Even before the Commander reveals yesterday, we already knew Final Fantasy was going to be a massive MTG set. MTG Head Designer, Mark Rosewater, had previously talked up their expectations, which we all put down to the franchise’s popularity. While this will no doubt be a factor in the set’s success, we had no idea it’d be this literally huge.
Today, Wizards of the Coast has revealed a slew of new cards and products for the Final Fantasy MTG set. Four Commander Decks, Starter Decks, Bundles, and two different collector-focused products all support support the main set. As if all that wasn’t somehow enough already, the Final Fantasy MTG even has its own bonus sheet!
Final Fantasy Through the Ages
Unsurprisingly, the Through the Ages bonus sheet in Magic’s latest set is very Final Fantasy-themed. Iconic MTG cards will feature “existing artwork from the Final Fantasy series.” While we’re a long way from seeing everything, Wizards has already stated artists Yoshitaka Amano and Tetsuya Nomura will appear.
Considering the hype that followed the tease of Yoshitaka Amano’s work in the set, it’s safe to say players are already excited. Not only will we be getting a slew of new reprints, but the art alone could make these cards rather prized. That being said, not everyone is a huge fan of the text formatting, which doesn’t hugely fit with the rest of the art.
Appearances aside, the real factor determining the price of the Through the Ages bonus sheet cards will be accessibility. Historically, bonus sheet cards have appeared in every Play Booster, making them a core part of the set. We know that Play Boosters for this set will also contain Bonus Sheet cards, but it is unclear if some additional twist is involved.
Since this Bonus Sheet is available in Final Fantasy Play Boosters, then the contents will have to be somewhat balanced for limited. For better or worse, this may prevent Wizards from reprinting the spiciest cards from throughout Magic’s history. Thankfully, even if Wizards does go down this route, there are still plenty of expensive cards that could offer fantastic financial value.
Pricy Picks
Speaking of fantastic financial value, one of the newly revealed bonus sheet reprints is a true bomb. Having only previously been printed in Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate, Ancient Copper Dragon is a true powerhouse. Capable of generating 20 tokens in a single swing, this card currently sells for at least $74.
Thanks to its ludicrous token-producing ability, Ancient Copper Dragon is, unsurprisingly, a true Commander staple. With this in mind, this reprint is good news for everyone. Those looking to pick up this card should soon be able to for slightly cheaper, while finance fans have a fantastic pull from packs. Even Final Fantasy fans get the treat of fantastically flavorful art, so it’s truly a good time all around.
Unfortunately, the second Through the Ages bonus sheet card to be revealed isn’t quite as amazing for everyone. Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow, reskinned as Yuffie Kisaragi, is an undeniably fantastic card, but they’re not very expensive. Thanks to a recent reprint in Commander Masters, you can now get copies of copies of Yuriko for under $2.
Despite this price point, Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow is one of the most popular Commanders in the entire format. Offering draw, damage, and a means to constantly cheat them in, it’s no wonder that Yuriko is so popular. The card has even appeared on the Game Changers List. Now they’ve been reskinned as Yuffie, there’s bound to be even more players clamoring to build decks with her.
While we’ve only seen two Final Fantasy Through the Ages reprints, this bonus sheet is still seriously exciting. Reprints are always in hot demand, especially now there’s seemingly no room on the release calendar for a Masters set. We can only hope we’ll see more reprints like Ancient Copper Dragon for maximum value.
But Wait, There’s More
As if a whole bonus sheet wasn’t enough reprints for your liking, Final Fantasy has even more in store. On top of everything else, Wizards has confirmed the set will be getting three unique Secret Lair drops. Currently, details of these drops are under wraps, but they’ll surely showcase some iconic styles from throughout Final Fantasy’s history.
Given Final Fantasy first debuted in 1987, there’s no shortage of different aesthetics that Wizards of the Coast could use. Eight-bit retro cards and low-poly styles, for instance, would both look amazing and especially nostalgic. Ultimately, while Wizards has plenty of freedom, predicting Secret Lair styles is a fool’s errand as basically nothing is off-limits.
For better or worse, we’re just going to have to wait and see what Wizards has in store. As of now, the release dates for the three Final Fantasy Secret Lair drops haven’t been announced yet. That being said, we can expect to see them closer to the set’s official release date of June 13th, 2025.
