Hasbro just released its Q2 2025 earnings reports, and the numbers pertaining to Wizards of the Coast’sMagic: The Gatheringare best described as eye-watering. Many expectedMagic’sFinal FantasyUniverses Beyond set to be a huge success for the brand, but few could have anticipated the heights that success would reach. Earning more than $200 million in a single day, theFinal FantasyUniverses Beyond set is unequivocally the most successful product inMagic: The Gathering’s history, blowing the previously record-settingLord of the Ringsset out of the water. But this success has a flipside.
Hot on the heels of theFinal Fantasyset’s release was the reveal and pre-order period for the next in-universeMagic: The Gatheringset, Edge of Eternities, and the success ofFinal Fantasy(combined with the viral collectibility of many of its showcase cards) has resulted in hyperinflated pricing for theEdge of Eternities cards. Collector Booster displays and Bundles have already been making their way into players' hands early, and already certain cards are shooting up well past their anticipated value targets, pointing to a potential bubble forMagicthat may be on the verge of bursting. New players to the hobby who came over thanks toFinal Fantasymay be about to learn a harsh truth about Wizards' release strategy and printing process for in-universe, Standard-legalMagicsets.
Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy Collectors May Be In for a Rude Awakening
One of the benefits of a good Universes Beyond set is that it typically does a lot of the heavy lifting toward bringing new players intoMagic: The Gathering. But when it comes toFinal Fantasy, it seems like no set before it has been quite as good at bringing in not just players new to TCGs, but converts from othertrading card gamesas well. The secret to pulling players over, at least in the case ofFinal Fantasy’s Universes Beyond set, seems to have been the chase for the rarest cards, but these are isolated examples that aren’t fully indicative of how collectible or valuable future sets may be.
The hobby is already seeing the aftermath of theFinal Fantasyset with the upcoming launch of Edge of Eternities. New players, especially those coming from other TCGs likePokemon’s (which typically sees more emphasis on collectibility than utility), are grabbing Play Booster and Collector Booster Displays, single cards,Commander Decks, Bundles, and more in hopes of obtaining some of the singles that are currently surging in value. During the pre-release window, where supply hasn’t yet caught up to demand, the prices of these products are reaching similar highs asFinal Fantasyset. But their maintaining of that value is another story entirely.
TheMagiccard economy is largely driven by the game’s competitive play, not pure rarity. Once cards find their way into players' hands — which, as a reminder, starts on July 25 courtesy ofEdge of Eternities' pre-release— players are likely to see values of certain cards rise while others plummet, all dictated by the ever-evolving meta ofMagic: The Gatheringand how cards perform in the game’s most popular formats. A new collector might be super excited about a galaxy foil shock land and be tempted to grade it, but that same card could very well be worth pennies on the dollar of its current value in a week’s time.
Wizards of the Coast May Be Chasing the Success of Magic’s Final Fantasy Crossover For a While
The runaway success ofFinal Fantasy’sMagic: The Gatheringset also sets a bit of a high bar for futureUniverses BeyondMTGsetsto clear, and it’s one that Wizards of the Coast will likely struggle to meet with the other two sets in the line arriving this year.Spider-ManandAvatar: The Last Airbenderare both beloved IP, but arguably neither set has the kind of cross-cultural and cross-generational appeal that an IP likeFinal Fantasydoes. In terms of both collector speculation and corporate earnings targets, the future ofMagic: The Gatheringneeds to keep its expectations in check afterFinal Fantasy.
