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A significant aspect of the allure of the *Final Fantasy* crossover collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the way so many cards tell well-known tales. Cards like Tidus, Blitzball Star, which gives a glimpse of the hero at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose key technique is a specialized shot that takes a defender aside. The card's mechanics represent this with subtlety. These kinds of flavor is widespread throughout the complete Final Fantasy set, and some are not joyful stories. Some are poignant callbacks of sad moments fans remember vividly years after.

"Emotional narratives are a central element of the Final Fantasy series," noted a senior game designer on the collaboration. "We built some broad guidelines, but in the end, it was largely on a card-by-card level."

Even though the Zack Fair may not be a top-tier card, it represents one of the release's most clever pieces of storytelling via mechanics. It skillfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial cinematic moments in spectacular fashion, all while utilizing some of the set's key gameplay elements. And although it steers clear of spoiling anything, those acquainted with the saga will immediately grasp the significance within it.

How It Works: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one white mana (the color of heroes) in this set, Zack Fair is a base stat line of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 marker. By spending one generic mana, you can destroy the card to give another ally you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s markers, as well as an gear, onto that other creature.

These mechanics paints a sequence FF fans are all too remember, a moment that has been retold throughout the years — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline retellings in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it lands powerfully here, conveyed solely through rules text. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Card

For backstory, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a battle with Sephiroth. After years of experimentation, the pair break free. Throughout this period, Cloud is comatose, but Zack makes sure to take care of his comrade. They finally make it the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is killed by Shinra soldiers. Presumed dead, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the role of a first-class SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Moment on the Game Board

In a game, the card mechanics in essence let you recreate this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword is featured as a powerful piece of equipment in the set that costs three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can make Zack into a solid 4/6 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has intentional combo potential with the Buster Sword, enabling you to find for an artifact card. Together, these pieces function in this way: You play Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to pull the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Owing to the manner Zack’s key mechanic is designed, you can potentially use it when blocking, meaning you can “block” an assault and activate it to cancel out the attack altogether. So you can do this at a key moment, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a formidable 6/4 that, each time he strikes a player, lets you draw two cards and cast two spells at no cost. This is just the kind of experience referred to when talking about “narrative impact” — not revealing the scene, but letting the card design evoke the memory.

Extending Past the Central Synergy

However, the narrative here is oh-so-delicious, and it extends beyond just this combo. The Jenova card is part of the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This kind of hints that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER conditioning he received, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. This is a tiny reference, but one that implicitly connects the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

Zack’s card avoids showing his demise, or Cloud’s trauma, or the rain-soaked cliff where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* enables you to reenact the passing yourself. You perform the sacrifice. You transfer the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while playing a card battle, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most beloved game in the series for many fans.