To say that the crew behind Magic: The Gathering’s upcoming Final Fantasy collaboration set is happy to launch could be an understatement.
“As we drove as much as the conference heart, there’s this big hotel-sized display that claims ‘Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy on it,” principal designer and set design lead Gavin Verhey stated throughout a press preview occasion for the upcoming set. “All of us simply checked out one another and stated, ‘That is it, that is what we have been ready for. It’s lastly occurring.'”
Moments like this are what Verhey, govt producer Zakeel Gordon, principal sport designer Dillon Deveney, and senior sport designer Daniel Holt have dreamed of all through the four-year historical past of the set’s growth. As the crew reminisces about their time engaged on the enlargement, each in Sq. Enix’s places of work in Japan and the Wizards of the Coast headquarters in Renton, Washington, our Zoom name lights up with smiles and laughter on the easy point out of playing cards like Summon: Bahamut, names like Yoshitaka Amano, and numerous different references.
For these 4 folks, the discharge of Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy is a end result of exhausting work, a celebration of each Magic and Final Fantasy, and in the end, a declaration of victory. GameSpot sat down with the panel for a prolonged chat about Final Fantasy’s foray into Magic: The Gathering, which begins on June 13.
The design course of
“I used to be designing playing cards at 2 AM” is a typical phrase out of Verhey’s mouth. On this explicit case, he is speaking about Absolute Advantage, the highly effective boss from Final Fantasy XI, and the cardboard that appeared throughout the panel. Gordon, Deveney, and Holt knowingly nod alongside, anticipating the place the story goes.
“I used to be attempting to design Absolute Advantage, and I couldn’t work out what to do,” Verhey says, “and I fell asleep at my desk–like an grownup. Instantly, I awakened and thought, ‘Ah! Safety from all the pieces! It actually popped in my head as I used to be waking up from sleeping. I typed it into the file and thought, ‘Nicely, that is in all probability not going to stay,’ however then I confirmed it to everybody, they usually simply beloved it. They thought it was superb.”
That is to not say each dialog went so swimmingly; Deveney used the phrase “spirited” to explain a few of the conversations between himself and Holt. “We solely have so many design slots within the [pre-constructed Commander] deck for brand new playing cards,” Deveney describes. “Who will get that? Who makes the reduce?”
Deveney particularly remembers a dialogue across the Final Fantasy XIV pre-constructed deck, which in itself was a Herculean job to create. “Fact be advised, it is a sport that is been operating for 10-plus years, with 14 years of content material; we might in all probability make a complete set of simply that one sport,” Deveney says. “I have been enjoying the sport since launch, and Daniel stated he was enjoying it, so our views had been completely different.”
Deveney says that distinction in perspective helped the 2 of them effective tune the FF14 Commander deck to be as genuine to the sport as doable. Generally Deveney would need a character that Holt did not suppose was all that essential; different instances Deveney would not take no for a solution. “One character particularly, I needed to say ‘Daniel, if they do not make it in, I will probably be very upset, as a result of somebody will get very upset with me if they do not make it in.”
A give attention to Commander
With a lot historical past to parse via, and solely a lot area to go round in an enlargement set, selecting what merchandise acquired which playing cards or designs led to some extra “spirited” dialogue. “We take a look at the entire product as one expertise, however then we have now to take a look at every particular person piece–main set, Commander, and many others,” Deveney says. “Generally I ask myself ‘If that is the one factor a fan buys, what do they anticipate to see?'”
For Commander particularly, which Daniel Holt was primarily centered on, it permits him to discover the 4 video games receiving pre-constructed decks–FF6, FF7, FF10, and FF14–as their very own distinctive tales. As Holt places it, “within the Commander decks we acquired to go tremendous deep.”
“The Commander decks had been nearly every their very own Universes Past product in the best way we approached them,” Holt continued. “Final Fantasy VI is its personal world, FFVII’s its personal world. They do not cross. Every permits us so as to add various things; for instance, elves solely seem in sure video games however not in others, so we did some elf reprints within the deck for the sport the place they’re discovered.
“With Final Fantasy VI, we had a graveyard recursion theme, nevertheless it’s not from demise, it is ‘lifting your allies up.’ We twisted a few of the reprints to be slightly extra themed that method. There have been a variety of artistic restrictions, but additionally we had been capable of create actually cool issues due to it.”
Artworks
One fascinating truth talked about throughout the press preview was in regard to a few of the artists who contributed to the cardboard’s artwork: 9 of them, well-known for drawing Final Fantasy artwork all through historical past, got the choice to attract whoever or no matter they wished. This opened up some fascinating alternatives; regardless that Amano has drawn Kefka earlier than, he’d by no means drawn Kefka’s last type in his whole career–until now.
This led to what Verhey describes as one of many coolest moments of his life. “We’re in Japan, and we occurred to be on the Sq. Enix workplace when Amano’s Kefka piece arrived. Nobody had seen it but, and it got here on this black artwork briefcase offered by Amano himself.”
“They set it on the desk, and all of us simply went silent, watching an unique Amano work…however at a distance, as a result of none of us needed to get too shut and danger messing it up by some means,” Verhey continues. “No one sneeze, nobody do something that would put a mark on this.”
Deveney says that a lot of the artists drew characters they’d been accustomed to, however a couple of took the chance to department out and take a look at one thing new. “There have been a couple of artists that had been similar to, ‘Oh, I’d love a chance to play with this different sport’s toy, as a result of I did not work on it and that sounds actually enjoyable,'” Deveney explains. “They had been like, ‘Oh, I’ve all the time needed to attract this character!'”
As iconic as Final Fantasy art work is, the soundtracks to every of those video games is simply as well-known. Implementing music right into a bodily card sport, in fact, may be very exhausting to do, however the crew did attempt to make it work. As Deveney places it, “these discussions completely occurred.”
“I am going to say that there are two or three playing cards that you just is likely to be joyful to see have ‘wink, wink, nudge, nudge’ references to well-known tune titles–or moments the place you’ll be able to hear these songs playing–that we had been capable of get into the set,” Deveney says. “There is a bigger dialogue about music rights and the way it’s slightly bit completely different with each trade, however sure, we had been capable of get a couple of issues in there which might be very deliberately referential.”
Selecting a Headliner
Latest Magic units have included a Headliner–one particular card that acts as a “chase” card, with a restricted variety of printings and each individually numbered. The final set, Tarkir: Dragonstorm, used Mox Jasper–the dragon-focused Mox gem–as the Headliner, with particular artwork from unique Mox artist Dan Frazier.
For Final Fantasy, the crew knew it needed to choose one thing each FF fan is aware of. Certain, they might have made the Headliner a personality like Cloud or Sephiroth, however followers of FF7 would recognize it to the fullest; followers of different video games won’t take pleasure in it as a lot. That is why, for Zakeel Gordon, the selection was easy: a chocobo, particularly Touring Chocobo.
“The Chocobo was the flagship character that we needed to push to the forefront, as a result of it is represented within the overwhelming majority of video games,” Gordon stated. “In case you are a fan of the franchise, however you solely have a connection to sure video games, you’ll acknowledge a Chocobo it doesn’t matter what.” The crew did pull from a selected sport for the card–multiple variants depict a number of coloured Chocobos from Final Fantasy VII–but even when a participant is not accustomed to chocobo racing, they will know what the chook is.
What’s odd about this serialized Chocobo, nonetheless, is the variety of printings–where earlier Headliners noticed 500 copies made, the golden Touring Chocobo will solely see 77 printings. This was intentional, because the crew needed the cardboard to really feel much more particular. “77 is, I believe, the right medium for the place we have been doing serialization lately, Gordon explains, “the place it is slightly bit much less uncommon than the “one-of-One Ring,” nevertheless it’s slightly bit extra uncommon than an “X of 500.” And, within the spirit of Final Fantasy 7, two sevens simply felt like the fitting quantity.”
By way of The Ages
One last massive characteristic on this new enlargement is Final Fantasy: By way of The Ages, a bonus sheet of 64 cards–four playing cards for every of the 16 mainline FF video games. All 64 playing cards are reprints of previously-released Magic playing cards, however the artwork depicted on every card comes from the genuine Sq. Enix archives. It’s a historical past lesson in cardboard type, and Dillon Deveney says that they had a variety of materials to parse through–over 5,000 items of artwork, to be exact.
“We might ask every kind of questions,” Deveney stated, “What do we predict is probably the most bespoke factor that somebody would need to see about this sport? What’s the perfect model of this artwork? What’s the perfect model of this character? Ought to we go along with a sketchy idea or totally completed illustration? Would this be a great land or an enchantment or an artifact? We went via all the pieces.”
A number of playing cards from the bonus sheet had been proven throughout the PAX East panel, together with FF9’s Zidane Tribal as Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer and FF2’s Firion, Swordmaster as Sram, Senior Edificer. Beforehand, FF7’s Yuffie Kisaragi was unveiled as a reskin of Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow.
“The bonus sheet was a spot the place we might steadiness every sport completely,” Gordon stated. “We allotted a ‘finances’ to every sport: There will probably be 4 playing cards, we will have a protagonist and an antagonist, after which we’ll discover two moments; one possibly is extra story-driven, and the opposite could also be slightly bit extra mechanically pushed.”
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As the panel signed off on the preview, host and former MTG broadcaster Richard Hagon stated that regardless that that is nonetheless Magic: The Gathering, there’s one thing in regards to the Final Fantasy set that feels completely different. “You’ll be able to completely play great video games of Magic with this set, the playing cards are there, the designs are there. However, the sentiments are distinctive and particular, and that’s what individuals are going to recollect for a really very long time.” As the panel enthusiastically nodded, that feeling undoubtedly got here via from the minds behind the set. Now, all that is left is for the gamers to choose up and play.
Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy will probably be out there June 13 at native sport shops and large field retailers.