Elnoyle is a Triple Triad card in Final Fantasy VIII used to play the minigame and for turning into items with Quezacotl's Card Mod. Elnoyle is the fifty-third card in the inventory and the ninth Level 5 card.
AS a Level 5 card Elnoyle has middling values, but its value placements may be useful for games that use Same and/or Plus.
Obtain[]
The Elnoyle enemy has a 3.5% chance to drop the card. Using the Card command on an Elnoyle has a guaranteed chance to procure an Elnoyle card when it succeeds; unlike most normal enemies, Elnoyles never become boss cards.
Any AI Triple Triad player who uses Level 5 cards has a chance of using Elnoyle in a play, from where the player can win it in a card match. Early such players are Trepie Groupie #1 in the Balamb Garden cafeteria and Ma Dincht in Balamb Town.
Card Mod[]
Ten Elnoyle cards refine into an Energy Crystal with Quezacotl's Card Mod ability. Energy Crystals are notable for weapon remodeling, being needed for Rinoa's and Quistis's ultimate weapons. They also refine into Pulse Ammo with Ammo-RF, needed to make Squall's ultimate weapon, the Lion Heart. Players seeking to make the ultimate weapons as early as possible would need to grind Triple Triad just to get enough Elnoyle cards for modding purposes. Another use for Energy Crystal is to make into Ultima with Forbid Mag-RF, the strongest junctioning spell. It is worth collecting Elnoyle cards if the player is already partaking in Triple Triad since the early game, but Energy Crystals are later readily available from the monster itself.
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.