Wizards of the Coast are a group of studios of legendary status with games such as Dungeons and Dragons and Magic the Gathering. With an already solid following, the tabletop gaming titan is cashing in on major collaborations, such as the most recent one with the Final Fantasy franchise. With Marvel’s Spiderman and Avatar: The Last Airbender sets in the pipeline, I could only wonder what a forbidden relationship with a Nintendo franchise would look like. Of course, a marriage between Magic the Gathering and The Legend of Zelda would be a match made in heaven.
The Magic the Gathering–FINAL FANTASY booster and collector’s packs pre-orders sold out in the blink of an eye. Every time retail stores restocked, the shelves would clear out before you could finish reading a sentence. In fact, according to Draft Sim, the Final Fantasy set will be the best-selling Magic has ever released…by day one, blowing even the Lord of the Rings set out of the water. The cards showcased beautiful artwork of settings and characters across all sixteen mainline games, drawing in crowds that never even played Magic the Gathering before…including myself. Why? Well, let’s not forget that Final Fantasy is the second-best selling RPG of all time, next to Pokémon. As of 2024, the franchise made approximately $18 billion with video game sales alone and approximately $2 billion in merch and other media.
Don’t forget the sky-rocketing value of the Final Fantasy cards. For example, the highly coveted Golden Chocobo, consisting of only 77 copies, are listed for sale on eBay as high as $299,999.99 USD. While I can’t predict how popular or successful Marvel’s Spiderman and Avatar: The Last Airbender will do in comparison, but the business trajectory highly favors collaboration with other franchises.
For those that know Nintendo, it will be a cold day in hell when they allow Wizards of the Coast to partner with them on creating a set based off any of their franchises; however, it doesn’t hurt to dream. Perhaps we could manifest it. What I would love to manifest is a Magic the Gathering–LEGEND OF ZELDA set. While Mario is Nintendo’s best-selling franchise, The Legend of Zelda comes pretty darn close, and its fantasy theme and diversity in their 29 mainline games would strike gold. Through 2024, the Legend of Zelda has sold 169 million units globally. The art could honor the evolution of Zelda over time, from the 8-bit era to the cell-shaded Wind Waker style to the gritty Twilight Princess. There are lots of opportunities for rare, serialized cards, perhaps modeled after the fairies, Epona, or even Tingle.
If that wasn’t argument enough, it would pair nicely with the upcoming Legend of Zelda movie that is set to release in 2027. With Nintendo looking to expand their reach in visual media, a Magic the Gathering set would complement their endeavors. Imagine introducing the Magic the Gathering fanbase to Zelda. It would be a win-win on both sides, and while I can’t speak for Nintendo, I feel that Nintendo could still have enough control over the artwork and advertising.
What Nintendo collaboration would make for a great collaboration with Magic the Gathering? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.
Pow Block Podcast – A Nintendo Podcast by Boss Rush
Nintendo Pow Block is the weekly Nintendo Podcast for Boss Rush Media and The Boss Rush Network. Each week, Edward Varnell and Corey Dirrig, as well as their friends from around the internet dive into the week that was in the world of Nintendo, including news, rumors, new games, discuss weekly pickups, and fan favorite segments like Question Block where they answer community questions, what they’ve been playing in Playing with Power, and their latest food quests in Snacktendo! New episodes every Monday on YouTube and podcast services.
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