Magic: The Gathering’s 10 Best Final Fantasy References For Fans

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In this crossover collection, some of the series’ most recognized characters are transformed into figures for a tabletop game, providing a unique viewpoint. This event also offers a platform to revisit popular memes and memorable scenes, as they’re elegantly portrayed in Magic: The Gathering through stunning artwork.

In some instances, cards within this blend directly represent a character’s abilities or pivotal moments in their journey, like Cecil’s transformation from a Dark Knight to a Paladin in Final Fantasy IV. However, there are also cards that subtly hint at references only die-hard fans of the series might recognize.

MTG Is Paving the Way for An Advent Children Set

Aerith is renowned for her significant and potentially unmatched impact across video games. Although her death in ‘Final Fantasy VII’ is widely recognized, it’s debatable that she didn’t meet a permanent end, as subsequent installments suggest that her essence persists within the Lifestream. In the final moments of the game, Aerith summoned the Lifestream to support Holy and combat Meteor.

In the game Magic: The Gathering, the Aerith Gainsborough card works like this: it accumulates +1/+1 counters whenever the player gains life. These counters are passed on to Legendary Creatures when she is destroyed. This mechanism symbolizes how her allies were spurred into action by her death, with Aerith’s impact still felt long after she was no longer present, helping to secure victory for her comrades.

You Can’t Stop the Bum Rush in MTG

Final Fantasy VI is known for having several glitches, one of the most well-known being the Sabin and Phantom Train boss glitch. Due to an oversight in programming, Sabin’s Suplex skill, which normally can’t be used on bosses, can function on the train, enabling him to execute a wrestling move on a moving vehicle.

The crossover set makes clear allusion to this, as the “Suplex” card in Magic: The Gathering depicts Sabin charging towards the Phantom Train. Its additional feature pays homage to a glitch, enabling it to expel an artifact from play. This allows the Suplex card to eliminate the Phantom Train with a single strike, regardless of whether Sabin’s card is present on the battlefield or not.

This FFXIV-Inspired card Is Balanced, As All Things Should Be

In the game of Magic: The Gathering, black cards are notorious for eliminating creatures instantly. Consequently, it’s only fitting that the character Zodiark, Umbral God exhibits traits consistent with its color. When Zodiark is summoned, each player is required to sacrifice a portion of their creatures (rounded down), and for every creature sacrificed in this manner, Zodiark receives a +1/+1 counter.

In Final Fantasy XIV’s lore, the catastrophic power unleashed by Zodiark is a nod to its backstory. The inhabitants of Etheirys prevented the Final Days by sacrificing half their civilization, leading to the creation of Zodiark and the arrival of the first Primal. To harness this entity’s immense might in Magic: The Gathering, players might need to make similar sacrifices. Alternatively, they could exploit its power to bully opponents when their field is unoccupied.

At Least Players Can’t Hear This MTG Card Laugh

In contrast to previous games in the series, Final Fantasy X featured voice acting for the first time. Generally, the voice actors did an impressive job; however, there was an unusual scene where Tidus and Yuna unconvincingly fake-laughed, which eventually turned into genuine laughter. This scene is quite awkward and has become a popular inside joke among fans, known as the “laughing scene.” Despite its enduring popularity, this sequence hasn’t aged particularly well within the game. It remains a beloved title and one of the notable entries in the series.

The well-known chuckle has found its place in the world of Magic: The Gathering through the artwork and flavor text of the Inspiring Call card. This Instant grants every creature bearing a +1/+1 counter the indestructible attribute until the end of the turn, demonstrating quite a formidable laugh.

Most Magic Games Don’t Last This Long

In the annals of Final Fantasy lore, the embodiment of Absolute Virtue stands as one of the most formidable adversaries ever encountered. Making its debut in Final Fantasy XI, this fearsome boss’s unique regenerative capabilities and self-healing power made it virtually unbeatable for years on end. Reflecting this challenge, the Absolute Virtue in Magic: The Gathering is just as intimidating.

Despite Absolute Virtue’s impressive stats and ability to fly, its inability to be countered during summoning poses a significant challenge. Many budget strategies for sending cards back to the hand or deck are ineffective against it. To make matters worse, when Absolute Virtue is on the field, its controller becomes immune to anything their opponent plays, making it difficult for non-milling players to defeat this formidable figure.

Even Dragoons Know How to Vogue in MTG

In contrast to the early “Final Fantasy” games, they seldom mirrored the stunning visuals depicted in Yoshitaka Amano’s concept art. Fortunately, his artwork saw a significant revival in those titles.

In the Amano artwork, Kain is depicted with his spear and balancing on one foot, though this particular pose isn’t seen in Kain’s own art. However, the Dragoon’s Lance card displays a typical knight of the class executing the famous stance, but from a different perspective.

Final Fantasy Proves That the Bird Gives and the Bird Takes Away

In numerous Final Fantasy series, healing spells and items usually harm living beings but benefit the undead. This peculiarity also applies to abilities that can resurrect the dead, as they might inadvertently destroy the undead. A well-known example of an undead boss defeated using this method is Gi Nattak from Final Fantasy VII.

In the Final Fantasy series, the Phoenix Down item is renowned for restoring life to fallen or departed characters. In Magic: The Gathering, this artifact possesses two abilities: it can resurrect a creature with a mana cost of 4 or lower, or instantly expel a Skeleton, Spirit, or Zombie from the game. This makes it particularly useful against decks that predominantly rely on black magic.

That’s One Way to Get the Buster Sword

Gilgamesh is among the rare characters in the Final Fantasy series who journeys across various games within the franchise. Not only does he create chaos, but he also has a penchant for amassing weapons during his travels. In different instances, Gilgamesh can be spotted wielding swords from various Final Fantasy installments, as well as one from the Dragon Quest collection.

In essence, the character equivalent of Gilgamesh within “Magic: The Gathering” focuses on weapons. Upon entering the battlefield or attacking, a player searches through the top six cards of their deck for Equipment cards and places them onto the battlefield. These Equipment cards can be swiftly attached to any Samurai creature, including Gilgamesh himself, making him resemble a warrior bedecked in swords much like his depictions in various “Final Fantasy” series.

She Gets the Band Back Together Like in Final Fantasy VI’s World of Ruin

In an uncommon manner, Final Fantasy VI stands out due to its extensive cast and lack of a single main character. As the game progresses towards its latter half, the party gets separated, allowing players to complete the story without reuniting them. Players who aim to boost their chances of defeating the final boss may choose to locate their former comrades, ensuring they have as many team members as possible for the climactic battle.

In simpler terms, the Commander Deck version of Terra (Terra, Herald of Hope) possesses a unique ability that triggers when she inflicts damage in battle to another player. The person controlling her can choose to spend two mana to resurrect a creature with power 3 or below from their graveyard. This ability symbolizes her restoring the party following a disaster during the World of Ruin segment in Final Fantasy VI.

Where’s the Final Aeon When MTG Players Need It?

Sin may be likened to an unstoppable giant monster, capable of destroying entire cities and spawning countless other monstrous beings from its body. What makes this situation even more dire is that Sin cannot be permanently destroyed. Instead, a powerful summoner must sacrifice themselves to create the Final Aeon, a temporary entity that can only slay Sin for a few years before it resurfaces again.

As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but marvel at how Magic: The Gathering has captured Sin’s indomitable spirit in the card, Sin, Unending Cataclysm. When Sin meets its demise on the battlefield, it gets shuffled back into my opponent’s library, making it a relentless challenge for them to find a way to permanently banish this menace from Spira. This is not just a powerful card, but a brilliant nod to the rich lore of Final Fantasy X.

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2025-06-03 04:27