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Final Fantasy MTG

So you doubted the selling power of Final Fantasy, huh? 

Hate to break it to you chum, but this series absolutely commands the market, thanks not only to its nostalgic legacy as a technologically groundbreaking series of video games, but also its legion of memorable heroes and villains struggling for supremacy of the fate of their distinctive worlds. 

Ready to see Cloud and Tifa strike back once more at the evil Sephiroth? They're all here, as well as countless other characters and set pieces exactly from your favorite Roman Numerically numbered adventures, exactly as you remember them.

Just as importantly, these cards aren't just pretty, they're potent. We're talking game-changing, upending multiple formats level potency.  


Take the card Tifa Lockheart, a fairly innocent looking 2 mana drop based on the beloved supporting character from Final Fantasy VII. She's a 1 power/ 2 toughness trample green creature that has the landfall ability "whenever a land enters this turn, double Tifa's power until end of turn. It's not hard for green to play three lands on a turn, so you could easily have eight trample coming in on turn 3. Then, if you have an effect adding counters, you could easily make Tifa enormous in exponential fashion! 

For those of you who don't play Magic, the bottom line is: take a fan favorite, make it a BEATER card, rinse and repeat.

Naturally, The level of success the Final Fantasy set achieved came in large part to some absolutely exquisite execution with regards to these very characters on the part of the Wizards of the Coast team. It is in those actions that I believe game, comic and movie developers alike can learn some serious lessons on how to successfully present and launch a fan beloved property. 

In brief, here are three that stand out:

First, proper fan service means bringing back the characters as they were. Getting the look perfect is crucial, not to mention capturing an essence of the character's personality. Characters like Cloud, Sephiroth, Tidus, Yuma, Zidane, and so many more capture the heart of what makes these avatars of adventure so special to fans. 

Second, the battle mechanics needed to be fresh, exciting and over the top. Summon Sagas wove flavor and combat seamlessly, adding to the tapestry of the ever-expanding MTG chessboard. How does this apply to story characters? Have them do things they've never tried before...duh! Surprise us!


Third, collectors love novelty. How about reprinting some of Magic's best cards with fresh scenes from your favorite games? Rhystic Study reprinted as "Stay with Me" became an instant classic, and a card that I absolutely need to get my hands on (in no small part due to how awesome rhystic study is). 

So there's my five-second starter on how to fix the creative world. Not ambitious at all, I know, but I feel the core philosophy could giude to a brighter future in entertainment. Simply said, if we take the things that we love and make them grow organically, learning off the experiences of the past while conquering brand new challenges in the present, fans are going to pour their love back into it. 

Til next week, keep your eyes to the skies.

Paul Andrea

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