TheFinal Fantasyset has been a huge success forMagic: The Gatheringso far, and it’s largely due to one simple reason. You could point to the recognizability of the brand, or the collectible nature of the Golden Chocobo cards, but neither of these are unique toFinal Fantasy. Both are arguably more true forMagic’sLord of the Ringscrossover, as the IP is massively popular, and The One Ring card was even rarer than the Chocobos. However,Final FantasyoutsoldLord of the Rings, andMagic: The Gathering’s designers helped me understand why.
At MagicCon Las Vegas, I had the opportunity to participate in a round-table interview with three of the designers behindMagic’sFinal Fantasyset:Principal Narrative Game Designer Dillon Deveney, Senior Game Designer Daniel Holt, and Executive Producer Zakeel Gordon. During the discussion, it became very clear howFinal Fantasymanaged tooutsell all otherMagicsets, before it was even fully released. The set also proves how wellMagic’s design team understands their audience, and the audience of theFinal Fantasyfranchise.
MTG’s Final Fantasy Team Understood Their Audience
The MTG Final Fantasy Team Trusted RPG Players To Understand Complex Rules
During the round-table interview, I asked if the design team had planned forFinal Fantasyto be many players' firstMagic: The Gatheringset. Dillon Deveney confirmed that Wizards of the Coast looks atUniverses Beyondsets as “opening the door” for new players and saying “hey, Magic is for you.” However, he explained that the approach toFinal Fantasywas slightly different because the team knew that fans of the video games were already well-acquainted with complex gameplay mechanics.Deveney explained the thought process behind catering toFinal Fantasyfans, saying:
When it comes to Final Fantasy, like as a series, if you are a fan, regardless of if you played Magic before, you are a fan of the RPG genre, which means you are, you know, at least playing 60, 70, 80, hours deep in an RPG. You’re grinding to level 99, you’re doing all the super bosses, mini bosses. Even if you’re a casual fan, you’re still sinking 40, 30, you know, 20 hours into a game, you’re leveling up. You’re using, you know, potions and elixirs during battle. You are upgrading your weapons. You’re getting the new armor, slotting your material, getting your bangles. You understand so many complicated, nuanced game mechanics.
Zakeel Gordon backed up these statements, saying thatMagic: The Gatheringdesigners understood that, when approaching “an audience that has familiarity with video game mechanics, [Magic] get[s] to talk to them two or three layers deeper.” It’s clear thatMagic’s design team both understood the type of players who enjoy theFinal Fantasygames, and therefore knew they could trust those players to understand more complex rules and mechanics. This allowed them to deliver a mechanically satisfying set that didn’t have to sacrifice any of its nuanced gameplay in order to appeal to a wider audience.
Gordon also mentioned that the set utilizedFinal Fantasynarrative beats to help direct gameplay decisions. Using Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER as an example, he said that players would inherently understand that they would want to transform Sephiroth into his more powerful form, because they remembered him doing this inFinal Fantasy 7.Gordon’s full statement can be seen below:
Sephiroth comes down… If you’re familiar with the franchise, you know that he has a more powerful form. And there’s a little bit of a puzzle aspect to just figure out what you specifically need to do within Magic to trigger that ability. But, the gameplay, paths you towards that payoff. So you’re going to just naturally be very interested in figuring out how to do the thing.
By leveraging both the gameplay mechanics that Deveney mentioned, and the narrative beats Gordon discussed,Magic: The Gathering’sFinal Fantasyset was able to deliver a complex set that was still easy to understandfor players crossing over from theFinal Fantasyvideo games. These efforts were largely successful, and this set was so mechanically consistent withFinal Fantasythat I was able topredict multiple card mechanicsbefore they were previewed, based on my knowledge of characters from the games. I could seeFinal Fantasyplayers who are new toMagichaving an easier transition thanSpider-Manfans.
MTG’s Commander Decks Are Designed For New Players
The More Popular Games Have The Easier Decks To Play
AlthoughMagic: The Gathering’s designers knew that they could trustFinal Fantasyfans to understand complex game mechanics, that doesn’t mean they left new players completely hanging. As Daniel Holt explained, the Commander decks for this set were strategically chosen to make sure new players could have an easier time hopping in. This included giving the more popular games,Final Fantasy 7andFinal Fantasy XIV, the more straightforward decks.Holt’s full statement can be seen below:
The Final Fantasy 7 deck is for a very popular Final Fantasy game. It’s an equipment deck. It’s fairly straightforward. You’re trying to get to power seven or greater, as long as get to power seven or greater, as long as you may add up to seven, you kind of understand what’s going on. So people are able to pick that up pretty easy. Final Fantasy XIV, is a massive online game. You pick that up, you’re just casting spells. You’re going to get your triggers. Your friends are going to help you with those triggers. And I think a lot of the cards in that way are designed to help players.
Holt also noted that Commander, in general, is always a good way to onboard new players, because it is “more like a board game.” This is because you play Commander in groups of four, and it is a more casual format, so players are able to help each other understand what their cards do, and are lenient about allowing players to undo a mistake. It’s also easier for a group of friends to sit down and play Commander together than to play more competitive one-on-one formats.
Although Holt didn’t mention anything about theFinal Fantasy 6andFinal Fantasy 10Commander decks in reference to new players,I can see these being decks that are more attractive to long-timeMagicplayerswho don’t have as much investment inFinal Fantasy.Both are more powerful decks, and the graveyard strategy in theFF6deck may be a little complex for newer players. It sometimes takes newMagicplayers a little bit of time to realize they want to put some cards in their graveyard.
By designing a set of Commander decks that would please both new fans coming toFinal Fantasy, and ones that appealed toMagicplayers,the game’s designers made it easy for people to introduce their friends to the game. This is also why I typically grab anyUniverses BeyondCommander products. They can be a great way to get players who otherwise wouldn’t be interested inMagic, but might likeLord of the RingsorFallout, to give it a chance.
Video Games May Be The Best Bet For Universes Beyond Adaptations
Video Game Audiences May Have An Easier Transition To Magic
As Zakeel Gordon mentioned,it can be easier for players with a strong gaming foundation to jump intoMagic: The Gathering. I wouldn’t be surprised, therefore, if we continue to see sets based on video games as futureUniverses Beyondproducts. While I’m sure properties with large fan bases, likeSpider-ManandAvatar: The Last Airbender, will also sell well, I’d be surprised if they manage to beatFinal Fantasy’s numbers.
Additionally, it helps that theFinal Fantasyseries are more complex RPGs than previousMagic: The Gatheringvideo game adaptations likeAssassin’s Creed. Any player who is used to managing a lot of gear, leveling characters up, and choosing the right party members and loadouts for certain fights already has many of the necessary skills to succeed atMagic: The Gathering. There are likely plenty of video game fans who would love the TCG, so long asMagicmanages to open the right door to entice them in.
