Doomtrain is a one-of-a-kind Triple Triad card in Final Fantasy VIII used to play the minigame and for turning into items with Quezacotl's Card Mod. Doomtrain is the ninety-eighth card in the inventory and the tenth Level 9 card. It depicts the Doomtrain Guardian Force acquired from the Solomon Ring. Doomtrain is part of the Queen of Cards sidequest, and is one of the most arduous cards to procure, but is virtually unbeatable for the minigame. The card is called "Doomtrain" even if the player renames the GF.
Doomtrain has amazing values even for a Level 9 card, and could be seen as the best card in the game as it is poison-elemental and thus able to exceed the A rank for two sides. Doomtrain has two As in a corner formation, A representing the value 10 for the minigame and is unbeatable without special rules. Doomtrain's value placements may also be useful for games that use Same and/or Plus. Doomtrain's poison element comes into effect with the Elemental rule in play, gaining +1 to its values when placed on a tile with the matching poison bubble symbol. The increased values do not count toward Same/Plus calculations, but do count toward Combo mechanics.
Obtain[]
The pub manager in Timber has Doomtrain.
Doomtrain is obtained from the Queen of Cards quest. It becomes available in the Timber pub manager's hand after losing Alexander to the Queen of Cards and sending her to Dollet where she gives the card to her son and her father creates the Doomtrain card that appears in Timber. The pub manager plays with Timber region rules. Doomtrain is notoriously difficult to win off the pub manager, who barely ever uses it in play, and its double-As make it impossible to capture without special rules if placed in the top right corner, meaning it would be especially difficult to win it under Direct. It is best to avoid having this trade rule for Timber as much as possible.
After getting Doomtrain, the card itself becomes part of the Queen of Cards sidequest, as the player must lose it to her to make Phoenix available in Esthar City Presidential Palace. After losing the card to the queen and talking to her in Dollet, she has given the card to her son and her father has made the new card that pops in the Esthar Presidential Aide's hand. The player can now win Doomtrain back from the son in the artist's house across the street from the Dollet pub. It can again be annoying to get back, as Dollet uses various special rules by default, including Elemental and Random.
After the events at the Lunatic Pandora, the game progresses to the endgame and the player can't play much Triple Triad anymore. The Queen of Cards is now found on the escape pod crash site, which is not marked on the world map, but is found by walking around the peninsula south from Tears' Point. (Video of correct spot) The queen will play all the cards from her sidequest.
If the player completed the Card Club quest before the point of no return (fighting the boss atop the Lunatic Pandora), the club members will appear aboard the Ragnarok in the endgame, from whom the player can win all Level 8–10 cards they do not currently hold in their deck, even the cards they had modified before. Though the Queen of Cards will have Doomtrain if the player didn't get it, the left girl of CC Diamond will play any Level 8–10 card in order that the player does not currently have. This also allows the player to modify the Doomtrain card and then win it back.
Card Mod[]
The Doomtrain card refines into 3 Status Guards, which teach ST-Def-Jx4 to a GF allowing the player to junction four spells to status defense. This is a good item, and full status protection is especially useful for fighting Malboros. However, Doomtrain and Cerberus already learn ST-Def-Jx4 natively, and another Status Guard is available from the second Shumi Village sidequest, allowing the whole party to have the best status protection junctions without needing to modify the Doomtrain card, perhaps the best card for playing the minigame. In any case, it is best to not modify Doomtrain before using it for the Queen of Cards sidequest, or the quest can't progress.
Physical version[]
In 1999, following the release of Final Fantasy VIII in Japan, Bandai produced a full set of collectible Triple Triad cards in Final Fantasy VIII Carddass Masters Perfect Visuals. The set was made up of the 110 cards as seen in the game along with 72 artwork cards and a collector's edition playing mat. The cards have a blue side and a red side. The cards have become a rare collector's item.