Midgar, City of Mako | Illustration by Josu Solano
Final Fantasy x MTG is a feast for the eyes. Square Enix’s worlds come to Magic dressed in everything from Yoshitaka Amano’s dream-like swirls to Magali Villeneuve’s portraits, plus several Final Fantasy artists making their debut on a Magic card.
I've ranked the Final Fantasy card illustrations that speak to me the most. Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder, of course, so this is very much a subjective list – please feel free to shout out your personal favorites, and with a bit of luck we'll make room for it in the list!
What Is the Art Direction in Final Fantasy?
Chromatic Lantern | Illustration by Kiyoshi Arai
In general, Final Fantasy goes for “Let's celebrate the original material.” Along with well-known MTG artists, Final Fantasy features many of the best-known names that worked in the original game, including Yoshitaka Amano and Tetsuya Nomura. In some cases, the cards use existing concept art; in other cases, the artists were asked to choose their favorite character and illustrate them in their preferred style, like Amano did with Kefka, Court Mage:
So, all in all, Final Fantasy‘s art style is pretty varied. But overall the set stays as true as possible to the original material, while giving some of the original artists a lot of creative freedom.
#28. Cid, Timeless Artificer (FIN #420)
Cid, Timeless Artificer | Illustration by Magali Villeneuve
You can't have a Final Fantasy game without Cid, so the same is true for a ranking of Final Fantasy art. And in this case we could have a ranking of just Cid, Timeless Artificer itself, because this card has 15 different versions!
I'm going with Magali Villeneuve's depiction of Cid from FFXVI here for its mixture of scholar and daredevil. Soft golds from the candles wash over the wood and leather, giving the room a cozy feel, but the cool purple-blue from the spell cuts through that warmth, showing Cid’s mix of old-world craft and high science. An ivory owl perched on a stand gives the scene a hint of ancient wisdom.
#27. Plains (FIN #296)
Plains (Final Fantasy) | Illustration by Eddie Mendoza
I love basic land for how it screams “Road Trip!” and “Adventure!”
Eddie Mendoza plants the vanishing point dead-center, so the road becomes a visual tractor beam extending through the horizon. An enormous pale moon quietly reminds you that this isn’t our Earth; then a cheeky chocobo crossing sign grounds the scene in Final Fantasy.
Mendoza captures freedom, camaraderie, and the promise of adventure, making a basic land feel epic!
#26. Gaia's Dark Hammer (Colossus Hammer – Secret Lair)
Colossus Hammer (Gaia's Dark Hammer) | Illustration by Marie Magny
We don't see what Gaia is looking at, but it's clear that she intends to make her gaze's target have an intimate meeting with the business end of the huge Colossus Hammer she wields as if it weighed nothing.
Her raven hair floats to the left, balancing the hammer's oversized head to the right. It’s a simple, striking portrait: One slender figure, one massive weapon, and a frozen world waiting to shatter.
#25. Mountain (FIN #303)
Mountain (Final Fantasy) | Illustration by Domenico Cava
This Mountain would feel at home in Tarkir: Dragonstorm; the kind of place where you'd expect to find a Jeskai monastery.
A rope bridge stretches into the haze, hinting at hidden villages or a lone monk’s pilgrimage beyond the precipice. This is a Mountain that whispers of elemental power and quiet invitation.
#24. Yuna, Grand Summoner (FIC #208)
Yuna, Grand Summoner | Illustration by Mai Okuma
Yuna, Grand Summoner depicts Yuna smiling confidently, breaking a bit from the majority of other illustrations where we can sense duty weighing heavily on her.
Here she greets us in pastel sunrise tones, her hair a soft chestnut wave that frames her eyes… which, if you look closely, match the and in her casting cost!
Most of the colors are light and welcoming: Pearl white cloth, sky-blue trim, and the warm gold of the staff. Small touches of teal and violet around the ribbons keep the palette lively without feeling busy. The overall mood is bright and confident, matching Yuna’s role as a healer and leader.
#23. Wastes (FIN #309)
Wastes (Final Fantasy) | Illustration by Eddie Mendoza
An armored wanderer (Clive, if you've played Final Fantasy XVI) and his shaggy white wolf pick their way through a ravine of shattered granite and bleached driftwood.
Bleak greys and ashen browns dominate Eddie Mendoza’s composition, the palette almost stripped of life, which feels perfect for a Wastes that taps for colorless mana. You can almost feel the chill seeping through your boots. It's the grim calm before the storm, when loyal partners share the quiet resolve to press on.
#22. Terra Branford (Urza, Lord High Artificer – FCA #005)
Urza, Lord High Artificer (Terra Branford) | Illustration by Yoshitaka Amano
Yoshitaka Amano's style is different from anything else in this set (or any other Magic card, really).
In this reimagining of Urza, Lord High Artificer, Terra Branford sits atop a churning Magitek armor. The vehicle is rendered in blacks and whites and grays, contrasting with Terra’s red cloak as it fans out to fill the right half of the frame.
For Magic fans, Amano is mythic royalty: The visionary artist behind Final Fantasy’s original character designs has a previous MTG piece, the eerie alternate art for Liliana, Dreadhorde General from War of the Spark.
#21. Midgar, City of Mako (FIN #313)
Midgar, City of Mako | Illustration by Josu Solano
Cloud crouches amid coiled pipes and turbines; catwalks sprawl through an immense industrial compound, bathed in the jade glow from Midgar, City of Mako‘s reactor's core. Towering tanks loom while every walkway looks one misstep from collapse, making any human presence feel fragile and insurgent.
This is the kind of art I play video games for! I love this cyberpunk vibe, and the promise of an infiltration mission that we'll be able to beat with either stealth and finesse, or choose violence and a lot of noise, depending how we're playing it.
#20. Sephiroth, Planet's Heir (FIN #505)
Sephiroth, Planet's Heir | Illustration by Magali Villeneuve
The industrial hues that dominate Midgar, City of Mako are just the background here. Sephiroth, Planet's Heir, impossibly handsome (and impossibly skilled: Just imagine having to maneuver his six-foot Masamune without getting himself entangled in his own hair…), dominates the scene with feline grace.
Magali Villeneuve freezes Sephiroth as he pounces for the kill, as gracefully as deadly.
#19. Clive, Ifrit's Dominant // Ifrit, Warden of Inferno (FIN #318)
Clive, Ifrit's Dominant / Ifrit, Warden of Inferno | Illustration by Kazuya Takahashi
Kazuya Takahashi paints Clive in slashing strokes to remind us of the flames trapped inside him. The whole piece feels like lava meeting charcoal. Amid the chaos, Clive, Ifrit's Dominant‘s face is startlingly calm, with barely a hint of the inferno he’s trying to master. Everything else explodes in blacks and reds, visually foreshadowing the saga creature on the card’s reverse.
Flip the card and those loose strokes coalesce into Ifrit, Warden of Inferno himself: A tower of obsidian muscle and fissures of living fire. Takahashi uses an ash-white background to reinforce the idea of heat, smoke, and unleashed power.
#18. Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms (FIN #338)
Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms | Illustration by Ezoi
Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms bursts onto the card in a whirl of crimson silk and clashing steel, scarlet cape flaring behind him like a battle flag while he wields one of his many weapons across the frame.
In the video games, Gilgamesh is a recurring character that shows up in several titles across the franchise. Which fits pretty well with his “wandering ronin” vibes, and that artist Ezoi reinforces with the look of a hand-printed Japanese woodblock.
#17. Nibelheim Aflame (FIN #339)
Nibelheim Aflame | Illustration by Karasuba Rindo
Bright, curling flames fill almost the whole picture. Rindo Karasuba, who Magic players already met in the Doom Blade japanese version for the Strixhaven Mystical Archive, shows us Sephiroth standing still in the middle of Nibelheim Aflame.
His long silver hair drapes forward, untouched by the inferno that devours everything else, while he contemplates the destruction as if it were a quiet meditation.
#16. Jenova, Ancient Calamity (FIN #346)
Jenova, Ancient Calamity | Illustration by Karo Arai
Karo Arai paints Jenova, Ancient Calamity floating in a liquid tank. The cool blues evoke a feeling of calmness, while the reds that highlight her appendages suggest something dangerous. Her unnatural body is surrounded by cables and tubes, emphasizing Jenova's otherworldly nature. Thick black cables snake out from a metal crown on her head and vanish into the shadows above, hinting that someone (or something…) is feeding off her power.
Everything is centered, so your eyes go straight to her face and those blank, red-ringed eyes. It’s a simple layout that tells the whole story: Ancient alien, pinned in place, still too strong to ignore.
Karo Arai is a new name to Magic ’s art, and Jenova, Ancient Calamity leaves a strong first impression.
#15. Jill, Shiva's Dominant (FIN #058)
Jill, Shiva's Dominant | Illustration by Arif Wijaya
Moon-blue light wraps around Jill, Shiva's Dominant as she lunges forward, rapier pointed straight. A ring of icy magic spins from her left hand, leaving bright streaks that echo the curve of the crescent moon behind her.
Arif Wijaya paints the whole scene in cool blues and teals: a cold, clear portrait of power held in calm hands, perfect for Shiva’s chosen warrior.
#14. Summoner's Sending (FIC #109)
Summoner's Sending | Illustration by Yumi Yaoshida
Artist Yumi Yoshida chooses soft sunset lights to show us Yuna standing ankle-deep in the ocean, arms spread, sleeves floating in the breeze. Bright lights spiral up from the water around her, showing the souls she’s guiding to rest with her as she performs the Summoner's Sending ritual.
The colors feel gentle yet full of life: warm sky, shimmering water, and the deep indigo of her skirt dotted with tiny stars. Those sparkling lines of light pull your eye upward, making the moment look both peaceful and powerful: a picture of hope, farewell, and beauty all at the same time.
#13. Balthier and Fran (FIN #319)
Balthier and Fran | Illustration by Akihiko Yoshida
A roving pirate and his loyal copilot – name a more iconic duo!
In Akihiko Yoshida's illustration, Balthier and Fran pose like partners caught mid-adventure, each radiating a distinct charisma: two sky pirates ready to set sail, sure to have Lady Luck on their side.
#12. Y'shtola, Night's Blessed (FIC #007)
Y'shtola, Night's Blessed | Illustration by Magali Villeneuve
Moon-grey light filters through twisted trees, and Y'shtola, Night's Blessed stands right in the center of it. Her white hair catches the glow, and she shines against the dark forest. A soft purple flare circles the tip of her staff, adding the only bright color in the scene.
Magali Villeneuve, famous for illustrating literally hundreds of Magic cards, here mixes cool shadows with the small pulse of violet magic, turning the quiet woods into Y’shtola’s midnight stage.
#11. Dragon of Mount Gulg (Ancient Copper Dragon – FCA#012)
Ancient Copper Dragon (Dragon of Mount Gulg) | Illustration by Yoshitaka Amano
A river of pale fire pours from the Dragon of Mount Gulg's (aka Ancient Copper Dragon‘s) mouth, sweeping like a bright ribbon. A lone armored knight, no bigger than the dragon’s jaws, leans into the blast with spear raised.
It’s a story of courage and flame told in just two colors and a few sweeping curves.
#10. Yuna's Decision (FIC #125)
Yuna's Decision | Illustration by Yuu Fujiki
A gentle blue glow fills the scene, as if the whole forest is lit by fireflies. Yuna stands close to Tidus, their hands linked over her heart. She looks down, face twisted in sadness, while he tilts his head back toward the sky, as if choosing hope. The pose tells the story without words: Yuna's Decision has two paths, and one hard choice.
Of the myriad stories across all 16 games, WotC very clearly decided to highlight Tidus' and Yuna's as the most heart-breaking. In Yuna's Decision, artist Yuu Fujiki lets the quiet emotion speak louder than any fancy detail. It’s a calm, tender moment that shows the weight of duty and the power of hope.
And, all in all, a great artistic choice for a modal card!
#9. Clive's Invictus Blade (Blade of Selves – Secret Lair)
Blade of Selves (Clive's Invictus Blade) | Illustration by Joshua Raphael
Artist Joshua Raphael depicts Clive Rosfield mid-oath, raising Invictus so its mirrored steel splits the scene in two. It's an extremely fitting choice for a Blade of Selves reprint, here renamed Clive's Invictus Blade.
The sword’s bluish steel contrasts with swirling orange-red flames, while Clive’s intense expression and deep scar highlight his strength. The background is charred with a fiery glow, amplifying the tension in the scene.
Raphael often paints dark scenes lit by one strong glow, and he uses that trick perfectly here. The result is a tight, dramatic snapshot of a hero, his vow, and a blade that can turn one warrior into many.
#8. Gilgamesh, Weapon Collector (Godo, Bandit Warlord – FCA #013)
Godo, Bandit Warlord (Gilgamesh, Weapon Collector) | Illustration by Yoshitaka Amano
Here's another depiction of Gilgamesh, the multi-armed wandering samurai who players meet in several Final Fantasy games. This time Gilgamesh, Weapon Collector is illustrated by the master himself, Yoshitaka Amano, who layers reds and golds into swirling armor plates.
Thin ink lines keep the shapes loose and lively: You can almost feel the clank of mismatched gear as this alternate Godo, Bandit Warlord charges forward.
#7. The Imperial City of Archades (Wall of Omens – FCA #027)
Wall of Omens (The Imperial City of Archades) | Illustration by Isamu Kamikokuryo
Warm sunrise colors wash over The Imperial City of Archades’ soaring towers. The tall, rose-gold buildings stretch so high they almost meet the teal sky, their tops linked by graceful bridges and pipes. From ground level we look straight up, so the city feels huge, like a canyon made of metal and marble.
Closer to us, green trees and hanging gardens soften the sharp lines. They crawl up walls and spill over balconies, showing how nature and city life mix here. At street level tiny figures crowd the market stalls, heads tilted back to stare just as we do; their busy shapes give the scene movement and scale.
Artist Isamu Kamikokuryo, art director for Final Fantasy XII, paints the city he helped design in the game. His loose brushstrokes and misty light turn the hard architecture of this Wall of Omens into something bright and welcoming.
#6. Aerith Gainsborough (FIN #374)
Aerith Gainsborough | Illustration by Syutsuri
Syutsuri's Aerith Gainsborough greets us in soft morning light. The mint-green background makes Aerith feel fresh and airy, almost like spring itself. Light falls gently on her face and hair, giving everything a healthy glow.
Her warm green eyes meet ours with gentle curiosity. One hand lifts a freshly picked yellow lily toward her heart, the petal edges catching tiny highlights as if she was about to give us the flower. Her other hand balances a wicker basket brimming with blooms just out of view. It’s a portrait of kindness and joyfulness, capturing Aerith at her most human and hopeful.
In their article describing the creative craft of Final Fantasy x MTG, WotC's Dillon Deveney – principal narrative game designer for the Universes Beyond team – says that “Optimistic and Hopeful” was one of the design pillars when setting Final Fantasy‘s tone. This is the card that, for me, embodies that pillar the best.
#5. The Shadow Lord (Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor – FCA #035)
Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor (The Shadow Lord) | Illustration by Suemi Jun
The Shadow Lord is a towering dark entity made of swirling purple shadows, with glowing fissures of violet crisscrossing throughout. It looms like a storm made of muscle, his massive torso forged from roiling purple-black smoke, laced with jagged veins of violet light that pulse like molten ore. Horn-like fins jut from his shoulders as he marches forward, an ancient malice ready to spread woe across the land.
Artist Suemi Jun's rough textures and bold colors turn this Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor‘s silhouette into something mythic: A towering threat that blocks out the sunset.
#4. Terra, Herald of Hope (FIC #204)
Terra, Herald of Hope | Illustration by Misei Ito
Pastel pink fills the background, and the big white “VI” behind Terra reminds us which game she comes from. Her green hair is tied in a high ponytail that sways like a banner, while her slender, curved blade mirrors the arc of fluttering silk behind her.
Artist Misei Iro's colors are soft — lavender sash, pale gold scarf — but the bright red of Terra's corset stands out, making her the focus. Terra, Herald of Hope‘s pose mixes grace and strength, her eyes shining with quiet resolve.
Another of the narrative pillars that principal narrative designer Dillon Deveny highlights for Final Fantasy is “Epic and Dramatic.” Many cards in this set capture that feeling well, I think, but none better than this version of Terra.
#3. Traveling Chocobo (FIN #551f – The Golden Chocobo)
Traveling Chocobo (Golden Chocobo) | Illustration by Toni Infante
In the Final Fantasy video games, gold chocobos are the rarest and most powerful breed of chocobo, able to cross any type of terrain.
MTG captures that uniqueness by making golden chocobos the most unique card in the set: There are only 77 serialized copies in existence, and only found in Collector Boosters.
Toni Infante's depiction of Final Fantasy x MTG‘s rarest card is a burst of sunshine on canvas. Everything glows like midday light. This bird‘s having the happiest time running and roaming, and Infante’s energetic brushstrokes accentuate the chocobo's speed.
This is Final Fantasy’s tireless travel companion, always ready for the next adventure.
#2. Cloud's Buster Sword (Umezawa's Jitte – Secret Lair)
Umezawa's Jitte (Cloud's Buster Sword) | Illustration by Magali Villeneuve
Speaking of iconic duos, this is one of the most recognizable pairs in the history of video games: Cloud, wielding his signature oversized sword that dwarfs his own silhouette.
If there's one card whose art screams “This is Final Fantasy!” louder than any other, it's this Secret Lair reskin of Umezawa's Jitte.
#1. Kefka, Court Mage // Kefka, Ruler of Ruin (FIN #322)
Kefka, Court Mage / Kefka, Ruler of Ruin | Illustration by Yoshitaka Amano
Carnival hues burst across the frame as Kefka, Court Mage pirouettes through Yoshitaka Amano’s signature ink-and-wash dreamscape. Scarlet arcs, canary yellows, and poison teals swirl around the jester’s striped and polka-dotted costume.
“No, I'm not mad,” Kefka's costume whispers to us. “Just unreasonably crazy.”
The backside, Kefka, Ruler of Ruin, leaves the theatrics and goes for the throat. The jester spreads serrated wings, and his dance becomes a predator’s stoop.
Kefka is considered one of the most memorable video game villains ever created. Amano needs just a single double-faced card to retell Kefka's arc in Final Fantasy VI, from court fool to mad god.
How Can I Get Some of This Final Fantasy Art?
One way to get (and play with!) any of these art pieces is to get the card in question. Cracking boosters and relying on luck is probably not optimal if you know exactly what you want, so your best bet is to buy singles from online markets like TCGplayer.
If you're after digital copies of some Final Fantasy art, in general you have two options:
First, you have Wizards’ own marketing assets, which you can find on their WPN website. They include marketing material, poster files, and social-media banners that you can 100% legally download and set as desktop art.
Then there are websites with high-definition card scans, usually available within days of release. My personal choice is mtgpics.com (most of the full card art you seen in our articles normally comes from there). You can search for any MTG card and chances are they have at least one, and sometimes all of its versions in high resolution.
Wrap Up
Cryptic Command (To the Crystal Tower) | Illustration by Kazuya Takahashi
That’s our tour through some of the best art pieces in Final Fantasy x MTG, according to my extremely subjective opinion.
Now it’s your turn!
Tell me in the comments below or on the Draftsim Discord which illustrations I criminally overlooked, which ones you’d frame in your living room, or which one now shines on your Magic playmat.
As the Beholder said: No such thing as wrong answers!
Follow Draftsim for awesome articles and set updates:
Add Comment