Popverse's top stories of the day

• X-Men was "the most disappointing creative experience" Jonathan Hickman has ever had, the Marvel writer reveals
• MEMBERS ONLY: Popverse Jump: Spy x Family is going to end with Loid realizing he loves being a dad or I'm going to riot
• WATCH NOW: How to be a D&D Dungeon Master, according to Wizards of the Coast's game director James Wyatt and principal game designer James Wyatt

I am a pretty stable adult man, but this weekend at PAX East 2025, I have discovered what it takes for me to become Gollum in under 10 minutes: The Sephiroth content from Magic: The Gathering’s crossover with Final Fantasy.

Listen, I’m not exactly the type to look at The Lord of the Rings and say, “See, that would never happen to me because I’m built different,” mainly because I think all of us humans have the ability to become Gollum whether we like it or not. That’s kind of the whole point of Sméagol and Gollum to begin with, but this isn’t an article about Tolkien. For some folks, the Gollum activator is shiny Pokémon cards, for others, it’s sports cars, and for me, apparently, it’s the Sephiroth card and other stuff from the Final Fantasy crossover. Specifically, it's a reusable tote bag I’ve seen hundreds of MTG fans walking around with at PAX East.

I now understand how other men in history have been consumed by greed. 

Anyways, take a gander at this artwork by Tetsuya Nomura from the upcoming Final Fantasy set.

See what I mean? Sephiroth is the big bad from Final Fantasy VII, and as evil as he is, he is a character I am “feral” for, to use the words of moderator (and voice of Final Fantasy XVI’s Clive Rosfield!) Ben Starr at today’s Magic: The Gathering x Final Fantasy panel. Would we describe Gollum as “feral?” I guess in the literal sense of the word, he is feral, living outside the bounds of organized hobbit society, eating raw meat, being a bit stinky. Where was I going with this? Good question. 

Motivated by the Gollum-like need to own the Sephiroth tote bag, I scoured the PAX East convention floor looking for the Magic: The Gathering booth. If I had to spend money to my detriment in order to get the Sephiroth bag, then so be it. Me bankrupting myself for his sake would probably be something he would condone.

Braving the crowds while hopping around like a goblin on the floor, my scalp suddenly in a state of advanced balding, my fondness of potatoes a distant memory, I discovered that the tote bag was given out at an event prior to the panel I went to earlier today. What will become of me now? Will I become something worse than Gollum? Will I throw myself into a fiery inferno? Only time will tell. 

Anyways, the Final Fantasy and Magic: The Gathering crossover drops on June 13, 2025. 

You don't need to beat the game to prepare for the next one—here are all the major new and upcoming games coming our way.