🔗 Share this article

A major part of the allure found in the *Final Fantasy* crossover set for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the way so many cards tell well-known tales. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a snapshot of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous sports star whose signature move is a specialized shot that takes a defender out of the way. The gameplay rules reflect this in nuanced ways. This type of flavor is found throughout the whole Final Fantasy offering, and they aren't all joyful stories. Several act as poignant reminders of sad moments fans remember vividly years after.

"Powerful tales are a central part of the Final Fantasy legacy," explained a senior game designer on the project. "The team established some general rules, but ultimately, it was largely on a card-by-card basis."

Even though the Zack Fair card may not be a top-tier card, it represents one of the release's most refined instances of narrative design through gameplay. It skillfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important dramatic moments with great effect, 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 emotional weight behind it.

How It Works: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one mana of white (the color of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair has a starting stat line of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 marker. By paying one generic mana, you can destroy the card to grant another creature you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s bonuses, as well as an artifact weapon, onto that other creature.

This card paints a moment FF fans are all too familiar with, a moment that has been revisited throughout the years — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline versions in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it lands powerfully here, expressed entirely through gameplay mechanics. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Card

Some necessary history, and take this as your *FF7* warning: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a clash with Sephiroth. Following years of imprisonment, the duo manage to escape. The entire time, Cloud is delirious, but Zack ensures to take care of his companion. They eventually make it the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Presumed dead, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the identity of a elite SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Passing of the Torch on the Game Board

On the tabletop, the card mechanics in essence let you relive this entire scene. The Buster Sword is featured as a powerful piece of equipment in the collection that requires three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can make Zack into a respectable 4/6 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has clear synergy with the Buster Sword, enabling you to find for an artifact card. In combination, these three cards function as follows: You cast Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to pull the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Because of the manner Zack’s signature action is structured, you can potentially use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “block” an attack and trigger it to cancel out the attack altogether. Therefore, you can do this at any time, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a formidable 6/4 that, whenever he deals combat damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two cards for free. This is exactly the kind of interaction alluded to when talking about “emotional resonance” — not revealing the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

Extending Past the Obvious Combo

And the flavor here is incredibly rich, and it reaches past just these cards. 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 also becomes a Mutant. This kind of suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER conditioning he received, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. This is a small reference, but one that subtly connects the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the set.

The card doesn't show his end, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the stormy bluff where it happens. It isn't necessary. *Magic* allows you to reenact the passing yourself. You choose the ultimate play. You transfer the weapon on. And for a fleeting moment, while playing a trading card game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most impactful game in the saga for many fans.