Fans’ Thoughts on the Final Fantasy/Magic: The Gathering Collab
In its 31 years of existence, Magic: The Gathering (MTG) has released 174 sets in collaboration with other franchises. This year, 2025, it is set to release another 5: SpongeBob SquarePants, Deadpool, Final Fantasy, Spider-Man, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. As of now, it has released the SpongeBob and Deadpool sets. The next set, scheduled to be released on June 13th, will be the Final Fantasy set. I talked to several fans of both games to get their opinions on this latest collaboration.
Revealed Cards They Like
While more cards are set to be revealed at PAX East this Saturday (May 10th), as of right now, there are 56 cards that have been unveiled for the collab. While many fans are looking forward to certain favorites from the games like Cloud, Sephiroth, and Terra (for obvious reasons), many fans are also excited for cards featuring less popular characters.
A few examples of such cards are Cecil, Dark Knight, Emet-Selch, Unsundered, Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed, and Celes, Rune Knight. While the reasons for everyone’s interests in these cards vary (some like them for their abilities, others for the colors, some for their synergy with other cards, and a few for Final Fantasy game lore), all are in agreement that the art is impressive.
Cards They Wish Had Been Included in the FFxMTG Collab
Final Fantasy is a vast franchise that spans over 16 numbered games, as well as numerous spin-offs, remakes, and related titles. This provides a vast number of characters, creatures, items, abilities, and spells for MTG to draw from. With only a little over 100 cards shown so far, players are waiting with bated breath to see if more of their favorites will be included.
While numerous. . . suggestions were made about what cards should be added to the list, a few that stuck out are: Vivi (hopefully as a non-blue mage), Auron (from FF X), Barnabas (FF XVI), and the Buster Sword (to work in tandem with Cloud, Planet’s Champion). There was also a call for more Summon cards and more cards from games that preceded FF VII.
How the Collab Will Affect Magic: The Gathering
Fan responses in this regard are particularly mixed. Some are merely looking forward to the collab and don’t foresee any issues. A few are concerned that there will be some level of power creep. Others are worried that Wizards of the Coast will misinterpret the reason for the popularity of this set and price gouge all future Standard cards.
And then there are those who don’t want to make any guesses just yet, preferring to wait until all of the cards are released. While sensible, this is a rather less fun outlook. After all, speculation is what makes patience bearable.
Overall Feeling of the Collab
Overall, fans are expecting a lot out of this collab, especially based on the successes of other collaborations such as Lord of the Rings, Hatsune Miku, and D&D. That said, there are a few complaints, especially about the price. In the current economy, as much as players would love to drop hundreds of dollars on boxes and packs of boosters, there is a need for fiscal responsibility. As such, the price point might be a bit too high for most people.
Nonetheless, fans do have a favorable view of the collab. When everything is taken together, they give it an average rating of 8.75/10. Although there was one particular persnickety player who wanted to wait for all the cards to come out before they provided a rating. Kill joy.
