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A significant part of the allure found in the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the manner countless cards tell well-known stories. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a glimpse of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose key technique is a fancy shot that pushes a defender aside. The abilities reflect this with subtlety. These kinds of narrative is found throughout the complete Final Fantasy offering, and they aren't all joyful stories. Several are heartbreaking echoes of tragedies fans remember vividly years after.

"Powerful narratives are a central element of the Final Fantasy series," explained a principal designer for the set. "We built some general rules, but finally, it was primarily on a case-by-case level."

Even though the Zack Fair card isn't a tournament staple, it represents one of the set's most elegant examples of storytelling through gameplay. It masterfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments with great effect, all while capitalizing on some of the expansion's key systems. And although it avoids revealing anything, those familiar with the saga will instantly understand the emotional weight embedded in it.

How It Works: Flavor in Rules

For one mana of white (the color of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a starting stat line of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 counter. For the cost of one generic mana, you can sacrifice the card to bestow another creature you control protection from destruction and move all of Zack’s bonuses, as well as an gear, onto that other creature.

These mechanics paints a moment FF fans are extremely familiar with, a moment that has been retold throughout the years — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline versions in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it hits powerfully here, communicated completely through rules text. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Moment

A bit of context, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Years before 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. The entire time, Cloud is delirious, but Zack vows to take care of his companion. They finally make it the edge outside Midgar before Zack is killed by Shinra soldiers. Left behind, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the role of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Moment on the Tabletop

In a game, the rules effectively let you recreate this entire event. The Buster Sword is featured as a top-tier piece of armament in the set that requires three mana and gives 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 equipped.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has intentional interaction with the Buster Sword, enabling you to look through your library for an equipment card. When used in tandem, these pieces play out like this: You summon Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Due to the manner Zack’s signature action is structured, you can technically use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to cancel out the attack entirely. So you can do this at a key moment, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a strong 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 moment alluded to when talking about “emotional resonance” — not explaining the scene, but letting the gameplay make you remember.

Beyond the Main Combo

However, the flavor here is incredibly rich, and it reaches past just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity 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 also becomes a Mutant. This kind of hints that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a small reference, but one that implicitly connects the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

This design does not depict his end, or Cloud’s trauma, or the rain-soaked cliff where it concludes. It doesn't have to. *Magic* enables you to reenact the legacy personally. You perform the ultimate play. You pass the weapon on. And for a short instant, while playing a trading card game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most beloved game in the franchise for many fans.