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Square Enix revealed a new Magic: The Gathering card depicting FFVII villain Sephiroth, and Tetsuya Nomura shared some insight about the designs for the art on each side, following its reveal at PAX East 2025. The card includes two designs of the character, with one of them being a new design for Safer Sephiroth that differs from his appearance in the original game.

Note: There are spoilers regarding Sephiroth in the original FFVII and FFVII Rebirth below. 6z2c57

The starting side of the card is titled Sephiroth, Fabled Soldier and it shows the character in his iconic black garb, lifting the Masamune sword with both hands. While the card itself obscures this next detail, an original sketch shared by Square Enix shows young Sephiroth at the bottom of the illustration, as he appears in FFVII Ever Crisis.

The other side of the card is titled Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel and it depicts Safer Sephiroth, the most powerful form that the character takes during his final boss fight in the original FFVII. As mentioned above, the new design is different to his classic look. Character designer Tetsuya Nomura said that there is a reason behind Safer Sephiroth looking different in this Magic: The Gathering card than he did in the 1997 release of FFVII, however he confirmed that he can't share more about it.

You can check out the cards and read Nomura’s comment here:

From what Square Enix shared, the card shows Sephiroth with his right arm detached from the wing growing on his right shoulder, unlike the original design. Additionally, underneath the torso there is another Sephiroth head.

This change is reminiscent to Bizarro Sephiroth, one of the final phases of the character in FFVII and the final boss in FFVII Rebirth. Considering the secrecy and Nomura’s words, there is a chance that this design is a hint to how Safer Sephiroth will appear in part 3 of the FFVII Remake project, but we won’t know until the game is out.

The Final Fantasy card set will appear in Magic The Gathering on June 13, 2025.

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Wizards of the Coast has given a sneak peek at the new Magic: The Gathering cards for 2025, including the Final Fantasy cards that’ll be part of the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond set. The set will come out on June 13, 2025.

People who were at MagicCon: Las Vegas got to see the six of the new cards, which will also be available digitally when they come out. According to Wizards of the Coast, this Magic: The Gathering set will be the largest collection of Final Fantasy artwork in a single game. You’ll be able to get cards of characters and scenes from all of the Final Fantasy games, from the first one to XVI. This will only be the main games, so spin-offs like Theatrhythm will likely not see any representation.

Zakeel Gordon, the Product Architect at WIzards of the Coast, said: “This collaboration is more than just cards. It’s about celebrating decades of iconic characters, legendary stories, and unforgettable moments from one of the most beloved franchises in gaming history. Final Fantasy fans will get to experience these characters in an entirely new way—through the strategic depth and storytelling of Magic: The Gathering.”

You can check out six of the Final Fantasy cards here:

Magic: The Gathering is the first trading card game and came out in 1993. As of February 2023, over fifty million people play the game and Wizards of the Coast printed over twenty billion cards between 2008 and 2016. While cards for the game generally adhere to the lore that’s within the game, Wizards of the Coast began adding collaboration cards as part of its Universes Beyond initiative. In 2022, the company already announced the Final Fantasy collaboration, along with the Assassin’s Creed cards (which came out in July 2024). Other intellectual properties that have appeared in Magic include Hatsune Miku, Jurassic Park, and The Lord of the Rings.

The Final Fantasy set will appear in Magic: The Gathering on June 13, 2025.

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A Final Fantasy collaboration is coming to Magic: The Gathering. Wizards of the Coast made the announcement at GenCon 2023 as part of the Magic at 30 .

Details are sparse on what designs will be featured in the Final Fantasy set. However, Wizards of the Coast confirmed that the series will cover the whole series, covering everything from the first game to Final Fantasy XVI. The set will be released physically and will be available on MTG Arena, the digital version of the game.

It’s not the first time that Wizards of the Coast worked with Final Fantasy staff. In 2019, the Japanese release of the War of the Spark expansion featured unique art from Japanese illustrators. One of these was famed Final Fantasy character and logo designer Yoshitaka Amano, who produced artwork of Liliana, Dreadhorde General. Other Japanese artists who've produced artwork for Magic: The Gathering include Yoji Shinkawa and Junji Ito.

The Final Fantasy collaboration will be part of the Universes Beyond series, which features sets based on third-party properties outside of the typical Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons universes. Previous collaborations in this series included Street Fighter, The Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things, and Doctor Who. Wizards of the Coast also confirmed that sets based on Fallout and Assassin’s Creed will also be ing the series.

The Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy set does not yet have a release date. The most recent game in the series, Final Fantasy XVI, is available now for the PS5.

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In a recent interview with 4Gamer, popular horror manga artist Junji Ito talked about his experience working with Wizards of the Coast deg illustration for Magic: The Gathering cards, and the fear of art created through AI technology. Wizards of the Coast directly ed Junji Ito, and the artist didn’t know about MTG prior. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

Junji Ito said that after researching Magic: The Gathering, he was impressed by the fantasy worlds and beautiful illustrations used for the cards, and felt that he wanted to work with Wizards of the Coast.

Drawing the final illustration for Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines took Ito about three days of work. In addition to that, there was a previous period of trial and error creating rough sketches that the artist and Wizards of the Coast went through until a final design was decided. Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines had three different initial sketches before the final one was chosen.

Ito said that the only rejection to a first draft was for the Carrion Feeder card, which initially depicted a gravestone in the form of a cross with an English name. In the final card, the gravestone is a normal slab, and the name is blurred. In addition, Ito said that if he were to receive another offer to work on Magic: The Gathering he would love to do it again. He also said that deg individual illustrations is a very rewarding job, as the deadlines and load of work for creating manga are tighter.

Junji Ito also talked against the use of AI-created art. The artist said that he feels threatened by it as a professional, and worries that manga will eventually be drawn using AI technology. He also said that he would like to continue to create stories where the unexpected becomes terrifying, before AI can learn to imitate that.

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Famed horror manga artist Junji Ito makes a surprise return to Magic: The Gathering with a full art treatment of classic villain Elesh Norn in the set Phyrexia: All Will Be One. It will be released in February 2023, as revealed in Wizards of the Coast’s WeeklyMTG stream on December 13, 2023. People will see the card in-game in Magic: The Gathering Arena first on February 7, 2023. It will come to the physical game on February 10, 2023.

Ito renders the card Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines in his signature high-detail, high-contrast style, with a more dramatic, dynamic pose than the graceful aloofness the character is typically depicted in. The card itself includes a powerful effect that doubles the controlling player's enter-the-battlefield effects, while negating the opponent's.

You can check out the card below:
[caption id="attachment_943399" align="aligncenter" width="530"] Junji Ito's rendition of Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines[/caption]

Junji Ito is a natural choice for Magic: The Gathering's Phyrexia: All Will Be One’s visual themes of body horror and transhumanism. The Phyrexians – one of the oldest and most influential villains in Magic: The Gathering – view organic material as a near-religious transgression, and believe perfection can be achieved by replacing flesh with mechanical components, a process known as "compleation".

Junji Ito previously partnered with Wizards of the Coast for a timed exclusive Secret Lair drop for Magic: The Gathering in October 2023, which included four reprints of classic cards with new artwork. This return is the first time Ito's art has been used for a newly-released card.

Several renowned Japanese artists have contributed artwork to Magic: The Gathering in recent years, including Metal Gear Solid Character Designer Yoji Shinkawa, Gundam artist Naochika Morishita, and Fate/Grand Order artist Mawkawa Yuichi. Wizards of the Coast is also introducing Final Fantasy cards into the franchise in 2024.

Phyrexia: All Will Be One is released digitally in Magic: The Gathering Arena on February 7, 2023, with a tabletop release on February 10, 2023.

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Hasbro has announced that Final Fantasy and Assassin's Creed cards will appear in Magic: The Gathering. Players can expect them some time in 2024. This news came out during Hasbro’s Investor Day, and they will be part of the Universes Beyond Initiative. [Thanks, IGN!]

There are no details about what characters will appear from the series, but Cynthia Williams (Wizards of the Coast president) has commented that the releases would appear “from 2024.” Williams has not mentioned if the Final Fantasy and Assassin’s Creed cards would be individual cards available through Secret Lair drops, or pre-made decks.

During the announcement, Williams commented that 2022 would be the 35th anniversary of Final Fantasy and the 15th anniversary of Assassin’s Creed. Both franchises are still releasing games, with Final Fantasy XVI set to come out in Summer 2023. Meanwhile, Ubisoft announced three Assassin’s Creed games during the Ubisoft Forward in September 2022.

Other IPs that Hasbro previously collaborated with for the Universes Beyond Initiative include Fortnite and Lord of the Rings. The Fortnite cards are Secret Lair drops that are reprints of existing Magic cards. Meanwhile, the Lord of the Rings cards will appear as an entire complete set.

The Final Fantasy and Assassin’s Creed cards for Magic: The Gathering will appear some time in 2024.

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Tokyo Game Show 2022 will see the return of VR booths that debuted in the previous year. CESA has revealed details for the TGS 2022 VR booths that people will access remotely online. The dungeon-themed virtual booths will be open for the same duration as the physical event on September 15-18, 2022.

While the VR venue will primarily feature Japanese game publishers, two of the notable booths will feature Kojima Productions and Cover. The former is a game development studio headed by Hideo Kojima. After it released Death Stranding, the independent studio is working on its sequel while cooperating with both Sony and Microsoft. Cover is the company best known for managing the popular VTuber group Hololive.

Besides Kojima Productions and Cover, TGS 2022 will have VR booths from major Japanese game publishers, such as Bandai Namco, Capcom, Koei Tecmo Games, Konami, Square Enix, Sega, and Atlus. It will also have booths dedicated to specific brands like Magic: The Gathering and the VR game Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate.

The VR venue appeared first in TGS 2021. It was intended for the general public that could not attend the restricted physical venue. TGS 2022 will be a full hybrid event that brings back physical booths with public access while retaining the online VR venue and live streams. Brand-based VR spaces are growing in popularity as social programs like VRChat and Cluster provide places for remote s to congregate. Developer Lasengle created a Fate/Grand Order "metaverse" space to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the global release.

The 2022 Tokyo Game Show will take place on September 15-18, 2022.

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Metal Gear Character Artist and Death Stranding Art Director Yoji Shinkawa will create the art for a special edition Magic: The Gathering Satoru Umezawa card for the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty expansion. The announcement was made on the official Japanese Magic: The Gathering Twitter . Satoru Umezawa is the main character in a recent short story that reveals the origins of planeswalker Kaito Shizuki.

A ninja variant of the Satoru Umezawa card will be drawn by Raita Kazama, who provided character designs for Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles X. Below, you can see the original card, the Raita Kazama variant, and the Yoji Shinkawa variant (from left to right).

The alternate art cards can be obtained as a part of the Buy-A-Box promo, which requires players to purchase a booster box of Magic: The Gathering cards at specific local game stores.

Blending Japanese mythology with a futuristic feel, the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty expansion will include full-art lands inspired by traditional Ukiyo-e paintings and a new set of legendary dragons. Kamigawa, the setting for the expansion, was first introduced with the Champions of Kamigawa set released in 2004. Neon Dynasty will take place over 1,200 years after the conclusion of the original storyline.

The Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty expansion for Magic: The Gathering will be released on February 18, 2022.

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Super Groupies revealed a new set of accessories in collaboration with Magic: The Gathering. Chronograph watches and crossbody bags are being produced in 6 colors, based on the globally popular trading card game. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

Both the watches and bags are specially designed to fit the needs of Magic: The Gathering players. The watches, which have five mana stones etched along with the hour markers, also have a turnable bezel to determine the starting time of a match and let a player see how many minutes have ed.

The bag's main compartment is originally partitioned to let a player store important decks, although the partitions can also be modified freely. The side pockets let one store smaller items like dice and pens. The bags are also made to protect the contents from the rain with the water-proof zippers and Cordura nylon.

The watches are available at 23,800 yen, while the bags are priced at 13,800 yen. All prices are still subject to tax. One of the six colors available is based on the Planeswalkers, while the rest will refer to the five mana colors in the TCG, which are White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green.

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Super Groupies has recently been revealing accessories based on collaborations with a lot of game titles and, as well as manga and anime IPs. The same brand has also revealed accessories related to Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Death Note, Bloodborne, and the NieR series, to name a few.

The Magic: The Gathering watches and bags from Super Groupies are slated for release around late February 2021. However, these accessories will only be available through build-to-order manufacturing. Pre-orders for the items are now open and available until October 26, 2020, at 12:00 JST. People living outside Japan are also able to place orders through the WorldShopping service inside Super Groupies' product page.

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