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A significant aspect of the charm of the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set for *Magic: The Gathering* is the manner numerous cards tell familiar narratives. Consider the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a portrait of the protagonist at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous Blitzball pro whose key technique is a fancy shot that pushes a defender out of the way. The card's mechanics represent this in nuanced ways. This type of storytelling is widespread throughout the whole Final Fantasy offering, and not all lighthearted tales. Several act as somber reminders of emotional events fans still mull over years after.

"Emotional tales are a central part of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a lead game designer involved with the set. "We built some general rules, but finally, it was mostly on a card-by-card basis."

Even though the Zack Fair is not a competitive powerhouse, it stands as one of the collection's most clever examples of storytelling by way of gameplay. It artfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important dramatic moments with great effect, all while leveraging some of the product's central gameplay elements. And although it doesn't spoil anything, those who know the tale will instantly understand the emotional weight behind it.

The Card's Design: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one mana of white (the alignment of protagonists) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a starting stat line of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 token. By paying one colorless mana, you can remove from play the card to give another ally you control indestructible and transfer all of Zack’s markers, plus an gear, onto that other creature.

This design portrays a moment FF fans are all too familiar with, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline iterations in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it lands with equal force here, expressed entirely through card abilities. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Moment

A bit of context, and take this as your *FF7* warning: Before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a battle with Sephiroth. After extended imprisonment, the friends break free. During their ordeal, 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 troops. Abandoned, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Legacy on the Game Board

On the tabletop, the abilities effectively let you reenact this entire scene. The Buster Sword is a a top-tier piece of equipment in the set that requires three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can transform Zack into a respectable 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has clear combo potential with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an equipment card. In combination, these three cards play out as follows: You play Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Because of the way Zack’s key mechanic is worded, you can actually use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and trigger it to prevent the attack entirely. So you can make this play at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a formidable 6/4 that, whenever he does damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and play two cards at no cost. This is exactly the kind of experience alluded to when talking about “emotional resonance” — not revealing the scene, but letting the card design evoke the memory.

More Than the Central Synergy

However, the narrative here is oh-so-delicious, and it reaches beyond just this combo. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity is part of the collection 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 hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. It's a tiny connection, but one that cleverly connects the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

The card doesn't show his demise, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the memorable cliff where it all ends. It doesn't have to. *Magic* allows you to relive the passing personally. You choose the sacrifice. You hand over the sword on. And for a brief second, while engaged in a strategy game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most beloved game in the franchise for many fans.