🔗 Share this article Zack Fair Demonstrates That Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond Can Tell Emotional Narratives. A core aspect of the charm found in the Final Fantasy crossover set for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the manner countless cards tell well-known stories. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a glimpse of the protagonist at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated professional athlete whose key technique is a fancy shot that takes a defender out of the way. The abilities reflect this perfectly. Such flavor is prevalent in the complete Final Fantasy set, and not all fun and games. Several act as somber reminders of emotional events fans remember vividly to this day. "Emotional tales are a vital part of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a lead game designer involved with the collaboration. "They created some general rules, but ultimately, it was largely on a card-by-card basis." Though the Zack Fair isn't a competitive powerhouse, it is one of the set's most clever instances of narrative design through mechanics. It artfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important cinematic moments in spectacular fashion, all while capitalizing on some of the set's central gameplay elements. And even if it doesn't spoil anything, those familiar with the saga will instantly understand the meaning behind it. The Mechanics: A Narrative in Play At a cost of one mana of white (the alignment of good) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a base stat line of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 marker. By paying one colorless mana, you can remove from play the card to grant another creature you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s bonuses, as well as an artifact weapon, onto that chosen creature. This card portrays a sequence FF fans are extremely remember, a moment that has been reimagined throughout the years — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined retellings in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it hits powerfully here, expressed entirely through card abilities. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own. The Story Behind the Scene Some necessary context, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a battle with Sephiroth. After years of experimentation, the duo get away. During their ordeal, Cloud is delirious, but Zack makes sure to look after his companion. They eventually make it the plains outside Midgar before Zack is killed by troops. Abandoned, Cloud subsequently grabs 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 Tabletop On the tabletop, the rules effectively let you relive this whole scene. The Buster Sword appears as a powerful piece of gear in the collection that costs three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can turn Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached. The Cloud Strife card also has clear combo potential with the Buster Sword, enabling you to look through your library for an artifact card. In combination, these pieces function like this: You summon Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack. Due to the manner Zack’s sacrifice ability is designed, you can potentially use it during combat, meaning you can “block” an attack and trigger it to negate the damage entirely. Therefore, you can make this play at a key moment, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a strong 6/4 that, every time he strikes a player, lets you gain card advantage and play two cards at no cost. This is precisely the kind of experience referred to when discussing “emotional resonance” — not explaining the scene, but letting the gameplay trigger the recollection. More Than the Main Interaction However, the narrative here is oh-so-delicious, and it goes further than just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova card appears in the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which additionally gains the type of 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 tiny connection, but one that subtly connects the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set. The card doesn't show his end, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the stormy location where it all ends. It doesn't have to. *Magic* enables you to relive the passing for yourself. You choose the ultimate play. You transfer the weapon on. And for a brief second, while enjoying a strategy game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most impactful game in the saga ever made.