The FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME (FFTCG) is a global hit. With Opus XI slated to be released on March 27, we’ll be introducing two new cards from the set in an FF Portal exclusive sneak peek.

A Sneak Peek at Opus XI Soldier’s Return

Ritz [11-063L]

[Comment from Producer Taro Kageyama]
Hello, everyone. FFTCG producer Taro Kageyama here. I get the chance to speak to you here on the FF Portal every time an FFTCG set is released, and this time I’d like to introduce two cards from the newest set, Opus XI Soldier’s Return, before its release on March 27. We’ll be once again looking at cards with FFTCG-exclusive artwork.
The first card is Ritz from FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE, and since it’s FFTA, of course the illustration is by Ryoma Ito. FFTA’s story unravels through a complex entanglement of the dreams of many characters into a fantasy world, in which Ritz is also a major player. Ritz is against going back to the real world due to the personal issues that troubled her there, and I think most would agree that her feelings and how they evolve are an essential part of any playthrough of FFTA. As for how Ritz’s card has been designed from a strategy perspective, this is an extremely aggressive card. The first ability makes the card stronger when one controls cards of the same category, which is a fairly familiar kind of ability in FFTCG. Any Forward of category FFTA will do the job, but if you’re going to stay faithful to the original game then using her with Shara could be a pretty slick choice.

This card’s second ability allows the player to Activate up to three Backups when attacking. There are a lot of situations where this could be a powerful ability, but let me give you a simple example. If you dull three Backups to play Ritz and immediately attack, then use this ability to Activate the three Backups again, you can actually play Ritz at zero CP cost! Last, Ritz has an ability that prevents her from being blocked. The player using her must have taken 3 damage for this ability to work, but even in fairly early stages of a match that’s not uncommon. Players who use Ritz will likely end up with a deck that just keeps the attacks coming.

[Comment from Illustrator Ryoma Ito]
For Opus XI, I’ve once again been given the opportunity to do card illustrations. I’d done FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE illustrations for FFTCG before, but this is my first time drawing Ritz. It had been a really long time since I’d drawn her, so I had a lot of fun with this. Like last time, Mr. Matsuyama―the person who oversees FFTCG―asked me to approach drawing this character in a way that I hadn’t before. So, while there were some parts I struggled with and I had to get various advice to achieve the final result you see here, I was given a lot of freedom and I’m very happy with how it turned out.
I’d love it if this card was enjoyed by many people, and I hope that you guys use it in your decks and really make the most of it! Also, FFTA was released on February 14, so it makes me really happy to know that Opus XI is being released not too far off from then.

Princess Sarah [11-128H]

[Comment from Producer Taro Kageyama]
Continuing on to the next card, we have Princess Sarah from FINAL FANTASY, illustrated by Toshitaka Matsuda. In FINAL FANTASY, Princess Sarah is rescued by the Warriors of Light after being kidnapped by Garland. It’s not too far-fetched to say that this is the real starting point of FFI, and I’m sure many people who played it still clearly remember the opening sequence that plays upon crossing that bridge.
Now, in FFTCG, Princess Sarah’s abilities are a little unusual. When Princess Sarah enters the field, you can choose which element she will be, plus her second ability can make Forwards of that chosen element more powerful. What’s really interesting about this card is that it stays Light element until entering the field. That means you can put her into play with CP of any element. So she’s not just useful for simply powering up Forwards, but she allows you to easily play a Backup of any element you need as well. I’m sure players will find many ways to make use of this card.

[Comment from Illustrator Toshitaka Matsuda]
To me, FFI is something like a myth or a legend. And so, even though Sarah is a living woman, I drew her in such a way as to give the impression that she’s a goddess who exists in a legend. I also was responsible for the art on the Warrior of Light and Chaos cards, which I drew in opposition of each other, so I drew Sarah with an image of her shining upon those characters as she sits in between them.
Also, when I have the chance to draw a character, I’m very careful to fully understand their background and origin story and make that into a kind of theme for the image. This illustration is of the scene when Sarah hands the lute to the Warriors of Light. I tried to capture her expression of affection for the heroes who saved her―how did I do?

What is FFTCG?

FFTCG is a one-on-one tactical card game featuring FINAL FANTASY characters and summons. Not only is there fun in collecting cards featuring familiar faces, the main draw of the game is the simplicity of the rules combined with the complexity of the gameplay. The art drawn for the game by famed illustrators is also a popular aspect of FFTCG!

Find out more about FFTCG, including upcoming products and events at:
https://fftcg.square-enix-games.com/en

Play the FFTCG tutorial:
https://sqex.to/FinalFantasyTCG