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A core part of the allure found in the Final Fantasy crossover release for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the manner so many 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 renowned sports star whose secret weapon is a unique shot that pushes a defender out of the way. The gameplay rules reflect this in nuanced ways. This type of flavor is found in the complete Final Fantasy set, and some are not lighthearted tales. A number serve as heartbreaking callbacks of tragedies fans continue to reflect on to this day.

"Emotional tales are a vital component of the Final Fantasy legacy," explained a principal game designer on the collaboration. "They created some general rules, but ultimately, it was largely on a card-by-card level."

Even though the Zack Fair card may not be a tournament staple, it is one of the collection's most refined pieces of storytelling by way of gameplay. It artfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important cinematic moments with great effect, all while utilizing some of the product's core systems. And although it doesn't spoil anything, those acquainted with the saga will instantly understand the significance embedded in it.

How It Works: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one mana of white (the alignment of good) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 marker. For the cost of one generic mana, you can destroy the card to bestow another unit you control protection from destruction and move all of Zack’s counters, as well as an artifact weapon, onto that chosen creature.

This card depicts a sequence FF fans are all too know well, a moment that has been retold again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined retellings in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it resonates with equal force here, expressed entirely through rules text. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Card

Some necessary history, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Years before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following years of experimentation, the friends get away. The entire time, Cloud is delirious, but Zack vows to look after his friend. They eventually arrive at the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by Shinra soldiers. Abandoned, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the persona of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Moment on the Game Board

Through gameplay, the rules in essence let you reenact this iconic event. The Buster Sword is featured as a powerful piece of equipment in the set that requires three mana and gives the wielding creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can transform Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an weapon card. Together, these three cards play out in this way: You play Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to pull the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Because of the manner Zack’s sacrifice ability is worded, you can potentially use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to negate the attack entirely. This allows you to make this play at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a formidable 6/4 that, each time he does damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and play two cards for free. This is exactly the kind of interaction alluded to when discussing “emotional resonance” — not revealing the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

More Than the Obvious Synergy

But the flavor here is incredibly rich, and it extends further than just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity is part of the collection 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 kind of hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER treatment he received, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a small connection, but one that implicitly connects the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

The card doesn't show his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the rain-soaked bluff where it concludes. It doesn't have to. *Magic* lets you recreate the passing personally. You choose the sacrifice. You transfer the sword on. And for a brief second, while engaged in a trading card game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most impactful game in the franchise for many fans.