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A significant element of the allure found in the *Final Fantasy* crossover release for *Magic: The Gathering* is the manner so many cards depict familiar narratives. Cards like Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a portrait of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous Blitzball pro whose key technique is a unique shot that knocks a defender out of the way. The card's mechanics represent this in nuanced ways. Such storytelling is widespread throughout the complete Final Fantasy offering, and some are not fun and games. A number are poignant callbacks of tragedies fans remember vividly years after.

"Powerful stories are a vital part of the Final Fantasy franchise," wrote a lead designer on the collaboration. "The team established some overarching principles, but in the end, it was largely on a case-by-case level."

Though the Zack Fair card is not a top-tier card, it stands as one of the release's most elegant pieces of flavor via rules. It masterfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial cinematic moments with great effect, all while leveraging some of the set's central mechanics. And even if it steers clear of spoiling anything, those acquainted with the story will immediately grasp the significance behind it.

The Mechanics: Story Through Gameplay

At a cost of one mana of white (the hue of good) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a starting stat line of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 counter. By paying one generic mana, you can sacrifice 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 target creature.

This design depicts a sequence FF fans are all too familiar with, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it resonates 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 Scene

For backstory, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Years before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a battle with Sephiroth. After extended imprisonment, the duo manage to escape. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack ensures to protect his friend. They eventually arrive at the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is killed by forces. Abandoned, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the identity of a elite SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Legacy on the Tabletop

On the tabletop, the abilities essentially let you reenact this entire sequence. The Buster Sword is featured as a strong piece of armament in the set that costs three mana and grants the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can turn Zack into a respectable 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

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

Owing to the way Zack’s signature action is worded, you can potentially use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “block” an assault and activate it to cancel out the attack entirely. Therefore, you can make this play at a key moment, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a formidable 6/4 that, every time he does damage a player, lets you pull extra cards and cast two spells for free. This is exactly the kind of experience alluded to when talking about “narrative impact” — not explaining the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

Beyond the Obvious Synergy

However, the thematic here is oh-so-delicious, and it reaches beyond just this combo. The Jenova card is part of the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This kind of hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER enhancement he received, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a tiny connection, but one that cleverly connects the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

This design does not depict his demise, or Cloud’s trauma, or the rain-soaked bluff where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* enables you to relive the legacy yourself. You make the ultimate play. You pass the weapon on. And for a brief second, while engaged in a trading card game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most influential game in the franchise for many fans.