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A major aspect of the appeal of the *Final Fantasy* crossover collection for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the way countless cards depict well-known stories. Consider Tidus, Blitzball Star, which provides a portrait of the hero at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated professional athlete whose secret weapon is a unique shot that knocks a defender aside. The abilities mirror this with subtlety. These kinds of narrative is prevalent across the entire Final Fantasy set, and not all lighthearted tales. Some act as poignant callbacks of tragedies fans still mull over years after.

"Powerful narratives are a central part of the Final Fantasy legacy," wrote a lead designer for the collaboration. "We built some overarching principles, but in the end, it was primarily on a card-by-card level."

Though the Zack Fair isn't a tournament staple, it stands as one of the collection's most refined pieces of flavor via mechanics. It masterfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments with great effect, all while capitalizing on some of the product's core gameplay elements. And although it steers clear of spoiling anything, those who know the tale will instantly understand the significance embedded in it.

The Mechanics: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one mana of white (the hue of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair has a starting 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 creature you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s bonuses, as well as an gear, onto that chosen creature.

These mechanics portrays a sequence FF fans are all too familiar with, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it resonates just as hard here, expressed completely through gameplay mechanics. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

A bit of backstory, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a clash with Sephiroth. Following years of experimentation, the friends break free. During their ordeal, Cloud is delirious, but Zack ensures to protect his comrade. They finally reach the edge outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Left behind, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the persona of a elite SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield

On the tabletop, the abilities effectively let you relive this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a top-tier piece of armament in the collection that costs three mana and gives the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can make Zack into a respectable 4/6 with the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud Strife card also has clear interaction with the Buster Sword, enabling you to find for an equipment card. Together, these three cards unfold in this way: You cast Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Owing to the design Zack’s sacrifice ability is structured, you can actually use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to cancel out the damage entirely. So you can do this at a key moment, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a formidable 6/4 that, whenever he strikes a player, lets you draw two cards and cast two spells for free. This is precisely the kind of interaction referred to when discussing “narrative impact” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

More Than the Obvious Interaction

But the narrative here is deeply satisfying, and it reaches past just Zack and Cloud. 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 kind of implies that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a subtle connection, but one that subtly ties the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set.

Zack’s card doesn't show his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the memorable bluff where it happens. It does not need to. *Magic* allows you to reenact the passing for yourself. You make the ultimate play. You hand over the weapon on. And for a short instant, while engaged in a card battle, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most beloved game in the franchise to date.