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I grew up with the magic tier system - from playing the original Final Fantasy as a child, getting Final Fantasy 4 as a teen, and on through every game since. In many ways, I've used it to classify different levels of things in my real life. Cure, Cura, Curaga... Fire, Fira, Firaga... Burrito, Burrita, Burritaga. (That last one's mine).

That's why one of the things I've been anticipating if how (if at all) Wizards of the Coast adapts that to Magic: The Gathering with the upcoming M:TG - FF set. Would they do it as a tiered enchantment saga, or perhaps the recently-introduced Spree ability to spend mana (and more mana) depending on the strength of the spell I wanted to cast? I got my answer this weekend at the Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy Debut Showcase panel here at PAX East 2025 in Boston.

"Tiered is a brand new mechanic appearing here in Final Fantasy, you've never seen this before," said Gavin Verhey, one of Wizards of the Coast's principal designers for Magic: The Gathering. "We knew we had to get abilities like Fire, Fira, and Firaga into the set somehow. This is kind of like a modal kicker; it's on a handful of cards, and the more mana you put in, the bigger effect you get, just like in Final Fantasy."

So far the 'Tiered' mechanic has appeared on two cards in the M:TG - FF set - the Fire Magic card and the Ice Magic card. I need two hands to count the other tiered magic spells that I remember from the Final Fantasy games, including the bedrock of it all for me: Cure/Cura/Curaga (that sure sounds like a White spell, doesn't it?). I'm looking forward to see what else they reveal leading up to the set's full release.

Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy for MTG Arena will be available for Arena pre-order on May 10, with the physical cards (and decks) having a global in-store pre-release on June 6. The general global release of MTG - Final Fantasy will follow on June 10.

Here's how to play all the Final Fantasy games in order.