Magic: The Gathering
By By
Jessica Cogswell
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Magic: The Gathering is delving into the realm of Final Fantasy for its upcoming collaboration, and along with some genuinely stunning artwork, it introduces several thrilling mechanics. Following Wizard of the Coast’s PAX East panel, we are now presented with a solid overview of some of these mechanics and how specific cards will interact with one another.
While certain mechanics—like Job Select—show up more frequently, a hallmark of this Universes Beyond expansion is that some cards feature mechanics exclusive to that card alone. Typically, these appear on some of the Final Fantasy series’ most notable figures, both big in size and impact. It’s also essential to highlight that some of these mechanics, such as Tifa’s Landfall and Melee, are not unfamiliar to this series. However, I’ve decided to discuss those that are not exactly as common as standard Haste, Flying, Lifelink, Deathtouch, Trample, Vigilance, and others.
Although the team collaborating on this project has assured players that more cards will be unveiled in the upcoming weeks, below is a list of all the keywords that have been disclosed so far. We will certainly update this article as additional cards—and mechanics—are presented.
Summon
Summons can be best described as a blend between your typical Enchantment Creature and Magic: The Gathering’s relatively recent card type, Sagas. Upon playing a Summon, you’ll experience a series of events depending on how many turns they have been on the battlefield, after which the card must be sacrificed, much like Sagas. However, Summons provide these cards with an added advantage, as they can also attack and defend as if they were a regular Creature.
In addition to standard Summon cards, specific characters—like Final Fantasy XVI’s hero Clive—can morph into summons, cleverly referencing events from the game.
Job Select
Job Select is a mechanic that appears to be exclusive to Equipment cards. Whereas most Equipment cards necessitate an existing creature on the field to equip them, Job Select cards allow you to create a 1/1 colorless Hero creature token that immediately gets the played Equipment attached. Additionally, Job Select cards introduce an extra creature type to the equipped creature—Cleric for White Mage’s Staff, Wizard for Black Mage’s Rod, etc.—in addition to providing a corresponding buff.
Tiered
Tiered spells are a fundamental part of many JRPG series, with Final Fantasy very much included. To emulate the gradual evolution of black magic in the series, Magic: The Gathering is introducing the Tiered mechanic. When casting a Tiered spell, players can select how much mana they wish to expend to achieve varying damage outputs. The more mana spent, the mightier the spell, accurately mirroring combat mechanics in Final Fantasy.
Jump
Currently, Kain is the sole dragoon featured in the Final Fantasy collaboration—but I would be genuinely astonished if additional ones are not revealed shortly. While I eagerly await for Freya from Final Fantasy IX to appear, let’s discuss what Jump entails: Creatures with Jump possess Flying during your turn. Quite straightforward.
Darkness // Protect
Both Darkness and Protect seem to be exclusive to Cecil, Dark Knight and Cecil, Redeemed Paladin, respectively. With Darkness, every time Cecil inflicts damage, you lose that much life. Once your life totals fall to half or below your starting life total, Cecil becomes untapped and transforms.
After Cecil, Dark Knight shifts into Cecil, Redeemed Paladin, he acquires the Protect ability, which grants all creatures attacking with Cecil Indestructible until the end of your turn. Considering the substantial sacrifices necessary to achieve his Redeemed Paladin form, it only makes sense that Protect is a notably strong ability.
Super Nova
Once Sephiroth, Fabled Soldier transforms into Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel, he gains the Super Nova ability. This keyword activates as soon as the transformation occurs, granting Sephiroth’s new form an emblem stating, “Whenever a creature dies, target opponent loses one life and you gain one life.” As Lifelink is a widely favored mechanic among Angel creature types, it is unsurprising yet delightful that the Magic team chose to extend it to this fallen angel as well.
Trance
At present, Terra, Herald of Hope is the only card featuring the Trance ability—however, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this mechanic appear again later on. Once the Trance ability activates, players must mill two cards during the combat phase of their turn. After that, the character with Trance gains Flying.
Stagger
Final Fantasy XIII’s Stagger system is often hailed as one of the game’s best features and has been emulated and adapted in numerous JRPGs since. Thus, giving Lightning, Army of One her own Stagger ability is both fitting and legendary. With Stagger, after Lightning deals combat damage to a player, all sources of damage to that player or any permanent they control are doubled until your next turn. To be honest, this is quite an intriguing mechanic.
card. While Lightning is not among the Final Fantasy series’ four highlighted commanders, her capability—and low mana requirement—make her an excellent option.
Rough Divide
Squall is not merely “the most attractive individual here”; he also possesses a remarkable unique skill: Rough Divide. With this ability, whenever a creature under your control attacks solo, it acquires Double Strike until the end of your turn. Given that this brooding character is infamous for being somewhat of a lone wolf, this ability is quite ingenious.
Flame Star
Once Kuja, Genome Sorcerer evolves into Trance Kuja, Fate Defied, he gains the special ability Flame Star. This allows Wizards you control that would inflict damage on a permanent or player to deal double damage instead. It’s a straightforward skill, but it makes him exceptional in Wizard-centric decks.
Meld
During Magic: The Gathering’s PAX East Final Fantasy presentation, it was confirmed that Fang and Vanille are the sole cards in this set featuring the Meld ability. To Meld these cards, a player must have both Fang, Fearless l’Cie and Vanille, Cheerful l’Cie on the battlefield. If so, they can elect to spend five mana (three colorless, one black, and one green) to Meld them into Ragnarok, Divine Deliverance, a powerful tribute to Final Fantasy XIII.
Cheer
The ever-optimistic Tidus appears to be the only card boasting the Cheer ability, which aligns perfectly with his cheerful nature and role as Yuna’s protector and Golden Retriever boyfriend. With Cheer, whenever one or more creatures you control with counters inflict combat damage on a player, you may draw a card and Proliferate—essentially allowing you to increase the counters on your card. Though it’s limited to once per turn, Proliferate impacts any number of permanents you control, making it an incredibly effective way to enhance your team.
Angelo Cannon
Of course, who needs a Golden Retriever boyfriend when you have an actual furry friend to snuggle with? Final Fantasy VIII’s Rinoa Heartilly brings her delightful companion Angelo along with a unique ability: Angelo Cannon. Whenever Rinoa Heartilly attacks, another target creature you control receives +1/+1 for each creature you control until the turn ends. This, in conjunction with her ETB (Enters the Battlefield) ability, makes her a strong pick for decks centered on token generation.
Adventure (Land)
Although Adventures are not a novel mechanic, this marks the first appearance of an Adventure Land card—previously, Adventures were solely found on Creatures, Enchantments, or Artifacts. After playing this Land card, you may opt to pay the mana cost to activate the Adventure on the lower left side of the card. Once the action described is carried out, the card must be placed in Exile.
Landfall
Landfall isn’t a new mechanic in Magic: The Gathering, but it is rare enough to warrant mention. With Tifa Lockhart’s Landfall ability, whenever a land you control enters play, you may double Tifa Lockhart’s power until the conclusion of your turn. While this card may not aid in Land/mana ramping and isn’t particularly potent on its own, if used strategically, this low-cost card could deliver a surprising impact.
Melee
Melee is another ability that isn’t new yet can be quite formidable. With the Melee ability, each time Tifa, Martial Artist attacks, she gains +1/+1 until turn’s end for every opponent you engaged in this combat. Since this card is poised to be used in Commander—a Magic format typically played in groups—you could leverage this skill to provide Tifa a substantial enhancement.