Magic the Gathering’s Final Fantasy set has been a bona fide slam dunk for both Hasbro and Square Enix. The set has sold better than anything else that Wizards of the Coast has ever put out for the massively popular card game, and the exposure and merchandising fees that Square is racking up forFinal Fantasymust surely be astounding.
There are cards representing just about every beloved character. Aerith Gainsborough, one of the leading heroines from Final Fantasy VII, its spinoffs, and its ongoing trilogy of in-depth remakes, is a shining example. Here are my picks for the very best Magic the Gathering cards featuring the flower girl herself.
I should emphasize from the get-go that this is about the art, and the card concepts themselves, far more so than the cards' abilities. I approach this as a collector first and foremost!
6Borderless Traditional Foil/Surge Foil Aerith Gainsborough
Artist SYUTSURI has imbued our beloved Aerith in a decidedlycutedesign approach. Her innocent smile is almost too idealized, as far as I’m concerned; Aerith has a terrific spunk about her that I’m not sure is truly captured here.
That’s not to say that I believe this to be a badly drawn card. It’s quite good at what its artist is going for, and I don’t doubt there are plenty of fans out there who love this one best of all. But it’s a bit too, dare I say,kawaiifor me.
5Aerith Gainsborough
The traditional Aerith card is a good one to be sure. The artist is NAKAMURAB, and while they still lean a bit far into an outright anime aesthetic, it’s a bit more subdued, and there’s more texture to the dress, lending a slightly savvier visualization. At least, that’s my opinion!
The background is the exact spot in Midgar where Aerith first meets Cloud, while she’s selling her flowers on the street, and he’s just escaped from Final Fantasy VII’s inaugural bombing mission. She’s holding out that same flower that features in the Borderless art, although NAKAMURAB has opted for a larger version. I think it’s a bit overdone in its largeness, but hey, it works.
4Aerith Rescue Mission
OK, so, Aerith Rescue Mission doesn’t actually feature Aerith herself in the artwork. But the card’s still all about her. It depicts Avalanche’s desperate quest to ascend Shinra HQ, a massive tower where Aerith is being held prisoner so that the nefarious Hojo can tap into her incredible powers on his employer’s behalf.
Cloud, Tifa, and Barret are each shown in miniature panels, two on one side, the third on the other, while the remainder of the image is reserved for a somewhat dizzying overhead perspective of the seemingly endless stairway within Shinra HQ. Players can either ascend this stairway, or take an elevator, with the former leading to funnier dialogue and a quieter time; the latter is battles galore.
Aerith Rescue Mission was illustrated by HOKOYUU. I love the vibrance, and I can practically sense the heroism. After all, uh, you’ve got to be fairly heroic to willingly run up 59 flights of stairs to save your friend.
3Secret Rendezvous
Secret Rendezvous is one of many cards in Magic the Gathering’s Final Fantasy set to be based mechanically upon a preexisting card. I love what’s been done with it here. There are four versions, each with a different date candidate for Cloud Strife’s famous big Gold Saucer night out; within the original game, four potential dates are available depending on player choices leading up to this sequence. (In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, there are even more!)
Needless to say, the Secret Rendezvous variant we’re focusing on for this list is Aerith’s. Yuu Fujiki designed the artwork for every version, and Aerith’s showcases her poised exuberance during the gondola ride. Cloud’s clearly, uh, too poised. So it goes for our Ex-SOLDIER.
2Aerith’s Curaga Magic
Justyna Dura went all-out in making Aerith’s Curaga Magic a splashy full-art masterpiece. Our heroine takes center-stage as she casts a brilliant green-and-white glow around both Cloud Strife and Red XIII in this Final Fantasy spin on the Heroic Intervention card of yore.
I’m honestly not quite certain what those enemies are that Cloud and Red are holding off while Aerith rejuvenates her team, and I feel a tad ashamed for saying it. Surely, it’s something familiar, right? A Final Fantasy VII enemy, I mean? I just cannot put my finger on it. Well, uh, whatever they are, they look cool, too.
1Aerith, Last Ancient
Marta Nael has outdone my wildest expectations for Aerith, Last Ancient; the spectral hues are sublime, and the almostetherealpresence of the last Cetra in the world shines through in spades.
As Aerith reaches out into the heavens above, a light radiates from her open palm, and the fate of an entire planet can doubtless be felt on her shoulders. Yet, it’s a magical, beautiful, sensation - something which the artist demonstrates with aplomb. I love this card so much, and it’s a crime against humanity that I do not yet own it.
