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A significant aspect of the appeal of the Final Fantasy crossover collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the fashion so many cards narrate familiar stories. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a snapshot of the hero at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned Blitzball pro whose signature move is a fancy shot that knocks a defender out of the way. The abilities reflect this with subtlety. This type of storytelling is found throughout the whole Final Fantasy set, and some are not joyful stories. Several are heartbreaking callbacks of tragedies fans still mull over to this day.

"Powerful tales are a central component of the Final Fantasy series," noted a principal game designer for the project. "The team established some broad guidelines, but ultimately, it was largely on a case-by-case basis."

While the Zack Fair isn't a competitive powerhouse, it stands as one of the set's most refined instances of storytelling by way of gameplay. It artfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal cinematic moments in spectacular fashion, all while utilizing some of the product's core mechanics. And although it avoids revealing anything, those who know the saga will immediately grasp the emotional weight within it.

The Mechanics: Story Through Gameplay

At a cost of one white mana (the color of heroes) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a base stat line of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 token. By paying one generic mana, you can sacrifice the card to give another ally you control indestructible and move all of Zack’s markers, along with an gear, onto that target creature.

This design portrays a moment FF fans are all too know well, a moment that has been revisited multiple times — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new retellings in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it hits just as hard here, conveyed completely through gameplay mechanics. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Moment

Some necessary history, and take this as your *FF7* warning: Prior to the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a clash with Sephiroth. After extended experimentation, the pair manage to escape. The entire time, Cloud is delirious, but Zack ensures to take care of his friend. They eventually reach the edge outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by forces. Presumed dead, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Legacy on the Battlefield

In a game, the rules essentially let you reenact this entire sequence. The Buster Sword is a a top-tier piece of equipment in the set that requires three mana and grants the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can turn Zack into a solid 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has intentional synergy with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an weapon card. In combination, these three cards unfold like this: You play Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Owing to the manner Zack’s key mechanic is designed, you can potentially use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to prevent the damage completely. So you can perform this action at any time, moving 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 play two cards without paying their mana cost. This is just the kind of moment meant when talking about “emotional resonance” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the gameplay trigger the recollection.

Extending Past the Main Synergy

But the flavor here is oh-so-delicious, and it extends further than 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 target creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This sort of hints that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a tiny reference, but one that implicitly ties the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

Zack’s card doesn't show his demise, or Cloud’s confusion, or the rain-soaked bluff where it all ends. It does not need to. *Magic* lets you recreate the passing yourself. You perform the ultimate play. You pass the weapon on. And for a fleeting moment, while enjoying a strategy game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most influential game in the franchise for many fans.