Zack Fair Demonstrates That Magic: The Gathering's Crossover Sets Can Tell Emotional Stories.

A significant aspect of the charm found in the *Final Fantasy* crossover collection for *Magic: The Gathering* is the way numerous cards narrate familiar stories. Consider Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a glimpse of the protagonist at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned Blitzball pro whose secret weapon is a specialized shot that pushes a defender out of the way. The gameplay rules reflect this with subtlety. This type of narrative is found throughout the whole Final Fantasy set, and not all fun and games. Several are somber callbacks of tragedies fans continue to reflect on years after.

"Powerful stories are a central part of the Final Fantasy franchise," wrote a principal designer on the project. "They created some broad guidelines, but in the end, it was primarily on a individual level."

While the Zack Fair card may not be a competitive powerhouse, it is one of the collection's most clever instances of storytelling by way of rules. It skillfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments brilliantly, all while capitalizing on some of the expansion's core gameplay elements. And even if it doesn't spoil anything, those who know the tale will quickly recognize the emotional weight behind it.

The Mechanics: Story Through Gameplay

For one white mana (the alignment of good) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a base stat line of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 marker. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to grant another unit you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s markers, along with an gear, onto that target creature.

These mechanics portrays a sequence FF fans are extremely familiar with, a moment that has been revisited throughout the years — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it hits just as hard here, communicated entirely through gameplay mechanics. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Card

Some necessary context, and take this as your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a battle with Sephiroth. Following years of testing, the pair break free. Throughout this period, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack vows to take care of his companion. They eventually arrive at the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by Shinra soldiers. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Passing of the Torch on the Tabletop

On the tabletop, the rules effectively let you reenact this iconic scene. The Buster Sword appears as a powerful piece of armament in the set that requires three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can transform Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, allowing you to look through your library for an equipment card. In combination, these pieces function in this way: You play Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Due to the design Zack’s key mechanic is designed, you can technically use it during combat, meaning you can “block” an assault and trigger it to negate the damage completely. So you can make this play at a key moment, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a formidable 6/4 that, each time he deals combat damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and play two spells without paying their mana cost. This is exactly the kind of experience meant when talking about “flavorful design” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the card design trigger the recollection.

Beyond the Main Synergy

And the narrative here is deeply satisfying, and it goes further than just these cards. The Jenova card is part of the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which then becomes a Mutant. This kind of hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER treatment he received, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. It's a subtle nod, but one that subtly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

Zack’s card does not depict his demise, or Cloud’s confusion, or the rain-soaked bluff where it concludes. It doesn't have to. *Magic* lets you relive the moment personally. You make the ultimate play. You hand over the sword on. And for a fleeting moment, while enjoying a strategy game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most beloved game in the saga ever made.