The long-awaited Magic: The Gathering — FINAL FANTASY set will soon release on June 13! In anticipation of this exciting event, we're introducing some of the cards in the set – sixteen articles for sixteen mainline games in the series!
The elements we showcase here range from iconic characters to defining moments—aspects that encompass the essence of the FINAL FANTASY franchise.
For our ninth showcase, we’d like to show you two cards from FINAL FANTASY IX.
Our first card today features one of the main characters of FINAL FANTASY IX: Quina!
They are a member of the enigmatic Qu race and their favorite thing to eat is frogs. They have a strong passion for food and go on a quest to consume more delicious cuisine from around the world. “Quina, Qu Gourmet” captures their voracious appetite and lovable personality quite well!
Our next card is “You’re Not Alone.”
The friendly and outgoing protagonist, Zidane Tribal, falls into a crisis after a revelation.
He tries to shun his former allies whilst questioning his own place in the world. Despite this, his friends push past the walls he attempts to build and remind him of one thing—that they all have each other’s backs.
FINAL FANTASY IX revolves around the bonds made between people, and we strove to feature cards that highlight that essence: one of a party member with whom Zidane can form a bond, and another of a scene where his companions help him through his darkest time. Delve into the world of FINAL FANTASY and experience the friendship between Zidane and his allies for yourself!
We’ve received some additional comments on them from Magic: The Gathering’s very own Principle Narrative Game Designer: Dillon Deveney!
Quina, Qu Gourmet
What a fun design! Quina always makes me laugh, I just love how inventive and full of life this character is. We decided early on that they would care about frogs mechanically. Between their home location of Qu’s Marsh and their quest to catch a golden frog, we knew we had a fun concept on our hands. We snuck a golden frog into the background of Quina's art; they just missed it! Keep an eye out for the 1/1 green Frog token this card makes, the art of this card and that token are telling a shared story. Also, as far as Quina's creature type, we worked extremely close with the FINAL FANTASY IX team on how to properly depict each character, while still allowing them to be playable in wider magic. We made compromises for every main character’s creature type, but for Quina, we couldn't find anything available in Magic's creature type library that properly explained what Quina is. We also didn't have a job creature type that was part Blue Mage, part Chef, all Quina. We eventually decided, in the spirit of collaboration and accuracy, we would just give them a "Qu" creature type and celebrate how wonderfully unique Quina is!
You’re Not Alone
This pitch came from Creative Lead Ari Zirulnik and I loved it. We both agreed that a card called "You're Not Alone" was a huge win to celebrate both a tender scene in FINAL FANTASY IX and the beautiful music that plays during this scene. We had a lot of fun trying to combine all the boss encounters into one image, trying to encapsulate Zidane's story here. He's going through so much in this moment, but as his friends remind him: "You're not alone!" This card really sums up how much there is to love about FINAL FANTASY IX. Also, we get to see Quina taking a bite of a monster! What’s not to love?
Magic: The Gathering — FINAL FANTASY will be available for purchase on June 13. Until then, why not come (re-)familiarize yourself with the world of FINAL FANTASY? If you simply can’t wait, be among the first to play with the collaboration cards via prerelease at authorized retailers come Friday, June 6!
FINAL FANTASY IX
Strange events transpire on the Mist Continent, one of the four main lands of Gaia. The kingdom of Alexandria, ruled by Queen Brahne, begins their invasion of other nations under orders of Kuja, the "angel of death" from Terra. An accidental encounter in Alexandria brings Zidane, Vivi, and Garnet together, and they set out on a journey that leads them to discover the secrets of their past, the crystal, and a place to call home.
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