🔗 Share this article

A major part of the charm of the *Final Fantasy* crossover collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the fashion so many cards tell iconic narratives. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which provides a snapshot of the hero at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose key technique is a specialized shot that knocks a defender out of the way. The gameplay rules mirror this in nuanced ways. These kinds of storytelling is found across the whole Final Fantasy offering, and not all fun and games. A number serve as heartbreaking callbacks of tragedies fans remember vividly decades later.

"Moving tales are a central component of the Final Fantasy series," wrote a senior designer involved with the set. "They created some overarching principles, but finally, it was mostly on a card-by-card basis."

Though the Zack Fair may not be a competitive powerhouse, it stands as one of the collection's most elegant examples of storytelling through rules. It artfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments with great effect, all while capitalizing on some of the set's key mechanics. And although it doesn't spoil anything, those acquainted with the saga will instantly understand the meaning embedded in it.

The Mechanics: Story Through Gameplay

At a cost of one mana of white (the color of good) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a base stat line of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 marker. By paying one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to bestow another unit you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s bonuses, as well as an Equipment, onto that other creature.

These mechanics depicts a moment FF fans are all too familiar with, a moment that has been reimagined throughout the years — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline versions in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it lands with equal force here, conveyed entirely through rules text. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Scene

For backstory, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a clash with Sephiroth. After extended testing, the duo manage to escape. During their ordeal, Cloud is comatose, but Zack vows to look after his companion. They eventually arrive at the plains outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by Shinra soldiers. Abandoned, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the identity of a elite SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Legacy on the Tabletop

Through gameplay, the abilities in essence let you reenact this whole sequence. The Buster Sword is a a powerful piece of gear in the collection that requires three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can make Zack into a solid 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has clear interaction with the Buster Sword, letting you to look through your library for an artifact card. In combination, these three cards function like this: You summon Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Due to the way Zack’s key mechanic is designed, you can technically use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and trigger it to cancel out the damage altogether. This allows you to do this at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a powerful 6/4 that, each time he deals combat damage a player, lets you draw two cards and play two cards at no cost. This is exactly the kind of interaction alluded to when discussing “narrative impact” — not revealing the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

Extending Past the Central Interaction

But the thematic here is deeply satisfying, and it reaches further than just this combo. The Jenova card 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 then becomes a Mutant. This sort of suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER treatment he received, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a small nod, but one that subtly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

Zack’s card does not depict his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the stormy bluff where it all ends. It isn't necessary. *Magic* lets you reenact the moment for yourself. You make the ultimate play. You hand over the sword on. And for a short instant, while engaged in a strategy game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most beloved game in the saga to date.