Final Fantasy Trading Cards Games
Card of the week 2019-06-20 15:37:00

Opus IX Card of the Week - Luso


2019 07/luso thumb

Hey everyone, RB here! It shouldn’t be a shock to anyone when I say Wind is my favorite element. I’ve talked about it several times in articles in the past, or at events talking with the North America community. That said, during Opus VIII, I tried to stay away from talking about Wind too much in my Card of the Week articles. I didn’t want to overload people with Wind cards all the time. Plus, Kageyama-san already shared a Wind Legend. However… when I saw this card, I knew I absolutely needed to share it. This week’s card is Luso, 9-058L.

Luso Clemens is the protagonist of FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: GRIMOIRE OF THE RIFT. He opens the Grimoire of the Rift and accidentally summons the world of Ivalice. He assumes the only way home is to take on as many missions as possible, and he can even learn every job hume-anly possible.

Let’s take a look at the card!

Oh, that’s right, did I mention Luso comes in a full art version? Luso is a 2 CP Wind Forward with 5000 power. He has a field ability that reads “For each Forward other than Luso you control, Luso gains +1000 power” and another field ability that reads “If there are 3 or more different Elements among Forwards you control, Luso gains First Strike and Brave.” Lastly he has an auto ability which reads, “When Luso attacks, if there are 5 or more different Elements among Forwards you control, Luso deals your opponent 1 point of damage.” Whoa, he deals a point of damage before his attack even connects!? His 2 field abilities make him a formidable threat, but his auto ability can outright win the game with your opponent being unable to block it.

Of course, you’ll need to get all of those different elements on your forwards, and what better way to get lots of elements in play than with Yuri [7-128H]? The two spinoff protagonists can team up to power up Luso’s abilities without any other Forwards needed! If you’re including Yuri, it’s best to also include Aleria [7-043C] to search him out, and with her, you can search out Yuri’s twin sister, Chelinka [7-054L]. Chelinka’s auto ability can also help Luso attack while he has First Strike with very little fear of Luso becoming broken.

Luso can fit into lots of different archetypes, but Wind/Lightning is an exciting one, since Cid of Clan Gully [5-103R] can search for Luso, or any other category FFTA2 Forward. Adelle [5-050H] even fits into Luso’s theme of evading combat and getting damage in, since she can become unblockable. What’s even better, ironically, is Illua [5-099H]. While she’s Luso’s main antagonist, she’s one of his best allies in FFTCG. Illua’s Sheol ability gives all of your Forwards Haste, so if your opponent has no way to immediately remove your Luso played just before using Sheol, you can snag a victory before they know what hit them.

Of course, there are many ways to utilize Luso, and I’m excited to see what decks other players might come up with to best use him. There won’t be much longer of a wait, with Opus IX: LORDS & CHAOS launching in just a few weeks. But until then, we still have a couple of more Card of the Week previews to show you! Kageyama-san is back next week with an Ice Legend that seems pretty solid!

See you then!

~RB