As a child, I was a huge fan of Yu-Gi-Oh, and so, naturally, Magic: The Gathering never really appealed to me. Fortunately, as I got older, my appreciation for Magic: The Gathering and its slightly complex rules appealed to me more and more - thankfully, my love of Yu-Gi-Oh never waned. I getting my first MTG free deck from my local card shop, a 30-card green deck with a bunch of cards that I fawned over for days afterward. It was my gateway into Magic: The Gathering's phenomenal world, and it felt like the love would never stop.

Unfortunately, over time, my understanding of Magic: The Gathering grew more and more strained as new rules were introduced. This is the natural progression of TCGs that need to be constantly evolving to both draw in new fans and give existing ones more reasons to buy cards. I failed to stick around to be a part of this shift, and that's something I regret now. However, it looks like my opportunity for a comeback is in order, as a new MTG Final Fantasy crossover is officially in the works.

I've Lost My Love Of MTG

It Became Too Complicated

I have a vivid memory of my mum driving away as I stood alone before my new university accommodation. As someone who suffers quite heavily from anxiety, that step to move away from home and live with a group of strangers was overwhelmingly painful. Fortunately, during my stay in that run-down building, I managed to make a small group of friends who all happened to be into Magic: The Gathering. One was even a MTG judge, something that was hugely beneficial when it came to learning the ropes again after having forgotten everything since being a child.

That brief revitalization of my Magic: The Gathering love affair was a joyful one, and remains constantly at the back of my mind. It is the memory that spurs me on to check out the gorgeously illustrated Bloomburrow set, buy a starter deck here and there that remains perpetually unopened, and, every so often, flirt with the idea of really committing myself to it. Except, the rather frustrating thing about anxiety is that it's hard to make friends. I've spent a lot of my life alone, and that isn't particularly conducive to getting into an inherently multiplayer-focused TCG.

Of course, there are the video game versions of MTG that would allow me to play solo against strangers online. However, I find there's something so isolating about experiencing a TCG this way, not only because it lacks the physical element of slamming down a card victoriously at the end of an expertly planned turn, but also because I spent so much of my childhood playing Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic: The Gathering with others. It's hard to replicate that joy I felt with a digital equivalent. Beyond all of that, however, I lost touch with it because MTG became too complicated.

Magic: The Gathering has had a number of crossovers that expand upon the series' mythos and lore, the introduction of Commander decks which I still can't quite wrap my head around, and a dozen new rules and card types, all of which feel like an entirely new language to someone who just about managed to comprehend it just shy of 20 years ago. Games like MTG evolve and change and I get that's a part of it, but attempting to get back into it only grew harder and harder the longer I left it. That is, I hope, until now.

Magic The Gathering Is Getting A Final Fantasy Crossover

It Features Characters From FFVI, VII, X, And XIV

It is obviously a tad hypercritical of me to claim I couldn't get into Magic: The Gathering thanks to its endless crossovers, and yet now fawn over the Final Fantasy one, but maybe that's the point. I'm not opposed to Doctor Who, Fallout, or any of the many other crossovers that have occurred over the years. I'm not even against the Spider-Man MTG crossover or the SpongeBob one on the horizon. I love most of those properties - yellow sponges aside - a lot, but I've never really understood why I'd want a deck of cards based on them.

To me, Magic: The Gathering's own ever-expanding world was fascinating enough, and no matter how gorgeous the art was for the Fallout or Lord of the Rings sets, it felt like these crossover sets detracted from the work that went into building up MTG's lore. There's a part of me that feels like MTG is quickly becoming the Fortnite of TCGs, and while there's nothing inherently wrong with that, it always felt a little ridiculous to me to be playing cards based on the Assassin's Creed games against cute animal warriors from the Bloomburrow set.

Final Fantasy's MTG crossover is an extension of this multiversification of everything, but it has come at just the right time to get me back into a TCG that I hadn't realized just how much I'd missed.

However, now I need reminding, more than ever, of what it was like to be a part of a small yet welcoming community, holed up playing MTG until the dead of night, laughing as I endlessly made the wrong plays because, frankly, I'm terrible at it. Final Fantasy's MTG crossover may be an extension of this multiversification of everything, but it has come at just the right time to get me back into a TCG that I hadn't realized just how much I'd missed.

The Final Fantasy MTG Crossover Could Pull Me Back In

It Might Be Worth Pulling Out The Rulebook For

It helps that I've been playing through the impeccable Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth recently. It is very easy for me to be negative about everything, something that plays a big role in my job, and so I'm often refreshed when I play something I don't have to complain about, or rather that I can't. The fact that I was feeling a sense of renewal while playing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, just as a Final Fantasy crossover with a TCG I'd been nostalgic for was announced, is perhaps serendipitous, but I certainly saw it as a sign.

I still don't have anyone to play with, but I think I'm okay with that. I used to play chess against myself - and honestly still sometimes do - so I have gained the ability to be impartial when playing against myself. More than anything, I'm keen to see all the Final Fantasy characters included in the MTG crossover, to feel those cards again, delight in the detailed art and complex terminology that I'll pretend I understand, and use it as a gateway into delving deeper into the TCG.

I'm a very nostalgic person, but when so many of my fondest memories are tarnished by my worst, it's easier to look ahead rather than behind. This is why holding onto these memories of playing MTG is important to me. However, I also appreciate the value of moving forward and making new memories. So, I can't wait for the Final Fantasy Magic: The Gathering cards, not just so I can relive those memories, but so that I can hopefully gain the courage to head to my local game store and find another community to love this wonderful TCG with.