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A significant element of the allure of the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* is the fashion countless cards tell well-known narratives. Take for instance the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a portrait of the character at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose signature move is a fancy shot that pushes a defender aside. The abilities mirror this in nuanced ways. This type of flavor is found throughout the whole Final Fantasy offering, and they aren't all joyful stories. A number act as heartbreaking reminders of tragedies fans remember vividly years after.

"Powerful tales are a key component of the Final Fantasy franchise," noted a senior game designer on the set. "They created some general rules, but in the end, it was primarily on a card-by-card basis."

Though the Zack Fair card isn't a tournament staple, it stands as one of the set's most clever pieces of flavor through mechanics. It artfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial dramatic moments brilliantly, all while leveraging some of the set's key systems. And while it avoids revealing anything, those familiar with the tale will immediately grasp the emotional weight within it.

The Card's Design: Flavor in Rules

For one mana of white (the color of heroes) in this collection, Zack Fair has a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 counter. By spending one generic mana, you can remove from play the card to give another unit you control indestructible and put all of Zack’s markers, as well as an Equipment, onto that other creature.

This card depicts a scene FF fans are all too familiar with, a moment that has been reimagined throughout the years — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it lands powerfully here, expressed entirely through gameplay mechanics. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Moment

For context, and take this as your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a clash with Sephiroth. Following extended experimentation, the friends break free. Throughout this period, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack vows to protect his comrade. They eventually arrive at the plains outside Midgar before Zack is killed by Shinra soldiers. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the identity of a elite SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Legacy on the Battlefield

In a game, the abilities effectively let you relive this whole sequence. The Buster Sword is featured as a top-tier piece of gear in the set that requires three mana and provides the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can make Zack into a respectable 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate interaction with the Buster Sword, enabling you to search your deck for an weapon card. In combination, these three cards unfold like this: You play Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to pull the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Due to the design Zack’s sacrifice ability is worded, you can actually use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to negate the damage completely. So you can make this play at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a powerful 6/4 that, whenever he deals combat damage a player, lets you draw two cards and play two cards for free. This is just the kind of experience meant when discussing “narrative impact” — not explaining the scene, but letting the gameplay make you remember.

Beyond the Main Synergy

However, the flavor here is incredibly rich, and it extends past just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova card is part of the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This kind of implies that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER enhancement he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a subtle reference, but one that cleverly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

This design avoids showing his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the stormy location where it happens. It does not need to. *Magic* lets you reenact the passing yourself. You perform the ultimate play. You pass the weapon on. And for a short instant, while enjoying a trading card game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most beloved game in the series ever made.