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A major part of the allure found in the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* is the fashion so many cards tell familiar narratives. Consider Tidus, Blitzball Star, which gives a portrait of the character at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose signature move is a specialized shot that takes a defender aside. The abilities reflect this with subtlety. This type of flavor is widespread throughout the entire Final Fantasy set, and some are not joyful stories. Some act as poignant reminders of sad moments fans remember vividly to this day.

"Powerful narratives are a central part of the Final Fantasy franchise," explained a senior game designer for the project. "They created some general rules, but in the end, it was primarily on a card-by-card level."

Even though the Zack Fair card isn't a tournament staple, it represents one of the release's most refined examples of storytelling by way of rules. It skillfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important cinematic moments brilliantly, all while capitalizing on some of the set's central mechanics. And even if it steers clear of spoiling anything, those familiar with the saga will instantly understand the meaning within it.

The Mechanics: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one mana of white (the color of good) in this set, Zack Fair is a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 counter. By spending one colorless mana, you can remove from play the card to bestow another creature you control indestructible and transfer all of Zack’s markers, plus an Equipment, onto that other creature.

These mechanics paints a scene FF fans are extremely familiar with, a moment that has been revisited multiple times — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new retellings in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it resonates powerfully here, expressed entirely through gameplay mechanics. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Moment

A bit of context, and take this as your *FF7* spoiler alert: Before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a confrontation with Sephiroth. After extended testing, the duo get away. Throughout this period, Cloud is delirious, but Zack vows to look after his companion. They finally make it the plains outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Left behind, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the role of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Legacy on the Game Board

Through gameplay, the rules essentially let you recreate this whole sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a powerful piece of armament in the set that requires three mana and provides the equipped creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can turn Zack into a solid 4/6 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has clear synergy with the Buster Sword, letting you to look through your library for an artifact card. Together, these pieces play out as follows: You summon Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Because of the design Zack’s key mechanic is designed, you can potentially use it when blocking, meaning you can “block” an attack and trigger it to prevent the damage completely. So you can perform this action at a key moment, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a powerful 6/4 that, each time he does damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two cards at no cost. This is precisely the kind of moment referred to when talking about “flavorful design” — not revealing the scene, but letting the gameplay evoke the memory.

More Than the Central Interaction

However, the narrative here is deeply satisfying, and it goes beyond just this combo. The Jenova card is part of the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which then becomes a Mutant. This kind of suggests that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER enhancement he received, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. It's a small nod, but one that implicitly connects the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

This design does not depict his death, or Cloud’s confusion, or the rain-soaked location where it concludes. It doesn't have to. *Magic* enables you to recreate the legacy for yourself. You perform the sacrifice. You hand over the sword on. And for a brief second, while enjoying a card battle, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most impactful game in the franchise for many fans.