Shantotto, the Radical Lady | Art by Joshua Raphael

On May 7th, Magic fans were surprised with a reveal of another new character coming to the game, courtesy of the upcoming Magic: The Gathering — FINAL FANTASY.

According to translation from the card's printed Japanese, we're looking at Shantotto, the Radical Lady:

As per translation, here's what we're seeing:

Shantotto, the Radical Lady

Legendary Creature - Dwarf Wizard

Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is the amount of mana spent to cast that spell. If X is 4 or greater, draw a card.

"Oh my! I'm so pissed."

The uncommon legend fits with the red/blue color pair's spell-slinging focus, and the character as featured in Final Fantasy XI sees its "Tarutaru" identifier streamlined in Magic as the "Dwarf" creature type. The character's popularity exploded in the years following 2002's release of FFXI. As a result, Shantotto is featured in several subsequent expansions and crossovers.

Magic: The Gathering — FINAL FANTASY is slated for release on June 13, 2025 and promises to be stuffed with iconic characters, events, and legends from the long-running video game series. The set will feature both Play and Collector Boosters and four preconstructed Commander Decks (in both base and Collector's Edition versions), as well as Bundles, Prerelease Kits, and Starter Kits. Magic: The Gathering — FINAL FANTASY will be Standard-legal upon its release next month, the first Universes Beyond release to be so.

Despite the release more than a month away, the crossover has proven to be extremely popular, already becoming the best-selling Magic set to date. Several of the characters have already been revealed in Magic form, including Tifa Lockhart.

What's your opinion on Shantotto? Does the card match the character? How would you have designed it? Show off your FFXI knowledge below. And be sure to check back often, as more cards are expected to be revealed leading up to MagicCon: Las Vegas.