Hello everyone. FF-TCG Producer Tarou Kageyama here. I had started this column due to the stay at home mandates stemming from COVID-19. I was able to update almost every week, if not once every two weeks, and here we are at our ninth installment already. Thank you all. And, since this has been a great opportunity, I’d like to continue doing this even after COVID-19 slows down and our lives return to normal. Your continued support would be greatly appreciated.

My favorite cards

Now, as for today’s content, I wanted to touch upon a series of cards that, despite being the latest set, unfortunately didn’t get too much time in the spotlight, due to there being fewer opportunities to play with many events being cancelled – I’d like to talk about “Opus XI: Soldier’s Return.” That being said, it has been three months since the Opus released, so I’m sure there has already been a fair amount of information going around in terms of which cards or decks are powerful. So for this column, I would like to introduce my favorite card from each of the different elements. I will be speaking to these from a producer’s perspective, and not necessarily the player’s; so some of it might be unusual, but it might shed some light for new discoveries (at least, I hope it will). With that, let’s start with the Fire element.

Fire: Cyan [11-003R]

With “Opus XI,” it appears that a recent trend is to build a ninja deck. But for me, I want to push for Cyan [11-003R] – yes, the Samurai. Unfortunately, this is the only Samurai that was added to the roster with “Opus XI,” but there are several powerful Samurai already introduced, like Hien [8-138S], Gosetsu [8-137S] and Iroha [8-004R]. The standard unit Samurai [7-009C] is also a great card. Oh, this is still a secret, but, there is also a powerful Samurai card with a brand new illustration coming to “Opus XII: Crystal Awakening,” so we can see a potential for growth with these cards.

Ice: Gestahlian Empire Cid [11-026H]

This card focuses on the “Counter” mechanic, which is new to “Opus XI.” It is a Backup that costs 2CP, so you can place it in the field without too much struggle. Because you can place an additional Counter already placed on a Monster you control, you can use it with cards whose second ability is powerful, such as Mandragora [11-078R] or Skeleton [11-095R], and enable these abilities early on in the match. I can see people might hesitate to use this card due to its name, since we already have Gestahlian Empire Cid [4-026H] from “Opus IV,” which is easy to use, but I think it’s a very interesting card.

Wind: Hooded Man [11-054R]

No one knows who this mysterious Hooded Man is. He seems to give off this vibe of the Lightning element, Job Dragoon, but he is wind element, Job ???. There is no mistaking this. Thanks to his auto-ability with EX Burst, he is essentially cost 2CP at 7000 power, which is not bad; but what’s really great about this card is that there’s an ability to activate all the Category IV Forwards once each of your turns are over. That means it’s as if all the Category IV Forwards will have “Brave” granted to them. It can get particularly sticky when you face an opponent who has that.

Earth: Barret [11-074H]

While there is a downside, like not being about to use him right away because all three of his abilities including his special ability requires CP and Dulling the card, once you are able to use him, he can pose quite a threat. It would be ideal if you get the opportunity to unleash Ungarmax, but even his second ability (with which you can break a dull Forward) can put a large amount of pressure on your opponent. Since Earth cards are great at resisting being removed, I’m sure there will be a chance for him to shine.

Lightning: Anima [11-099H]

When we think about Lightning cards in “Opus XI,” Nyx [11-097H] and the members of the Kingsglaive come to mind, but there are other talented cards who belong in this element. I am personally focused on the Fal’Cie, Anima [11-099H], since there are many mechanics I can utilize with this card. It’s extremely useful to be able to deal 2000 damage, albeit only once every turn, without having to dull or spend CP. It’s also nice that it works well with other Lightning cards, including Kuja [11-090L], Sakura [10-092C], Black Mage [1-130C] and Ramuh [5-117C].

Water: Mira [11-122H]

Not only are the abilities on this card great, but the illustration is beautiful, too, which make it one of my favorites as a collectible item. There are quite a lot of Backups and Monsters belonging to Category FFCC, so there shouldn’t be any problem with utilizing her abilities. And even when a Backup or Monster is made into a Forward and put in the Break Zone, it’s great that Mira [11-122H] can search for the same kind of card, be it a Forward or Backup (or even a Monster). So if Tonbetty [11-119C] is made into a Forward then put into the Break Zone, you can draw a card plus search for either a Forward or Backup. As a side note, when you make a card a Forward, it will be activated, so not only can you utilize this to attack, but you can also use this to reactivate abilities that require dulling your card, or use it on your Backup to generate more CP.

These are some of my personal favorites out of the “Opus XI” cards; it would be great if I can hear from you all on yours, if there is an opportunity. Until next time. See you again soon!