Cactuar is a Triple Triad card in Final Fantasy VIII used to play the minigame and for turning into items with Quezacotl's Card Mod. Cactuar is the thirty-first card in the inventory and the ninth Level 3 card.
Being a Level 3 card, the card values on the Cactuar are not strong, but it has two 6s, and its value placements may be useful for games that use Same and/or Plus.
Obtain[]
The Cactuar monster has a 3.5% chance to drop the card. Using the Card command on a Cactuar has a 93.7% chance to procure a Cactuar card when it succeeds. However, carding a Cactuar is exceptionally difficult as they run away unless quickly defeated, not leaving much time for the player to whittle down their HP to make them susceptible to carding.
Any AI Triple Triad player who uses Level 3 cards has a chance of using Cactuar in a play, from where the player can win it in a card match.
The Dollet pub owner in the upstairs of his establishment lets the player to his VIP room if the player wins a game of Triple Triad against him. Talking to him in the VIP room has him gift Squall various cards, including the Cactuar. The earliest the player can challenge the pub owner is when the party first leaves Timber and is directed to Galbadia Garden; instead of going to the Garden, the player can head to Dollet instead.
Card Mod[]
A Cactuar card refines into a Cactus Thorn with Quezacotl's Card Mod ability. It becomes Demolition Ammo for Irvine's Shot with Ammo-RF, though making AP Ammo tends to be the better use of the player's time. 100 thorns also becomes a Hundred Needles item with GFAbl Med-RF that teaches a Guardian Force the Return Damage support ability, which is not natively learned by any GF. If the player wants the Return Damage ability however, fighting the Cactuar enemies themselves is much better than farming for their cards, as they also yield a lot of AP and appear in large groups on the Cactuar Island.
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.