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A core aspect of the allure of the Final Fantasy crossover collection for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion countless cards depict well-known narratives. Cards like Tidus, Blitzball Star, which provides a portrait of the protagonist at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned sports star whose signature move is a unique shot that takes a defender aside. The card's mechanics mirror this in nuanced ways. Such flavor is prevalent across the entire Final Fantasy offering, and not all joyful stories. A number act as heartbreaking reminders of tragedies fans still mull over to this day.

"Emotional narratives are a vital component of the Final Fantasy franchise," noted a lead designer involved with the collaboration. "The team established some overarching principles, but ultimately, it was mostly on a case-by-case level."

Even though the Zack Fair card may not be a top-tier card, it represents one of the set's most refined pieces of narrative design via mechanics. It skillfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments with great effect, all while utilizing some of the expansion's key gameplay elements. And even if it steers clear of spoiling anything, those acquainted with the tale will quickly recognize the emotional weight embedded in it.

How It Works: Story Through Gameplay

For one white mana (the hue of good) in this set, Zack Fair has a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 token. By spending one colorless mana, you can remove from play the card to give another ally you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s markers, along with an Equipment, onto that target creature.

These mechanics depicts a moment FF fans are all too know well, a moment that has been revisited multiple times — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it lands powerfully here, expressed entirely through card abilities. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Card

A bit of backstory, and consider this your *FF7* warning: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a clash with Sephiroth. After extended testing, the friends manage to escape. Throughout this period, Cloud is comatose, but Zack ensures to take care of his companion. They finally arrive at the edge outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by forces. Left behind, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Moment on the Tabletop

Through gameplay, the card mechanics in essence let you reenact this whole scene. The Buster Sword is featured as a top-tier piece of equipment in the collection that requires three mana and provides the equipped creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can turn Zack into a solid 4/6 with the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, letting you to look through your library for an weapon card. In combination, these three cards play out like this: You play Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to pull the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Owing to the way Zack’s sacrifice ability is designed, you can potentially use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and activate it to cancel out the damage altogether. So you can perform this action at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a formidable 6/4 that, whenever he deals combat damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and play two cards for free. This is exactly the kind of interaction meant when discussing “narrative impact” — not revealing the scene, but letting the gameplay evoke the memory.

More Than the Central Synergy

And the flavor here is deeply satisfying, and it extends past just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity is part of the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which then becomes a Mutant. This kind of implies 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 nod, but one that cleverly connects the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set.

This design avoids showing his demise, or Cloud’s confusion, or the rain-soaked cliff where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* enables you to recreate the legacy personally. You choose the sacrifice. You transfer the sword on. And for a fleeting moment, while engaged in a trading card game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most influential game in the franchise to date.