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A major part of the appeal of the Final Fantasy crossover release for *Magic: The Gathering* is the way countless cards narrate familiar tales. Consider the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a snapshot of the protagonist at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose signature move is a specialized shot that takes a defender out of the way. The abilities represent this with subtlety. This type of narrative is prevalent throughout the whole Final Fantasy set, and they aren't all lighthearted tales. A number are poignant echoes of sad moments fans remember vividly years after.

"Powerful tales are a vital component of the Final Fantasy series," wrote a lead game designer involved with the collaboration. "We built some general rules, but in the end, it was mostly on a individual level."

Even though the Zack Fair is not a tournament staple, it stands as one of the release's most elegant pieces of storytelling by way of rules. It masterfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal cinematic moments brilliantly, all while utilizing some of the expansion's key mechanics. And while it avoids revealing anything, those acquainted with the tale will immediately grasp the significance behind it.

The Mechanics: Story Through Gameplay

At a cost of one white mana (the alignment of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair is a base power and toughness of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 marker. By spending one generic mana, you can sacrifice the card to grant another creature you control protection from destruction and move all of Zack’s bonuses, as well as an artifact weapon, onto that chosen creature.

This card depicts a scene FF fans are very remember, a moment that has been retold throughout the years — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it resonates just as hard here, communicated solely through gameplay mechanics. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Scene

Some necessary backstory, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a confrontation with Sephiroth. After years of testing, the friends get away. Throughout this period, Cloud is comatose, but Zack makes sure to look after his companion. They finally make it the plains outside Midgar before Zack is killed by forces. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the persona of a elite SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield

In a game, the rules in essence let you reenact this entire sequence. The Buster Sword is a a powerful piece of armament in the collection that costs three mana and gives the equipped creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can turn Zack into a formidable 4/6 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has intentional interaction with the Buster Sword, enabling you to look through your library for an equipment card. Together, these three cards function like this: You play Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Due to the way Zack’s signature action is structured, you can technically use it during combat, meaning you can “block” an attack and trigger it to cancel out the damage altogether. So you can do this at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a formidable 6/4 that, whenever he strikes a player, lets you draw two cards and play two cards without paying their mana cost. This is exactly the kind of experience meant when talking about “narrative impact” — not revealing the scene, but letting the gameplay evoke the memory.

More Than the Central Synergy

But the thematic here is oh-so-delicious, and it goes further than just this combo. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity is part of the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This in a way hints that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER treatment he received, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a subtle connection, but one that implicitly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

This design does not depict his demise, or Cloud’s confusion, or the stormy bluff where it all ends. It doesn't have to. *Magic* lets you reenact the moment for yourself. You make the sacrifice. You pass the sword on. And for a short instant, while enjoying a strategy game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most beloved game in the franchise ever made.