Magic: The Gatheringis no stranger to crossovers. Its Universes Beyond sets have introduced many different third-party IPs, giving players more diversity in the cards they can use and incentivizing fans of the crossover series to tryMagic: The Gatheringout for the first time.
Recently,Magic: The Gatheringcollaborated withFinal Fantasyto release four Commander decks based on the many games in the series. This isn’t the first time the TCG has crossed over with a video game franchise, but it is the first to be based on a JRPG. The launch of these sets has been a great benefit forMagic: The Gathering’s player count, making it a worthy addition to the game. However, there could be another JRPG series that would be equally fitting.
Persona Deserves Its Own Magic: The Gathering Set
IfMagic: The Gatheringis ever looking for another popular JRPG franchise to collaborate with,Personamay be the best choice. The lore of the series is incredibly deep, and there are plenty of characters to draw upon for inspiration for cards. Now that thePersonaseries has become more mainstream, it has a lot of reach, helping to draw players in to tryMagic: The Gatheringas a newcomer. As newPersonagames are continuing to release, now would be a good opportunity to introduce this crossover.
For the most part, thePersonagames explore the concept of the self, but the game’s Personas, bosses, and enemy Shadows always tend to take inspiration from existing folklore and literature. The wayPersonaadapts mythological creaturesinto its design would fit well alongside otherMagic: The Gatheringcards, some of which are inspired by the same mythos.
ThePersonaseries is already linked to cards. Many of the characters are linked to the major arcana Tarot cards, with swords, cups, wands, and coins being used inPersona 3andPersona 4 Golden’s Shuffle Time mechanic. They serve a thematic purpose throughout the series, correlating to thepersonalities of thePersonacast. HavingPersonabe used for a trading card game would not be out of the question, and may actually feel quite natural.
Persona Would Work Best With Commander Decks
If aPersonaset ofMagic: The Gatheringcards were to be released, it’s very possible that they would be released in four distinct Commander decks, much like theFinal Fantasycards, as well as otherMTGUniverse Beyond collabs likeFallout. ThePersonagames have plenty of recognizable characters, items, and abilities that could easily fill out four full Commander decks. SincePersona 3,4,and5are the most popular games in the series, these would possibly receive a deck each, with the earlier games and spin-offs being represented in the fourth deck.
The recentPersonagames have all had their own unique sense of style. Each sequel is visually distinct from the last, giving them an identity that is immediately recognizable to players. With fourCommander decks, the art styles used in each would be able to stand out from each other, perfectly capturing the essence of the games they represent while still working well together in a player’s deck.
Persona 5 Deck
ThePersona 5deck would undoubtedly have a Joker Legendary Creature at the forefront, but the rest of the game’s party members would likely feature as well. Cards based on the Persona users would likely have abilities based on their main Persona, but as theWild Card ofPersona 5, it’s possible that Joker could be equipped with various other Persona cards. This deck also shouldn’t forget to include cards based on the otherPersona 5games, such asPersona 5 Tacticaand the recently-releasedPersona 5: The Phantom X.
Persona 4 Deck
The main characters that players follow inPersona 4are often referred to as the Investigation Team throughout the game. To fit in with this theme, many of the cards in this deck would likely contain the Investigate, Surveil, and Search keywords.Persona 4 Goldenintroduced Ultimate Personasfor each of the game’s party members, so its Commander deck could make reference to this by adding a unique Transform condition for them.
Persona 3 Deck
Persona 3has a unique summon mechanic, where the game’s characters use theEvoker to summon their Personas.Magic: The Gatheringhas an Evoke keyword, allowing players to pay an alternative cost to cast a creature spell before sacrificing them, usually with an enter ability being triggered first. APersona 3deck may be able to make use of this for summoning Persona cards, helping to differentiate it from the other decks.
Miscellaneous Persona Deck
The final deck would collect cards based onRevelations: Persona,Persona 2: Innocent SinandEternal Punishment, as well as cards inspired by the series’ spin-offs such as thePersona QandPersona 4 Arenasubseries. Each of these games introduces new characters and ideas to the series, making them worthy of their own individual decks, but since they are not as popular as the main three, it’s more likely that these would be combined. This would be much like theDoctor WhoBlast from the Past Commander deck, which includes all incarnations up to The Eighth Doctor, with the more recent versions being contained in the other decks.
TheFinal FantasyandMagic: The Gatheringcrossover cards were a great fit for the TCG, and it could set up other JRPG series likePersonato follow. Atlus is owned by Sega, and since theSonic the HedgehogSecret Laircards are set to release soon, this partnership doesn’t rulePersonaout from receiving its own set ofMTGcards.Final Fantasyhas helped to makeMagic: The Gatheringmore appealing to a wider audience, and with the increasing interest in thePersonafranchise, combining the two could make for a great collab.
