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A core part of the allure within the Final Fantasy crossover collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the manner numerous cards tell familiar stories. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which provides a glimpse of the protagonist at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated professional athlete whose signature move is a specialized shot that takes a defender aside. The gameplay rules reflect this with subtlety. This type of storytelling is found throughout the entire Final Fantasy set, and some are not joyful stories. Some are poignant callbacks of tragedies fans remember vividly years after.

"Powerful stories are a vital part of the Final Fantasy series," explained a principal designer on the set. "They created some overarching principles, but finally, it was mostly on a individual level."

Even though the Zack Fair card isn't a top-tier card, it represents one of the set's most clever examples of flavor by way of rules. It masterfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments with great effect, all while leveraging some of the expansion's key mechanics. And even if it avoids revealing anything, those acquainted with the tale will instantly understand the emotional weight behind it.

The Mechanics: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one mana of white (the hue of good) in this set, Zack Fair has a starting stat line of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 token. By spending one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to give another ally you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s counters, plus an Equipment, onto that chosen creature.

This design paints a sequence FF fans are extremely remember, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it hits just as hard here, conveyed solely through rules text. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Card

For context, and take this as your *FF7* spoiler alert: Years before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a clash with Sephiroth. Following extended imprisonment, the duo manage to escape. During their ordeal, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack makes sure to look after his comrade. They finally make it the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Abandoned, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the persona of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Moment on the Game Board

In a game, the abilities essentially let you relive this whole event. The Buster Sword appears as a strong piece of equipment in the collection that costs three mana and grants the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can transform Zack into a respectable 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate interaction with the Buster Sword, letting you to look through your library for an equipment card. Together, these three cards function as follows: You summon Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Owing to the design Zack’s signature action is worded, you can potentially use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and activate it to cancel out the attack entirely. This allows you to perform this action at a key moment, 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 pull extra cards and cast two spells for free. This is exactly the kind of interaction referred to when discussing “narrative impact” — not explaining the scene, but letting the gameplay trigger the recollection.

Extending Past the Main Interaction

And the thematic here is oh-so-delicious, and it goes further than just this combo. 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 chosen creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This in a way implies that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. It's a subtle connection, but one that implicitly connects the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

The card doesn't show his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the rain-soaked location where it happens. It isn't necessary. *Magic* allows you to reenact the legacy for yourself. You perform the sacrifice. You hand over the weapon on. And for a brief second, while engaged in a strategy game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most influential game in the franchise to date.