The Finest ‘Ultimate Fantasy’ References in Its Large ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Crossover

Immediately one of many largest units in Magic: The Gathering‘s latest historical past makes its grand arrival eventually: Final Fantasy, the primary of Magic‘s at-times-controversial “Universes Past” crossovers with different franchises to be given the total standard-legal remedy. It’s a wedding of two of gaming’s most beloved fantasy realms, and with absolute legions of followers of each Magic and Ultimate Fantasy to please, it has to hit the highlights and mechanical flavoring of 16 mainline sport’s value of viable playing cards. From all the pieces we’ve seen of the set within the run as much as at this time’s launch, it seems like Wizards of the Coast and Sq. Enix helped construct a match made in (seventh) heaven—however right here’s a few of our favorite nods to Ultimate Fantasy‘s huge legacy that we love most from the set.

Naturally, a few of these references are about key main story factors of their respective Ultimate Fantasy titles. When you’re not caught up with the 16 mainline video games which have launched over the previous 4 a long time, properly, take into account your self very frivolously spoiler warned right here.

Tiered Spells Are a Good Mix of Ultimate Fantasy and Magic

One of many new mechanical additions the Ultimate Fantasy set brings to Magic is the “Tiered” rule: if a participant pays a further value to the cardboard’s preliminary mana value, they will choose from certainly one of three tiers of energy. Extra mana means extra results—identical to how in Ultimate Fantasy loads of magic spells have three evolutionary steps: their base type, a stronger model of that type with the suffix -ara, after which its strongest type with the suffix -aga.

The tiered spells within the set are unfold throughout two totally different varieties: some are given to characterize varied restrict break assaults from Ultimate Fantasy VII, reflecting the occasion’s capacity to develop stronger particular assaults over the course of the sport. However the ones that characterize a few of Ultimate Fantasy‘s elemental and restorative magics are every neatly attuned to the colour identities they’re assigned to in Magic. Aggressive hearth and thunder magics are assigned to pink; ice, which as a substitute of doing harm bounces playing cards again into an opponents arms or libraries, is assigned to blue, which displays that coloration’s archetypal deal with interruption and management mechanics. It’s a really neat technique to mechanically marry a Ultimate Fantasy participant’s understanding of the sequence’ base magic system to a Magic participant’s understanding of its personal colours’ archetypes and escalatory results.

Suplex the Prepare, Dammit

Suplex, renamed to Meteor Strike in later variations of Ultimate Fantasy VI, is among the many martial skills of Sabin the Monk, letting him… properly, choose an enemy up and flip them within the air to slam them straight again down. However whereas Sabin can use the transfer on a large number of VI‘s huge creatures, probably the most notorious sufferer of the assault—spurring years of web meme historical past—is the truth that he can use it when the occasion encounters the Phantom Prepare after Sabin, Cyan, and Shadow flee the Empire’s invasion of Doma. The Phantom Prepare is, after all, a spectral haunted steam prepare, so it’s very absurd that Sabin can simply choose it up and suplex it prefer it’s no huge deal.

Suplex will get its personal card as a sorcery in Magic, which helps you to do three harm to a creature—fairly primary. Besides, a participant who performs Suplex may as a substitute use its second capacity, which permits it to particularly exile an artifact card. You recognize what’s an artifact within the Ultimate Fantasy set? The Phantom Prepare.

Lightning’s Stagger

FF XIII‘s protagonist has a number of playing cards to her identify within the set, however Lightning, Military of One has a number of cool mechanical nods to XIII‘s battle system. The primary is that “Military of One” suffix, a reference to Lightning’s highly effective combo assault of that identify within the sport—an aggression that’s symbolically matched within the card by giving her a number of offensive key phrases like Trample (which lets her deal extra harm from fight on to a participant) and First Strike (which lets her deal harm earlier than anybody else resolves harm in fight).

But it surely’s Lightning, Military of One’s different rule that’s the neater reference: she has Stagger, a nod to the mechanic of the identical identify in XIII that lets the occasion deal bonus harm to an opponent as soon as they’ve maxed out its stagger gauge by way of regular, repeated assaults for a quick time period. In Magic, it lets every other creature that assaults Lightning’s goal, whether or not it’s one other creature or a participant, take double harm for the remainder of the flip. Similar hat!

Sephiroth Yearns to Kill Aerith

One of many most infamous moments within the authentic Ultimate Fantasy VII is Sephiroth’s homicide of Aerith as she prays within the Metropolis of Ancients. Just like the synergy between Suplex and Phantom Prepare earlier than it, Sephiroth, Fabled Soldier and Aerith have a synergy that grimly displays his fated killing: Aerith’s guidelines let her achieve +1/+1 counters each time you achieve life, and Sephiroth, Fabled Soldier offers you life each time one other creature dies. The fourth time that impact occurs, you may flip Sephiroth over, remodeling him into his highly effective One Winged Angel type.

However he can even sacrifice any card, together with certainly one of your individual, each time he assaults. Which, as a rule, triggers “dies” as a mechanic, advancing Sephiroth nearer to his transformation… and Aerith herself has a particular rule that, when she dies, her accrued +1/+1 tokens might be given to all Legendary Creatures you’ve in play. So, in case you have them each in play, Sephiroth can sacrifice Aerith for his fourth set off, remodeling, and then reap the advantages of all of the +1/+1 tokens Aerith had constructed up from his attacking. It’s imply! And really flavorful.

Or you would simply play Sephiroth’s Intervention, a black Immediate that destroys any goal creature, should you simply need to kill an Aerith for funsies.

Ultimate Fantasy XIV‘s Ultimate Days

One of many largest items of background lore within the critically acclaimed MMORPG Ultimate Fantasy XIV is the “Ultimate Days,” a cataclysmic apocalypse that occurred hundreds of years previously that noticed the world of Etheirys, the realm of a precursor race known as the Ancients, break into 14 shards throughout a battle between the gods Zodiark and Hydaelyn in an try and stall the Ultimate Days’ arrival. A lot of Ultimate Fantasy XIV takes place on the first of these reflective shards, the Supply, whereas a few of its expansions have seen gamers journey to the worlds of different shards, like Shadowbringers.

This occasion comes up in a number of poignantly thematic playing cards within the Magic set. Zodiark, Umbral God sees a participant sacrifice half of the creatures they management, as a reference to the sacrifice the Ancients made to summon Zodiark and delay the Ultimate Days within the first place. In the meantime, Emet-Selch, Unsundered—one of many few surviving Ancients, haunted by his need to revive the world to what it was in his lifetime—can rework into his godlike type of Hades as soon as 14 playing cards enter your graveyard, and may play playing cards out of your graveyard as soon as he’s finished so.

Phoenix Down Can Heal… and Hurt

Phoenix Down is an iconic merchandise from throughout Ultimate Fantasy, the easy revival medication that allows you to deliver again a lifeless occasion member in battle. In Magic, it may solely deliver again playing cards out of your graveyard with a mana worth of 4 or much less, reflective of its comparatively primary type of restorative magic. However even higher is the truth that it has a second capacity: you should utilize it to exile undead creatures, a nod to the truth that therapeutic gadgets in Ultimate Fantasy can be utilized on undead enemies to do harm as a substitute.

Worry the Tonberry

Tonberries might look oddly cute with the dainty little knife and their huge yellow eyes, however each Ultimate Fantasy participant is aware of that these inexperienced critters imply enterprise as soon as they get near you. In most of their appearances, Tonberries take a number of turns of fight to slowly inch in direction of your occasion—and as soon as they do, they immediately kill you in a single assault with their chef’s knife. That is splendidly translated into Magic with a mixture of two mechanics: a Tonberry enters play tapped and with a stun counter on it, which suggests it takes two participant turns to be able to assault. As soon as it does assault although, it has First Strike and Deathtouch, that means irrespective of how a lot harm it does to a creature, it would at all times do deadly harm.

Galuf’s Sacrifice

Galuf’s loss of life preventing Exdeath in Ultimate Fantasy V is among the sport’s most iconic moments, made all of the extra bittersweet by the actual fact his skills are handed onto his granddaughter Krile, who joins the occasion in his stead. That inheritance is of course mirrored in Galuf’s Ultimate Act, which not solely briefly boosts a creature’s energy (a nod to Galuf going all out as he takes on Exdeath 1v1), however lets it go on +1/+1 tokens equal to its energy when it dies.

Combat or Flight

An notorious gag second in Ultimate Fantasy VII comes when the occasion goes to rescue Aerith from Shinra’s HQ forward of the climactic escape from Midgar. You’re given a easy selection, in each the unique sport and in Remake: take the elevator as much as the sixtieth ground, which stops a number of occasions for a sequence of fights, or the “quiet” route… having to regulate Cloud as he runs up 59 flights of stairs.

The Magic card Aerith Rescue Mission encapsulates that selection completely: you may both take the elevator, supplying you with three 1/1 Hero Tokens (representing Cloud, Tifa, and Barrett being able to battle), or you may take the steps, which helps you to faucet and stun as much as three creatures (representing their cardio-induced duress).

The Cycle of Sin

Ultimate Fantasy X is constructed across the cycle of Sin, a large creature that rises to cull civilizations that develop too giant or too superior—however whose slaughter might be paused for a interval of “Calm” years when a Summoner sacrifices themselves in a closing battle in opposition to Sin to summon a closing aeon able to defeating Sin… albeit solely quickly, locking the world in a cycle of destruction.

That will get a fairly spot-on mirror within the card Sin, Endless Cataclysm; it not solely removes counters from any variety of creatures on the battlefield (to characterize Sin’s limitation of technological development), but additionally returns to your library when it dies moderately than dying, that means it may’t be conventionally defeated. Its personal bonus counters created from eradicating counters might be given to certainly one of your different creatures… , so Sin can inherit them twice over when it returns.

Champions From Past the Rift, Heed My Name!

Champions From Past is a multilayered reference for Ultimate Fantasy XIV gamers: the identify and the artwork represents the climactic moments of the Shadowbringers enlargement, when the participant is aided by Iconic Catboy G’raha Tia, who summons heroes (aka, different gamers) from throughout the 14 shards of the world to battle Emet-Selch. That group-content focus is mirrored in its guidelines, which helps you to create any variety of Hero tokens whereas additionally providing bonuses for attacking in both teams of 4 or eight creatures.  These are references to the 2 commonplace group sizes for FF XIV‘s multiplayer content material: Gentle Events, teams of 4 for traditional dungeon content material; and Full Events, teams of eight sometimes utilized in more difficult boss fights or endgame raids.

Quistis’ Blue Magic

Ultimate Fantasy has all types of various magical archetypes throughout the sequence, however Blue Magic is certainly one of its most arcane logos within the varied colleges of color-themed magics. Black Magic is primarily damaging elemental spells, White Magic is therapeutic and help, Pink Magic blends the 2, whereas Blue represents a capability to soak up and be taught the talents of an enemy opponent. Blue Mages exist throughout a number of Ultimate Fantasy video games, however FF VIII‘s Quistis it maybe one of the well-known. It’s becoming then that not solely is she slotted into Magic‘s blue coloration archetype, however that her Blue Magic capacity lets her forged spells from any participant’s graveyard, be it yours or your opponent: and that she forged them with any mana, no matter their authentic value.

Kain’s Thoughts Management

Kain Highwind is an interesting foil in Ultimate Fantasy IV, his lingering jealousy in direction of FF IV‘s fundamental character Cecil making him a simple goal for the sport’s antagonist, Golbez, to deprave him and brainwash him a number of occasions over the course of the story. Kain’s almost-comical capacity to be pressured into betraying you is delightfully woven into Magic together with his card, Kain, Traitorous Dragoon—every time Kain does harm to a different participant, they will select to take management of him and he does mirrored harm to his authentic proprietor, that means that Kain can bounce forwards and backwards between possession over the course of the sport!

Ashe’s Temptation

A serious turning level in Ultimate Fantasy XII comes when Ashe, the exiled princess of the dominion of Dalmasca, finds herself confronted with a harmful temptation: fulfill her future as Ivalice’s generational ruler and use the facility of the almighty crystal known as the Solar-Cryst to destroy the Archadian Empire that attacked Dalmasca at first of the sport, or destroy the Solar-Cryst and free Ivalice from the machinations of its creators.

On the floor, the Immediate Destiny of the Solar-Cryst is a fairly typical Magic card, paying 5 mana to destroy any non-land everlasting. But it surely has a bonus twist: it solely prices three mana should you goal a tapped creature, ie… a creature that’s already attacked you. It’s a really flavorful technique to incorporate Ashe’s temptation in direction of revenge.

Of Course Ignis Cooks

Ignis’ card simply wouldn’t be Ignis if it didn’t embody a capability based mostly round cooking. “I’ve Come Up With a New Recipe!” lets a participant faucet Ignis and pay some mana to exile a card out of your graveyard—and if it was a creature, you may create a meals token, letting a participant regain well being. It’s named, after all, for Ignis’ meme-worthy repeated catchphrase from Ultimate Fantasy XV: the occasion’s cook dinner every time they camped, Ignis may be taught varied recipes all through XV to grant the occasion varied buffs and standing results once they rested. Specifying the bonus for exiling a creature is itself a cute reference to the truth that Ignis can cook dinner varied meals from the supplies you get from killing creatures throughout XV‘s world, in addition.

A Smile Higher Fits a Hero

A number of playing cards all through the Ultimate Fantasy set give new themed artwork to already established Magic playing cards. Relic of Legends, a easy mana-generating artifact launched in Dominaria United, is certainly one of them, however its inclusion within the Ultimate Fantasy XIV-themed Commander Deck, Scions & Spellcraft, is given a painful twist. The relic of legend within the new artwork refers to a traumatic sacrifice from Heavensward, XIV‘s first enlargement, when certainly one of your allies within the kingdom of Ishgard, Haurchefant Greystone, makes an attempt to deflect a magical assault supposed to strike the hero… just for his protect to buckle and for the strike to run him by way of as a substitute, killing him. Cue the waterworks!

Ifrit vs. Titan

Conflict of the Eikons refers to one of many standout moments of the latest mainline Final Fantasy, XVI, wherein protagonist Clive Rosfield, reworked into the almighty summon Ifrit, scraps with rival summon Titan in an epic battle. Other than wanting as cool because the battle in XVI does, this sorcery permits you to manipulate the quantity of lore counters on a Saga card beneath your management: the cardboard archetype that represents Ultimate Fantasy‘s varied summon creatures throughout the video games within the set to replicate their standing as highly effective, however limited-time forces in battle.

It’s not solely flavorful in that sense, it’s significantly flavorful to Ultimate Fantasy XVI. The battle between Ifrit and Titan is admittedly the primary time that Clive really comes into his personal as Ifrit’s “Dominant”, embracing his transformation and pulling out all of the stops to defeat Titan—so it’s solely becoming that that conflict represents the flexibility to govern Sagas on this method!

The Warrior of Gentle Unites All

The Warrior of Gentle is the identify of the character created to characterize the generic occasion members of the very first Ultimate Fantasy, who had no set characters and may very well be given any of the sequence’ iconic jobs over the course of the sport. Now a quasi-mascot of Ultimate Fantasy as a complete, oddly sufficient the Warrior of Gentle doesn’t even have a singular card representing him within the Magic set (he seems on some, however none are particularly centered round him as a personality).

He’s represented, nonetheless, on the “By means of The Ages” bonus sheet, a sequence of playing cards that reprints basic Magic playing cards with paintings drawn from throughout Ultimate Fantasy historical past, from character idea work to promotional imagery from every sport. The Warrior of Gentle is represented on this set of playing cards with a reprint of Jodah the Unifier, an iconic card that’s standard in Magic‘s Commander as a “WURBG” archetype: having a value that makes use of one mana from every of Magic‘s 5 colours, a deck with Jodah as its Commander might be constructed out of playing cards from each coloration in flip.

On prime of that, Jodah the Unifier’s skills are constructed round synergies with Legendary Creatures and spells, buffing the extra of them you’ve in play and getting extra of them in play as rapidly as doable. Throughout the Ultimate Fantasy set most fundamental characters are represented as Legendary Creatures, so it’s becoming that the Warrior of Gentle can deliver collectively heroes and villains from throughout the entire sequence to face collectively!

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