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A significant aspect of the appeal of the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the manner countless cards tell iconic stories. Consider the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which provides a portrait of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated sports star whose secret weapon is a fancy shot that knocks a defender aside. The gameplay rules represent this with subtlety. Such storytelling is found in the complete Final Fantasy set, and some are not lighthearted tales. Several act as heartbreaking callbacks of emotional events fans still mull over to this day.

"Emotional tales are a vital part of the Final Fantasy series," wrote a senior game designer on the set. "They created some broad guidelines, but finally, it was largely on a card-by-card level."

While the Zack Fair card isn't a tournament staple, it stands as one of the collection's most clever pieces of flavor through mechanics. It artfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial dramatic moments with great effect, all while capitalizing on some of the product's key systems. And while it avoids revealing anything, those acquainted with the story will instantly understand the significance within it.

The Card's Design: Story Through Gameplay

At a cost of one white mana (the alignment of heroes) in this set, Zack Fair is a base stat line of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 marker. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to grant another unit you control indestructible and put all of Zack’s markers, along with an gear, onto that chosen creature.

This design portrays a scene FF fans are all too remember, a moment that has been revisited multiple times — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it resonates just as hard here, conveyed solely through card abilities. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Moment

A bit of context, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a battle with Sephiroth. Following extended experimentation, the friends get away. During their ordeal, Cloud is comatose, but Zack ensures to take care of his friend. They finally arrive at the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by Shinra soldiers. Abandoned, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the role of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Legacy 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 gear in the set that costs three mana and gives the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can make Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to look through your library for an equipment card. When used in tandem, these pieces unfold in this way: You cast Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Owing to the design Zack’s sacrifice ability is worded, you can technically use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and activate it to cancel out the damage altogether. So you can make this play at a key moment, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a powerful 6/4 that, every time he strikes a player, lets you draw two cards and cast two spells at no cost. This is precisely the kind of interaction referred to when talking about “flavorful design” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the card design make you remember.

Beyond the Main Combo

And the narrative here is deeply satisfying, and it goes past just these cards. The Jenova card 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 also becomes a Mutant. This kind of suggests that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. It's a tiny reference, but one that cleverly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

Zack’s card does not depict his demise, or Cloud’s confusion, or the rain-soaked bluff where it happens. It doesn't have to. *Magic* allows you to reenact the moment personally. You choose the ultimate play. You pass the sword on. And for a short instant, while engaged in a strategy game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most beloved game in the saga ever made.