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A major part of the charm of the *Final Fantasy* crossover collection for *Magic: The Gathering* is the fashion countless cards depict well-known tales. Consider Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a glimpse of the hero at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned sports star whose key technique is a fancy shot that knocks a defender out of the way. The abilities mirror this in nuanced ways. These kinds of storytelling is found across the complete Final Fantasy set, and some are not lighthearted tales. Several act as somber echoes of tragedies fans continue to reflect on to this day.

"Moving narratives are a central part of the Final Fantasy series," noted a senior game designer on the set. "They created some overarching principles, but finally, it was mostly on a case-by-case level."

Though the Zack Fair isn't a tournament staple, it stands as one of the collection's most elegant pieces of flavor via mechanics. It artfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal cinematic moments in spectacular fashion, all while leveraging some of the product's key gameplay elements. And although it steers clear of spoiling anything, those acquainted with the saga will instantly understand the significance within it.

How It Works: Flavor in Rules

For one mana of white (the alignment of heroes) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 token. For the cost of one generic mana, you can remove from play the card to grant another creature you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s bonuses, as well as an artifact weapon, onto that chosen creature.

This card paints a sequence FF fans are very know well, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new versions in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it lands powerfully here, communicated solely through rules text. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Scene

For backstory, and take this as your *FF7* warning: Years before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following extended experimentation, the duo get away. Throughout this period, Cloud is comatose, but Zack vows to protect his comrade. They eventually make it the edge outside Midgar before Zack is killed by troops. Left behind, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the role of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Moment on the Tabletop

On the tabletop, the rules essentially let you relive this entire sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a powerful piece of equipment in the collection that requires three mana and grants the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can turn Zack into a solid 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, letting you to find for an weapon card. Together, these pieces play out in this way: 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 summon and give it to Zack.

Owing to the manner Zack’s signature action is designed, you can technically use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and trigger it to negate the attack completely. So you can do this at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a powerful 6/4 that, each time he strikes a player, lets you draw two cards and cast two spells without paying their mana cost. This is exactly the kind of interaction referred to when talking about “flavorful design” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the gameplay trigger the recollection.

Extending Past the Central Synergy

However, the narrative here is deeply satisfying, and it reaches past just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova card appears in the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This sort of hints that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a tiny nod, but one that implicitly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the expansion.

This design doesn't show his demise, or Cloud’s trauma, or the memorable bluff where it all ends. It doesn't have to. *Magic* allows you to recreate the passing yourself. You choose the ultimate play. You hand over the legacy on. And for a short instant, while playing a strategy game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most impactful game in the franchise to date.