On May 10, 2025, the Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY set had its debut showcase at the PAX East convention in Boston, MA. Ben Starr, the English-language voice actor for Final Fantasy XVI main character Clive Rosfeld, hosted a behind-the-scenes panel with Wizards of the Coast (WotC) employees Gavin Verhey, Zakeel Gordon, Daniel Holt, and Dillon Deveney. Also appearing onstage were professional wrestlers and Final Fantasy fans Kenny Omega and Adam Cole.
Final Fantasy I
The panel kicked off with the original Final Fantasy game. Garland, Knight of Cordelia // Chaos, the Endless uses the double-faced card (DFC) mechanic to express the villain’s transformational nature.
The Final Fantasy I selections also include a set of Equipment with the new Job select mechanic. Job select, closely related to the Living weapon mechanic, creates a 1/1 colorless Hero token that then has the Equipment attached to it.
The Final Fantasy: Through the Ages set expresses classic Magic: The Gathering cards through the Final Fantasy lens. The Cloudsea Djinn, alias Nyxbloom Ancient, features artwork by iconic Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano.
Final Fantasy II
For Final Fantasy II, main protagonist Firion has both a main Final Fantasy set manifestation and a Through the Ages version that reskins Sram, Senior Edificer.
Also from Final Fantasy II, the common card Commune with Beavers demonstrates the franchise’s quirky side.
Final Fantasy III
The Final Fantasy III cards kick off with Crystals, an iconic aspect of the series. The Darkness Crystal, a legendary artifact, is one card in a cycle.
The Final Fantasy III cards also include the first Town, a land subtype, with Adventurer’s Inn.
Another preview, The Crystal’s Chosen, appeared briefly in the end trailer.
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy IV tells the story of Cecil, a dark knight who finds redemption as a paladin.
Another legendary creature from IV is the turncoat Kain, Traitorous Dragoon.
Final Fantasy V
Representing Final Fantasy V is the comic villain Gilgamesh…
…while Bartz and Boko introduce both Chocobos, the Final Fantasy bird mounts, as well as the Magic: The Gathering mechanic Affinity for Birds, a revival of the Affinity mechanic that debuted in Mirrodin.
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VI introduces the first of the Final Fantasy Commander 100-card decks, led by Terra, Herald of Hope.
VI also introduces summons, creatures that fight for the player for a limited time. Magic: The Gathering expresses these as Sagas, a type of enchantment with a series of effects over a certain number of turns, as seen on Summon: Esper Valigarmanda.
Terra also appears in the main Magic: The Gathering set, as Terra, Magical Adept // Esper Terra.
VI is also the origin of Kefka, one of the greatest villains of the franchise. The main set features a double-faced card with two aspects of Kefka, the Court Mage and the Ruler of Ruin.
Chocobos!
Chocobos are the focus of the main set’s most exclusive collectibles. Four Neon Ink versions of the card Traveling Chocobo (yellow, green, blue, pink) will appear only in Collector Boosters. The black Chocobo, a tribute to a Square Enix employee, is Japanese-language only.
The golden Traveling Chocobo is the sole serialized offering of the set, with 77 printed.
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII, arguably the most beloved entry in the entire franchise, has a Commander deck as well as numerous main-set entries. In the main set, protagonist Cloud Strife appears as Cloud, Midgar Mercenary, with an ability that fetches Equipment such as Cloud’s famous Buster Sword. (The Buster Sword is confirmed to be in the set, though its abilities have not been revealed.)
Iconic villain Sephiroth appears as a double-faced card, Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER // Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel.
Aerith Gainsborough’s final ability nods to one of the most stunning moments in video game storytelling.
Meanwhile, Tifa Lockhart appears under that name in the main set and as Tifa, Martial Artist in her Commander deck.
Leading the Commander deck is Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER, appropriately themed around sevens.
Final Fantasy VIII
The Final Fantasy VIII selections lead off with moody main character Squall, SeeD Mercenary.
The reveal of Rinoa Heartilly and her dog, Angelo, drew cheers from the audience.
VIII villain Ultimecia’s double-faced card, Ultimecia, Time Sorceress // Ultimecia, Omnipotent, is the first uncommon card to allow its controller to take an extra turn.
Final Fantasy IX
The Final Fantasy IX offerings got off to a villainous start with Kuja, Genome Sorcerer // Trance Kuja, Fate Defied, plus the accompanying Wizard token.
A Through the Ages preview revealed Zidane Tribal as a powerhouse Magic: The Gathering card, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer.
Vivi Ornitier’s abilities encourage casting noncreature spells, such as Fire Magic. Fire Magic has the new Tiered ability, which lets players spend different amounts of mana to emulate different tiers of spells, such as Fire, Fira, and Firaga.
Final Fantasy X
The third Final Fantasy Commander deck is themed after Final Fantasy X. Leading that deck is Tidus, Yuna’s Guardian.
In the main set, Yuna, Hope of Spira has mechanics geared toward using the various Summon enchantment creatures across the set, including Summon: Bahamut.
Zanarkand, Ancient Metropolis // Lasting Fayth is the first in a cycle of legendary lands with Adventure spells attached.
Final Fantasy XI
The first massively multiplayer online (MMO) game in the Final Fantasy franchise, Final Fantasy XI had three previews on the panel. First, Absolute Virtue pays tribute to one of the game’s most infamous Notorious Monsters, or boss characters. Next, Dragoon’s Wyvern depicts a possible companion for the player character. Finally, Shantotto, Tactician Magician puts the spotlight on the game’s breakout star.
Final Fantasy XII
The first Final Fantasy XII preview depicts two party members, Balthier and Fran, on a single card.
The other preview, for Through the Ages, is Wall of Omens, rendered as The Imperial City of Archades. Notably, this preview uses pre-existing artwork, the same illustration used to attract artists to work on the game.
Final Fantasy XIII
The first Final Fantasy XIII preview is of the main character, as Lightning, Army of One.
Fang, Fearless l’Cie and Vanille, Cheerful l’Cie share a meld ability, unique in the set. Meet the conditions, and you can meld the two cards, turning them over to make Ragnarok, Divine Deliverance.
Final Fantasy XIV
As a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, Final Fantasy XIV has a long line of expansions that provide notable characters, such as the inept and questionably dead detective Hildibrand Manderville.
Final Fantasy XIV also has the final Commander deck of Final Fantasy Commander. Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed is the face of the deck.
Another version of the character, Y’shtola Rhul, appears in the main set.
Summon: Primal Odin demands an answer. If it deals combat damage to a player while Zantetsuken is active, that player loses the game!
Summoner’s Grimoire is another Job select piece of Equipment; Zodiark, Umbral God makes life grim for opponents; and Emet-Selch of the Third Seat adds spice to any Commander deck in the right colors.
Final Fantasy XV
The Final Fantasy XV previews paired a protagonist and antagonist: Noctis, Prince of Lucis, and Ardyn, the Usurper.
Final Fantasy XVI
The previews for the newest mainline Final Fantasy game, XVI, focus on a pair of “Dominants” or summoners: Jill, Shiva’s Dominant // Shiva Warden of Ice; and Clive, Ifrit’s Dominant // Ifrit, Warden of Inferno.
Cid
Finally, what would a Final Fantasy set be without Cid? From Final Fantasy II to Final Fantasy XVI, fifteen printings of Cid, Timeless Artificer are available for players. As a bonus, a deck may contain any number of cards named Cid, Timeless Artificer!
