Final Fantasy Commander Decks Revealed, Feature Cloud, Tidus, and More

Set to launch this June, Magic’s Final Fantasy crossover will probably be a totally draftable, Customary-legal set accompanied by the 4 preconstructed decks within the gallery above. Every of these consists of 100 playing cards made up of each reprints of present playing cards with new Final Fantasy artwork and model new playing cards designed with Magic’s hottest format, Commander, in thoughts. And whereas Commander precons are all the time themed round sure characters, colours, or methods, the twist with these is that every one is constructed round a single Final Fantasy sport – particularly 6, 7, 10, and 14.

“Final Fantasy video games are so wealthy with taste, beloved characters, and distinctive settings that selecting a single sport because the theme offered greater than sufficient materials to design a full deck of playing cards round,” says Senior Sport Designer Daniel Holt, who’s the Commander Lead for the set. “Approaching every deck as a single sport additionally offered the chance to dive deep into the lore of every, capturing much more beloved moments from throughout the sport’s storyline that we might not have been in a position to obtain in any other case.”

The group selected these 4 Final Fantasy video games based mostly on a steadiness of what they needed for the gameplay of every deck and how well-known every story was total. Holt says that whereas Final Fantasy 7 and 14 had been clearer picks, 6 and 10 took extra dialogue to reach at, however had been chosen partially as a result of they had been favorites among the many group. “This was a kind of merchandise the place everybody within the constructing was invested in every stage of improvement, as we now have so many passionate Final Fantasy followers within the constructing.”

After all, even inside these picks, there are some selections you need to make about path. As an example, Final Fantasy 7’s remake trilogy has been operating alongside the event of this Magic set, so is its Commander precon telling the story of the unique or its reality-bending reimagining? Dillon Deveney, Principal Narrative Sport Designer at Wizards of the Coast and Narrative Lead for the set, says you’ll see a little bit of each all through that deck’s artwork, however the story itself will observe the 1997 traditional.

“Our core method to Final Fantasy VII was to seize the unique PS1 sport’s narrative, whereas utilizing Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s fashionable aesthetics to push the constancy of every character design, story second, and memorable location to the following degree,” Deveney explains. “With that in thoughts, if a scene existed in each video games, we had our selection of displaying it as the unique sport did, how the trendy model interpreted it, or a novel fusion of each. Hopefully, this deck feels acquainted and nostalgic to gamers of each the unique sport and the trendy sequence!”

Talking of nostalgia, Final Fantasy 6 is a trickier nut to crack in some methods because it lacks the extra fashionable artwork references the opposite three video games can present. Deveney says they needed to stay near what followers would count on from its pixel artwork sprites and restricted idea artwork whereas additionally increasing upon them, and hopes that “the character designs ought to really feel like the way you ‘bear in mind’ them, regardless of being a hybridization of many alternative references and new concepts.” To assist accomplish that, WOTC even consulted straight with the Final Fantasy 6 group as they up to date these character to the requirements wanted for Magic artwork.

“We developed a workflow that requested idea artists and card artists to drag hallmark character designs from Yoshitaka Amano’s authentic (and legendary) idea artwork, the unique FFVI sprites, and the FFVI Pixel Remaster character portraits, to synthesize essentially the most constant parts of every character’s design into one thing ‘new.’ We additionally inspired our artists to punch up finer particulars and bsexplore parts the place they thought they might push (cloth, patterns, textures, and so forth.) Then, we might meet with the Final Fantasy VI evaluation group, and they might give us suggestions on what core parts they needed to protect and what new parts they had been enthusiastic about.”

So they’d the 4 video games determined, however in relation to Commander, that’s solely half the equation– WOTC additionally wanted to determine which characters would lead every deck. Cloud often is the apparent decide for 7, however Holt tells me the others concerned some brainstorming. Celes was thought of for six because the deck is targeted across the World of Destroy and the second half of that sport, whereas Yuna was thought of for 10 as a fan-favorite. They finally determined to stay with the “lead” characters on these, however Final Fantasy 14 is an MMO, which offered its personal drawback.

“For Y’shtola, it got here all the way down to a mixture of recognition of the character in addition to being a spellcaster, her story and character improvement provided a variety of skills and moments to drag from to guide the deck,” Holt explains, happening to say this deck represents her particularly throughout her Shadowbringers arc. They did discover the idea of creating a “Warrior of Gentle” commander gamers may make their very own in some style, however Holt says these concepts had some “fairly in-depth executions,” and that your individual private hero nonetheless has loads of moments on this deck even with out being on the helm.

Now comes the query of determining match a complete online game’s story, characters, and themes right into a single deck and the fastidiously balanced restrictions of Magic’s 5 colours. “Constructing these decks known as for us to determine shade id for the chosen sport itself, but additionally the gameplay we desired from them,” says Holt, happening to level out that it’s no mistake all 4 embody White, “for each theming and it helped cowl the wide selection of Heroes we needed to incorporate in every deck.”

As talked about, the deck for six is centered on the latter half of that sport – as such, it’s primarily all about rebuilding your social gathering by bringing different creatures again out of your graveyard. For 7, Cloud wielding a giant sword strains up properly with the gear methods of a white-red Magic deck, however Holt says that “including inexperienced to the combination allow us to tie within the ‘energy issues’ playing cards and playing cards that reference the Planet and lifestream.”

Whereas Tidus’ skill to cross counters round may lead you to assume the deck for 10 is all about Blitzball, this traditional white-blue-green technique truly primarily got here from the concept of that sport’s Sphere Grid leveling system as a strategy to empower your creatures. Holt additionally admits that the theme for 14 was tough to land on, however its white-blue-black shade id allowed them to lean right into a noncreature spell casting theme whereas additionally together with the characters they needed to.

Final however not least, Commander could be all about your chief, however RPGs are sometimes about your social gathering as a complete, and WOTC gained’t go away the supporting casts of those video games hanging. “Final Fantasy video games are stuffed with loveable AND villainous characters and getting them in these decks was essential,” Holt says. “Whereas I can’t speak specifics on who’s included in every deck or their skills simply but, followers can count on to see a few of their favourite characters within the 99 of every deck as new legendary creatures and captured in motion on different thrilling spells.”

Magic’s Final Fantasy set will launch on June 13, and in case you don’t see your private favourite Final Fantasy sport or character right here (and even in case you do), don’t fear – Holt assures me that “all sixteen of the mainline video games may have their moments to shine within the accompanying merchandise.”

Returning to the identical territory because the Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks from 2022, all 4 of those decks will probably be obtainable in each a daily model (MSRP $69.99) and a Collector’s Version (MSRP $149.99), the latter of which is able to characteristic all 100 of the playing cards in every deck in a particular Surge foil remedy.

Learn on for the complete, unedited interview with Wizards of the Coast’s Daniel Holt and Dillon Deveney:

IGN: Why did you determine to construct every commander deck round a complete sport this time?

Daniel Holt, Senior Sport Designer: Final Fantasy video games are so wealthy with taste, beloved characters, and distinctive settings that selecting a single sport because the theme offered greater than sufficient materials to design a full deck of playing cards round. Approaching every deck as a single sport additionally offered the chance to dive deep into the lore of every, capturing much more beloved moments from throughout the sport’s storyline that we might not have been in a position to obtain in any other case.

How did you land on these 4 video games particularly? Had been there any shut runner-ups you thought of?

DH: In exploratory design, earlier than getting too deep into deckbuilding and card design, we brainstormed what video games provided essentially the most for what gameplay we needed with the decks in addition to being the extra generally recognized storylines among the many viewers. Final Fantasy VII being one of many extra referenced video games in media made it a robust first contender. Final Fantasy XIV provided a novel gamestyle, that of an MMO, and has SO MANY energetic gamers that we knew we may delight this group by deciding on it as one of many 4. After that, it turned a bit extra of a group dialogue. Final Fantasy X is a favourite of mine and Zakeel, the FIN Product Architect, so we had been somewhat biased in selecting it. Final Fantasy VI touched the pixel period of video games and was a favourite of a number of different designers within the studio. So with that, we ended up with our 4 sport selects! That stated, all sixteen of the mainline video games may have their moments to shine within the accompanying merchandise.

Ought to we count on reprint artwork/lands/and so forth. inside every deck to even be tied to every sport?

DH: Completely! We would like gamers to really feel like they’re getting into the world of that sport as they summon creatures and solid spells from it. Because of this the nonland reprints are positioned from inside that deck’s sport, whereas lands can seem from any of the 4 video games included within the product.

Are you able to speak a bit about your method to Magic’s shade identities throughout these decks because it pertains to Final Fantasy – why these colours for these characters/video games?

DH: Constructing these decks known as for us to determine shade id for the chosen sport itself, but additionally the gameplay we desired from them. Being three colours every did assist me have a wider vary of choices to use to totally different characters and moments inside the sport. For instance, you’ll discover all 4 decks embody White of their shade id for each theming and it helped cowl the wide selection of Heroes we needed to incorporate in every deck.

Final Fantasy VI – It is a graveyard reanimator deck, so white-black-red was an excellent match — getting access to discard and mill results in BR and ‘return from graveyard’ results from WB. Thematically this deck rebuilds its giant ensemble of characters within the World of Destroy, so the deck theme actually performs into that part of the story.

Final Fantasy VII – As an gear issues deck, white-red is well-known for that archetype in Magic and showcases this group’s iconic weaponry and battle prowess. Including inexperienced to the combination allow us to tie within the ‘energy issues’ playing cards and playing cards that reference the Planet and lifestream.

Final Fantasy X – White-blue-green counters are a traditional staple in Magic deckbuilding and gaining access to all three right here actually allow us to construct out a complete deck about shifting the counters on the board and leveling up your group.

Final Fantasy XIV – This deck was tough to land on, however by being white-blue-black, we had entry to the colours we would have liked for the characters we needed to incorporate, but additionally be a noncreature issues theme, representing spell casting and skill utilization you carry out because the participant whereas taking part in the Final Fantasy XIV sport!

Terra, Cloud, and Tidus are the clear picks for his or her video games, however how did you land on Y’shtola for Final Fantasy 14?

DH: I gained’t deny that Cloud was a reasonably apparent selection for the face commander of the Final Fantasy VII deck. The others went by means of a couple of rounds of brainstorming although! In Final Fantasy VI, since we had been specializing in the themes of the second half of the sport, Celes was truly a giant contender for the lead. And with Final Fantasy X, we all know Yuna is a fan favourite and may have led the deck to success. We finally landed on ‘the primary protagonist’ character for every of those titles, leading to Terra and Tidus filling these slots respectively; although Final Fantasy VI is an ensemble solid, Terra is commonly portrayed because the face of the sequence.

For Y’shtola, it got here all the way down to a mixture of recognition of the character in addition to being a spellcaster, her story and character improvement provided a variety of skills and moments to drag from to guide the deck.

Was utilizing the Warrior of Gentle because the lead ever on the desk, maybe with some type of background/class system to let gamers customise their precon?

DH: You caught me! We did discover card designs and themes across the Warrior of Gentle with some…fairly in-depth executions, earlier than finally touchdown on Y’shtola because the commander. That stated, there are nonetheless loads of ‘Warrior of Gentle’ moments within the deck!

7, 10, and 14 have loads of fashionable references in relation to Magic-style artwork, however you’re pulling from a relatively smaller pool for six. Did you’re feeling like there was extra freedom to outline your individual search for these characters, or did you attempt to stick as carefully to what was on the market as doable?

Dillon Deveney, Principal Narrative Sport Designer: I like this query! We needed to stay carefully to what followers remembered about these characters, whereas trying to merge the 2 main aesthetics of FFVI: the idea artwork and the in-game sprites. There was lots of freedom on this method, whereas making an attempt to stay carefully to the unique designs. We labored straight with the Final Fantasy VI group to find out the aesthetics, designs, and costumes of the FFVI characters and world. To try this, we developed a workflow that requested idea artists and card artists to drag hallmark character designs from Yoshitaka Amano’s authentic (and legendary) idea artwork, the unique FFVI sprites, and the FFVI Pixel Remaster character portraits, to synthesize essentially the most constant parts of every character’s design into one thing ‘new.’ We additionally inspired our artists to punch up finer particulars and discover parts the place they thought they might push (cloth, patterns, textures, and so forth.) Then, we might meet with the Final Fantasy VI evaluation group, and they might give us suggestions on what core parts they needed to protect and what new parts they had been enthusiastic about. Finally, it is our hope that the character designs ought to really feel like the way you ‘bear in mind’ them, regardless of being a hybridization of many alternative references and new concepts.

Conversely, was there extra strain to get a personality like Y’shtola precisely proper when followers know so exactly what she appears to be like like?

DH: From the sport design aspect for every of those well-liked characters, this was a kind of merchandise the place everybody within the constructing was invested in every stage of improvement, as we now have so many passionate Final Fantasy followers within the constructing. At each playtest of the decks, I’d get suggestions about coworkers’ favourite characters, story moments, and so forth. that they needed to ensure bought included and carried out correctly.

Some characters, like Y’shtola, have such deep character improvement all through parts of their sport. Every card that depicts a kind of forms of characters wanted to seize them at a selected cut-off date of their story. For the Final Fantasy XIV commander deck, we now have Y’shtola within the Shadowbringers arc the place she has turn out to be a gifted spell caster.

For the Final Fantasy 7 deck, did the latest remake sequence affect or influence your pondering/designs a lot, or had been you largely wanting towards the unique right here?

DH: We had the lucky overlap of a number of the remake sport sequence releasing WHILE we labored on this set. So it was a very cool expertise getting to depart work, go house, and play video games that includes the characters of playing cards I used to be designing in a ‘new’ online game.

DD: Our core method to Final Fantasy VII was to seize the unique PS1 sport’s narrative, whereas utilizing Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s fashionable aesthetics to push the constancy of every character design, story second, and memorable location to the following degree. You will notice a mixture of traditional FFVII moments and fashionable FFVII visuals within the deck, however usually, the product is meant to observe the unique sport’s story. With that in thoughts, if a scene existed in each video games, we had our selection of displaying it as the unique sport did, how the trendy model interpreted it, or a novel fusion of each. Hopefully, this deck feels acquainted and nostalgic to gamers of each the unique sport and the trendy sequence!

It’s tremendous cute that Tidus is all about passing counters round like a ball. Do you know this was going to be a counter deck already or did counters come from exploring Blitzball as an idea?

DH: Everybody loves Blitzball! Individuals within the workplace bought a ‘kick’ out of each time we talked about it or referenced it someplace within the product. However when beginning the Final Fantasy X deck, the precise theming of counters got here from the Sphere Grid expertise system used within the sport. This technique is visually portrayed as a board the place you add coloured markers on the tracks to achieve new skills. In commander, I needed to seize that concept by filling the deck with +1/+1 and different counters and then shifting them round your group for added skills!

Commander is all about your chief, however what’s an RPG and not using a social gathering – was it vital to y’all to additionally spotlight the folks supporting these leads inside every deck?

DH: After all! Final Fantasy video games are stuffed with loveable AND villainous characters and getting them in these decks was essential. Whereas I can’t speak specifics on who’s included in every deck or their skills simply but, followers can count on to see a few of their favourite characters within the 99 of every deck as new legendary creatures and captured in motion on different thrilling spells.

I assume a well-liked character like Cloud goes to be on extra than simply this card in the identical method Frodo or Galadriel had been within the Lord of the Rings set – I do know you may’t get into essential set spoilers right here, however is there something about designing round these characters for a commander-only product that you just take pleasure in attending to do in another way from a product that needs to be in Customary?

DH: I feel it’s protected to say you’ll see some characters making a number of appearances within the product and every is interesting to totally different sorts of gamers. With those we see right here, they’re all ‘commander-sized’, which means they’re aimed to be thrilling within the commander format, each in and out of the precon. All of the legends in these decks have a unified purpose of working collectively inside their deck’s theme and it’s enjoyable constructing playing cards like this to have that artistic group synergy, whether or not that’s say…interacting with counters in Final Fantasy X or taking part in with the graveyard in Final Fantasy VI. However, legends in the primary set may be designs constructed across the character independently of different playing cards to spark new archetypes of decks.

Tom Marks is IGN’s Govt Opinions Editor. He loves card video games, puzzles, platformers, puzzle-platformers, and tons extra.