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A major aspect of the allure found in the Final Fantasy crossover set for *Magic: The Gathering* is the way countless cards narrate familiar tales. Cards like Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a snapshot of the hero at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous Blitzball pro whose secret weapon is a specialized shot that knocks a defender out of the way. The card's mechanics mirror this in nuanced ways. Such storytelling is found in the whole Final Fantasy offering, and some are not fun and games. Several act as somber reminders of sad moments fans still mull over decades later.

"Moving stories are a central component of the Final Fantasy series," wrote a lead game designer for the project. "The team established some overarching principles, but in the end, it was primarily on a case-by-case level."

Though the Zack Fair is not a top-tier card, it is one of the set's most elegant examples of storytelling via gameplay. It artfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial dramatic moments in spectacular fashion, all while leveraging some of the expansion's core gameplay elements. And while it avoids revealing anything, those who know the story will immediately grasp the meaning embedded in it.

The Mechanics: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one mana of white (the alignment of heroes) in this set, Zack Fair is a base stat line of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 counter. By spending one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to give another unit you control indestructible and transfer all of Zack’s markers, along with an Equipment, onto that other creature.

This design depicts a moment FF fans are extremely familiar with, a moment that has been retold again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined iterations in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it hits powerfully here, communicated entirely through gameplay mechanics. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

Some necessary backstory, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a confrontation with Sephiroth. After extended experimentation, the duo break free. Throughout this period, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack ensures to look after his companion. They eventually make it the plains outside Midgar before Zack is killed by forces. Left behind, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the identity of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield

Through gameplay, the card mechanics in essence let you reenact this whole sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a powerful piece of gear in the set that requires three mana and grants the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can turn Zack into a formidable 4/6 with the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to search your deck for an weapon card. Together, these three cards play out in this way: You cast 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 way Zack’s sacrifice ability is designed, you can technically use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and trigger it to negate the attack entirely. This allows you to perform this action at any time, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a powerful 6/4 that, each time he does damage a player, lets you draw two cards and cast two cards without paying their mana cost. This is exactly the kind of experience meant when talking about “emotional resonance” — not revealing the scene, but letting the gameplay trigger the recollection.

Beyond the Main Interaction

And the thematic here is incredibly rich, and it reaches further than just these cards. 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 in a way suggests that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER enhancement he received, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. It's a subtle connection, but one that subtly ties the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the expansion.

This design avoids showing his end, or Cloud’s trauma, or the stormy cliff where it all ends. It isn't necessary. *Magic* enables you to recreate the moment personally. You make the sacrifice. You hand over the sword on. And for a short instant, while enjoying a card battle, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most beloved game in the franchise to date.