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A significant part of the allure within the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set for *Magic: The Gathering* is the way so many cards tell well-known stories. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which gives a glimpse of the character at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous Blitzball pro whose signature move is a fancy shot that takes a defender aside. The abilities mirror this with subtlety. This type of flavor is widespread in the entire Final Fantasy offering, and they aren't all lighthearted tales. Several are heartbreaking echoes of tragedies fans still mull over to this day.

"Emotional tales are a key element of the Final Fantasy series," wrote a principal designer on the set. "The team established some general rules, but ultimately, it was mostly on a case-by-case level."

Though the Zack Fair isn't a competitive powerhouse, it represents one of the set's most refined pieces of storytelling via mechanics. It skillfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial dramatic moments with great effect, all while leveraging some of the set's core mechanics. And while it avoids revealing anything, those acquainted with the tale will immediately grasp the significance embedded in it.

How It Works: Story Through Gameplay

At a cost of one white mana (the color of protagonists) in this set, Zack Fair is a base stat line of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 counter. For the cost of one generic mana, you can sacrifice the card to bestow another unit you control indestructible and move all of Zack’s counters, along with an Equipment, onto that chosen creature.

This design paints a moment FF fans are very know well, a moment that has been revisited again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined retellings in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it hits just as hard here, expressed entirely through rules text. 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 here is your *FF7* warning: Years before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following years of experimentation, the pair manage to escape. Throughout this period, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack ensures to take care of his companion. They eventually arrive at the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is killed by troops. Left behind, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the persona of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield

In a game, the rules in essence let you reenact this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a powerful piece of armament in the collection that requires three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can turn Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has intentional combo potential with the Buster Sword, letting you to search your deck for an equipment card. Together, these three cards play out in this way: You play Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Due to the manner Zack’s key mechanic is designed, you can technically use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and trigger it to negate the damage entirely. This allows you to perform this action at a key moment, moving 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 gain card advantage and play two spells at no cost. This is exactly the kind of interaction alluded to when discussing “narrative impact” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the card design evoke the memory.

More Than the Main Synergy

But the flavor here is incredibly rich, and it reaches past just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova card appears in the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This sort of suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER treatment he received, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a tiny reference, but one that subtly connects the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

The card avoids showing his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the rain-soaked cliff where it happens. It doesn't have to. *Magic* allows you to relive the legacy for yourself. You perform the sacrifice. You hand over the legacy on. And for a short instant, while enjoying a card battle, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most influential game in the franchise for many fans.