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A core part of the allure of the Final Fantasy crossover set for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the way countless cards tell familiar tales. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which provides a snapshot of the protagonist at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous sports star whose secret weapon is a fancy shot that pushes a defender out of the way. The abilities reflect this perfectly. This type of narrative is found across the entire Final Fantasy set, and they aren't all fun and games. Several are heartbreaking reminders of sad moments fans remember vividly to this day.

"Moving narratives are a central element of the Final Fantasy franchise," noted a senior designer on the collaboration. "They created some overarching principles, but in the end, it was mostly on a individual basis."

While the Zack Fair card may not be a competitive powerhouse, it represents one of the set's most elegant instances of flavor via rules. It artfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important dramatic moments with great effect, all while capitalizing on some of the expansion's key mechanics. And even if it steers clear of spoiling anything, those who know the saga will instantly understand the meaning embedded in it.

The Mechanics: Story Through Gameplay

At a cost of one mana of white (the alignment of protagonists) in this set, Zack Fair has a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 marker. By paying one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to bestow another unit you control protection from destruction and move all of Zack’s counters, along with an gear, onto that target creature.

These mechanics paints a scene FF fans are all too know well, a moment that has been revisited multiple times — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined retellings in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it lands with equal force here, communicated entirely through card abilities. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Scene

For backstory, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a battle with Sephiroth. After extended imprisonment, the pair get away. During their ordeal, Cloud is comatose, but Zack ensures to take care of his friend. They finally arrive at the edge outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Left behind, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the role of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield

In a game, the rules effectively let you reenact this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword is a a top-tier piece of armament in the set that costs three mana and gives the equipped creature +3/+2. Therefore, using 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, allowing you to look through your library for an equipment card. When used in tandem, these three cards play out like this: You play Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to pull the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Owing to the design Zack’s key mechanic is designed, you can actually use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “block” an attack and trigger it to prevent the damage entirely. So you can do this at any time, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a powerful 6/4 that, every time he does damage a player, lets you pull extra cards and play two cards without paying their mana cost. This is just the kind of interaction meant when discussing “narrative impact” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the gameplay evoke the memory.

Extending Past the Obvious Interaction

However, the narrative here is oh-so-delicious, and it extends further than just these cards. The Jenova card is part of the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This in a way suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER conditioning he received, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a tiny connection, but one that cleverly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

This design does not depict his end, or Cloud’s confusion, or the memorable location where it all ends. It does not need to. *Magic* lets you reenact the moment personally. You choose the sacrifice. You hand over the sword on. And for a brief second, while engaged in a card battle, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most influential game in the series to date.