Quick answer
CardSpicy works from what a publisher has actually dated, and Square Enix has dated the next Final Fantasy Trading Card Game booster. Memories of Life is scheduled for release on 13 November 2026 and carries card numbers in the 30-xxx range, which makes it the thirtieth Opus set. Square Enix has also revealed the first card from it: a Lightning-element Shantotto that also exists as a foil-stamped Special card. The previous Opus, Blissful Eternity, was released on 7 August 2026 and its full published specification is the best guide to what an Opus release contains.
The thirtieth set in a series that has run since 2016, and a card that changes what a Lightning deck can do.
What Opus 30 is
The Final Fantasy Trading Card Game is published by Square Enix and builds its card pool from characters and settings across the Final Fantasy series. Its booster line is numbered as Opus sets, and a card’s number tells you which set it came from and how the set is positioned: every card in the current set carries a 29- prefix, and every card in the next one carries a 30- prefix.
That numbering is how the set’s position is confirmed rather than guessed. The first card Square Enix has shown from Memories of Life is numbered 30-080L, and the game’s previous booster, Blissful Eternity, is the Opus 29 set, released on 7 August 2026 after a prerelease on 31 July. Memories of Life is therefore the set that follows it, and Square Enix’s own preview article gives its release as 13 November.
The gap between the two sets is worth noting on its own. A little over three months between booster releases is a normal cadence for this game, and it means the preview period for Memories of Life runs through a single autumn rather than a full season.
The one card Square Enix has revealed
Square Enix previews each upcoming set one card at a time in a running Card of the Week series, and the card shown for Memories of Life is a good example of how much a single preview can tell you about a set.
| Field | As published by Square Enix |
|---|---|
| Card number | 30-080L |
| Character | Shantotto |
| Cost | 8 CP |
| Power | 9000 |
| Type | Lightning Forward |
| Also printed as | A Special card with a foil-stamped autograph |
Three abilities are described on the card, and together they explain what the set is doing with the Lightning element. The field ability reduces her casting cost by one for each Lightning character you control, and Square Enix notes that it counts every Lightning character rather than only Forwards, so backups and monsters contribute as well. It also carries no floor, which means that with eight or more Lightning characters in play she can be cast for nothing.
The second ability triggers when she enters the field and deals 1000 damage to every Forward other than herself for each Lightning character you control. Square Enix points out the obvious catch: the damage applies to your own Forwards as well as your opponent’s, so the card is a board reset rather than a one-sided sweep, and the timing of when you play her decides whether it helps you.
The third ability triggers when she attacks, revealing the top card of your deck and adding it to hand if it is a Lightning card. In a deck built entirely around Lightning, that is a guaranteed extra card on every attack, which is the kind of small repeated advantage that decides long games.
One clarification is worth carrying over, because the card shares a name with an earlier one. Square Enix notes that a previous Shantotto, card 29-027L, is an Ice-element card, and that this new version is a different card in a different element rather than a reprint. Our page on the card collecting glossary covers the general vocabulary of elements, rarities and treatments if any of that is unfamiliar.
How an Opus release is structured
Because the full specification for Memories of Life has not been published yet, the published specification for the previous set is the useful reference. Blissful Eternity shows the shape every recent Opus release takes.
| Item | Blissful Eternity, as published |
|---|---|
| Prerelease | 31 July 2026 |
| Release | 7 August 2026 |
| Normal cards | 124 |
| Premium cards | 165, of which 124 are premium versions of the normal cards and 39 are full-art |
| Special card | 1 |
| Noir card | 1 |
| Legacy cards | 3 |
Three of those categories need explaining, because they are what a collector is actually buying.
A Special card is a single card per set printed with a foil-stamped signature. In Blissful Eternity it was a Sephiroth card signed by the character designer Tetsuya Nomura. A Noir card is also a single card per set, printed in full art over a monochrome base with accent colours and a printed signature. A Legacy card is a card from an earlier set re-included as a premium full-art printing. Square Enix states explicitly that all three categories remain legal in official tournaments, which is the point that separates this game from a purely cosmetic reprint programme: a Legacy card is not a display piece only, it is a reprint you can play.
The card breakdown for Blissful Eternity was 48 common, 36 rare, 26 hero and 14 legend, with the premium column running alongside. Our page on whether to open a booster box or keep it sealed sets out how that premium-versus-normal split usually decides whether opening is the better use of a box.
The product configuration
| Item | As published |
|---|---|
| Cards per pack | 12 |
| Premium cards per pack | 1 guaranteed |
| Packs per display | 18 |
| Average play time | 20 minutes |
| Recommended age | 13 and up |
The one-guaranteed-premium-per-pack rule is the configuration detail that matters most, because it is unusually generous for a trading card game. A guaranteed premium card in every pack means a display box of eighteen packs contains eighteen premium cards by construction, and it changes the arithmetic of a box in a way a purely random premium slot would not. It is also the reason a single pack is worth opening rather than holding in this game.
Two mechanics also have dates attached in the official rules material, which is useful context for anyone returning to the game. The Limit Break mechanic was introduced in Opus 22, Hidden Hope, and the Priming mechanic debuted in Opus 24. Both are documented in their own official rules sheets rather than in the main rulebook.
What this page does not claim
Four limits, stated plainly.
- The full specification for Memories of Life is not published yet. Square Enix has given the set’s release date and one preview card. The card counts, the rarity breakdown, the Special card, the Noir card and the Legacy cards for this set are not stated here because they have not been published.
- The example set is Opus 29, not Opus 30. The card counts and breakdown in the tables above are Blissful Eternity’s published figures, given as a reference for the shape of an Opus release. They are not a prediction of what Memories of Life contains.
- No valuation. CardSpicy quotes what the publisher has published and makes no valuation or investment recommendation about any card or sealed product.
- Release dates can change. Publishing schedules move, and the date here should be re-checked against Square Enix’s own site before pre-ordering.
Frequently asked questions
When does Final Fantasy TCG Memories of Life release?
Square Enix’s own preview article gives the release as 13 November 2026. The set will be the thirtieth Opus, following Blissful Eternity, which was released on 7 August 2026.
What is the Special card in Memories of Life?
Square Enix has confirmed that Shantotto, card 30-080L, exists as a Special card with a foil-stamped autograph in addition to its standard printing. The identity of the set’s single Noir card and its Legacy cards has not been published.
Is the new Shantotto the same card as the earlier one?
No. A previous Shantotto, card 29-027L, is an Ice-element card. The new 30-080L is an 8 CP, 9000 power Lightning Forward, so it is a different card in a different element rather than a reprint.
How many cards are in a pack of Final Fantasy TCG?
Twelve, with one premium card guaranteed in every pack. A display box contains eighteen packs, so a box contains eighteen premium cards by construction.
What are Legacy cards and can you play with them?
Legacy cards are cards from earlier sets re-included as premium full-art printings. Square Enix states that Legacy cards, Special cards and Noir cards can all be used in official tournaments just like normal cards, so they are legal reprints rather than display-only pieces.
Sources
Sources and scope
- Square Enix’s official Final Fantasy Trading Card Game Card of the Week article for Memories of Life and card 30-080L Shantotto, used for the set name, the release date of 13 November, the card’s cost of 8 CP, its 9000 power, its Lightning Forward type, its availability as a Special card with a foil-stamped autograph, its three described abilities and the note distinguishing it from the Ice-element card 29-027L.
- Square Enix’s official release page for the set Blissful Eternity, used for the structure of an Opus release: the prerelease on 31 July 2026 and release on 7 August 2026, the 124 normal and 165 premium card counts with 39 full-art cards, the single Special card, the single Noir card and the three Legacy cards, the card breakdown of 48 common, 36 rare, 26 hero and 14 legend, the definitions of Special, Noir and Legacy cards, the statement that those categories remain legal in official tournaments, and the product configuration of 12 cards per pack, one guaranteed premium card per pack and 18 packs per display.
- Square Enix’s official play and rules material, used for the introduction of the Limit Break mechanic in Opus 22, Hidden Hope, and the debut of the Priming mechanic in Opus 24.
- Our own pages on the card collecting glossary, whether to open a booster box or keep it sealed, card protection, card sleeve sizes, card storage boxes, penny sleeves versus toploaders and the Collector’s Library, used for the internal links.
- Scope note: only details published by Square Enix are stated as confirmed. The card counts and rarity breakdown given here are the published figures for the previous set and are labelled as such, not as a specification for Memories of Life. CardSpicy makes no valuation or investment recommendation.
Release dates and product contents are set by the publisher and can change. Check Square Enix’s own product page before pre-ordering.
Related reading
- Open a booster box or keep it sealed
- The card collecting glossary
- Is it worth grading a card
- The card protection guide
- Card sleeve sizes, explained
- Card storage boxes, explained
- Penny sleeve versus toploader
- The card market report, October 2026
- The Collector’s Library
Where to go next
- The CardSpicy card index — every card we track, with its PSA 10 population and market history (195 cards).
- The illustrator index — every artist behind those cards, card by card (110 artists).