Final Fantasy Trading Cards Games
Producer's blog 2021-08-26 00:18:29

Producer's Blog - About Red XIII [14-019R]’s Ability


Red XIII from Final Fantasy VII Remake

Hello everyone! FFTCG Producer Tarou Kageyama here. I hope you’re all enjoying the latest set, Opus XIV: Crystal Abyss. As usual, this set includes a number of cards that function in new ways, so maybe you’re already enjoying them from a deck construction perspective as well.

 Among these new cards, the one that we’ve been receiving the most questions about is Red XIII [14-019R]. This card allows you to play one Forward from your hand onto the field, for merely one Fire CP! It can be played without restrictions to cost or element, which is quite exceptional, but in turn, the Forward that you play here must be removed from the game at the end of the turn. So, by having this one-turn restriction put in place, you’re able to play a powerful Forward onto the field easily.

 And, to avoid the Forward played using Red XIII [14-019R]’s ability from being reused in different ways, if it leaves the field, it is removed from the game instead. Returning Red XIII [14-019R] and the Forward played using his ability to your hand through some sort of method, and using them once more, is not possible. However, I think this safeguard may be what’s leading to some questions coming up. The questions are largely about two points, so let’s look at them one at a time.

1: Placing it in the Break Zone.

  The first point relates to placing a Forward in the Break Zone due to the effects of some sort of ability or cost, and doing so results in an effect.

Here, I’ll use Cloud of Darkness [10-028L] as an example. Let’s take a look at what happens when its first ability is used to try to take the Forward placed onto the field using Red XIII [14-019R]’s ability, and place it into the Break Zone. As a result of Red XIII [14-019R]’s ability, this Forward would be removed from the game rather than placed in the Break Zone. However, Cloud of Darkness [10-028L]’s auto ability will activate in this instance.

It’s important to note here that the question is whether the card was intended to be placed in the Break Zone, and not whether it was actually placed in the Break Zone. The result is similar to what would happen if Yuna [1-176H] is on the field when you use Black Mage [1-010C]’s ability, and Black Mage [1-010C]’s ability still activates even though it is removed from the game (and not placed in the Break Zone).

 That said, please be mindful that abilities that are activated when actually placing into the Break Zone (for example, it says “when it is put into the Break Zone”) will not be activated here because the card isn’t placed into the Break Zone.

2: Removing instead of removing.

 The other frequently asked question relates to combining Red XIII [14-019R] with something that “removes from the game, then returns it to the field once again,” such as Rinoa [6-041L] or Kadaj [11-140S]. If a Forward placed onto the field using Red XIII [14-019R] were to be removed using Rinoa [6-041L], would that Forward return to the field? Or, if you played Kadaj [11-140S] onto the field using Red XIII [14-019R]’s ability, and if you removed him from the field on your turn using Kadaj [11-140S]’s own ability, then would he return to the field at the end of your opponent’s turn? These are the kinds of questions we’ve received.

In a nutshell, the card would not come back onto the field in each of these two scenarios. Rinoa [6-041L] and Kadaj [11-140S]’s abilities allow them to return the removed card back onto the field, but the removal will be replaced by Red XIII [14-019R]’s ability. They will be considered to have been removed through Red XIII [14-019R]’s ability, and will be unable to return to the field. Although there’s no difference in the fact that they are removed from the game, the reason for their removal will differ, so the original effect will no longer be exhibited.

 Red XIII [14-019R] is a card that holds within it very many possibilities. You can play any Forward onto the field with one CP, so the more Forwards are added to the landscape, the more possibilities there will be. I hope you’ll keep an eye on this one in the future as well. With that, we’ll wrap things up around here this time.