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A significant part of the appeal of the *Final Fantasy* crossover set for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the way countless cards depict familiar tales. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which gives a snapshot of the character at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose signature move is a fancy shot that knocks a defender out of the way. The abilities mirror this with subtlety. These kinds of storytelling is widespread throughout the entire Final Fantasy offering, and not all fun and games. A number serve as heartbreaking echoes of tragedies fans continue to reflect on to this day.

"Moving stories are a key part of the Final Fantasy series," explained a senior designer on the collaboration. "They created some broad guidelines, but finally, it was mostly on a case-by-case level."

Though the Zack Fair card may not be a top-tier card, it stands as one of the collection's most refined examples of storytelling via gameplay. It artfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal cinematic moments with great effect, all while leveraging some of the expansion's key systems. And although it steers clear of spoiling anything, those who know the tale will instantly understand the meaning within it.

The Mechanics: Story Through Gameplay

For one white mana (the color of heroes) in this collection, Zack Fair is a base power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 marker. By paying one colorless mana, you can remove from play the card to grant another unit you control indestructible and move all of Zack’s bonuses, plus an artifact weapon, onto that target creature.

These mechanics paints a scene FF fans are extremely familiar with, a moment that has been retold again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined retellings in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it hits just as hard here, conveyed solely through gameplay mechanics. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Moment

For backstory, and here is your *FF7* warning: Before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a battle with Sephiroth. After extended testing, the duo get away. During their ordeal, Cloud is comatose, but Zack makes sure to look after his comrade. They eventually make it the plains outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Abandoned, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the role of a elite SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield

Through gameplay, the card mechanics effectively let you recreate this entire scene. The Buster Sword is featured as a top-tier piece of gear in the collection that requires three mana and grants the equipped creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can turn Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate synergy with the Buster Sword, enabling you to find for an artifact card. In combination, these pieces unfold like this: You cast Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Owing to the manner Zack’s signature action is designed, you can technically use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to cancel out the attack altogether. So you can do this at a key moment, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a powerful 6/4 that, each time he deals combat damage a player, lets you pull extra cards and play two cards for free. This is precisely the kind of experience referred to when talking about “narrative impact” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

Extending Past the Main Interaction

And the flavor here is incredibly rich, and it extends further than just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity is part of the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This in a way implies that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER enhancement he received, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a small reference, but one that implicitly ties the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the set.

The card does not depict his demise, or Cloud’s trauma, or the stormy location where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* lets you recreate the moment for yourself. You perform the sacrifice. You transfer the legacy on. And for a short instant, while engaged in a strategy game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most beloved game in the franchise to date.