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A significant element of the allure found in the Final Fantasy crossover collection for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion countless cards narrate familiar narratives. Consider Tidus, Blitzball Star, which gives a portrait of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous sports star whose secret weapon is a unique shot that pushes a defender aside. The abilities represent this with subtlety. These kinds of flavor is found in the entire Final Fantasy set, and not all lighthearted tales. A number serve as somber reminders of tragedies fans remember vividly years after.

"Moving narratives are a vital part of the Final Fantasy franchise," noted a principal designer for the project. "The team established some general rules, but in the end, it was primarily on a individual basis."

Even though the Zack Fair card isn't a competitive powerhouse, it is one of the set's most clever instances of storytelling via mechanics. It masterfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments in spectacular fashion, all while utilizing some of the set's core mechanics. And even if it doesn't spoil anything, those acquainted with the tale will quickly recognize the significance behind it.

The Card's Design: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one white mana (the hue of heroes) in this collection, Zack Fair has a base stat line of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 marker. By paying one generic mana, you can remove from play the card to give another ally you control indestructible and put all of Zack’s markers, plus an artifact weapon, onto that chosen creature.

This card paints a scene FF fans are all too familiar with, a moment that has been revisited multiple times — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline iterations in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it hits just as hard here, communicated solely through card abilities. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Moment

Some necessary backstory, and take this as your *FF7* warning: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following extended imprisonment, the friends manage to escape. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack makes sure to protect his companion. They finally reach the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by troops. Presumed dead, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the role of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Moment on the Tabletop

On the tabletop, the abilities in essence let you recreate this whole sequence. The Buster Sword is featured as a top-tier piece of equipment in the collection that requires three mana and gives the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can transform Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, letting you to search your deck for an equipment card. When used in tandem, these three cards play out in this way: You summon Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Because of the way Zack’s key mechanic is designed, you can potentially use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to prevent the damage completely. So you can make this play at a key moment, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a strong 6/4 that, whenever he deals combat damage a player, lets you pull extra cards and cast two cards at no cost. This is exactly the kind of experience referred to when talking about “emotional resonance” — not revealing the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

Beyond the Obvious Combo

And the thematic here is incredibly rich, and it reaches further than just these cards. The Jenova card is part of the set 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 kind of implies that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. It's a small nod, but one that cleverly ties the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the set.

The card does not depict his demise, or Cloud’s trauma, or the memorable cliff where it concludes. It isn't necessary. *Magic* lets you relive the legacy yourself. You make the ultimate play. You pass the weapon on. And for a short instant, while playing a card battle, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most influential game in the series ever made.