Zack Fair Demonstrates How Magic's Crossover Sets Can Tell Meaningful Narratives.
A core aspect of the allure within the Final Fantasy crossover collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the manner countless cards tell well-known stories. Take for instance the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a snapshot of the protagonist at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned sports star whose secret weapon is a fancy shot that knocks a defender out of the way. The gameplay rules represent this with subtlety. This type of narrative is widespread in the complete Final Fantasy set, and some are not fun and games. A number act as heartbreaking callbacks of emotional events fans still mull over years after.
"Moving narratives are a key component of the Final Fantasy legacy," wrote a senior game designer involved with the collaboration. "The team established some general rules, but ultimately, it was largely on a card-by-card basis."
Even though the Zack Fair card may not be a top-tier card, it is one of the release's most elegant instances of flavor via gameplay. It masterfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial story moments brilliantly, all while capitalizing on some of the expansion's core gameplay elements. And although it avoids revealing anything, those familiar with the tale will instantly understand the emotional weight within it.
How It Works: Story Through Gameplay
At a cost of one mana of white (the hue of heroes) in this collection, Zack Fair has a starting stat line of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 marker. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to bestow another unit you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s markers, as well as an artifact weapon, onto that other creature.
This card paints a sequence FF fans are extremely familiar with, a moment that has been retold again and again — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined versions in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it hits powerfully here, conveyed entirely through gameplay mechanics. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.
The Context of the Moment
For context, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Years before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a battle with Sephiroth. Following years of testing, the friends manage to escape. Throughout this period, Cloud is comatose, but Zack makes sure to look after his friend. They finally reach the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by troops. Left behind, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.
Reenacting the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield
On the tabletop, the rules essentially let you reenact this entire scene. The Buster Sword is a a top-tier piece of armament in the set that costs three mana and provides the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can turn Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.
The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate synergy with the Buster Sword, letting you to find for an equipment card. Together, 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 cast and attach it to Zack.
Owing to the way Zack’s key mechanic is worded, you can actually use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and trigger it to cancel out the damage completely. So you can do this at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a powerful 6/4 that, every time he does damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and play two spells at no cost. This is precisely the kind of experience alluded to when discussing “narrative impact” — not explaining the scene, but letting the mechanics make you remember.
More Than the Main Interaction
But the narrative here is incredibly rich, and it reaches further than just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova card appears in the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which then becomes a Mutant. This sort of suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a subtle nod, but one that cleverly connects the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.
Zack’s card doesn't show his end, or Cloud’s confusion, or the rain-soaked cliff where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* allows you to reenact the passing for yourself. You make the sacrifice. You hand over the weapon on. And for a brief second, while playing a trading card game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most impactful game in the series ever made.
