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It only makes sense that the good people at the Square Enix offices would be fans of Magic: The Gathering. There's been a huge amount of hype for the crossover, with the development team from Wizards of the Coast mentioning that the mechanics of the Final Fantasy set were on the more complex side because the Final Fantasy fandom already "gets" the ins-and-outs of game mechanics. Unlike some of Magic: The Gathering's more recent crossovers (ahem, SpongeBob), a crossover with Final Fantasy feels more motivated due to the fact that it's already a video game series. 

Recently, the development team from Wizards of the Coast who spearheaded the Final Fantasy crossover revealed to Variety that they spent plenty of time hanging out with the team from Square Enix by playing, you guessed it, Magic together.

Principal Final Fantasy designer for Magic: The Gathering Gavin Verhey said, "I want to really emphasize, it’s not just us going to [Square Enix], they love Magic tons and tons. And we have weekly calls with them where they play tons of Magic, tells about what they think about Magic. And when we were over there playing with them and hanging out at the Square Enix offices doing work, after hours, we’ll play a commander or play Magic together. So they love cards, too. And we mentioned Thrasios, they got really excited. So OK — we love it, they love it, let’s put it in the set.”

I think it's really wholesome that the architects of Magic: The Gathering can still unwind by playing the game with their collaborators from another company. And that there was a shared love of the game that brought both parties together. Given the amount of detail put into the Final Fantasy set, it's clear that neither Wizards of the Coast nor Square Enix were messing around with this crossover. It wasn't just making pretty or meme-worthy cards, but constructing a set that functions well as a playable game. 

The Magic: The Gathering x Final Fantasy crossover will be released on June 13. May the cards ever be in your favor. 

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