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A major element of the allure within the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the way numerous cards depict well-known stories. Consider the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a portrait of the protagonist at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose secret weapon is a unique shot that takes a defender aside. The gameplay rules represent this perfectly. These kinds of narrative is widespread in the entire Final Fantasy set, and some are not lighthearted tales. A number serve as poignant reminders of sad moments fans remember vividly years after.

"Moving tales are a vital element of the Final Fantasy legacy," explained a principal game designer involved with the collaboration. "We built some overarching principles, but finally, it was primarily on a card-by-card level."

Though the Zack Fair card is not a tournament staple, it is one of the set's most clever pieces of narrative design through mechanics. It skillfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important story moments with great effect, all while capitalizing on some of the set's core mechanics. And even if it avoids revealing anything, those who know the story will quickly recognize the significance behind it.

How It Works: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one mana of white (the alignment of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair has a base stat line of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 counter. By paying one generic mana, you can remove from play the card to grant another creature you control indestructible and put all of Zack’s bonuses, as well as an gear, onto that other creature.

These mechanics depicts a sequence FF fans are very remember, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined iterations in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it hits just as hard here, expressed entirely through card abilities. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Moment

For history, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a confrontation with Sephiroth. After years of testing, the friends break free. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack ensures to take care of his friend. They finally arrive at the plains outside Midgar before Zack is killed by forces. Left behind, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the role of a elite SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Moment on the Game Board

On the tabletop, the abilities effectively let you recreate this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword is a a strong piece of gear in the collection 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 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate interaction with the Buster Sword, enabling you to find for an weapon card. Together, these pieces function as follows: You summon Zack, and he gets 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.

Owing to the way Zack’s signature action is structured, you can actually use it during combat, meaning you can “block” an assault and activate it to cancel out the attack completely. So you can perform this action at a key moment, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a powerful 6/4 that, each time he does damage a player, lets you draw two cards and cast two cards at no cost. This is exactly the kind of interaction referred to when talking about “narrative impact” — not revealing the scene, but letting the gameplay evoke the memory.

More Than the Main Synergy

However, the narrative here is deeply satisfying, and it goes beyond just this combo. 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 also becomes a Mutant. This sort of hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER enhancement he underwent, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. This is a small connection, but one that cleverly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the expansion.

Zack’s card avoids showing his death, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the rain-soaked cliff where it all ends. It doesn't have to. *Magic* lets you reenact the passing yourself. You choose the sacrifice. You hand over the sword on. And for a short instant, while enjoying a card battle, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most influential game in the saga to date.