The Zack Fair Card Demonstrates That Magic: The Gathering's Crossover Sets Are Capable of Telling Meaningful Stories.

A significant aspect of the charm found in the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* is the manner countless cards tell well-known stories. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a portrait of the protagonist at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated sports star whose key technique is a fancy shot that takes a defender aside. The abilities mirror this perfectly. This type of flavor is found in the entire Final Fantasy offering, and some are not lighthearted tales. Several serve as heartbreaking reminders of sad moments fans still mull over years after.

"Moving tales are a key component of the Final Fantasy legacy," explained a lead game designer involved with the project. "They created some overarching principles, but in the end, it was primarily on a case-by-case level."

Though the Zack Fair is not a tournament staple, it is one of the release's most clever instances of flavor via rules. It artfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial dramatic moments brilliantly, all while leveraging some of the product's central systems. And although it steers clear of spoiling anything, those acquainted with the tale will instantly understand the meaning embedded in it.

How It Works: Story Through Gameplay

For one mana of white (the hue of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair is a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 token. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to give another creature you control indestructible and transfer all of Zack’s markers, plus an Equipment, onto that other creature.

These mechanics portrays a sequence FF fans are extremely remember, a moment that has been reimagined throughout the years — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline versions in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it hits just as hard here, expressed solely through rules text. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Card

A bit of context, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a clash with Sephiroth. Following extended testing, the duo get away. Throughout this period, Cloud is delirious, but Zack vows to look after his friend. They eventually arrive at the plains outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by Shinra soldiers. Presumed dead, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the persona of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Moment on the Battlefield

In a game, the abilities essentially let you relive this whole event. The Buster Sword is a a top-tier piece of equipment in the set that costs three mana and grants the equipped creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can make Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has intentional interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to look through your library for an weapon card. When used in tandem, these three cards function in this way: You cast Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Because of the way Zack’s sacrifice ability is designed, you can potentially use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “block” an assault and activate it to prevent the attack entirely. So you can make this play at a key moment, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a powerful 6/4 that, whenever he strikes a player, lets you pull extra cards and cast two cards at no cost. This is exactly the kind of experience alluded to when talking about “narrative impact” — not revealing the scene, but letting the gameplay trigger the recollection.

Extending Past the Main Combo

And the narrative here is deeply satisfying, and it extends beyond 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 chosen creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This kind of suggests that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. This is a subtle connection, but one that cleverly ties the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

This design avoids showing his demise, or Cloud’s trauma, or the memorable location where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* lets you relive the legacy yourself. You perform the ultimate play. You transfer the sword on. And for a short instant, while engaged in a card battle, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most beloved game in the saga ever made.