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A significant part of the appeal within the *Final Fantasy* crossover set for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the manner numerous cards depict iconic stories. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a snapshot of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated sports star whose signature move is a unique shot that takes a defender out of the way. The card's mechanics represent this perfectly. This type of narrative is prevalent throughout the whole Final Fantasy offering, and some are not fun and games. A number act as heartbreaking callbacks of sad moments fans continue to reflect on years after.

"Emotional narratives are a vital element of the Final Fantasy series," explained a lead game designer involved with the project. "We built some broad guidelines, but ultimately, it was mostly on a card-by-card level."

Though the Zack Fair may not be a competitive powerhouse, it is one of the collection's most clever examples of flavor by way of mechanics. It masterfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal dramatic moments brilliantly, all while capitalizing on some of the expansion's central gameplay elements. And while it avoids revealing anything, those who know the saga will quickly recognize the emotional weight within it.

How It Works: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one mana of white (the alignment of good) in this collection, Zack Fair is a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 counter. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to grant another unit you control indestructible and move all of Zack’s markers, plus an gear, onto that target creature.

This card portrays a sequence FF fans are all too remember, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined iterations in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it lands with equal force here, expressed solely through rules text. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Moment

Some necessary history, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a battle with Sephiroth. After years of imprisonment, the pair manage to escape. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack ensures to look after his comrade. They finally reach the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by troops. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the role of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield

Through gameplay, the card mechanics in essence let you recreate this entire event. The Buster Sword is a a powerful piece of equipment in the collection that requires three mana and gives the equipped creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can transform Zack into a solid 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has clear combo potential with the Buster Sword, enabling you to look through your library for an weapon card. When used in tandem, these three cards function like this: You cast Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Due to the design Zack’s sacrifice ability is structured, you can potentially use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “block” an attack and activate it to negate the attack altogether. So you can make this play at a key moment, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a formidable 6/4 that, whenever he strikes a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two cards without paying their mana cost. This is exactly the kind of moment alluded to when discussing “flavorful design” — not explaining the scene, but letting the mechanics trigger the recollection.

Extending Past the Central Synergy

But the thematic here is incredibly rich, and it extends past just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity appears in the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This sort of suggests that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a tiny reference, but one that subtly ties the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set.

The card does not depict his end, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the stormy location where it all ends. It isn't necessary. *Magic* lets you relive the moment for yourself. You perform the ultimate play. You hand over the sword on. And for a brief second, while engaged in a trading card game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most beloved game in the franchise for many fans.