Magic: The Gathering is having its largest PAX East presence in years to promote its upcoming Final Fantasy expansion. Taking the main stage at the event in Boston, Wizards of the Coast kicked off preview season with a sprawling look at Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy with previews of cards from every mainline Final Fantasy game and revealed the core mechanics for the set.
While we won’t go over every card in this article, you can find all of the Final Fantasy previews as they’re revealed over the next two weeks here.
The panel began with discussing the core of the original Final Fantasy which inspired the first mechanic of the set. Jobs and Classes like Warrior, White Mage, Summoner, Dragoon, and Dark Knight are ingrained in the DNA of the series so the Magic team worked to find a way to incorporate them. The solution was Job Select, and ability on Equipment that creates a 1/1 hero token when it enters and attaches to the new body for free. That may sound just like For Mirrodin! Or Living Weapon, but the difference here is whatever creature the equipment is attached to becomes a new creature type in addition to its other types, usually along with another ability that embodies that class fantasy. For example, Black Mage's Rod adds the Wizard creature type and gives the creature +1/+0 and “Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature deals one damage to each opponent” making your creature more of a glass canon and encourages slinging spells with the bonus of immaculate flavor.
Final Fantasy’s explosive, powerful spectacles known as Summons were revealed a while back with the introduction of Shiva, with more shown off at the PAX East panel. Summons are a new spin on Sagas, mixing the temporary enchantments with creatures. Not only do you have effects popping off when each chapter resolves, Summons can attack and defend like any other creature, although they will go away once upon finishing their cycle of chapters. Because Summons only stick around for so long, Wizards of the Coast can push the power level a little in fun ways. Revealed today, Summon: Bahamut from Final Fantasy 10 is a ridiculous spell for [mana] 9 [\mana] that aims to obliterate your foes. First it kills nonland permanents then draws you cards, culminating with its Mega Flare ability that deals damage to all opponents equal to the sum of your permanents’ mana values. By the way, it’s also a 9/9 flying dragon that’s going to be taking big chunks out of life totals before it finds its way to the graveyard.
Transforming Double-Faced cards are prolific in MTG Final Fantasy to denote the change in these iconic characters over time. Some are straightforward transformations like Cecil, Dark Knight into Cecil, Redeemed Paladin while others like, Terra, Magic Adept, transform back and forth into Summons and back into creatures. Most surprising is the return of Meld, which turns Vanille and Fang from Final Fantasy XIII into an abomination. If anything, MTG Final Fantasy is giving the greatest hits of Magic to new players while giving unexpected and welcome complexities to long-time players.
The Through The Ages bonus sheet, which adds a reprinted Magic card with a Final Fantasy name and archived concept art, is added to one in every 3 Play Boosters and one in each Collector’s booster. The Final Fantasy development team broke down the general composition of the bonus sheet which comprises of 64 cards, which includes 4 from each numbered Final Fantasy game. Generally, there are one protagonist, one antagonist, and a couple of story moments. Zidane Tribal is such a reprint that’s an always welcome reprint of Ragavan, Noble Pilferer. The combination of classic Final Fantasy art with classic Magic: The Gathering cards and mechanics is looking to be a perfect match so far.
Making a small return in Final Fantasy is a mechanic that’s still legal in Standard, last showing up in Wilds of Eldraine, Adventure is back, but with a pretty big shift as to where you’ll find it. Instead of being an nice extra option attached to a spell, Adventures are debuting on a cycle of five rare Lands. Our first glimpse of Adventure lands comes with Zanarkand, Ancient Metropolis, which, as a land, enters tapped and can be tapped for a green mana. However, you could also cast its Adventure side, a sorcery called Lasting Fayth, for to make a 1/1 Hero and drop +1/+1 counters on it equal to the number of lands you control and then play the land after from exile, because why not have the best of both worlds?
Final Fantasy isn’t only a set for playing, but it’s packed with ways to collect various alternate art styles. We’ve seen the gorgeous full art treatments for many of Final Fantasy’s iconic characters, but there’s a little extra in store for those who buy Collector’s Boosters. Wizards is bringing back Neon Foil to a series of Travelling Chocobo cards, depicting the series mascot in a rainbow of colors, with 77 special serialized Gold Chocobos waiting for lucky Magic players to pull.
There’s still a lot of cards we are yet to see, but Wizards is already showing the flavor is on point and the set simply looks wild and fun. There are the makings of archetypes revolving around Landfall, low mana-value permanents, kindrid synergies, and enchantment matters strategies already appearing in the previewed cards. Hopefully the picture of how the devs have somehow stuffed 16 massive games into one cohesive Magic: The Gathering will come into view soon.
Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy is available for preorder right now and hits stores June 13. Make sure to watch MTG Salvation for previews over the coming weeks for the main set, Through The Ages, and the four commander decks.
Comments