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A significant part of the charm found in the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond set for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the way countless cards depict iconic stories. Consider Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a glimpse of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose signature move is a specialized shot that takes a defender aside. The abilities mirror this with subtlety. This type of narrative is prevalent across the complete Final Fantasy offering, and they aren't all fun and games. A number are poignant callbacks of sad moments fans remember vividly to this day.

"Moving narratives are a central element of the Final Fantasy series," wrote a principal designer involved with the set. "The team established some broad guidelines, but finally, it was largely on a card-by-card level."

Even though the Zack Fair card isn't a tournament staple, it stands as one of the release's most refined pieces of storytelling through gameplay. It artfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial story moments brilliantly, all while leveraging some of the set's key gameplay elements. And while it steers clear of spoiling anything, those acquainted with the tale will quickly recognize the emotional weight within it.

The Mechanics: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one mana of white (the alignment of protagonists) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a base power and toughness of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 marker. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to bestow another ally you control indestructible and put all of Zack’s counters, as well as an Equipment, onto that other creature.

These mechanics portrays a scene FF fans are extremely know well, a moment that has been revisited multiple times — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new versions in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it resonates just as hard here, conveyed entirely through rules text. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Moment

A bit of backstory, and take this as your *FF7* warning: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a battle with Sephiroth. After years of testing, the friends manage to escape. The entire time, Cloud is delirious, but Zack vows to protect his friend. They finally reach the edge outside Midgar before Zack is killed by forces. Left behind, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the persona of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Legacy on the Game Board

In a game, the rules in essence let you reenact this entire sequence. The Buster Sword is featured as a top-tier piece of gear in the set that costs three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can make Zack into a solid 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, enabling you to find for an artifact card. When used in tandem, these three cards play out in this way: You play Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to pull the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Owing to the way Zack’s key mechanic is worded, you can potentially use it when blocking, meaning you can “block” an assault and trigger it to negate the attack completely. Therefore, you can make this play at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a powerful 6/4 that, every time he does damage a player, lets you draw two cards and play two cards at no cost. This is just the kind of moment meant when discussing “emotional resonance” — not revealing the scene, but letting the card design trigger the recollection.

Beyond the Obvious Synergy

But the narrative here is oh-so-delicious, and it goes past just these cards. The Jenova card appears in the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This kind of hints that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER enhancement he received, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a subtle nod, but one that cleverly connects the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set.

This design does not depict his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the stormy bluff where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* lets you recreate the moment personally. You choose the sacrifice. You pass the legacy 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 ever made.