A huge appeal ofMagic: The Gathering’s upcomingFinal Fantasyset is being able to collect cards featuring your favorite characters fromFinal Fantasy. However, a newFinal FantasySecret Lairannouncement has proved that even cards representing some players' least favoriteFinal Fantasygames may still be highly sought after byMagic: The Gatheringfans. I can’t help but wonder ifMagic: The Gatheringknew what they were doing when they put a powerful reprint on aFinal Fantasy 13card, given the game’s reputation.
Personally, I thinkFinal Fantasy 13is underappreciated, though that could be the nostalgia talking. It was also one of thefirst games in the series that I played, so I was much more forgiving of its flaws than I might otherwise have been if I’d been following the games religiously. Still, I can’t deny that a lot of players were not big fans of the game when it came out, and it hasn’t exactly seen a major reappraisal since. That said,evenFinal Fantasy 13’s most adamant detractors would likely want to get this newSecret Laircard.
This Final Fantasy 13 Secret Lair Card Is Worth More Than Its Drop
Hope’s Aero Magic Is A Reprint Of Cyclonic Rift
Yesterday,Magic: The Gatheringannounced a newFinal Fantasy Secret Lairon theirwebsite. Instead of new original cards, the cards in theseSecret Lairsare reprints of existingMagiccards with new names and artwork to fit theFinal Fantasytheme. Among these reprints is the cardHope’s Aero Magic, a restyled version of the powerful Commander staple Cyclonic Rift. Cyclonic Rift’s Overload ability forces everyone but you to pick up all their nonland permanents, clearing the way for your attacks while setting everyone else back likely by multiple turns.
Aero is a classicFinal Fantasyspell and could have been represented by several characters, so I think it’s funny that Wizards of the Coast chose aFinal Fantasy 13character for the card. Now, the most valuable card inSecret Lair x FINAL FANTASY: Grimoirerepresents a game that a lot of players don’t like. As of writing,the TCGPlayer Market Value for Cyclonic Rift ranges from $35-$51, excluding more valuable special art treatments. Meanwhile, theSecret Laircosts only $29.99 for the non-foil version and comes with other cards.
Maybe this is Wizards of the Coast going to bat forFinal Fantasy 13. It could also be that they figured theyneeded to add some extra value toFF13cards to make them attractiveto anyone who doesn’t like the game. Either way, it’s hard to complain about good value in aSecret Lairproduct.
MTG’s Final Fantasy Secret Lair Has Some Powerful Reprints
Final Fantasy Secret Lair Includes Other Staple Cards
Hope’s Aero Magic isn’t the only strong reprint fromFinal Fantasy’sSecret Lair. In the same drop,you also get Heroic Intervention styled as Aerith’s Curaga Magic. This is one of the game’s best protection spells and is basically an auto-inclusion in decks that run green mana. Though not as powerful as the others, this drop also comes with Damn (as Noctis’s Death Magic), a card with some good utility as it can be either a single removal spell or a board wipe.
Although the other drops don’t have any big-ticket items like a Cyclonic Rift reprint, they still at least have some good flavor. For instance, Sephiroth appearing in Meteorfall, a reprint of Star of Extinction, is perfectly themed. Kefka’s poisoning of Doma, captured in a reprint of the board wipe Toxic Deluge, is another huge flavor win. While these otherSecret Lairsaren’t the same financial deal thatGrimoireis, they are still good examples of how wellMagic: The Gatheringiscapturing the spirit ofFinal Fantasy, and as a fan of both franchises, I’m pretty happy with them.
