Hello everyone, it’s been a while! Welcome back to another edition of "Card of the Week" for our upcoming booster pack, Blissful Eternity, which is scheduled for release on August 7th. Once again, we’ll be introducing charming new cards every week, so please look forward to it! Without further ado, let’s dive into our very first edition. This time, we have a real treat for you—we’ll be introducing three different cards all at once! They feature beautiful, exclusive illustrations by Fumio Minagawa, showcasing [29-027L] Shantotto, [29-075H] Yoran-Oran, and [29-083C] Koru-Moru from FINAL FANTASY XI!
Some of you might have already seen these three illustrations, as they have been used as prizes for certain tournaments. However, this marks the very first appearance in FFTCG for two of them, everyone except [29-027L] Shantotto. So, please allow me to briefly introduce their characters. These three are known as incredibly powerful mages in FINAL FANTASY XI. They belong to Windhurst, one of the three major nations in FINAL FANTASY XI, where they hold great influence. Since they are on par with the legendary Dr. Shantotto, whose fame extends far beyond the world of FINAL FANTASY XI, you can easily imagine just how talented and capable Dr. Yoran-Oran and Dr. Koru-Moru truly are.
Now that we have a good grasp of the characters, let’s take a look at each of their abilities. First up is [29-027L] Shantotto.
[29-027L] Shantotto is an Ice-element Forward with a cost of 5 and 9000 power. She possesses an auto-ability that triggers when she enters the field, as well as another auto-ability that triggers during the First Main Phase of your turn. The auto-ability when she enters the field dull and freeze all characters except for those with Job Mage. The fact that Backups are also included in this range is undeniably powerful! While there are a fair number of characters with Job Mage, many share the same name, so they might not be seen in actual play all that frequently.
The auto-ability that triggers every time during your First Main Phase offers a choice, allowing you to select one of three effects: "Choose 1 dull Forward. Break it.", "Choose up to 2 Backups. Freeze them.", or "Your opponent discards 1 card." This makes it a highly versatile effect that is sure to do an excellent job, no matter which option you choose depending on the situation.
Next up is [29-075H] Yoran-Oran.
[29-075H] Yoran-Oran is an Earth Backup with a whopping cost of 7! Such a high cost is quite rare for a Backup, so you’d expect the abilities Yoran-Oran possesses to be dangerous. This card has two abilities related to Job Mage. The first is a field ability: "The auto-abilities, action abilities, and special abilities of your [Job (Mage)] cannot be invalidated." With [29-075H] Yoran-Oran on the field, the two auto-abilities of [29-027L] Shantotto cannot be canceled by cards like [12-002H] Amaterasu. While that's already a highly reliable ability, his second ability—an auto-ability triggered when entering the field—is truly fearsome:
"When Yoran-Oran enters the field, you may search for 1 Job Mage Forward of cost 5 or less and play it onto the field."
Did that just say... play it onto the field??? Yes, it did! Although there is a cost restriction, you can cheat it directly onto the field regardless of its element! On top of that, any Job Mage Forward that enters the field won't have its auto-abilities invalidated. Its synergy with the aforementioned [29-027L] Shantotto is absolutely incredible.
Now, let's look at the third doctor, [29-083C] Koru-Moru.
While [29-083C] Koru-Moru doesn't have any abilities related to Job Mage, he possesses two highly practical action abilities for a cost 2 Backup.
First ability: By dull himself and put him into the Break Zone, you can break 1 Forward of cost 2 or less.
Second ability: By paying 4 CP (including 2 Lightning CP), dull himself, and put him into the Break Zone, you can break 1 Forward of cost 4 or less.
While he is a straightforward and easy-to-use card, he actually synergizes perfectly with [29-027L] Shantotto and [29-075H] Yoran-Oran. Since he isn't affected by [29-027L] Shantotto's auto-ability, he won't be dull (and of course, won't be Freeze either). Furthermore, thanks to [29-075H] Yoran-Oran, these two action abilities cannot be invalidated.
A lot may depend on what future Job Mage cards bring to the table, but these three doctors might just run wild in the new meta. Keep an eye out for them!
Next week, we'll be introducing a Warrior of Light who carries a distinct scent of Chocobos!