"Cloud, Tidus Lead New Final Fantasy Commander Decks"

Even if you're not a dedicated player of Magic: The Gathering, you've likely heard about its recent video game crossovers with titles like Fallout, Tomb Raider, and Assassin's Creed. Now, we're thrilled to offer an exclusive first look at one of the most eagerly anticipated collaborations yet: Final Fantasy. This crossover isn't limited to a single game; it spans four iconic titles, featuring characters from Final Fantasy VI to Final Fantasy XIV in the preconstructed Commander decks that headline this set.

Explore the image gallery below to get a sneak peek at the lead card and packaging for each deck, and continue reading for an insightful discussion with Wizards of the Coast about what you can expect from these decks, the rationale behind selecting these four games, and much more.

Final Fantasy x Magic: The Gathering - Commander Decks Reveal

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Scheduled for launch in June, the Magic: The Gathering and Final Fantasy collaboration will offer a fully draftable, Standard-legal set, accompanied by four preconstructed decks showcased in the gallery above. Each deck comprises 100 cards, blending reprints with new Final Fantasy-themed art and brand new cards tailored for the popular Commander format. These decks are uniquely themed around a single Final Fantasy game—specifically, games 6, 7, 10, and 14.

"Each Final Fantasy game is rich with unique flavor, beloved characters, and distinctive settings, providing ample material for a complete deck," explains Senior Game Designer Daniel Holt, who leads the Commander aspect of the set. "Focusing on one game per deck allows us to delve deeply into its lore, capturing cherished moments that might not have been possible otherwise."

"The selection of these four Final Fantasy games was influenced by both their gameplay potential and their narrative popularity," Holt adds. While Final Fantasy VII and XIV were straightforward choices, VI and X required more deliberation but were ultimately selected due to their popularity among the development team. "This project has been a labor of love for everyone involved, given the passion for Final Fantasy within our team."

Navigating the narrative direction within these games presented its own challenges. For example, with Final Fantasy VII's ongoing remake trilogy, the team had to decide how to represent the story. Dillon Deveney, Principal Narrative Game Designer and Narrative Lead for the set, clarified that the deck's story follows the 1997 original, though the art incorporates elements from the modern remakes. "Our aim was to capture the essence of the original Final Fantasy VII while enhancing it with the aesthetic of the remakes," Deveney notes. "This blend should resonate with fans of both the classic and modern versions."

Addressing the challenge of capturing the essence of Final Fantasy VI, which lacks the modern art references available to the other games, Deveney explains, "We aimed to stay true to the game's pixel art and limited concept art while expanding on them. The character designs should evoke the nostalgia fans remember, even though they're a blend of various references and new ideas." To achieve this, Wizards of the Coast collaborated directly with the Final Fantasy VI team to refine these characters for Magic art.

"We developed a process where our artists synthesized elements from Yoshitaka Amano's legendary concept art, the original FFVI sprites, and the FFVI Pixel Remaster portraits to create new, yet familiar, character designs," Deveney adds. "We also encouraged our artists to enhance details and explore new elements like fabric and textures, while receiving feedback from the Final Fantasy VI review team to ensure we preserved core elements and introduced exciting new ones."

Choosing the right characters to lead each deck was another crucial aspect. While Cloud was an obvious choice for Final Fantasy VII, other selections required more thought. "For Final Fantasy VI, we considered Celes given her role in the World of Ruin," Holt says. "For Final Fantasy X, Yuna was a strong contender due to her fanbase. Ultimately, we focused on the lead characters." The selection of Y'shtola for Final Fantasy XIV was influenced by her popularity and her role as a spellcaster, particularly during her Shadowbringers arc. Although the team explored a "Warrior of Light" concept, they decided to highlight the player's hero through other cards in the deck.

Crafting a deck that encapsulates an entire game's story and themes within Magic's five-color system presented its own challenges. "We had to define the color identity for each game while ensuring the desired gameplay experience," Holt explains. Notably, all four decks include White to represent the heroic themes and to accommodate a broad range of characters.

For Final Fantasy VI, the deck focuses on the latter half of the game, emphasizing rebuilding your party from the graveyard. Final Fantasy VII's deck, featuring Cloud, aligns with equipment strategies in a white-red deck, enhanced by green to incorporate "power matters" themes and references to the Planet and lifestream. Final Fantasy X's deck, centered around Tidus, reflects the Sphere Grid system, empowering creatures through a white-blue-green strategy. The Final Fantasy XIV deck, with its white-blue-black colors, emphasizes noncreature spell casting while including key characters.

"While the leader is central in Commander, Final Fantasy games are about the whole party," Holt emphasizes. "We've included beloved and villainous characters from these games in the decks, and fans can look forward to seeing their favorites as new legendary creatures and in exciting spells."

The Magic: The Gathering and Final Fantasy set is set to release on June 13. Fans of other Final Fantasy games or characters can rest assured, as Holt confirms that "all sixteen mainline games will have their moments to shine in the accompanying products."

Echoing the successful model of the Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks from 2022, these decks will be available in both a standard version (MSRP $69.99) and a Collector’s Edition (MSRP $149.99), the latter featuring all 100 cards in a special Surge foil treatment.

For a deeper dive, read on for the full, unedited interview with Wizards of the Coast’s Daniel Holt and Dillon Deveney: