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A major part of the allure of the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion countless cards tell iconic narratives. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a glimpse of the protagonist at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose signature move is a fancy shot that takes a defender aside. The abilities represent this with subtlety. These kinds of narrative is prevalent across the complete Final Fantasy set, and not all fun and games. Some serve as somber callbacks of tragedies fans still mull over decades later.

"Powerful narratives are a key component of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a lead designer on the set. "We built some general rules, but finally, it was largely on a case-by-case basis."

Even though the Zack Fair isn't a top-tier card, it represents one of the set's most clever pieces of flavor via rules. It masterfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial cinematic moments in spectacular fashion, all while utilizing some of the set's central gameplay elements. And although it avoids revealing anything, those who know the saga will instantly understand the meaning behind it.

How It Works: Story Through Gameplay

At a cost of one white mana (the alignment of good) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 marker. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to grant another ally you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s markers, plus an artifact weapon, onto that other creature.

This card depicts a scene FF fans are all too know well, a moment that has been reimagined multiple times — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined iterations in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it resonates just as hard here, communicated solely through rules text. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

A bit of backstory, and take this as your *FF7* warning: Before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following years of imprisonment, the friends break free. The entire time, Cloud is delirious, but Zack ensures to protect his friend. They finally arrive at the edge outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by Shinra soldiers. Abandoned, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the persona of a elite SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Moment on the Game Board

Through gameplay, the rules effectively let you reenact this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword is featured as a strong piece of armament in the set that costs three mana and gives the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can transform Zack into a formidable 4/6 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has intentional interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to look through your library for an weapon card. When used in tandem, these three cards play out like this: You cast Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Due to the way Zack’s sacrifice ability is worded, you can technically use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and trigger it to prevent the damage altogether. Therefore, you can do this at a key moment, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a strong 6/4 that, each time he does damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and play two cards at no cost. This is just the kind of experience meant when talking about “flavorful design” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the card design trigger the recollection.

Extending Past the Obvious Interaction

However, the narrative here is deeply satisfying, and it extends further than just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity appears in the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, places 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 starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER enhancement he received, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a small reference, but one that subtly ties the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

The card does not depict his end, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the memorable bluff where it happens. It isn't necessary. *Magic* allows you to reenact the passing for yourself. You choose the ultimate play. You hand over the legacy on. And for a short instant, while engaged in a card battle, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most influential game in the franchise ever made.