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A significant aspect of the appeal found in the *Final Fantasy* crossover release for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the fashion so many cards tell well-known stories. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a glimpse of the character at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose key technique is a unique shot that pushes a defender aside. The gameplay rules mirror this with subtlety. These kinds of flavor is prevalent across the whole Final Fantasy set, and some are not lighthearted tales. Some act as somber reminders of emotional events fans still mull over to this day.

"Powerful narratives are a central element of the Final Fantasy series," noted a principal game designer involved with the set. "The team established some general rules, but in the end, it was mostly on a card-by-card basis."

Though the Zack Fair is not a tournament staple, it stands as one of the set's most clever examples of flavor through rules. It skillfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial story moments brilliantly, all while capitalizing on some of the expansion's central gameplay elements. And although it avoids revealing anything, those acquainted with the saga will quickly recognize the meaning behind it.

The Mechanics: Story Through Gameplay

At a cost of one white mana (the alignment of good) in this set, Zack Fair is a starting stat line of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 marker. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to give another unit you control indestructible and transfer all of Zack’s counters, as well as an Equipment, onto that other creature.

These mechanics depicts a moment FF fans are very remember, a moment that has been retold multiple times — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline versions in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it lands with equal force here, communicated completely through card abilities. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Moment

Some necessary backstory, and take this as your *FF7* spoiler alert: Years before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a battle with Sephiroth. Following extended imprisonment, the friends get away. Throughout this period, Cloud is delirious, but Zack vows to protect his friend. They finally make it the plains outside Midgar before Zack is killed by Shinra soldiers. Left behind, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Passing of the Torch on the Game Board

Through gameplay, the card mechanics essentially let you relive this iconic scene. The Buster Sword appears as a top-tier piece of equipment in the collection that costs three mana and grants the equipped creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can transform Zack into a solid 4/6 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate interaction with the Buster Sword, letting you to find for an weapon card. In combination, these pieces play out in this way: You summon Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to pull the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Owing to the way Zack’s key mechanic is worded, you can actually use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and activate it to prevent the damage completely. Therefore, you can do this at a key moment, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a strong 6/4 that, whenever he strikes a player, lets you pull extra cards and cast two spells without paying their mana cost. This is exactly the kind of interaction alluded to when talking about “emotional resonance” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the gameplay evoke the memory.

Extending Past the Obvious Interaction

And the flavor here is oh-so-delicious, and it extends further than just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova card is part of the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which then becomes a Mutant. This sort of hints that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER enhancement he underwent, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a subtle connection, but one that subtly connects the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

The card does not depict his demise, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the rain-soaked bluff where it happens. It does not need to. *Magic* allows you to recreate the moment yourself. You perform the sacrifice. You hand over the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while engaged in a card battle, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most impactful game in the saga ever made.