Case Files · Magic: The Gathering
Status: Draft — rough publish for review
Black Chocobo (Traveling Chocobo — JP Neon)
The fastest bird in the minigame lore—and the Japanese-only neon that collectors treat like contraband feathers.
#0551 · JP · PSA 10Two cards answer to “Black Chocobo” in Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY. Only one empties Collector Booster boxes.
This case centers (B): the collector specimen—the Japanese-language black neon-ink foil Traveling Chocobo, available in Collector Boosters of any language, always with JP text. Wizards built it as a nod to FINAL FANTASY VII Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura, who favored the black chocobo as the fastest racer in the classic minigame. The treatment echoes the neon-ink language pioneered in Phyrexia: All Will Be One, then dyed void-black for the surprise bird.
(A) is the gameplay twin, filed under Related: Sidequest: Raise a Chocobo // Black Chocobo (FIN #201, uncommon double-faced card). Same franchise feathers, different object: a transform enchantment/creature for Limited and kitchen-table glory, not the CB chase.
Why it matters: In the Traveling Chocobo hierarchy, gold serialized (1–77, English CBs) sits at the summit; JP black neon is the acknowledged second throne—rarer vibe than the four English color neons, mechanically identical to every other Traveling Chocobo, culturally specific in a way English-only neons are not. Completing a “full rainbow” without the black bird is completing a rainbow with a hole in it.
Specimen dossier — (B) Chase: JP black neon Traveling Chocobo
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Traveling Chocobo (black neon-ink foil) |
| Set | Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY (FIN) |
| Release | June 13, 2025 (tabletop) |
| Rarity | Mythic rare (same as other Traveling Chocobo printings) |
| Type | Creature — Bird |
| Mana cost | {{2}}{{G}} |
| P/T | 3/2 |
| Collector no. | FIN #551 (black neon; JP). Sibling letters: #551a–d English color neons; #551f gold serialized. (#551e unused / TBD in some databases.) |
| Artist | Toni Infante (neon / borderless family) |
| Language | Japanese only |
| Availability | Collector Boosters of any language; card itself always JP |
| Finish | Neon-ink foil, borderless |
| Mechanics | Identical to base Traveling Chocobo (library-top Birds/lands; extra trigger on land or Bird ETB) |
Oracle (shared Traveling Chocobo text)
You may look at the top card of your library any time. You may play lands and cast Bird spells from the top of your library. If a land or Bird you control entering the battlefield causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time.
Related specimen — (A) Gameplay twin: Sidequest DFC
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Sidequest: Raise a Chocobo // Black Chocobo |
| Set / # | FIN #201 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Faces | Enchantment → Creature — Bird |
| Artists | Miho Midorikawa & Sansyu |
| Role | Transform sidequest; creates Bird token; flips with four+ Birds; back face is literally named Black Chocobo |
| Collectability | Playable uncommon / foil chase for completionists—not the CB neon headliner |
Do not price, grade, or wall-label (A) and (B) as the same specimen. Same nickname, different accession numbers.
Anatomy / key traits
| Trait | Notes |
|---|---|
| Why Japanese | Explicit Nomura / Square Enix collaboration thank-you |
| Pull context | Shares the “colorful chocobo” CB slot family at <1% aggregate with EN neons + gold |
| Hierarchy | Gold serial ≫ JP black neon ≫ EN color neons ≫ borderless #406 ≫ base #210 |
| Photography | JP kanji + black neon ink = glare trap; shoot flat, polarize if possible |