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A significant aspect of the appeal found in the *Final Fantasy* crossover collection for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion numerous cards narrate familiar stories. Consider the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which provides a snapshot of the hero at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated Blitzball pro whose signature move is a fancy shot that takes a defender aside. The abilities reflect this in nuanced ways. This type of flavor is prevalent across the complete Final Fantasy set, and not all lighthearted tales. Several act as heartbreaking callbacks of tragedies fans remember vividly decades later.

"Powerful tales are a central element of the Final Fantasy series," noted a senior game designer for the collaboration. "The team established some broad guidelines, but ultimately, it was largely on a case-by-case basis."

Even though the Zack Fair card isn't a tournament staple, it represents one of the collection's most elegant examples of storytelling via mechanics. It skillfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial dramatic moments with great effect, all while leveraging some of the expansion's core mechanics. And even if it steers clear of spoiling anything, those acquainted with the story will immediately grasp the significance within it.

How It Works: A Narrative in Play

For one white mana (the hue of protagonists) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a base power and toughness of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 token. By paying one generic mana, you can remove from play the card to grant another unit you control indestructible and transfer all of Zack’s bonuses, as well as an Equipment, onto that target creature.

This card depicts a scene FF fans are all too remember, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new versions in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it lands with equal force here, communicated entirely through rules text. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Moment

Some necessary backstory, and here is your *FF7* warning: Years before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following years of imprisonment, the pair break free. Throughout this period, Cloud is delirious, but Zack makes sure to look after his companion. They finally reach the plains outside Midgar before Zack is killed by troops. Presumed dead, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Moment on the Game Board

Through gameplay, the abilities effectively let you relive this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword is featured as a top-tier piece of equipment in the collection that requires three mana and gives the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can transform Zack into a solid 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, allowing you to look through your library for an artifact card. When used in tandem, these three cards function like this: You play Zack, and he gains 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.

Because of the design Zack’s key mechanic is structured, you can actually use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “block” an attack and activate it to negate the damage altogether. So you can make this play at any time, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a formidable 6/4 that, each time he does damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two spells at no cost. This is exactly the kind of moment referred to when talking about “flavorful design” — not revealing the scene, but letting the card design make you remember.

Beyond the Main Synergy

And the thematic here is deeply satisfying, and it reaches past 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 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 tiny nod, but one that implicitly ties the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

This design doesn't show his death, or Cloud’s confusion, or the memorable bluff where it concludes. It isn't necessary. *Magic* allows you to recreate the passing yourself. You make the ultimate play. You hand over the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while playing a card battle, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most impactful game in the saga for many fans.