Ghost of Yotei’s Secret 7 Card Crossover Revealed

Inside the Magic: How Ghost of Yotei Joined the Epic PlayStation Crossover

The worlds of Magic: The Gathering and PlayStation are colliding in a spectacular new Secret Lair superdrop, and we have an exclusive look at the brand-new card for the upcoming Ghost of Yotei. Following the massive success of the Final Fantasy set, this new collaboration brings iconic franchises like God of War, The Last of Us, and Horizon to the card game. But for fans of Sucker Punch’s samurai epic, the inclusion of Ghost of Tsushima and the yet-to-be-released Ghost of Yotei is the real masterpiece.

In an exclusive interview with IGN, creative minds from Sucker Punch and Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) detailed the deeply collaborative process that brought Jin Sakai and the new protagonist, Atsu, to life on cardboard.

A Meeting of Mutual Fans

The partnership was born from a place of mutual respect and fandom. Jacob Covey, Art Director at WOTC, set the stage, explaining, “Part of the fun of working with game studios is the mutual fandom between us—there’s usually a Magic fan or three on their side and a group of fans for their game on our team.”

At Sucker Punch, this fandom runs deep. Jason Connell, Creative Director at the studio, revealed that there’s an active group of about 10-12 developers who play Magic monthly, mostly in the popular Commander format. “A few people who regularly come into the office have decks at their desks just in case the mood ever strikes,” Connell shared.

The Secret Challenge of Ghost of Yotei

The collaboration hit a unique, and potentially frustrating, snag early on: the talks began before Ghost of Yotei had been officially announced to the world.

“Our conversations with Wizards of the Coast began before Yotei had been announced, which we admit was probably frustrating from the Wizards’ side since we had to be so cryptic,” Connell recalled. The Sucker Punch team could only hint at a “great idea for a secret card” without being able to elaborate.

Thankfully, WOTC proved to be a flexible partner. “They rebuilt the schedule to accommodate us delivering the information and art for Atsu after we announced the game last year, even though the rest of the cards had been locked in by that point,” Connell said. This allowed Atsu to join the superdrop just in time for Ghost of Yotei‘s launch, creating a perfect synergistic moment.

Bringing Brushstrokes and Blades to Card Game Mechanics

The design process was anything but a simple licensing deal. It was a deep dive into the soul of the Ghost franchise. The goal, according to WOTC’s Jacob Covey, was to be “authentically rooted in the Ghost universe while giving it our unique spin.”

For Jin Sakai’s card, this meant capturing his core internal conflict. “Jin Sakai is about a warrior torn between two identities — the honorable samurai and the shadowy Ghost,” Connell explained.

Annie Sardelis, Senior Game Designer at WOTC, brought this duality to life. “From the start, I wanted to capture two ways of approaching encounters in Ghost of Tsushima,” she said. She combined the Standoff ability to represent his samurai swordsmanship with the Ghost ability to highlight his stealth and terror tactics.

An Exclusive First Look at Atsu

The collaboration yielded an exclusive first look at the Atsu card, which will be part of the PlayStation Superdrop. This card represents a key piece of the expanding Ghost universe and offers players a new legendary creature to command on the battlefield.

A PlayStation Pantheon on the Tabletop

The Secret Lair x PlayStation drop is a massive undertaking, featuring sets for God of War (covering both Greek and Norse sagas), Horizon Forbidden West, and two separate sets for The Last of Us. Sardelis noted that The Last of Us presented a unique design challenge, as she wanted to represent the playable survivors while also allowing players to generate the infected Fungus Zombie tokens they famously fight against.

For players wondering which of these new cards to build a deck around, Steve Sunu, Senior Product Designer at WOTC, has his favorites ready. “If you’re sitting across from me, I think you can expect me to have an Aloy, Savior of Meridian deck or Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima deck somewhere on me,” Sunu said, praising Sardelis’s designs.

Magic: The Gathering’s Secret Lair x PlayStation Drop launches on October 27, 9 AM PT, at the official Secret Lair website.