Wizards of the Coast recently showed off their latest Universes Beyond entry for Magic: The Gathering: Square-Enix's Final Fantasy.
Over the past several Universes Beyond and other media tie-ins, Magic has learned that the best IPs are the ones that are, well, magical or fantasy based. Dungeons and Dragons, Warhammer 40,000, and especially The Lord of the Rings have done exceptionally well.
That's what makes the next set out in June, Final Fantasy, interesting. It falls in line with what has worked, and like other popular sets, is a kind of "take my money" moment for fans of both. Cards like these flat out work, especially if haven't heard of or are familiar with Final Fantasy. Thanks to the art styles not shifting from other sets, similar creatures, and a general aesthetic in-line with Magic, it looks like it belongs.
Something from Jurassic Park being used can take you out of the game. Transformers did this. Spongebob most definatley will. But as it's been shown so far, it looks integrated.
Only a handful of cards have been previewed and, at this point, they look like they can be used like any other. With dragons getting more of a refocus lately, Final Fantasy seems to add to that. Every major character gets a prominent card too, which is expected but good. A few cards seem ridiculously powerful if you don't have good counters, but nothing trial and error can't fix.
As per usual, the art is stunning and seems to be the kind of art that the games wish they had for game covers and ads back in the day.
The Commander decks are also interesting. They all include the color white in them, which this writer feels to be a little disappointing. It is neat, though, that they're all based around different core Final Fantasy entries: Final Fantasy VI, VII, X, and XIV. Plus, they have an adorable chocobo as the set symbol (the base Final Fantasy set has a FF crystal).
But this is just what has been released so far too. With the series having a lot of different spells and creatures and characters, there are bound to be come crazy combinations. Based on the previews and commander decks, the set is trying to create a sort of play that makes you feel like you're playing your own custom video game on cardboard. And that isn't an easy task.
Many of the cards also aren't simple reskins of older cards, which is what many Universes Beyond cards tend to do. They're going for a unique playing experience that still follows the same Magic beats. And the cards can also make sense when mixed in with others.
Final Fantasy won't be for everybody, but it already seems popular enough to get people on board with it. Many fans are clamoring for a return back to more traditional planes and stories, as Bloomburrow proved.
Final Fantasy seems to mixing an odd mix of giving the fans what they want, giving fans of other IPs what they want, and Magic finding another profitable crossover. There's goodwill here though, and if successful, maybe IPs of more wanted series like Game of Thrones or Elder Scrolls can be announced at some point in the future.
You can pre-order Magic The Gathering Universes Beyond - Final Fantasy from our partner, Miniature Market.
