The FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME Starter Set: FINAL FANTASY XIV – Heavensward arrives on 9 October 2026. It is more than a themed reprint deck: Square Enix lists a complete Ice and Lightning main deck, a separate Limit Break deck and twelve new cards. That makes it a useful entry point to FFTCG, but also a product existing players may want to examine before November’s Memories of Life booster.
Heavensward Starter Set: confirmed facts
| Official name | FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME Starter Set: FINAL FANTASY XIV – Heavensward |
|---|---|
| Announcement date | 6 May 2026 |
| Release date | 9 October 2026 |
| Deck elements | Ice and Lightning |
| Regions confirmed by the cited pages | North America/English and Japan/Japanese |
| French-language edition | Not announced on the cited official pages |
| Official price | Not announced on the cited official pages |
The English product page and Square Enix’s Japanese 2026 release calendar agree on the 9 October date. Availability, language and price can still vary by market, so check the exact local listing before ordering.
Exactly what is in the box?
Square Enix specifies 58 cards in total: one 50-card main deck and one eight-card LB deck. Two Quick Start Guides are also included. The product is therefore presented as ready to play, rather than as a randomised booster product.
The main deck uses Ice and Lightning. For a newcomer, that removes the first deck-building hurdle: the card pool, element pairing and LB package arrive together. For an established player, the more important detail is the presence of twelve brand-new cards, not merely alternate treatments of familiar cards.
The twelve new cards
Five of the new cards receive newly drawn artwork: Haurchefant [30-121S], Tataru [30-127S], Ysayle [30-128S], Alphinaud [30-129S] and Estinien [30-130S]. The Haurchefant entry includes one Full Art Premium copy.
The seven other new cards are Yeti [30-119S], Emmanellain [30-120S], Nidhogg [30-122S], Count Edmont de Fortemps [30-123S], Dragon-King Thordan [30-124S], Coeurlregina [30-125S] and Cid Garlond [30-126S]. Those card numbers are useful when checking deck lists and later printings: all twelve starter-exclusive designs are tied directly to the next booster.
Why Memories of Life matters
The official Memories of Life announcement says the booster, scheduled for 13 November 2026, will contain premium versions of all twelve starter-exclusive cards. The five cards with newly drawn artwork are also due to receive Full Art Premium versions there.
That creates a clear distinction. The starter is the ready-to-play route and supplies the full Ice/Lightning configuration immediately. The November booster is a randomised expansion with premium treatments and a much wider card list. Players who only want to learn the deck do not need to treat the later booster as part of the starter’s contents; collectors who care about premium versions should know those versions belong to a separate product.
Who is this starter set for?
- New FFTCG players: a complete main deck, LB deck and quick-start material make the first session easier to organise.
- FINAL FANTASY XIV fans: the theme focuses specifically on Heavensward characters and adversaries.
- Existing players: the twelve new cards are the reason to assess the list, even if a preconstructed deck is not normally the preferred purchase.
- Collectors: the included Full Art Premium Haurchefant is confirmed, while the other premium and full-art versions cited above belong to Memories of Life.
This is not a tournament result or a promise about future card value. Card strength, exact competitive roles and local legality should be checked against current official rules and event documents once the final cards are in hand.
Official sources
- Square Enix: Starter Set – Heavensward product announcement
- Square Enix: Memories of Life booster announcement
- Square Enix Japan: FFTCG 2026 release calendar
Sources checked on 4 October 2026. Continue exploring smaller and specialist games in Discover other TCGs.
