Of all the Final Fantasy 14 collaborations and crossovers out there, I never expected to see the game make its way to Magic: the Gathering – but boy, has it.
Not only does Magic: the Gathering now feature a set of very nice Final Fantasy 14-themed cards, but there's one in particular that's downright dominating the scene currently: none other than that of Y'shtola, Night's Blessed, of course.
Now, I might not be a big MTG fan myself, but I just so happen to be a Warrior of Light and, yes, an Y'shtola enjoyer. So, I'm not all that surprised to hear that her card is proving to be incredibly popular.
So popular, in fact, that EDHREC confirms it's "the #1 most popular commander" on its site. And, perhaps even more impressively, "This is the fastest rise to glory of any commander in the format's history, by the numbers."
Truly, this might have to do with how strong the card's abilities are. Per our tabletop and merch editor Benjamin Abbott: "Mechanically speaking, Y'shtola is... well, let's just say this card isn't pulling its punches. Being able to deal 2 damage to an opponent when casting a noncreature spell with mana value 3 or more is already spicy, but healing you for 2 at the same time? Ridiculous. Add a host of artefacts, enchantments, and the like to your deck for later-game casting and you've got a very nasty screw-you-engine that'll be rightly feared."
But! There's also the fact that, erm, this is mommy cat lady we're talking about here… and folks love her. EDHREC seems to agree, too.
The platform makes a good point – Final Fantasy 14 is "the only major MMORPG" in Square Enix's JRPG series "that many people were exposed to." So, "if you went to a video game convention dressed as Y'shtola Rhul and you asked a random con-goer who you were dressed as, many would probably recognize you as more than just a 'catgirl.'"
Honestly, that checks out. Every time I'm at Comic Con, I do see at least one Y'shtola cosplayer.
If you're craving a bit of cat girl goodness yourself, the best way to get her card right now seems to be TCGPlayer, and the cheapest option for the Commander Deck itself is Miniature Market. Elsewhere, it's (unsurprisingly) largely overpriced.
Am I now wondering how to play Magic: the Gathering myself? Yes, perhaps I am… and perhaps I'm eyeing some online listings, too. This is the push into tabletop gaming I needed.
Now, if only I liked the Stardew Valley cards as much as I do these – although I suppose you can't win 'em all, eh?
Metal The Gathering: From ripping packs in a moshpit to a secret all-star metal MTG group chat, Atreyu explain why Magic is the most metal TCG. We were also able to chat with the designers for MTG Hobbit, who say "we've learned a lot from the fan reaction" to Universes Beyond.
