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A significant element of the allure found in the Final Fantasy crossover set for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the manner so many cards tell familiar stories. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which provides a portrait of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous Blitzball pro whose secret weapon is a fancy shot that takes a defender aside. The card's mechanics reflect this perfectly. Such storytelling is prevalent across the complete Final Fantasy set, and not all fun and games. Several are heartbreaking echoes of sad moments fans still mull over to this day.

"Moving tales are a central element of the Final Fantasy franchise," noted a lead game designer involved with the collaboration. "We built some broad guidelines, but ultimately, it was largely on a card-by-card basis."

Even though the Zack Fair is not a competitive powerhouse, it is one of the release's most elegant pieces of narrative design via mechanics. It skillfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal cinematic moments with great effect, all while leveraging some of the expansion's core systems. And even if it doesn't spoil anything, those acquainted with the story will instantly understand the emotional weight embedded in it.

The Card's Design: A Narrative in Play

For one white mana (the alignment of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair is a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 token. By paying one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to grant another creature you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s markers, plus an artifact weapon, onto that chosen creature.

These mechanics depicts a moment FF fans are very know well, a moment that has been revisited multiple times — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new retellings in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it resonates with equal force here, communicated solely through gameplay mechanics. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Moment

Some necessary context, and take this as your *FF7* spoiler alert: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a clash with Sephiroth. After years of imprisonment, the duo manage to escape. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack ensures to protect his friend. They eventually arrive at the edge outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by forces. Presumed dead, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the role of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield

In a game, the card mechanics effectively let you recreate this entire sequence. The Buster Sword is featured as a powerful piece of gear in the collection that requires three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can make Zack into a respectable 4/6 with the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate interaction with the Buster Sword, letting you to search your deck for an weapon card. In combination, these three cards function as follows: You play Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Due to the way Zack’s sacrifice ability is designed, you can technically use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and trigger it to negate the damage completely. This allows you to make this play at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a formidable 6/4 that, whenever he does damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two spells without paying their mana cost. This is precisely the kind of experience referred to when discussing “emotional resonance” — not revealing the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

Extending Past the Central Synergy

And the thematic here is incredibly rich, and it reaches past just Zack and Cloud. 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 chosen creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This sort of suggests 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 small reference, but one that cleverly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

The card doesn't show his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the memorable bluff where it happens. It doesn't have to. *Magic* allows you to recreate the passing personally. You perform the sacrifice. You pass the weapon on. And for a short instant, while enjoying a strategy game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most beloved game in the series to date.