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A significant aspect of the appeal of the Final Fantasy crossover release for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the manner countless cards tell iconic tales. Cards like Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a glimpse of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated Blitzball pro whose key technique is a unique shot that takes a defender aside. The card's mechanics represent this in nuanced ways. This type of flavor is prevalent throughout the entire Final Fantasy offering, and some are not joyful stories. Several act as poignant echoes of emotional events fans continue to reflect on to this day.

"Moving stories are a central element of the Final Fantasy series," wrote a senior game designer involved with the set. "We built some general rules, but finally, it was primarily on a case-by-case basis."

Though the Zack Fair card isn't a tournament staple, it is one of the collection's most elegant examples of narrative design via mechanics. It artfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important dramatic moments with great effect, all while capitalizing on some of the expansion's key gameplay elements. And although it steers clear of spoiling anything, those familiar with the tale will immediately grasp the significance within it.

The Card's Design: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one mana of white (the color of good) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 token. By spending one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to grant another ally you control indestructible and put all of Zack’s markers, plus an artifact weapon, onto that target creature.

This card portrays a moment FF fans are very know well, a moment that has been revisited again and again — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new retellings in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it hits powerfully here, communicated completely through gameplay mechanics. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Card

Some necessary backstory, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a battle with Sephiroth. After years of testing, the friends get away. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack ensures to look after his friend. They finally make it the edge outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by Shinra soldiers. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the role of a first-class SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Legacy on the Battlefield

On the tabletop, the rules essentially let you recreate this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword is a a top-tier piece of armament in the collection that costs three mana and gives the equipped creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can transform Zack into a respectable 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an weapon card. Together, these pieces play out in this way: You summon Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Owing to the design Zack’s key mechanic is designed, you can actually use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and trigger it to cancel out the damage altogether. This allows you to perform this action at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a formidable 6/4 that, whenever he does damage a player, lets you draw two cards and play two cards at no cost. This is precisely the kind of experience alluded to when discussing “emotional resonance” — not explaining the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

More Than the Obvious Interaction

But the flavor here is deeply satisfying, and it goes past 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 suggests that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER enhancement he received, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a subtle nod, but one that implicitly connects the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

The card does not depict his end, or Cloud’s trauma, or the stormy cliff where it all ends. It isn't necessary. *Magic* lets you relive the legacy yourself. You choose the ultimate play. You hand over the legacy on. And for a brief second, while enjoying a strategy game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most impactful game in the saga to date.