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Beating out the likes of Marvel, The Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, Jurassic Park/World, and Assassin's Creed, Final Fantasy is the reigning champ of not only Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond crossover sets, but all of Magic: The Gathering's sets period. I'll give you a minute to let that sink in. 

The CEO of Hasbro, Chris Cocks, confirmed the news on an investors call in April. "Final Fantasy will be the best-selling set of all time on day one. It already is," Cocks said during the question and answer section of the call. 

Final Fantasy is far from Magic: The Gathering's first Universes Beyond set. So what's been making it such a strong performer? There isn't a straightforward answer to that question, and it's likely a combination of factors. To start off, all the cards in the Final Fantasy set are legal to Magic's Standard format, meaning, you can use Final Fantasy cards in tournaments. It's the first Universes Beyond set to be Standard-legal, and this will be the status quo for all future Universes Beyond releases. Before, all MTG crossover sets were only legal within standard formats like vintage, legacy, commander, and pauper, thereby limiting their applications. 

Secondly, Final Fantasy fans are already gamers, so they're more inclined to pick up a new hobby like Magic: The Gathering, than say, Marvel fans, who are playing Marvel Rivals at home for free. Also, given how complex the mechanics of most Final Fantasy games are, Final Fantasy fans aren't as intimidated by the prospect of learning a trading card game like Magic. 

And to round things out, Final Fantasy has an immensely deep place within gamer culture, and everything from the series' graphic design to the character designs to the musical scores has lent it a certain artistic prestige. Magic: The Gathering is very good at making pretty cards that are appealing to people who don't even play Magic. Case in point: while I follow Magic and used to work at a game shop, I have managed to resist starting a collection of physical Magic cards until I saw the Sephiroth and Clive Rosfield cards at PAX East this year. 

The Magic: The Gathering x Final Fantasy set will hit game shops June 13, 2025. 

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