While some longtime Magic: The Gathering players may grumble about Universes Beyond’s growing importance to the game’s release calendar, it’s hard not to feel like it’s getting more eyes on the brand.
The latest Final Fantasy set has sold better than any other through preorders alone, and it’s not even out until this weekend (June 13). There’s also the Secret Lair set to consider on June 9, but that’s a whole other beast.
Still, suppose you picked up a prerelease box at your local game store last weekend, or you’ve got some more boosters on the way this week, you may be wondering which cards are seeing demand, particularly if you’re looking to offload some or just get the sweet satisfaction of owning what’s hot.
Let’s take a deep dive into the best-selling Final Fantasy presold cards right now, all according to the trading card marketplace TCGPlayer.
10: Jumbo Cactuar
Magic The Gathering Jumbo Cactuar
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Novelty factor of racking up 9,999 extra damage, I was lucky enough to pull one of these over the weekend. It’s going for between $7.50 and $8 right now, with players keen to do big damage with this prickly customer.
9: Summon: Primal Odin
Magic The Gathering Summon: Primal Odin
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Summons just had to be a big part of the Final Fantasy set, and they essentially arrive as Sagas.
The big focus with Primal Odin is step two, which can literally remove a player from the game, and is likely to be ridiculously lethal in just about any Commander pod.
It’s available for under $2, too!
8: The Darkness Crystal
Magic The Gathering The Darkness Crystal
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This one will set you back around $5, and for good reason. Not only does it reduce the cost of Black spells, but it gives its owner life while creatures around them die.
The fact you can then bring any creature exiled with that second effect has me particularly tempted to buy it for a zombie deck I’ve been planning for months.
7: Cecil, Dark Knight
Magic The Gathering Cecil, Dark Knight
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One of a few two-sided cards, Cecil has Deathtouch but deals damage to his owner, eventually transforming to Redeemed Paladin, gaining lifelink and making other creatures indestructible until end of time.
All of that from a single black mana casting cost? That $2.99 might be a small price to pay.
6: Self-Destruct
Magic The Gathering Self-Destruct
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If you’re looking to really burn down an opponent’s creatures, or the opponent themselves, Self-Destruct can turn the tide of battle at Instant speed.
As TCGPlayer points out, using it in conjunction with Screaming Nemesis makes it a perfect counter to lifelink-focused decks, and Self-Destruct is under 50 cents at the time of writing.
5: Fire Magic
Magic The Gathering Fire Magic
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Want a Vivi card but don’t want to pony up? We get, it, but while Fire Magic has the diminutive spellcaster in its artwork, it’s also a great card that makes use of the new Tiered mechanic.
For under 50 cents, you can cast an increasing amount of damage to each creature, making this an ideal card to have in your back pocket as Commander players around you build their board states.
4: Starting Town
Magic The Gathering Starting Town
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Get Starting Town out early and it can kickstart a board state in any format, particularly if you’ve got a deck with multiple colors, but it’ll cost you.
Starting Town is currently $14 for the normal version, or just under $17 for the foil one.
3: Tifa Lockhart
Magic The Gathering Tifa Lockhart
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Not to be confused with the variant in the Final Fantasy 7 Commander Deck, this Tifa has a Landfall trigger that doubles her power alongside her existing Trample keyword.
As TCGPlayer points out, you can grow her attack power with something like Titanic Growth and then use Fabled Passage to double it again. She’ll set you back between $7 and $9.
2: Sazh’s Chocobo
Magic The Gathering Sazh’s Chocobo
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I got a couple of Sazh’s Chocobo in my packs, and while it’s adorable, it can grow quickly with a landfall trigger that’s similar to Tifa’s, above.
It’s under $2, too, so fill your boots.
1: Adventurer’s Inn
Magic The Gathering Adventurer’s Inn
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A land that gives life and doesn’t enter tapped? You love to see it. It’s also super cheap right now, at around 50 cents for the foil version or less than 30 cents for the non-foil.
Where to Buy Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy Cards
These cards are set to release on June 13, but you can preorder them right now and it’ll arrive this week.
Scroll to the left to see quick buy links for each MTG: FF configuration. Read on for details about what comes in the many bundles that are available.
And for more info about the crossover, check out our Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy Commander Deck reveal feature.
Lloyd Coombes is Gaming Editor @ Daily Star. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay. He’s also a tech, gaming, and fitness freelancer seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, IGN, and more.
Thanks to TCGPlayer for the data and information that informed this article.
