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A core element of the appeal of the *Final Fantasy* crossover collection for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion countless cards tell iconic tales. Consider Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a snapshot of the protagonist at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose secret weapon is a specialized shot that takes a defender aside. The card's mechanics represent this perfectly. Such storytelling is prevalent throughout the entire Final Fantasy offering, and not all fun and games. Several serve as poignant echoes of emotional events fans remember vividly years after.

"Powerful stories are a central component of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a principal game designer involved with the collaboration. "The team established some broad guidelines, but in the end, it was primarily on a card-by-card level."

Even though the Zack Fair card isn't a competitive powerhouse, it represents one of the set's most elegant pieces of storytelling through rules. It skillfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important cinematic moments brilliantly, all while utilizing some of the product's central gameplay elements. And while it avoids revealing anything, those acquainted with the saga will immediately grasp the meaning embedded in it.

The Mechanics: Story Through Gameplay

At a cost of one mana of white (the color of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair has a base power and toughness of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 marker. By paying one generic mana, you can destroy the card to give another unit you control protection from destruction and move all of Zack’s bonuses, as well as an gear, onto that other creature.

This design paints a scene FF fans are very familiar with, a moment that has been retold throughout the years — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline iterations in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it resonates just as hard here, conveyed solely through card abilities. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Scene

Some necessary history, and consider this your *FF7* warning: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a clash with Sephiroth. After extended testing, the duo get away. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack makes sure to take care of his companion. They finally make it the edge outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by troops. Left behind, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the role of a elite SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Moment on the Battlefield

On the tabletop, the card mechanics essentially let you recreate this iconic event. The Buster Sword is featured as a strong piece of gear in the set that requires three mana and grants the equipped creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can transform Zack into a solid 4/6 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has intentional combo potential with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an equipment card. When used in tandem, these three cards play out as follows: You cast Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Due to the way Zack’s signature action is designed, you can potentially use it during combat, meaning you can “block” an assault and trigger it to negate the damage completely. Therefore, you can make this play at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a formidable 6/4 that, every time he strikes a player, lets you draw two cards and cast two cards for free. This is exactly the kind of interaction alluded to when discussing “emotional resonance” — not revealing the scene, but letting the mechanics trigger the recollection.

More Than the Central Interaction

However, the flavor here is deeply satisfying, and it reaches beyond just this combo. The Jenova card is part of the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which then becomes a Mutant. This in a way hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER treatment he received, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a subtle reference, but one that implicitly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

This design avoids showing his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the stormy cliff where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* allows you to recreate the legacy personally. You choose the sacrifice. You hand over the legacy on. And for a brief second, while playing a strategy game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most influential game in the series to date.