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A core aspect of the charm of the Final Fantasy crossover collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the manner so many cards depict iconic tales. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which gives a portrait of the protagonist at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous sports star whose secret weapon is a fancy shot that takes a defender aside. The abilities mirror this perfectly. Such narrative is found across the complete Final Fantasy set, and some are not lighthearted tales. Several act as poignant echoes of sad moments fans continue to reflect on to this day.

"Moving stories are a vital component of the Final Fantasy franchise," wrote a senior designer on the set. "They created some overarching principles, but finally, it was primarily on a case-by-case basis."

While the Zack Fair card may not be a competitive powerhouse, it stands as one of the release's most elegant pieces of flavor through gameplay. It skillfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal dramatic moments brilliantly, all while capitalizing on some of the set's core gameplay elements. And even if it doesn't spoil anything, those familiar with the story will immediately grasp the significance behind it.

The Mechanics: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one mana of white (the color of protagonists) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a starting stat line of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 marker. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to grant another creature you control indestructible and move all of Zack’s counters, along with an Equipment, onto that other creature.

These mechanics portrays a sequence FF fans are all too remember, a moment that has been retold multiple times — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new versions in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it lands just as hard here, expressed solely through rules text. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

For backstory, and here is your *FF7* warning: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a clash with Sephiroth. Following years of imprisonment, the friends manage to escape. Throughout this period, Cloud is delirious, but Zack ensures to take care of his comrade. They eventually make it the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is killed by Shinra soldiers. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the persona of a first-class SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield

On the tabletop, the card mechanics essentially let you recreate this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a powerful piece of armament in the set that costs three mana and gives the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can turn Zack into a respectable 4/6 with the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has clear synergy with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an weapon card. Together, these three cards play out as follows: You summon Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Owing to the way Zack’s sacrifice ability is worded, you can potentially use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and trigger it to negate the damage altogether. This allows you to do this at a key moment, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a powerful 6/4 that, every time he strikes a player, lets you draw two cards and play two spells without paying their mana cost. This is just the kind of moment referred to when talking about “emotional resonance” — not revealing the scene, but letting the card design evoke the memory.

More Than the Central Combo

And the narrative here is deeply satisfying, and it reaches further than just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity is part of the collection 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 kind of suggests that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER conditioning he received, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. It's a subtle connection, but one that subtly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

Zack’s card doesn't show his end, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the rain-soaked bluff where it concludes. It isn't necessary. *Magic* lets you reenact the passing personally. You make the ultimate play. You hand over the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while enjoying a card battle, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most beloved game in the franchise for many fans.