“Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy” pre-release event unveils new cards including tournament exclusive Cloud

A promotional event for the upcoming Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy collaboration set recently saw attendees given the chance to take a closer look at the new cards, listen to behind-the-scenes insights and find out more about this unprecedented crossover.

The set, which introduces the stories and iconic characters of the Final Fantasy series into the Magic: The Gathering strategic card game, is scheduled for release on Friday, June 13th, 2025.

Magic: The Gathering, developed by Wizards of the Coast, is the world’s most popular trading card game.

It is known for its complex gameplay, deep lore, and expansive multiverse.

Players duel by casting spells, summoning creatures, and deploying artifacts to reduce their opponent’s life total to zero.

The game has maintained its status as a cornerstone of the tabletop gaming world since its creation in 1993 and is constantly evolving with new sets and mechanics.

The Final Fantasy series, created by Square Enix, is one of the most influential and enduring role-playing game franchises in history.

Since its debut in 1987, it has become the favorite of millions of players, with its innovative gameplay, ground breaking graphics, immersive storytelling and iconic characters across numerous mainline titles and a variety of spin-offs.

Each numbered Final Fantasy instalment typically features a distinct world, characters and narrative, while maintaining recurring themes and elements like Chocobos, Moogles, and powerful summons.

The event was held with decorations and displays that celebrated both franchises.

A life-size display of Cloud and Sephiroth welcomed guests and an acoustic orchestra performing classic Final Fantasy music.

Zakeel Gordon, Executive Producer of the collaboration set for Wizards of the Coast, shared that his introduction to the Final Fantasy series was Final Fantasy X and stated that he would not be standing on stage at the event if it weren’t for that game.

He emphasized that the set was crafted with immense passion and that Wizards of the Coast hoped to exceed Final Fantasy fans’ expectations.

Joining him was Shoichi Ichikawa, a producer at Square Enix, who shared his own long-standing relationship with Magic The Gathering and said that he first played the card game when he was just 12 years old.

Ichikawa highlighted the four-year development period of the Magic and Final Fantasy collaboration, during which both teams “poured all our love and attention into it, believing in the best possible future”.

The collaboration set is a substantial release, featuring over 300 cards that will be legal for play in MTG’s Standard format.

Beyond regular booster packs, two types of bundles will be also be made available.

Four distinct Commander decks will also be released with each one representing a pivotal era of the Final Fantasy series:

• Final Fantasy 6: Symbolizing the pixel art era.

• Final Fantasy 7: Representing the iconic game from the original PlayStation era.

• Final Fantasy 10: A masterpiece from the PlayStation 2 era.

• Final Fantasy 14: The globally beloved MMORPG.

Collector-focused products, including Collector Boosters with beautiful foil cards, are also part of the release.

A major highlight of the event was the discussion regarding the three “Secret Lair Drops” that had previously been announced.

These will be available in Japan in both regular and foil versions starting June 10th.

The revealed drops included:

• “Secret Lair x FINAL FANTASY: Game Over”: Depicting villains executing iconic attacks, chosen for their symbolic effects and playability.

• “Secret Lair x FINAL FANTASY: Weapons”: Featuring legendary weapons like Cloud’s Buster Sword, designed for both engaging gameplay and rich story depth.

• “Secret Lair x FINAL FANTASY: Grimoire”: Translating FF magic into MTG’s five colors.

A special promo card, “Golden Water Lily,” inspired by Aerith’s iconic flower from FF7, will be given to those who purchase any Secret Lair bundle.

This card was originally expected only to given away with the English language release, but Ichikawa personally advocated for a Japanese version to ensure it reached Japanese players.

New standard cards were also revealed, showcasing the deep integration of Final Fantasy lore into MTG mechanics:

• “Choco, Seeker of Shangri-La” (from Final Fantasy 9): A powerful Chocobo Commander card, surprising even Ichikawa, who noted its historical parallels with Magic: The Gathering’s “Birds of Paradise”.

• Moogles (from Final Fantasy 6): Depicting their heroic moment rescuing Tina, with effects mirroring their in-game ability to become powerful reinforcements.

• Leviathan (from Final Fantasy 15): Presented as a “Saga” creature, reflecting its temporary yet powerful summon nature in Final Fantasy, a mechanic perfectly fused with Magic: The Gathering.

“Succession Cards” which feature famous scenes from Final Fantasy history on Magic: The Gathering cards, were also highlighted.

These cards use existing illustrations, carefully chosen to represent each Final Fantasy title, such as the key visual for Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers or a nostalgic pixel art scene from Final Fantasy 6.

A particularly symbolic card depicts a famous scene from Final Fantasy 10, which Ichikawa believes will “make all the players happy.”

A special promo card of “Cloud, Mercenary of Midgar”, featuring art by Tetsuya Nomura, will be distributed at the “Magic Spotlight Series” tournament at Makuhari Messe from June 27th to 29th.

All main event participants receive a regular version, with the top 128 players earning a special foil version.

The event also featured insights from original artists Toshiyuki Itahana (FF9, Chocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon) and Toshitaka Matsuda (FF9, FFX-2, FF13).

Itahana shared the creative process behind “Vivi, the Lost Dark Mage,” revealing how the card’s effect was created to reflect Vivi’s growth.

Matsuda discussed his interpretation of “Cain, the Tormented Dragoon” from Final Fantasy 4, even illustrating the scenery Cain might see during his iconic jump, a detail previously unseen in Final Fantasy lore.

During a Q&A, Gordon assured fans about product availability, stating, “This set is the largest volume ever printed, and we will continue to do our best in the future”.

He highlighted the long co-development period with Square Enix as the most enjoyable aspect, despite the challenge of meeting high fan expectations.

Ichikawa echoed the collaborative joy and noted the difficulty in determining the art that should be used on some of the cards, but ultimately expressed satisfaction with the final art.

The event underscored the immense effort and passion behind Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy, promising a collaboration set truly crafted with love for fans of both franchises.

The Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy cards will see their official release on June 13th.

Source: MTG JP

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