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A core aspect of the appeal found in the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond set for *Magic: The Gathering* is the way so many cards narrate iconic tales. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a portrait of the character at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated sports star whose key technique is a specialized shot that pushes a defender out of the way. The gameplay rules represent this perfectly. These kinds of flavor is found throughout the whole Final Fantasy set, and not all fun and games. Several act as poignant echoes of emotional events fans continue to reflect on to this day.

"Powerful stories are a key component of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a principal designer on the set. "They created some overarching principles, but ultimately, it was largely on a individual level."

While the Zack Fair may not be a tournament staple, it stands as one of the release's most elegant pieces of narrative design through rules. It masterfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial dramatic moments brilliantly, all while leveraging some of the expansion's core mechanics. And even if it avoids revealing anything, those acquainted with the saga will immediately grasp the significance within it.

How It Works: Story Through Gameplay

At a cost of one white mana (the alignment of heroes) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 counter. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to give another unit you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s bonuses, as well as an Equipment, onto that chosen creature.

These mechanics paints a moment FF fans are all too familiar with, a moment that has been reimagined multiple times — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined versions in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it lands powerfully here, conveyed entirely through rules text. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Card

Some necessary history, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Years before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a confrontation with Sephiroth. After extended imprisonment, the duo break free. Throughout this period, Cloud is delirious, but Zack makes sure to take care of his companion. They eventually make it the plains outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by Shinra soldiers. Left behind, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the role of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Moment on the Battlefield

In a game, the card mechanics in essence let you reenact this entire scene. The Buster Sword is featured as a top-tier piece of gear in the collection that costs three mana and gives the wielding creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can make Zack into a solid 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has intentional synergy with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an weapon card. When used in tandem, these three cards play out as follows: You cast Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Due to the design Zack’s sacrifice ability is designed, you can actually use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and activate it to prevent the damage altogether. So you can make this play at any time, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a formidable 6/4 that, every time he deals combat damage a player, lets you draw two cards and cast two spells for free. This is exactly the kind of moment referred to when talking about “flavorful design” — not revealing the scene, but letting the card design trigger the recollection.

More Than the Obvious Interaction

However, the thematic here is deeply satisfying, and it extends beyond just this combo. The Jenova card is part of the collection 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 sort of suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER enhancement he received, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. It's a small connection, but one that subtly connects the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set.

Zack’s card does not depict his end, or Cloud’s confusion, or the stormy bluff where it all ends. It does not need to. *Magic* lets you recreate the moment personally. You make the sacrifice. You pass the sword on. And for a brief second, while playing a strategy game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most impactful game in the franchise for many fans.