Final Fantasy Trading Card Game Opus V Sets Are Here, Original Art and Powerful Synergies Abound

A close friend, some whiskey, a couple of paper mats, hundreds of cards with your favorite Final Fantasy characters' mugs plastered on the front, and "Shuffle or Boogie," the card game theme song from Final Fantasy VIII: This is everything you need to have an incredible Friday night, and the new Opus V series of cards represent the perfect opportunity for you to jump into the Final Fantasy Trading Card Game.

Opus V features three new starter sets, each containing 50 cards to get your deck started. For this series there is a focus on Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XIII, and Final Fantasy XIV, but no matter which set you pick up, you're going to see characters and summons from a variety of Final Fantasy games, and you'll be provided with enough "back ups" and "forwards" to spark your imagination and start customizing a deck that suits you.

That's when the really fun really begins. FFTCG is played on a turn-by-turn basis, which sounds obvious, but what's unique is that all of your resources are accrued and spent -- entirely -- in every single turn. You build up crystal points by tapping out (dulling) cards on the mat, or discarding cards completely, and each of your forwards or back-ups will require a set amount of CP to play. This means that every single turn has its own unique strategy; it's own opportunities for offensive and defensive maneuvers, and it becomes incredibly important to stack cards in your deck which synergize with each other.

To that end, you may notice a card like Yda which, assuming you have other cards in play from the Scion of the Seventh Dawn, becomes incredibly powerful. Other cards of the same class, like Minfilia, enable you to fill your hand with even more Scion of the Seventh Dawn forwards and backups.

You'll notice this kind of synergy not only between characters from the same game, or from similar organizations, but also between cards which share the same elemental affiliation. The sheer breadth of variety and potential for customization are staggering, and whether you want to climb the competitive ranks, or just collect all of your favorite characters, there are viable means for you to build a competent deck without spending a ton of money. The starter sets are the perfect way to ensure you get some great card combos right away, and the booster packs typically yield powerful foil cards and unexpected surprises.

Thumbing through my Opus V sets, I noticed characters and monsters from Final Fantasy games which went woefully under-represented in the Trading Card Game until now. I was beside myself when I realized that Theatrythm Final Fantasy cards are being sprinkled throughout these collections, and the starter sets are profusely peppered with original illustrations from Akira Oguro (Final Fantasy IV), and Ryomo Ito (Final Fantasy Tactics A2).

If you're already several decks deep, I can guarantee you that this fresh infusion of forwards and back-ups will offer you some new strategic builds that you may not have considered before. At the very least, the new Opus V starter sets will inspire you to craft entirely new decks due to the skills and summons they offer. For new players, I can't think of a more beautiful entry point. The exclusive new character art, and especially the synergistic bonuses provided in the Final Fantasy XIV themed starter set, will serve you well for months to come.

The Final Fantasy Trading Card Game continues to explode in popularity in the West, and over 140 million cards have been shipped worldwide. If you've been dying to scratch that tabletop or card gaming itch, I can't recommend it enough.