."
"...we have so many passionate Final Fantasy fans in the building.”The team's game selection balanced gameplay desires with story recognition. While Final Fantasy VII and XIV were easy choices, VI and X required more discussion, ultimately chosen partly due to team favorites. "Everyone was invested in every development stage," Holt adds, "as we have so many passionate Final Fantasy fans within the company."
Even with the games chosen, creative decisions were necessary. Final Fantasy VII's remake trilogy coincided with the set's development. Does the Commander precon follow the original or its reimagining? Principal Narrative Game Designer Dillon Deveney, Narrative Lead for the set, explains a blend of both:
"Our approach to Final Fantasy VII was to capture the original PS1 game's narrative, using Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth's modern aesthetics to enhance character designs, story moments, and locations. If a scene existed in both games, we chose between the original, the modern interpretation, or a unique fusion. Hopefully, it feels familiar and nostalgic to players of both versions!"
AnswerSee ResultsNostalgia played a significant role, particularly with *Final Fantasy VI*, which lacks the modern art references of the other games. Deveney explains their approach: staying true to the pixel art sprites and limited concept art while expanding upon them. "The character designs should feel like how you remember them," he says, "despite being a hybridization of many references and new ideas." WOTC even consulted the *Final Fantasy VI* team to update the character designs for *Magic* art.“We developed a workflow where concept and card artists pulled from Yoshitaka Amano's original concept art, the original FFVI sprites, and the FFVI Pixel Remaster portraits. We synthesized the most consistent design elements into something new, adding finer details and exploring textures. We then met with the Final Fantasy VI review team for feedback on what to preserve and what new elements they liked.”
"It's our hope that the [FF6] character designs should feel like how you ‘remember’ them..."Beyond the games, character selection was key. Cloud was an obvious choice for VII, but the others required brainstorming. Celes was considered for VI, and Yuna for X. Ultimately, they stuck with the lead characters, but Final Fantasy XIV, being an MMO, presented a unique challenge:
"For Y'shtola, it was a mix of character popularity and her spellcasting abilities," Holt explains. "Her story offered a wide range of abilities and moments to draw from, specifically her Shadowbringers arc." While a customizable "Warrior of Light" commander was explored, the ideas were complex, and the deck still features plenty of moments from that character's story.
Fitting an entire game's story into a *Magic* deck with color restrictions was a challenge. Holt notes that all four decks include White, "for theming and to cover the wide range of heroes." *VI*'s deck focuses on rebuilding your party from the graveyard, reflecting the game's later stages. *VII*'s white-red-green deck incorporates equipment strategies and "power matters" cards referencing the Planet and lifestream. *X*'s white-blue-green deck uses the Sphere Grid leveling system to empower creatures. *XIV*'s white-blue-black deck emphasizes noncreature spellcasting."...fans can expect to see some of their favorite characters in the 99 of each deck..."While Commander focuses on the leader, supporting characters are crucial in RPGs. "The decks include many beloved characters, both heroic and villainous," Holt states. "While I can't reveal specifics, fans can expect to see many favorite characters as new legendary creatures and in action on spells."
The Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy set releases June 13th. If your favorite game or character isn't featured (or even if it is!), don't worry—Holt assures us that "all sixteen mainline games will have their moments in the accompanying products." Similar to the 2022 Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks, these decks will be available in regular ($69.99 MSRP) and Collector's Edition ($149.99 MSRP) versions, the latter featuring Surge foil treatment.
Read on for the full, unedited interview with Wizards of the Coast’s Daniel Holt and Dillon Deveney:
AnswerSee Results
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