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What is FFTCG?
FFTCG is a two-player trading card game, launched internationally in 2016 by Square Enix and Hobby Japan. It is the second iteration of the game, originally released domestically in 2012.
The game is based on the long running and hugely popular Final Fantasy video game series. Players create their own dream team of characters from across the series and face off in epic duels.
Expansion sets (known as The Opus Series) add new cards to the game, when released. The original card set (Opus I) made 216 cards available. At the time of writing, ten additional expansions (Opus II - XI) are available - adding hundreds more cards to the game.
Final Fantasy 7 (VII) Starter Deck
This product contains a pre-constructed, ready to play 50-card deck, themed around the characters from Final Fantasy 7. You will also receive a paper play mat and double-sided introduction/quick-start guide. This is everything you will personally need to jump into the game. All that remains is to find an opponent with their own deck!
This deck is one of three that were released as part of the initial product range (Opus I) and is a great place to start. A different Final Fantasy 7 deck was released in March 2019 as part of the Opus VIII expansion.
Deck Strategy
The deck features Fire and Earth Element cards. For details on Elements and other game mechanics, see my 'Game Guide for New Players'.
The strategy with this deck is straightforward. First, use your Fire elemental cards to take out your opponent’s defence. Then, swing in to deal damage with your big hitting Forwards.
Cards like Jessie and Zangan allow you to search your deck for specific cards, and add them to your hand. Use those to find big hitters like Cloud, Tifa, Red XIII, Barret, or Vincent. With those in play you can make use of their abilities to blow away your opponent’s Forwards. When the way is clear, follow through to damage your opponent. Wedge is also useful to pull Biggs out of your deck; Biggs' ability can help chip away at your opponent’s defenders.
This deck also has some useful Summons: Ifrit and Bahamut Fury deal decent offensive damage and Golem is great in defence.
I also like the Dark Knight earth Forward. It only deals 3000 damage, but is inexpensive to cast and gets stronger as you take damage. Generic Forwards like Black Belt and Squire are good early cards to get into play. As are the Backups, Magus and Monk, for their abilities.
Decklist
Card Name and ID |
Type |
Element |
Rarity |
Quantity |
Ifrit (1-004) |
Summon |
Fire |
Common |
2 |
Black Mage (1-010) |
Backup |
Fire |
Common |
2 |
Evoker (1-011) |
Backup |
Fire |
Common |
2 |
Samurai (1-014) |
Forward |
Fire |
Common |
2 |
Magus (1-024) |
Backup |
Fire |
Common |
2 |
Squire (1-025) |
Forward |
Fire |
Common |
2 |
Cloud (1-187) |
Forward |
Fire |
Starter |
3 |
Zangan (1-188) |
Backup |
Fire |
Starter |
3 |
Tifa (1-189) |
Forward |
Fire |
Starter |
3 |
Bahamut Fury (1-190) |
Summon |
Fire |
Starter |
3 |
Red XIII (1-191) |
Forward |
Fire |
Starter |
3 |
Dark Knight (1-092) |
Forward |
Earth |
Common |
2 |
Black Belt (1-099) |
Forward |
Earth |
Common |
2 |
Golem (1-106) |
Summon |
Earth |
Common |
2 |
Monk (1-120) |
Backup |
Earth |
Common |
2 |
Vincent (1-202) |
Forward |
Earth |
Starter |
3 |
Wedge (1-203) |
Backup |
Earth |
Starter |
3 |
Jessie (1-204) |
Backup |
Earth |
Starter |
3 |
Barret (1-205) |
Forward |
Earth |
Starter |
3 |
Biggs (1-206) |
Backup |
Earth |
Starter |
3 |
My Thoughts
I'm a fan of FFTCG. I think it's a solid, streamlined game that is easy to learn and play. I've been a fan of the Final Fantasy series for many years, so the theme works for me. It's fun to play with my favourite characters from the games. Final Fantasy VII happens to be my favourite game of the series, so it was especially appealing for me to try this deck out.
This specific deck is a good starter product. There is a good balance of Forwards, Backups, and Summons. It also contains a number of effective card synergies. These will help you understand what to look for when creating a customised deck.
The artwork is quite varied, having been taken directly from the games, concept art and films. Personally, I'd rather have seen the art style used for Vincent applied uniformly. But that's a minor point of preference and takes nothing away from game play.
If you like this you might like the other two starter decks from Opus I: Final Fantasy X Deck, and Final Fantasy XIII Deck, which used Wind and Water cards and Ice and Lightning cards respectively.
The 2-Player starter kit is also a useful product to pick up if you're new to the game. It contains two ready-to-play decks and is a great way to get a friend to try it with you.
