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A major aspect of the appeal found in the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* is the manner so many cards narrate iconic stories. Consider the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a portrait of the character at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned sports star whose key technique is a fancy shot that knocks a defender aside. The card's mechanics represent this with subtlety. These kinds of flavor is found throughout the whole Final Fantasy set, and some are not joyful stories. Several act as somber reminders of emotional events fans continue to reflect on years after.

"Powerful tales are a central element of the Final Fantasy series," wrote a principal game designer for the collaboration. "We built some broad guidelines, but in the end, it was mostly on a case-by-case level."

While the Zack Fair card isn't a competitive powerhouse, it represents one of the collection's most refined instances of narrative design via mechanics. It artfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important story moments in spectacular fashion, all while leveraging some of the product's key gameplay elements. And while it avoids revealing anything, those familiar with the saga will instantly understand the significance within it.

The Mechanics: A Narrative in Play

For one white mana (the hue of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair is a base power and toughness of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 counter. By spending one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to bestow another ally you control protection from destruction and move all of Zack’s counters, plus an artifact weapon, onto that target creature.

This design portrays a moment FF fans are very familiar with, a moment that has been revisited again and again — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline versions in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it resonates with equal force here, expressed entirely through gameplay mechanics. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

Some necessary history, and here is your *FF7* warning: Years before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following years of testing, the friends manage to escape. Throughout this period, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack makes sure to take care of his friend. They finally make it the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by troops. Abandoned, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the persona of a first-class SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Legacy on the Tabletop

In a game, the card mechanics effectively let you relive this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword is featured as a strong piece of equipment in the collection that costs three mana and gives the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can turn Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud Strife card also has intentional combo potential with the Buster Sword, allowing you to look through your library for an weapon card. When used in tandem, these pieces play out in this way: You cast Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Owing to the manner Zack’s sacrifice ability is worded, you can potentially use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “block” an assault and trigger it to cancel out the attack entirely. Therefore, 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 does damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two spells for free. This is precisely the kind of interaction alluded to when discussing “narrative impact” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

Extending Past the Obvious Interaction

And the thematic here is incredibly rich, and it goes beyond just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity appears in 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, figuratively, the SOLDIER enhancement he underwent, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a subtle connection, but one that cleverly ties the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the set.

Zack’s card doesn't show his end, or Cloud’s confusion, or the rain-soaked cliff where it happens. It doesn't have to. *Magic* lets you reenact the legacy personally. You make the sacrifice. You hand over the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while enjoying a card battle, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most impactful game in the saga ever made.