Hello everyone! The release of Opus XI: Soldier’s Return is finally just around the corner. We’ve introduced some enticing cards in these articles, but this marks the final Card of the Week article for Opus XI: Soldier’s Return. I’ve prepared a card that’s well worth wrapping things up with, so please enjoy!

The card I’m introducing this week is a Fire element Legend: Braska’s Final Aeon [11-015L]. The card name, the striking illustration, and the number 10,000 for power. Even looking at what it brings to the table aside from its abilities, you can probably already tell that this card is going to be pretty intense. To those who have played the original title, this probably won’t come as a surprise. After all, in the original FINAL FANTASY X, Braska’s Final Aeon [11-015L] is a means to defeat Sin, the terrifying fiend that threatens to destroy the world, and it’s nothing short of being the ace up humanity’s sleeve. I think you’ll find its 10,000 power understandable. Now that we’ve gotten acquainted with Braska’s Final Aeon [11-015L], let’s go deeper and take a look at what sort of abilities this card has to offer.

Braska’s Final Aeon [11-015L] has one auto-ability and one action ability. The action ability has a rather specialized usage, so let’s start by looking at its auto-ability, which is more orthodox. Braska’s Final Aeon [11-015L] has an auto-ability that says, “When Braska’s Final Aeon attacks or is chosen by your opponent’s Summons or abilities, choose up to 1 Forward opponent controls. Deal it 10000 damage. This damage cannot be reduced.” …what a flashy ability! Being able to deal 10,000 damage when simply attacking is amazing, but the fact that you can deal 10,000 damage just by being chosen by your opponent’s Summons or abilities is nothing short of brutal at this point.

It looks like we may frequently start seeing situations where you’re forced to sacrifice your most powerful Forward in order to defeat Braska’s Final Aeon [11-015L]. Another incredible thing about this ability is that its damage cannot be reduced. Meaning, it’s a fearsome ability that lets you deal a fixed amount of 10,000 damage. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that this is the ultimate auto-ability.

Moving on to the action ability – it also allows you to deal 10,000 damage to a Forward. However, you can only use this if Braska’s Final Aeon [11-015L] is in your hand, and on top of that, you have to be controlling two or more Job Summoner Forwards. It might be a little more restrictive than the auto-ability. However, there is no additional cost other than that, so looking at it from another angle, perhaps we could consider it a “0 cost, 10,000 damage Summon.” When thinking of it this way, we could probably say that this is quite a powerful ability as well.

As usual, let’s now look at a few cards that seem like promising companions for Braska’s Final Aeon [11-015L]. First, this card’s auto-ability is one that triggers when attacking, so you’ll want to be able to attack right away. To this end, perhaps it would be a good time to call upon our friend Belias, the Gigas [2-019R]. However, this would require a total of 9 CP when combined with Braska’s Final Aeon [11-015L], so maybe Goblin [4-012C] would be a better option. Placing it onto the field one turn prior would likely allow you to run things without too much stress. Braska’s Final Aeon [11-015L] can be searched for by using Gabranth [9-063L], so the Earth element may not be a bad combination, either. In any case, this card boasts such strong abilities that it would probably shine even without going to extremes to maximize its abilities’ effectiveness.

In contrast, you’ll need to make some adjustments if you plan to focus on the action ability. There are a good number of Job Summoner cards out there but restricting them to Forwards will narrow down your choices quite a bit. Matching it up with the Water element, which includes Eiko [8-112R], Garnet [8-113C], and Yuna [1-214S], would be most ideal. Luckily, Opus XI: Soldier’s Return introduces a new Job Summoner Forward to the Water element, Yunalesca [11-123R]. Considering this, fashioning a Fire Water deck may be realistic if you want to use the action ability.

Finally, there’s one thing about this card that I must mention. Braska’s Final Aeon [11-015L] is in fact the same person as another character that has already appeared as a card. So, technically it should say, “Braska’s Final Aeon [11-015L] is also Card Name (xx) in all situations.” However, we made the conscious decision not to include this text because it would be such a major spoiler for the story of FINAL FANTASY X. If you haven’t played FINAL FANTASY X yet, please check it out. I think it’ll help all of this make more sense.

Well then, as I mentioned earlier, this marks the end of the Opus XI Card of the Week articles. I hope you enjoy Opus XI: Soldier’s Return and all its powerful, interesting, and fun cards!