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A significant element of the appeal within the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond set for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the way countless cards narrate iconic tales. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a glimpse of the hero at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned sports star whose secret weapon is a unique shot that takes a defender out of the way. The gameplay rules mirror this perfectly. These kinds of narrative is found in the whole Final Fantasy offering, and not all joyful stories. Some act as heartbreaking callbacks of sad moments fans remember vividly years after.

"Powerful narratives are a key part of the Final Fantasy legacy," explained a lead designer on the collaboration. "They created some general rules, but finally, it was mostly on a card-by-card level."

Though the Zack Fair card is not a top-tier card, it stands as one of the collection's most refined instances of storytelling through gameplay. It skillfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important cinematic moments brilliantly, all while capitalizing on some of the expansion's core systems. And while it avoids revealing anything, those familiar with the saga will instantly understand the meaning behind it.

How It Works: Flavor in Rules

For one white mana (the hue of good) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a base stat line of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 token. By spending one generic mana, you can sacrifice the card to bestow another unit you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s counters, along with an artifact weapon, onto that target creature.

This design depicts a scene FF fans are very know well, a moment that has been retold throughout the years — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline retellings in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it hits powerfully here, expressed completely through card abilities. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

A bit of history, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following extended testing, the pair get away. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack makes sure to protect his friend. They finally arrive at the edge outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by Shinra soldiers. Presumed dead, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the role of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Moment on the Tabletop

On the tabletop, the abilities in essence let you reenact this whole event. The Buster Sword is featured as a top-tier piece of equipment in the set that requires three mana and provides the equipped creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can make Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud Strife card also has clear synergy with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an weapon card. Together, these three cards unfold as follows: You summon Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to pull the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Due to the design Zack’s signature action is designed, you can actually use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and activate it to cancel out the attack entirely. Therefore, you can do this at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a formidable 6/4 that, whenever he deals combat damage a player, lets you pull extra cards and cast two spells for free. This is just the kind of experience meant when discussing “narrative impact” — not revealing the scene, but letting the gameplay make you remember.

Extending Past the Main Combo

But the flavor here is incredibly rich, and it reaches further than just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova card is part of the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This kind of implies that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a small connection, but one that cleverly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

The card does not depict his end, or Cloud’s trauma, or the stormy location where it all ends. It does not need to. *Magic* allows you to reenact the legacy personally. You perform the sacrifice. You hand over the weapon on. And for a fleeting moment, while engaged in a strategy game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most influential game in the saga for many fans.