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A significant aspect of the allure within the *Final Fantasy* crossover set for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion numerous cards narrate well-known stories. Take for instance the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a glimpse of the hero at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated professional athlete whose secret weapon is a fancy shot that pushes a defender out of the way. The abilities represent this in nuanced ways. This type of narrative is widespread in the entire Final Fantasy set, and some are not lighthearted tales. A number act as poignant echoes of tragedies fans still mull over to this day.

"Powerful tales are a central component of the Final Fantasy franchise," noted a senior game designer involved with the set. "We built some overarching principles, but ultimately, it was largely on a case-by-case basis."

While the Zack Fair may not be a top-tier card, it is one of the set's most refined pieces of storytelling through mechanics. It skillfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal dramatic moments in spectacular fashion, all while leveraging some of the expansion's core systems. And although it avoids revealing anything, those familiar with the story will instantly understand the meaning embedded in it.

The Card's Design: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one white mana (the alignment of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a base power and toughness of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 counter. By spending one colorless mana, you can remove from play the card to bestow another unit you control indestructible and put all of Zack’s counters, along with an Equipment, onto that target creature.

This design paints a scene FF fans are very familiar with, a moment that has been reimagined throughout the years — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline retellings in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it resonates just as hard here, expressed solely through gameplay mechanics. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Moment

A bit of context, 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 imprisonment, the duo break free. During their ordeal, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack ensures to protect his friend. They eventually reach the plains outside Midgar before Zack is killed by forces. Left behind, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Moment on the Battlefield

On the tabletop, the card mechanics essentially let you reenact this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword is featured as a strong piece of equipment in the set that costs three mana and provides the equipped creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can transform Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud Strife card also has intentional combo potential with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an artifact card. In combination, these pieces unfold in this way: You play Zack, and he gains 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.

Because of the manner Zack’s key mechanic is structured, you can technically use it when blocking, meaning you can “block” an attack and trigger it to cancel out the damage completely. Therefore, you can make this play at a key moment, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a strong 6/4 that, whenever he strikes a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two spells at no cost. This is precisely the kind of moment meant when discussing “emotional resonance” — not revealing the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

More Than the Main Combo

But the flavor here is deeply satisfying, and it goes past just these cards. The Jenova card appears in 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 sort of suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER enhancement he received, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. This is a subtle connection, but one that subtly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

The card does not depict his death, or Cloud’s confusion, or the stormy bluff where it all ends. It isn't necessary. *Magic* lets you relive the legacy for yourself. You make the ultimate play. You hand over the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while engaged in a strategy game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most influential game in the saga ever made.