Well, it happened. Two of the biggest names in gaming have joined forces, and it’s not as cringe as you’d think.
Magic: The Gathering has teamed up with Final Fantasy for a crossover that’s part card game, part memory lane, and surprisingly solid.
Wizards of the Coast has been teasing the collab for a while, and over the weekend, they dropped a bunch of cards from the upcoming set—including some from the new Commander decks. Fans are already deep in analysis mode, and for once, the hype feels kind of justified.
Choose Your Fighter (or Commander)
The main set dips into every numbered game, while the Commander decks zoom in on a few fan favourites: FF6, 7, 10 and 14. Each deck comes with its own lead character—like Cloud, Y’shtola or Tidus—as your Commander.
From early reveals, it’s clear the devs have been pretty faithful to the source material. There are cards that mirror iconic plotlines—like Cecil’s shift from dark knight to paladin in FF4—and summons that now function as “Saga Creatures,” meaning they show up, wreak some havoc, and peace out.
Sephiroth, Cid, and a Lot of Inside Jokes
Art-wise, the crossover’s not phoning it in. Sephiroth gets his own card, illustrated by longtime Final Fantasy artist Tetsuya Nomura, complete with references to his glow-up (or… down?) across the FF7 saga. And of course, every game’s resident engineer Cid makes an appearance—Wizards even chose the cranky, cigarette-smoking Cid from FF15 over the fan-fave mechanic Cindy, which has sparked a few debates online.
For the lore heads, there are a bunch of sneaky references tucked into reimagined Magic staples. One version of “Skullclamp,” for example, draws from FF7’s Jenova project. Other cards channel big emotional beats—like FF10’s heartbreaker of a goodbye—or just poke fun at iconic meme moments, like Tidus’s weird laugh.
FF14’s Deck Is Basically a Love Letter
The Final Fantasy 14 deck is particularly stacked with fan service (the good kind). Early reveals include nods to in-game systems like treasure maps and quest journals, plus a card for Hildibrand—yes, the weird detective guy—who somehow manages to disappear and reappear mid-match. It’s chaotic, but kind of perfect.
Mark Your Calendars (and Clear Some Shelf Space)
The full set drops June 13, 2025, with a pre-release happening the weekend before. There’s still more to be revealed, but if the early cards are anything to go by, this collab might actually pull off the impossible: making longtime fans feel seen and bringing new players into the fold.
No NFT gimmicks, no lazy branding—just a solid, nerdy crossover that knows exactly what it is.
Which is more than most collabs can say.
