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A significant element of the charm found in the *Final Fantasy* crossover release for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the way numerous cards narrate well-known stories. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which provides a glimpse of the protagonist at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose key technique is a fancy shot that pushes a defender out of the way. The card's mechanics reflect this with subtlety. Such flavor is found throughout the complete Final Fantasy offering, and not all lighthearted tales. Some serve as heartbreaking callbacks of tragedies fans still mull over decades later.

"Emotional tales are a key component of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a senior designer for the collaboration. "They created some broad guidelines, but finally, it was largely on a case-by-case basis."

While the Zack Fair is not a top-tier card, it is one of the set's most refined instances of flavor via rules. It masterfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial dramatic moments with great effect, all while utilizing some of the set's key gameplay elements. And while it steers clear of spoiling anything, those who know the story will immediately grasp the significance behind it.

The Card's Design: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one white mana (the alignment of good) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 counter. By spending one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to give another ally you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s counters, plus an artifact weapon, onto that chosen creature.

This card portrays a sequence FF fans are very know well, a moment that has been retold again and again — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new retellings in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it resonates with equal force here, expressed completely through gameplay mechanics. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Moment

A bit of backstory, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Years before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a battle with Sephiroth. After extended experimentation, the pair manage to escape. During their ordeal, Cloud is comatose, but Zack makes sure to take care of his comrade. They finally make it the plains outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by Shinra soldiers. Presumed dead, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the persona of a elite SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Legacy on the Game Board

In a game, the abilities in essence let you relive this iconic scene. The Buster Sword appears as a strong piece of armament in the collection that requires three mana and grants the equipped creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can transform Zack into a solid 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has clear interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an artifact card. In combination, these pieces unfold in this way: You play Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Owing to the design Zack’s signature action is worded, you can actually use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “block” an assault and trigger it to negate the damage completely. Therefore, you can make this play at a key moment, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a strong 6/4 that, each time he deals combat damage a player, lets you draw two cards and cast two spells without paying their mana cost. This is just the kind of experience meant when talking about “flavorful design” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the card design evoke the memory.

More Than the Obvious Combo

However, the narrative here is incredibly rich, and it extends further than just this combo. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity is part of the set 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 kind of hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. It's a small connection, but one that implicitly connects the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

This design does not depict his end, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the memorable location where it all ends. It does not need to. *Magic* enables you to reenact the moment yourself. You choose the sacrifice. You transfer the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while playing a trading card game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most impactful game in the saga ever made.