Some of the most expensive MTG promos that players have ever seen aren’t actually that old. These cards are instead expensive because of their extreme scarcity. Available only at MagicCon events, Secret Lair Showdowns offered extremely lucrative prizing in the form of MTG promos. While the first-place prizes were worth tens of thousands of dollars, even the top finisher prizes easily surpassed $2000.
These new MTG Final Fantasy promos aren’t likely to be as exclusive as the previous Secret Lair Showdown champion promos, but they could likely give the top finisher promos a run for their money. Thanks to the increased collectibility of these Final Fantasy promos, they could be worth even more.
Pro Tour Qualifier Promos (MagicCon: Las Vegas)
These might be some of the sweetest competitive promos that MTG has ever seen. Unfortunately, these are going to be quite difficult to get. The only way to obtain these promos is to attend a Pro Tour Qualifier at MagicCon: Las Vegas. Participants will get a nonfoil promotional Tifa Lockheart and Aerith Gainsborough from Final Fantasy VII. Traditional foils will be exclusively awarded to top finishers.
These promotional cards have a high chance of being rather expensive collectibles. For starters, both of these characters are some of the most iconic ones in the entire Final Fantasy franchise. On top of that, this Aerith Gainsborough art, in particular, references a fan-favorite moment in the Final Fantasy VII game.
While these aren’t being handled in quite the same way as past Secret Lair Showdown events at MagicCons, they appear to share a lot of similarities. All the exclusive reprints found at those events go for much more than their cheapest variants. Murktide Regent’s Secret Lair promo, for example, is worth $2500 according to TCGplayer. There are currently some eBay listings for comparable prices. That’s a huge step up for a $13 card.
For reference, while the art for these cards is unique, these are reprints of Standard-legal cards that have already been revealed to appear in the main set. Tifa Lockheart even has the potential to see competitive play in some hyper-aggro strategies, which could make her even more desirable.
While these were the most financially desirable reprints revealed today, they weren’t everything that Wizards of the Coast had to show.
Herald’s Horn
Herald’s Horn has been revealed as the Box Topper card for the Final Fantasy crossover. Anyone purchasing a Play or Collector Booster Box will get a copy of this full-art card with their purchase at participating stores while supplies last.
If you want to try Moogle Typal, this Herald’s Horn fits perfectly within the theme. Even outside of that, Herald’s Horn is a fantastic reprint for any typal deck. Not only will this make your spells cheaper, but Herald’s Horn will occasionally draw some extra cards. Between card advantage and ramp, this does everything a typal Commander player would want.
Herald’s Horn’s cheapest variant is about $4.75, which is neither a strong nor disappointing Box Topper. That said, because this Herald’s Horn features an exclusive full-art Moogle artwork, it could be worth a premium once the Final Fantasy set ages.
All in all, Herald’s Horn is a satisfying Box Topper – much better than a randomly selected rare from the set with new artwork commonly seen in Standard-legal sets.
Commander Party Promos
Two Final Fantasy MTG Commander Party Promos were also revealed today. These will be available at LGS stores between June 20th and 26th, as well as July 18th and 24th. Check with your LGS to see when these will be specifically available during those dates. Notably, these promos will be available in traditional foil in WPN premium stores only. Nonfoils are available at any other locations hosting the event.
Culling Ritual is a rather popular Commander board wipe at more competitive tables. This card can easily clear a board and add enough mana to attempt a win in cEDH. Even outside of that, Culling Ritual is a great tool to get rid of common mana rocks, draw engines like Mystic Remora, as well as any other powerful cards that come into play quickly. As far as reprint value goes, this is not anything special, but the artwork is fantastic. Culling Ritual is only worth about 60 cents.
Despark is not a very exciting reprint, but it is a decent removal piece in Commander. Complementing Culling Ritual quite nicely, Despark can take care of a massive haymaker that Culling Ritual won’t be able to quite reach.
Incredible Promo Lineup
Whether you’re trying to participate in your first Pro Tour or you’re simply looking for a reason to get the Friday night gang out to play some Commander, these Final Fantasy promos should be fun and desirable incentives to set some time aside to play Magic.
If travelling to Las Vegas is a bit unrealistic for you, but you still want to compete for some pricy promos, the Final Fantasy Store Championship promos were also revealed today. The top finisher promo may not look exciting, but it has the potential to be really expensive.
As of the writing of this article, while we’ve seen these promos, more information is due to be released. If you’re interested in acquiring these promos for yourselves, watch for an article on May 14th that should have everything you need to know.