Even if you're not a regular player of Magic: The Gathering, you've likely heard about its numerous video game crossovers in recent years, including Fallout, Tomb Raider, and Assassin’s Creed. Now, we're thrilled to bring you an exclusive first look at one of the most exciting collaborations yet: Final Fantasy. This crossover isn't just about one game; it spans four different mainline Final Fantasy titles, from Terra to Y’shtola, each represented in the preconstructed Commander decks that headline the set.

**Flip through the image gallery below** for a first look at the lead card and packaging for each deck, and continue reading for an insightful conversation with Wizards of the Coast about what to expect from these decks, the rationale behind choosing these four games, and much more.

Final Fantasy x Magic: The Gathering - Commander Decks Reveal

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Set to launch this June, Magic's Final Fantasy crossover will be a fully draftable, Standard-legal set, accompanied by the four preconstructed decks showcased in the gallery above. Each deck contains 100 cards, featuring both reprints with new Final Fantasy art and brand new cards tailored for Magic's popular Commander format. While Commander precons typically revolve around specific characters, colors, or strategies, these decks are uniquely themed around individual Final Fantasy games – specifically 6, 7, 10, and 14.

“Final Fantasy games are so rich with flavor, beloved characters, and unique settings that choosing a single game as the theme provided more than enough material to design a full deck of cards around,” says Senior Game Designer Daniel Holt, who leads the Commander aspect of the set. “Approaching each deck as a single game also allowed us to dive deep into the lore of each, capturing even more beloved moments from across the game’s storyline that we may not have been able to achieve otherwise.”

The selection of these four Final Fantasy games was based on a balance of gameplay considerations and the overall recognition of each story. Holt notes that while Final Fantasy 7 and 14 were straightforward choices, Final Fantasy 6 and 10 required more discussion but were ultimately selected as favorites among the team. “This was one of those products where everyone in the building was invested in each stage of development, as we have so many passionate Final Fantasy fans in the building,” Holt adds.

Within these choices, decisions had to be made about the direction of each deck. For instance, Final Fantasy 7’s deck, developed alongside its remake trilogy, aims to capture the narrative of the original 1997 game while incorporating the modern aesthetics of the Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Dillon Deveney, Principal Narrative Game Designer at Wizards of the Coast and Narrative Lead for the set, explains, “Our core approach to Final Fantasy VII was to capture the original PS1 game’s narrative, while using Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s modern aesthetics to push the fidelity of each character design, story moment, and memorable location to the next level. With that in mind, if a scene existed in both games, we had our choice of showing it as the original game did, how the modern version interpreted it, or a unique fusion of both. Hopefully, this deck feels familiar and nostalgic to players of both the original game and the modern series!”

Final Fantasy 6 presents a unique challenge due to its limited modern art references. Deveney shares that they aimed to stay 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 many different references and new ideas,” he hopes. To achieve this, Wizards of the Coast consulted directly with the Final Fantasy 6 team to update the characters to the standards required for Magic art. “We developed a workflow that asked concept artists and card artists to pull hallmark character designs from Yoshitaka Amano’s original (and legendary) concept art, the original FFVI sprites, and the FFVI Pixel Remaster character portraits, to synthesize the most consistent elements of each character’s design into something ‘new.’ We also encouraged our artists to punch up finer details and explore elements where they thought they could push (fabric, patterns, textures, etc.). Then, we would meet with the Final Fantasy VI review team, and they would give us feedback on what core elements they wanted to preserve and what new elements they were excited about.”

Choosing the lead characters for each deck was another crucial aspect. While Cloud was an obvious choice for Final Fantasy 7, other selections required more brainstorming. Celes was considered for Final Fantasy 6, given the deck's focus on the World of Ruin, and Yuna was a contender for Final Fantasy 10 due to her popularity. Ultimately, the decision was made to feature the “lead” characters. For Final Fantasy 14, an MMO, the choice of Y’shtola was influenced by her popularity and her role as a spellcaster, with her deck specifically representing her Shadowbringers arc. Holt explains, “For Y’shtola, it came down to a mix of popularity of the character as well as being a spellcaster; her story and character development offered a wide range of abilities and moments to pull from to lead the deck. We did explore the concept of making a ‘Warrior of Light’ commander players could make their own in some fashion, but those ideas had some ‘pretty in-depth executions,’ and that your own personal hero still has plenty of moments in this deck even without being at the helm.”

Fitting an entire video game’s story, characters, and themes into a single deck while adhering to Magic’s five-color system was a significant challenge. “Building these decks called for us to decide color identity for the chosen game itself, but also the gameplay we desired from them,” Holt explains. Notably, all four decks include White, which aligns with the theming and helps cover the wide range of Heroes included in each deck.

The deck for Final Fantasy 6 centers on the latter half of the game, focusing on rebuilding your party by bringing other creatures back from your graveyard. For Final Fantasy 7, Cloud’s big sword aligns with the equipment strategies of a white-red Magic deck, but adding green allowed for the inclusion of ‘power matters’ cards and references to the Planet and lifestream. Tidus’ ability to pass counters around in Final Fantasy 10 inspired a white-blue-green strategy, primarily reflecting the game’s Sphere Grid leveling system to empower creatures. The theme for Final Fantasy 14 was challenging to land on, but its white-blue-black color identity enabled a focus on noncreature spell casting while including desired characters.

While Commander decks are often about the leader, RPGs are about the entire party. Holt assures fans that the supporting casts of these games will not be overlooked. “Final Fantasy games are full of loveable AND villainous characters, and getting them in these decks was very important,” he says. “While I can’t talk specifics on who is included in each deck or their abilities just yet, fans can expect to see some of their favorite characters in the 99 of each deck as new legendary creatures and captured in action on other exciting spells.”

Magic’s Final Fantasy set is set to release on June 13. Even if your favorite Final Fantasy game or character isn't featured here, Holt reassures fans that “all sixteen of the mainline games will have their moments to shine in the accompanying products.”

Similar to the Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks from 2022, these decks will be available in both a regular version (MSRP $69.99) and a Collector’s Edition (MSRP $149.99), the latter featuring all 100 cards in each deck with a special Surge foil treatment.

*Read on for the full, unedited interview with Wizards of the Coast’s Daniel Holt and Dillon Deveney:*