🔗 Share this article

A significant part of the appeal within the *Final Fantasy* crossover collection for *Magic: The Gathering* is the fashion so many cards narrate iconic stories. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a snapshot of the hero at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated Blitzball pro whose signature move is a unique shot that knocks a defender out of the way. The card's mechanics mirror this with subtlety. Such flavor is prevalent throughout the whole Final Fantasy set, and some are not joyful stories. A number act as somber reminders of tragedies fans still mull over decades later.

"Powerful stories are a vital part of the Final Fantasy legacy," explained a lead designer for the project. "We built some general rules, but finally, it was mostly on a card-by-card basis."

Though the Zack Fair card may not be a top-tier card, it stands as one of the release's most clever instances of flavor via gameplay. It skillfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments with great effect, all while capitalizing on some of the set's core systems. And although it avoids revealing anything, those who know the tale will instantly understand the meaning within it.

How It Works: Story Through Gameplay

For one white mana (the hue of good) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a base stat line of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 counter. By spending one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to grant another unit you control indestructible and put all of Zack’s counters, along with an Equipment, onto that chosen creature.

These mechanics paints a scene FF fans are extremely know well, a moment that has been reimagined multiple times — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline iterations in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it resonates just as hard here, communicated solely through gameplay mechanics. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

Some necessary history, and take this as your *FF7* warning: Years before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a battle with Sephiroth. After extended experimentation, the duo get away. During their ordeal, Cloud is comatose, but Zack vows to look after his friend. They finally reach the plains outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by forces. Abandoned, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the persona of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Legacy on the Battlefield

On the tabletop, the card mechanics in essence let you reenact this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword is a a powerful piece of gear in the set that costs three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can turn Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has intentional interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an equipment card. In combination, these pieces unfold as follows: You summon Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to pull the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Owing to the way Zack’s sacrifice ability is designed, you can technically use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “block” an attack and trigger it to negate the damage entirely. So you can perform this action at a key moment, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a powerful 6/4 that, whenever he strikes a player, lets you pull extra cards and play two cards without paying their mana cost. This is precisely the kind of moment alluded to when discussing “flavorful design” — not explaining the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

Beyond the Obvious Synergy

And the narrative here is oh-so-delicious, and it extends further than just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity appears in the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which then becomes a Mutant. This sort of implies that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER conditioning he received, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a tiny reference, but one that cleverly ties the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set.

This design avoids showing his demise, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the stormy bluff where it all ends. It does not need to. *Magic* lets you recreate the moment yourself. You perform the ultimate play. You hand over the sword on. And for a short instant, while engaged in a strategy game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most beloved game in the series for many fans.