Final Fantasy is looking like one of the stand out sets of Magic: The Gathering releasing this year

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Over the last few days, Wizards of the Coast has been gradually unveiling details about the first 2025 Universes Beyond release for Magic: The Gathering, which includes a collaboration with Final Fantasy. This began with a significant reveal on IGN about four Commander preconstructed decks, and was followed by a new Magic: The Gathering stream showcasing additional sneak peeks at other cards that fans can anticipate. As someone who is well-versed in both Final Fantasy and Magic, everything I’ve seen thus far has been impressive and has only served to increase my excitement – an accomplishment I didn’t think was possible. The magic makers at Wizards of the Coast have truly outdone themselves (pun intended).

Initially showcased on IGN, along with a chat with the main designer Daniel Holt, each of the four starter decks emphasizes a distinctive iconic game from Square’s extensive series, with its primary hero acting as the deck’s leader. The decks are: ‘Cloud, Former SOLDIER’ (Red, Green, White) for Final Fantasy VII, ‘Terra, Bearer of Hope’ (Red, White, Black) from Final Fantasy VI, ‘Tidus, Yuna’s Protector’ (Green, White, Blue) representing Final Fantasy X, and lastly, ‘Y’shtola, Blessed of the Night’ (White, Blue, Black) symbolizing Final Fantasy XIV—the critically-acclaimed MMORPG offering a free trial that lets players explore the entirety of A Realm Reborn and the celebrated Stormblood expansion up to level 70 without any limitations on playtime or restrictions.

Each character in the game possesses distinct skills or gameplay aspects that accurately reflect their persona. For instance, Tidus can transfer different counters to other characters as if they were blitzballs, while Cloud prefers the largest swords (or equipment) available, allowing you to draw extra cards with additional benefits when his strength is seven or above. Quite ingenious, indeed!




























One potential rephrase for your text:

It seems my main concern about Wizards’ deck selection lies in their emphasis on game heroes, with little representation given to the series’ iconic villains. Though we’ve already caught glimpses of infamous characters like Sephiroth, Kefka, and Emet-Selch in card form due to both the initial artwork reveal and the trailer from the latest Magic: The Gathering Weekly, it’s disheartening that there isn’t even a solitary villain-centric deck. Considering Wizards’ impressive creativity with existing commanders, I can’t help but wonder what they could have produced if they had ventured into creating a deck based on the villains as well.

As a fervent fan, I can’t help but share my excitement as Wizards unveiled the first trailer for their upcoming set, tantalizing us with the prospect of Commander decks and innovative mechanics, including an entirely new card type called Summons. After replaying that trailer numerous times, I find myself convinced that this Universes Beyond release will be its most potent yet. The team at Wizards seems to have truly outdone themselves, crafting cards that evoke the spirit of Final Fantasy, a fact exemplified by the intriguing Summon cards and a card that has the potential to top my favorites list—the Jumbo Cactuar.

In Final Fantasy games, dating back to the Famicom era and first appearing in Final Fantasy III, summoned creatures have been a significant element. These potent beings of the elements would materialize upon summoning, inflict heavy damage, and then vanish from battle. Over time, these summons were developed further, enabling them to stay longer, participate in major events, and occasionally be controlled directly by the player. In the game Wizards, they’ve reimagined and revised their Saga-type enchantments—spells that last for a set number of turns, offering different effects each turn before vanishing—to create entirely new Saga Creatures. This innovative card type merges a standard creature card with a ticking Saga countdown, mirroring perfectly the Final Fantasy Summon’s characteristics: powerful but temporary. It will be intriguing to observe how Wizards utilizes this new type of creature in future expansions.

Without a doubt, the main attraction steals the spotlight – the colossal mustache, famously from the underappreciated Final Fantasy 8, known as Jumbo Cactuar. This sturdy figure, depicted not just the character itself but also Irvine and Rinoa, enters as a 1/7 power and toughness creature, requiring 2 Green and 5 common mana to summon. This slow-moving cactus arrives fully equipped with its iconic ‘10,000 Needles’ ability from the game, boosting its attack power by an additional 9,999 whenever it attacks until the end of that turn. The humor in Wizards deciding to let a creature naturally possess 10,000 power is amusing. Combined with cards that allow players to gain life equal to a creature’s power, as well as other effects triggered by sacrificing a creature, this card will undoubtedly create memorable moments throughout the upcoming year.

This card resonates deeply with me, encompassing not just its power but also the thoughtfulness behind it – the creators’ diligent efforts to embody the spirit of Final Fantasy within Magic: The Gathering.

Ranging from Tonberries to baby Chocobos, and characters like Garland and Chaos to Cecil Harvey, this brief glimpse offered a wealth of content. I’m thoroughly excited by what I’ve seen so far. There are still a few months left before Universes Beyond: Final Fantasy launches on June 13, with Tarkir: Dragonstorm arriving first. This means there will be more surprises unveiled in the upcoming months. Excitingly, players can already reserve their own boxes and decks on Amazon right now.

 

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2025-02-20 04:26