Even if you're not a Magic: The Gathering player, you've likely noticed its recent surge of video game crossovers, including collaborations with Fallout, Tomb Raider, and Assassin's Creed. But prepare for something truly exciting: an exclusive first look at a Final Fantasy crossover. And it's not just one game—from Terra to Y'shtola, four mainline titles are represented in the upcoming Commander decks.
Browse the image gallery below for a sneak peek at the key card and packaging for each deck. Then, delve into our conversation with Wizards of the Coast, uncovering insights into the deck contents, the selection of these four games, and much more.
Final Fantasy x Magic: The Gathering - Commander Decks Revealed
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Launching this June, Magic's Final Fantasy crossover includes a fully draftable, Standard-legal set and four preconstructed Commander decks (shown above). Each deck boasts 100 cards—a blend of 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 revolve around individual Final Fantasy games: 6, 7, 10, and 14.
“Final Fantasy games are brimming with rich lore, beloved characters, and unique settings,” explains Senior Game Designer Daniel Holt, Commander Lead for the set. “Focusing each deck on a single game provided ample material and allowed us to delve deep into each game's story, capturing beloved moments we might have missed otherwise.”
"...we have so many passionate Final Fantasy fans in the building.”The team's game selection balanced gameplay desires with overall story recognition. While Final Fantasy VII and XIV were easier choices, VI and X required more deliberation, influenced partly by team favorites. “This project saw building-wide investment, reflecting the many passionate Final Fantasy fans among us,” Holt adds.
Even within those choices, directional decisions were necessary. Final Fantasy VII's remake trilogy coincided with the set's development, raising the question of whether the precon would reflect the original or its reimagining. Dillon Deveney, Principal Narrative Game Designer at Wizards of the Coast and Narrative Lead for the set, clarifies that the story follows the 1997 classic, but the art incorporates elements from both.
“Our approach to Final Fantasy VII was to capture the original PS1 game's narrative, while leveraging Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth's modern aesthetics to enhance character design, story moments, and locations,” Deveney explains. “Where scenes existed in both, we chose between the original, the modern interpretation, or a unique fusion. Hopefully, this deck feels both familiar and nostalgic.”
AnswerSee ResultsNostalgia presented challenges, particularly for *Final Fantasy VI*, lacking the modern art references of 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, despite being a hybridization of references and new ideas.” WOTC even consulted the *Final Fantasy VI* team to update character designs for *Magic* art standards.“Our workflow involved concept and card artists synthesizing designs from Yoshitaka Amano's original concept art, the original sprites, and the Pixel Remaster portraits. We then collaborated with the Final Fantasy VI review team for feedback on preserving core elements and exploring new ones.”
"It's our hope that the [FF6] character designs should feel like how you ‘remember’ them..."Beyond game selection, Commander deck design requires choosing leaders. While Cloud was an obvious choice for VII, others required brainstorming. Celes was considered for VI, focusing on the World of Ruin, and Yuna for X. Ultimately, they chose the "lead" characters. Final Fantasy XIV, being an MMO, presented a unique challenge.
“For Y'shtola, the decision was based on her popularity, spellcasting role, and the wide range of abilities and story moments available,” Holt explains, specifying her Shadowbringers arc. While a customizable "Warrior of Light" commander was explored, these ideas proved complex, and the deck still features numerous moments from the player's personal journey.
Integrating a game's story, characters, and themes into a *Magic* deck within color restrictions presented a significant task. “Building these decks required determining color identity for each game and the desired gameplay,” Holt explains, noting the inclusion of White in all four decks, “for both theming and to accommodate the wide range of heroes.”The VI deck centers on the game's latter half, focusing on rebuilding your party from the graveyard. VII's Cloud and his greatsword fit well with a white-red equipment strategy, but adding green allowed for "power matters" cards and references to the Planet and lifestream. X's Sphere Grid system inspired the white-blue-green strategy, while XIV's white-blue-black identity allowed for a noncreature spellcasting theme.
"...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 also crucial. “Final Fantasy games are full of lovable and villainous characters, and including them was essential,” Holt says. “While I can't reveal specifics yet, fans can expect to see many favorite characters in the 99 cards as legendary creatures and in spells.”
The Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy set releases June 13th. Even if your favorite game or character isn't featured prominently in these decks, don't worry—Holt assures that all sixteen mainline games will have their moments in the accompanying products. Similar to the 2022 Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks, these four decks will be available in regular ($69.99 MSRP) and Collector's Edition ($149.99 MSRP) versions, with the latter featuring Surge foil treatment for all 100 cards.
Read on for the full, unedited interview with Wizards of the Coast’s Daniel Holt and Dillon Deveney:
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