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A significant part of the allure found in the Final Fantasy crossover set for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion so many cards depict well-known tales. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a portrait of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated professional athlete whose key technique is a specialized shot that pushes a defender aside. The gameplay rules mirror this in nuanced ways. These kinds of narrative is prevalent throughout the entire Final Fantasy set, and some are not fun and games. A number act as poignant reminders of emotional events fans remember vividly to this day.

"Emotional stories are a central element of the Final Fantasy series," explained a principal designer for the collaboration. "We built some broad guidelines, but ultimately, it was mostly on a case-by-case basis."

Though the Zack Fair isn't a top-tier card, it is one of the collection's most elegant examples of flavor via rules. It skillfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important story moments brilliantly, all while leveraging some of the expansion's central gameplay elements. And while it doesn't spoil anything, those who know the tale will instantly understand the significance embedded in it.

How It Works: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one mana of white (the hue of good) in this set, Zack Fair is a base power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 token. By spending one generic mana, you can sacrifice the card to grant another unit you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s bonuses, along with an Equipment, onto that target creature.

This card portrays a scene FF fans are very familiar with, a moment that has been revisited multiple times — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new versions in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it resonates just as hard here, communicated completely through card abilities. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Moment

Some necessary backstory, and here is your *FF7* warning: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a battle with Sephiroth. Following years of imprisonment, the duo manage to escape. The entire time, Cloud is delirious, but Zack ensures to look after his comrade. They eventually arrive at the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is killed by troops. Abandoned, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the identity of a elite SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Legacy on the Tabletop

In a game, the card mechanics essentially let you reenact this entire scene. The Buster Sword appears as a top-tier piece of armament in the set that costs three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can turn Zack into a respectable 4/6 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has intentional synergy with the Buster Sword, enabling you to find for an equipment card. When used in tandem, these pieces function like this: You summon Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Because of the way Zack’s sacrifice ability is structured, you can actually use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to cancel out the damage completely. This allows you to make this play at any time, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a strong 6/4 that, each time he strikes a player, lets you pull extra cards and play two cards at no cost. This is exactly the kind of moment alluded to when talking about “flavorful design” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the card design trigger the recollection.

More Than the Obvious Synergy

But the narrative here is oh-so-delicious, and it extends past just this combo. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity is part of the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This sort of hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER conditioning he received, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a tiny connection, but one that subtly ties the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

The card avoids showing his demise, or Cloud’s confusion, or the stormy cliff where it happens. It doesn't have to. *Magic* enables you to reenact the moment yourself. You perform the ultimate play. You hand over the legacy on. And for a short instant, while enjoying a strategy game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most influential game in the franchise ever made.