🔗 Share this article

A major part of the allure found in the Final Fantasy crossover set for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the way so many cards tell iconic stories. Consider the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a glimpse of the protagonist at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose signature move is a fancy shot that takes a defender aside. The gameplay rules represent this perfectly. Such storytelling is found across the entire Final Fantasy offering, and some are not lighthearted tales. Several serve as heartbreaking callbacks of emotional events fans continue to reflect on decades later.

"Powerful stories are a key component of the Final Fantasy legacy," explained a principal designer involved with the set. "We built some overarching principles, but in the end, it was primarily on a individual basis."

Though the Zack Fair may not be a top-tier card, it represents one of the collection's most elegant instances of narrative design through mechanics. It skillfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial cinematic moments with great effect, all while capitalizing on some of the set's core gameplay elements. And even if it doesn't spoil anything, those who know the story will quickly recognize the emotional weight behind it.

The Mechanics: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one mana of white (the alignment of heroes) in this collection, Zack Fair is a starting stat line of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 counter. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to grant another ally you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s counters, as well as an Equipment, onto that target creature.

This card portrays a scene FF fans are extremely know well, a moment that has been reimagined multiple times — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined iterations in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it lands with equal force here, conveyed completely through card abilities. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Moment

Some necessary context, and take this as your *FF7* warning: Before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a battle with Sephiroth. After years of imprisonment, the friends break free. Throughout this period, Cloud is delirious, but Zack ensures to take care of his comrade. They eventually reach the edge outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Left behind, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the persona of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Passing of the Torch on the Tabletop

On the tabletop, the rules essentially let you reenact this whole sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a top-tier piece of armament in the set that requires three mana and grants the equipped creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can make Zack into a respectable 4/6 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has clear synergy with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an weapon card. In combination, these three cards play out as follows: You cast Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to pull the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Owing to the design Zack’s signature action is designed, you can actually use it when blocking, meaning you can “block” an assault and activate it to negate the damage completely. So you can perform this action at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a strong 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 meant when discussing “flavorful design” — not explaining the scene, but letting the card design make you remember.

More Than the Main Combo

But the flavor here is oh-so-delicious, and it reaches past just these cards. 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 also becomes a Mutant. This kind of hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER enhancement he received, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. It's a subtle reference, but one that cleverly connects the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set.

The card does not depict his end, or Cloud’s trauma, or the memorable location where it all ends. It isn't necessary. *Magic* enables you to reenact the passing personally. You perform the sacrifice. You transfer the weapon on. And for a short instant, while playing a card battle, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most influential game in the series for many fans.