Zack Fair Illustrates That Magic's Crossover Sets Can Tell Meaningful Stories.
A major element of the charm found in the *Final Fantasy* crossover release for *Magic: The Gathering* is the fashion countless cards tell well-known narratives. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a glimpse of the character at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose key technique is a fancy shot that takes a defender out of the way. The card's mechanics represent this with subtlety. Such narrative is found in the whole Final Fantasy offering, and some are not lighthearted tales. A number serve as heartbreaking callbacks of tragedies fans remember vividly decades later.
"Moving narratives are a key part of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a lead designer for the collaboration. "The team established some overarching principles, but in the end, it was mostly on a card-by-card level."
Even though the Zack Fair isn't a competitive powerhouse, it stands as one of the set's most refined pieces of storytelling through gameplay. It artfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important story moments with great effect, all while utilizing some of the set's key gameplay elements. And while it steers clear of spoiling anything, those acquainted with the saga will instantly understand the meaning behind it.
The Mechanics: A Narrative in Play
For one mana of white (the color of heroes) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 token. By paying one colorless mana, you can remove from play the card to bestow another unit you control indestructible and transfer all of Zack’s counters, along with an Equipment, onto that chosen creature.
This design portrays a sequence FF fans are very familiar with, a moment that has been revisited multiple times — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined retellings in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it hits with equal force here, communicated completely through gameplay mechanics. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.
The Context of the Scene
For history, and take this as your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following extended experimentation, the pair manage to escape. During their ordeal, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack ensures to protect his friend. They eventually make it the edge outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Left behind, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the role of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.
Simulating the Passing of the Torch on the Tabletop
In a game, the card mechanics in essence let you relive this entire event. The Buster Sword is a a powerful piece of armament in the set that costs three mana and grants the equipped creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can turn Zack into a respectable 4/6 with the Buster Sword attached.
The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an weapon card. Together, these three cards play out in this way: You summon Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.
Owing to the way Zack’s key mechanic is designed, you can technically use it during combat, meaning you can “block” an attack and trigger it to prevent the damage entirely. Therefore, you can make this play at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a formidable 6/4 that, each time he deals combat damage a player, lets you draw two cards and play two spells at no cost. This is precisely the kind of experience referred to when discussing “emotional resonance” — not explaining the scene, but letting the mechanics make you remember.
Extending Past the Central Interaction
And the flavor here is incredibly rich, and it reaches beyond just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity 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 then becomes a Mutant. This in a way hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER conditioning he received, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a subtle nod, but one that cleverly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set.
The card does not depict his death, or Cloud’s confusion, or the memorable bluff where it happens. It isn't necessary. *Magic* enables you to recreate the moment for yourself. You perform the ultimate play. You hand over the weapon on. And for a fleeting moment, while enjoying a card battle, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most influential game in the series ever made.
