At long last, the official release date for Tarkir: Dragonstorm has come and gone. All of the set’s new cards are out in the wild now, mixing up competitive metagames left, right, and center. Just because a new set has launched, however, doesn’t mean that Wizards of the Coast is taking a break. Just one day after the official release date of Tarkir: Dragonstorm, we’ve gotten brand new Final Fantasy spoilers.
Long before the official start to Final Fantasy’s spoiler season, we’ve now seen the Buy-a-Box promos for the set. Somewhat surprisingly, these cards haven’t been leaked, following Wizards’ recent shipping mixup. Instead, these cards have been officially revealed, which is hugely exciting, given how insane these promos are. Sadly, as good as they look, regional exclusivity may rain on players’ parades somewhat.
Force of Negation
To kick off with the big ticket item, Force of Negation is a Buy-a-Box Promo for the Final Fantasy MTG set. As a free turn-zero counterspell, Force of Negation sees immense play in Modern, Legacy, and even Vintage. For added extra spice, Force of Negation will even exile the spell you counter, which is always a nice bonus.
For this Buy-a-Box promo, Force of Negation has been reskinned as Witch’s Foresight, which depicts Edea from Final Fantasy 8. Specifically, the card references the moment in which Edea foils an assassination attempt, which fits Force of Negation fantastically. For Final Fantasy fans and MTG players alike, this card is going to be highly prized, to say the least.
Not only is this Final Fantasy Buy-a-Box Promo powerful and flavorful, but it’s also incredibly expensive. Copies for Force of Negation currently go for around $52 on the secondary market, which is obscene. For better or worse, this new reprint is unlikely to lower this price by any significant amount.
According to the Japanese MTG Twitter account, both the Final Fantasy Buy-a-Box promos we’ve seen today are region exclusive. These cards can only be found within Japanese Play Booster Boxes for the set. On the Japanese website for the set, it’s stated that the Force of Negation promo will specifically be limited to 2,000 copies.
While not quite on the same level as truly serialized cards, it’s safe to say this Force of Negation promo will be obscenely rare. There’s a very real chance that this promo could sell for well over $100. Potentially, prices may even reach four digits, depending on the demand for this Japan-exclusive card.
Arcane Denial
For better or worse, the second Japan exclusive Buy-a-Box promo isn’t nearly as powerful or expensive. Thanks to a range of reprints since its debut in 1996’s Alliances, Arcane Denial only sells for around $1.50. Currently, this card doesn’t really see any competitive play, but it’s hugely popular in Commander.
At its worst, Arcane Denial can keep the political peace by making a counterspell less punishing in Commander. On top of this, you also get some extra card draw yourself, which is always a nice added bonus. In most cases, this actually makes Arcane Denial better than a normal Counterspell, thanks to the dynamics of four-player Commander.
While most copies of Arcane Denial tend to sell for around $1.50, there’s a good chance this version could be a lot more valuable. Not only is the foil version of this promo expected to be rarer, but the art is simply sublime. For this Buy-a-Box promo, Arcane Denial has been reskinned as The Endsinger, from Final Fantasy 14.
Appearing as the final boss of the Endwalker expansion, this character holds a special place in many characters’ hearts. This should make this new promo a fantastic collectible, especially for those in Japan, where Final Fantasy is more popular. That being said, there’s a bit of a flavor mismatch here, as The Endsinger is more destructive than counter-focused, but that’s not the end of the world.
Unlike the Force of Negation promo, this Arcane Denial doesn’t appear to be limited in supply. As a result, its price will likely sit somewhere between the normal reprint and Secret Lair variant prices. Admittedly, this is quite a wide range, as these prices vary from $1.50 to $18.88.
Pulling Out All the Stops
Unsurprisingly, given that Force of Negation is one of the best promos we’ve ever seen, this recent reveal got a big reaction. Across Reddit, many MTG players were impressed by these cards, as it’s clear Wizards is pulling out all the stops. It’s no wonder that MTG’s Head Designer, Mark Rosewater, claimed Final Fantasy would be the biggest set in 2025.
Thanks to their power, price, and art, these promos will surely push players toward buying Play Booster boxes in Japan. Hell, if you get lucky and pull a Force of Negation promo, your box might just pay for itself. This may well ensure that the Final Fantasy MTG set sells out like hotcakes in the region.
Right now, it’s unclear what promos we’ll be getting elsewhere in the world. Obviously, we’d love to see promos as good at this, but only if Wizards can appropriately manage supply. Having an incredible booster box opening experience is always a great time, but only if you can actually buy products. Ultimately, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens and what gets revealed in the future.
