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A significant aspect of the appeal within the *Final Fantasy* crossover release for *Magic: The Gathering* is the way so many cards depict well-known narratives. Consider Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a portrait of the hero at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous Blitzball pro whose signature move is a unique shot that knocks a defender aside. The gameplay rules reflect this with subtlety. Such flavor is prevalent across the complete Final Fantasy offering, and some are not joyful stories. A number act as heartbreaking reminders of tragedies fans continue to reflect on to this day.

"Emotional narratives are a central element of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a principal game designer on the project. "They created some general rules, but finally, it was primarily on a individual basis."

Though the Zack Fair isn't a tournament staple, it stands as one of the release's most clever pieces of storytelling via rules. It skillfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal cinematic moments brilliantly, all while leveraging some of the set's core gameplay elements. And while it doesn't spoil anything, those who know the saga will immediately grasp the meaning embedded in it.

How It Works: Flavor in Rules

For one mana of white (the color of heroes) in this collection, Zack Fair has a base power and toughness of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 token. By spending one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to grant another ally you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s counters, along with an gear, onto that chosen creature.

These mechanics paints a scene FF fans are all too familiar with, a moment that has been retold multiple times — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline iterations in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it lands just as hard here, expressed entirely through rules text. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Card

A bit of backstory, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Years before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a battle with Sephiroth. Following extended imprisonment, the friends break free. During their ordeal, Cloud is comatose, but Zack vows to look after his companion. They finally make it the edge outside Midgar before Zack is killed by forces. Abandoned, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the persona of a elite SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Moment on the Tabletop

On the tabletop, the card mechanics effectively let you reenact this whole sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a strong piece of equipment in the collection that costs three mana and gives the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can turn Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has clear synergy with the Buster Sword, allowing you to look through your library for an weapon card. Together, these pieces function as follows: You cast Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Because of the way Zack’s signature action is designed, you can technically use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and activate it to negate the attack completely. Therefore, you can perform this action at a key moment, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a formidable 6/4 that, each time he strikes a player, lets you gain card advantage and play two spells for free. This is exactly the kind of interaction alluded to when discussing “flavorful design” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the gameplay trigger the recollection.

More Than the Main Interaction

And the thematic here is oh-so-delicious, and it extends further than 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 chosen creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This kind of hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a small connection, but one that implicitly ties the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the set.

Zack’s card avoids showing his end, or Cloud’s confusion, or the memorable cliff where it happens. It does not need to. *Magic* enables you to relive the passing yourself. You make the sacrifice. You pass the weapon on. And for a short instant, while engaged in a card battle, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most impactful game in the franchise to date.