Card (Final Fantasy VIII)

Card is a command ability in Final Fantasy VIII used to defeat monster-type enemies by transforming them into Triple Triad cards in battle, forgoing EXP from any carded monsters but still being able to gain all other spoils. Triple Triad is a gamewide minigame playable with NPCs, but the cards themselves are notable for being able to be turned into items with Card Mod.
==Obtained==
Card is learned by the GF Quezacotl for 40 AP, and may be taught to any GF using the Gambler Spirit item.
Quezacotl is the starter GF available since the beginning; the player can set Card from the GF menu as the ability for it to learn.
The Gambler Spirit item is made from Shumi Tribe cards with Card Mod.
==Mechanics==
Card attempts to transform a monster into a Triple Triad card, usually the card of the enemy itself. Most enemies have a 1/16 chance of rewarding a boss card instead (Fastitocalon-F, Geezard, and Ruby Dragon never yield boss cards), but bosses are immune to the Card command. In addition to bosses, enemies that lack Triple Triad cards (often human type enemies)—like Esthar Soldiers, GIM52A, and G-Soldiers—also cannot be carded. PuPu and Vysage do have Triple Triad cards, but they still cannot be carded.
AP and item drops, including card drops, can still be earned, but no EXP is awarded for carded enemies. If the player already has 100 of a monster's card, all Card attempts will fail unless it procures the rare boss card; if the player were to also have 100 of the boss card, Card would always fail against that target.
Enemies may be affected by Card even at full HP, but the success chance is very low; it is best used when the target is in HP Critical state.
The success rate is:
:Card\% = 100 \times (TargetMaxHP - TargetHP) / TargetMaxHP
Tonberry King will not appear in a battle where the Tonberry is defeated by carding.
If the character with Card command gets confused, they will never use Card in this state.
==Use==
Because carding enemies forgoes EXP, the Card command can be used for a low level challenge playthrough to still get items and AP, or simply to avoid over-leveling even in a regular playthrough as enemies' stats scale with the player party's average level.
The resultant cards can be used to play the minigame and to make into items with Card Mod. If the player is after a specific card, then carding the monster may be faster than challenging card players around the world and hoping they will use it in their hand. If the player is simply collecting cards indiscriminately, playing NPCs is the faster way to build a card collection, especially with Diff and All trade rules.
The command working on a high HP monster is rare, and so it is best to use it to defeat low health foes. As enemy level and thus their HP vary even from battle to battle, the player can use Scan to check their condition, and use the fractional damage abilities Demi and Micro Missiles to deal damage without killing the target. The player can also deliberately do small damage by physically attacking without STR-J junctions. Putting enemies to sleep first can let the player get many Card attempts without the enemy retaliating.
Card can be a good way to get some boss cards in the early game, as most NPC players will not be using them yet. Fire Cavern as the tutorial area has easy enemies, but carding them might yield X-ATM092 from Red Bats and Krysta from Bombs and Buels. Glacial Eyes on the Balamb plains may yield Jumbo Cactuar and Caterchipillar may yield Trauma. The Grats in Balamb Garden training center may yield Shumi Tribe cards. The T-Rexaur may be too tough for a beginner party to take on and attempt to card, but its boss variant is also the Shumi Tribe. The fish on the beach will not give boss cards.
==Citations==
Category:Command abilities in Final Fantasy VIII