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A significant aspect of the allure within the *Final Fantasy* crossover release for *Magic: The Gathering* is the manner so many cards tell familiar narratives. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a glimpse of the hero at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose signature move is a fancy shot that takes a defender out of the way. The abilities represent this with subtlety. This type of storytelling is widespread throughout the entire Final Fantasy set, and not all lighthearted tales. Several serve as heartbreaking callbacks of emotional events fans remember vividly years after.

"Powerful narratives are a vital part of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a lead designer involved with the project. "The team established some overarching principles, but ultimately, it was primarily on a card-by-card level."

While the Zack Fair isn't a competitive powerhouse, it stands as one of the set's most clever pieces of narrative design through mechanics. It artfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important dramatic moments brilliantly, all while utilizing some of the set's core systems. And even if it avoids revealing anything, those familiar with the saga will instantly understand the significance behind it.

How It Works: Story Through Gameplay

For one white mana (the alignment of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair is a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 token. By spending one colorless mana, you can remove from play the card to give another creature you control indestructible and put all of Zack’s bonuses, along with an artifact weapon, onto that target creature.

These mechanics portrays a scene FF fans are all too know well, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined versions in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it hits with equal force here, conveyed solely through gameplay mechanics. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Moment

Some necessary history, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a clash with Sephiroth. Following years of imprisonment, the duo get away. The entire time, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack makes sure to look after his comrade. They eventually make it the plains outside Midgar before Zack is killed by troops. Presumed dead, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the identity of a elite SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Passing of the Torch on the Tabletop

Through gameplay, the card mechanics effectively let you reenact this entire scene. The Buster Sword appears as a powerful piece of equipment in the collection that costs three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can turn Zack into a formidable 4/6 with the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has clear interaction with the Buster Sword, letting you to find for an artifact card. In combination, these three cards play out as follows: You summon Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Due to the manner Zack’s sacrifice ability is worded, you can technically use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and trigger it to negate the damage completely. So you can do this at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a strong 6/4 that, each time he strikes a player, lets you pull extra cards and cast two cards at no cost. This is precisely the kind of experience referred to when talking about “narrative impact” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the card design evoke the memory.

Beyond the Obvious Interaction

But the thematic here is deeply satisfying, and it goes past just this combo. The Jenova card appears in the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This sort of implies that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER treatment he received, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. It's a small connection, but one that cleverly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

Zack’s card avoids showing his death, or Cloud’s confusion, or the stormy bluff where it happens. It doesn't have to. *Magic* allows you to reenact the moment personally. You choose the sacrifice. You pass the legacy on. And for a short instant, while enjoying a strategy game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most beloved game in the saga ever made.