The long-awaited Magic: The Gathering — FINAL FANTASY set will soon release on June 13! In anticipation of this exciting event, we're introducing some of the cards in the set – sixteen articles for sixteen mainline games in the series!
The elements we showcase here range from iconic characters to defining moments—aspects that encompass the essence of the FINAL FANTASY franchise.
For our twelfth showcase, we’d like to show you two cards from FINAL FANTASY XII.
In FFXII, the protagonists become members of a clan, which allows them to take on requests to defeat powerful monsters known as marks. “Sidequest: Hunt the Mark” is themed after this system.
By completing hunts from all over Ivalice, the protagonists can eventually be tasked to face “Yiazmat, the Ultimate Mark.” Even among all the iconic enemies across the FINAL FANTASY franchise, this mark is up there with the toughest! Hopefully, you’ll be fighting with Yiazmat rather than against it.
The next card features two members of the FFXII main cast as well as some of the most recognizable faces across the entire franchise. Balthier is a sky pirate who helms the airship Strahl, and Fran is a member of the elusive Viera race. “Balthier and Fran” showcases their coolness as veteran sky pirates and their affinity as partners.
Today's cards focus on the iconic sky pirates and one of the series of quests unique to this game that they can embark on. Take to the skies and take on hunts alongside our heroes by picking up FFXII!
We’ve received some additional comments on today’s cards from Magic: The Gathering’s very own Principle Narrative Game Designer: Dillon Deveney! Enjoy his commentary below.
Sidequest: Hunt the Mark
Here we have a great example of our Sidequest cards! There is a cycle of these double-faced cards in each color, that reflect a memorable game system or iconic sidequest throughout the FINAL FANTASY series. I am a huge fan of the Ivalice world and was excited to have found a home for the Hunt system. The story here is that you are accepting hunting missions, fighting and slaying increasingly epic monsters (known as Marks), until you are ready to battle the biggest and baddest monster of all: Yiazmat! You flip this card over, and your reward is a recreation of the iconic fight.
Yiazmat, the Ultimate Mark
Such an epic card. Yiazmat is extremely difficult to defeat in-game, so since you went through all the perils of completing this sidequest, now your opponents have to go through the perils of battling this nearly indestructible ultimate boss!
Balthier and Fran
If it isn't the "leading man" himself! I have such a love for these two characters; I think they are so well designed and written very well. Fran is such an icon too; I love her character and every time I play through, I always prioritize leveling up Fran first. I will be building a Commander deck with these two as my commander for sure! The art distills the essence of what makes them so cool: confident and strong poses, the skies of Ivalice filled with airships, and we can see the Strahl zooming by!
Magic: The Gathering — FINAL FANTASY will be available for purchase on June 13. Until then, why not come (re-)familiarize yourself with the world of FINAL FANTASY? If you simply can’t wait, be among the first to play with the collaboration cards via prerelease at authorized retailers come Friday, June 6!
FINAL FANTASY XII
As war looms on the horizon, the mighty Arcadian Empire begins a campaign to subjugate its neighbors. The small kingdom of Dalmasca shares their fate. Two years after its fall, in the capital city of Rabanastre, the people line the streets to wait for the appointment of the new consul from Archadia. To Vaan, a young man living on the streets of Rabanastre, the empire is a hated enemy who took the life of his brother, the only family he had left. Vaan hatches a plot to break into the palace and take back the spoils of conquest from Dalmasca's occupiers.
He gets more than he bargained for when he meets Princess Ashe, the sole surviving heir to the Dalmascan throne, thought dead since the war. Together, they embark on an adventure spanning Ivalice that traces the mysteries behind the Archadian Empire's invasion.
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