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A major aspect of the appeal within the Final Fantasy crossover release for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion countless cards tell familiar tales. Consider the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a snapshot of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned Blitzball pro whose secret weapon is a specialized shot that takes a defender aside. The card's mechanics represent this perfectly. These kinds of storytelling is prevalent in the complete Final Fantasy offering, and not all fun and games. A number serve as poignant echoes of tragedies fans remember vividly years after.

"Powerful stories are a central part of the Final Fantasy series," wrote a senior designer involved with the collaboration. "The team established some broad guidelines, but ultimately, it was mostly on a individual level."

Even though the Zack Fair card may not be a competitive powerhouse, it represents one of the collection's most clever examples of flavor through rules. It masterfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important story moments with great effect, all while utilizing some of the product's key systems. And although it avoids revealing anything, those familiar with the story will immediately grasp the meaning behind it.

How It Works: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one mana of white (the color of good) in this collection, Zack Fair has a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 marker. By spending one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to bestow another creature you control indestructible and put all of Zack’s counters, as well as an artifact weapon, onto that chosen creature.

This card portrays a scene FF fans are all too familiar with, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new versions in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it resonates with equal force here, conveyed completely through card abilities. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Moment

For backstory, and take this as your *FF7* warning: Years before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a confrontation with Sephiroth. After years of experimentation, the duo get away. Throughout this period, Cloud is delirious, but Zack vows to look after his friend. They eventually arrive at the plains outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Passing of the Torch on the Game Board

Through gameplay, the rules in essence let you reenact this whole sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a strong piece of equipment in the collection that costs three mana and provides the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can turn Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, letting you to look through your library for an artifact card. When used in tandem, these three cards function like this: You cast Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to pull the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Due to the way Zack’s signature action is structured, you can technically use it during combat, meaning you can “block” an assault and trigger it to prevent the damage completely. This allows you to do this at any time, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into 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 meant when talking about “narrative impact” — not explaining the scene, but letting the card design make you remember.

Beyond the Central Combo

But the thematic here is incredibly rich, and it reaches beyond 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 then becomes a Mutant. This sort of suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER conditioning he received, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a subtle connection, but one that subtly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

Zack’s card doesn't show his death, or Cloud’s confusion, or the rain-soaked cliff where it all ends. It isn't necessary. *Magic* allows you to reenact the passing for yourself. You make the ultimate play. You pass the legacy on. And for a brief second, while engaged in a card battle, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most impactful game in the series ever made.