Hey everyone, RB here! I hope these Opus XII Card of the Week articles have been giving you something to look forward to each week. We’ve been on a bit of a hot-streak with the Fire cards, so I wanted to keep it going and show off my favorite Fire card in the set, Lani [12-018H]!
Lani is a Bounty Hunter who appears in FINAL FANTASY IX where she’s hired by Queen Brahne to go after the heroes, kill Vivi, and retrieve Princess Garnet’s pendant. Incidentally, she’s also one of the few enemies in FINAL FANTASY who actually casts Scan on your party to check out what YOUR characters have, and adapt her strategies to it. While in the game, it’s mostly just flavor, it actually adds a bit to her first appearance in FFTCG!
Let’s take a look at the card with gorgeous original art by Toshiyuki Itahana, the character designer of FINAL FANTASY IX!
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Lani [12-018H] is a 4 CP, 7000 power Forward from category IX with Job Headhunter. When Lani enters the field, your opponent removes the top card of their deck from the game face down. You can look at it and/or cast it at any time you could normally cast it. The cost for casting it is reduced by 2 and can be paid using CP of any Element. So Lani can check out what her opponent has, and then take it for herself if she wants to use it! Being able to cast the card at a cheaper cost also makes nearly any card you pull worth casting!
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Now, I know one thing you might be thinking right off the bat: Put her in a Time Mage style Fire/Ice Deck with cards like Unei [10-023H] and Rinoa [6-041L]. I am sure that would be really effective, especially when you start hitting your opponent’s Summons every time you replay Lani [12-018H]. BUT, Kageyama-san just talked about Fire/Ice, so I want to look at other cards that can be useful, with Lani [12-018H]. And don’t worry, just because she’s a Job Headhunter doesn’t mean I’m about to suggest Ba’Gamnan [9-070R] and his friends… but if you want to play them, I wouldn’t stop you!
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Water has a lot of synergy with Category IX, with Search abilities like Eiko [3-127R] and Steiner [3-137R]. And in Fire, you have access to Vivi [8-016H] to deal lots of cheap damage, if you’d like to keep a Category IX theme going. The card that really makes me think about Water, however, might come off as a bit silly, but hear me out… Ultimecia [9-102H].
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When she enters, both players reveal the top card of their deck, and each player who reveals a Character may play it onto the field. You can also pay 2 Water CP and 2 CP of any Element, and Break Ultimecia [9-102H] to choose 1 Forward and put it on top of its owner’s deck. So, when you play Ultimecia, you’ll get to see the top card of your opponent’s deck, and if it’s not a Character, you’ll know whether it’s something you want to steal or not. Also, when you use Ultimecia’s action ability and return an opposing Forward to the top of your opponent’s deck, you could immediately bring the card into your arsenal by playing Lani!
Overall, she’s a card that may seem simple at first, but has a lot of fun potential for decks you could build around her. I hope you’re all excited about the possibilities!
Next week, Tim will be back with a recent FINAL FANTASY fan favorite’s debut to FFTCG.
Until next time!
~RB