Players looking to summon Final Fantasy characters in trading card game will get their wish on February 25, 2011 when Square Enix releases a Final Fantasy Trading Card game. Two starter kits will launch with the game: white and black.
Each 1,500 yen ($18) entry set comes with 50 cards, that includes a card unique to each deck. Booster packs cost 330 yen ($4) and contain eight random cards. The first set has a total of 332 cards – 160 normal cards and 162 premium cards. Trading cards are also split into five different grades: common, uncommon, rare, super rare, and premium.
There are three kinds of cards in the game:
Forward – These are character cards and act like monsters in Magic: The Gathering. Forwards attack and block the player from taking damage. Many character cards are forwards.
Backup – These cards provide crystal points used to release forwards. I suppose they’re like lands.
Eidolons – Powerful and familiar monsters from the Final Fantasy series. These cards are used once.
Cards are further differentiated by their elements. The Final Fantasy Trading Card Game has six regular elements plus two special ones.
- Fire – an offensive attribute geared towards character damage. A large number of eidolons have this attribute.
- Ice – support characters that disrupt an opponent’s attacks.
- Wind – agile characters which are small in size, but are speedy.
- Lightning – these characters can defeat enemies with lightning speed. This group is effective at removing abilities.
- Earth – large and sturdy characters. Out of the eight elements these are bar none the best at defense.
- Water – tricky characters who may have an indirect advantage on the battlefield.
- Light and Dark – extremely powerful attributes
Square Enix plans to release promotional cards with their PSP games like The 3rd Birthday, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Final Mix, and Dissidia 012[duodecim]: Final Fantasy.
