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A core aspect of the appeal of the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion numerous cards narrate familiar tales. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a glimpse of the protagonist at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated Blitzball pro whose signature move is a specialized shot that knocks a defender out of the way. The gameplay rules reflect this with subtlety. Such flavor is widespread across the whole Final Fantasy set, and they aren't all joyful stories. Several are heartbreaking callbacks of emotional events fans still mull over to this day.

"Powerful narratives are a vital component of the Final Fantasy franchise," noted a senior designer involved with the collaboration. "We built some general rules, but in the end, it was mostly on a card-by-card level."

Though the Zack Fair is not a competitive powerhouse, it is one of the collection's most refined instances of storytelling by way of mechanics. It masterfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments brilliantly, all while capitalizing on some of the expansion's central gameplay elements. And while it avoids revealing anything, those acquainted with the story will immediately grasp the significance behind it.

The Card's Design: A Narrative in Play

For one white mana (the hue of protagonists) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 counter. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to bestow another ally you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s bonuses, plus an Equipment, onto that other creature.

These mechanics depicts a moment FF fans are very know well, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined iterations in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it lands with equal force here, conveyed solely through gameplay mechanics. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Moment

For history, and take this as your *FF7* spoiler alert: Years before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following extended testing, the duo break free. The entire time, Cloud is delirious, but Zack ensures to take care of his companion. They finally reach the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is killed by forces. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the persona of a elite SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Legacy on the Tabletop

Through gameplay, the abilities effectively let you recreate this entire sequence. The Buster Sword is a a strong piece of gear in the set that requires three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can turn Zack into a respectable 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate synergy with the Buster Sword, allowing you to look through your library for an weapon card. Together, these three cards function like this: You cast Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Because of the manner Zack’s sacrifice ability is structured, you can potentially use it during combat, meaning you can “block” an assault and activate it to cancel out the damage altogether. So you can do this at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a strong 6/4 that, whenever he strikes a player, lets you gain card advantage and play two spells without paying their mana cost. This is precisely the kind of experience alluded to when talking about “emotional resonance” — not explaining the scene, but letting the card design evoke the memory.

Beyond the Obvious Combo

However, the narrative here is oh-so-delicious, and it goes beyond just this combo. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity is part of the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This kind of suggests that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER enhancement he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a small connection, but one that implicitly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set.

This design does not depict his demise, or Cloud’s trauma, or the rain-soaked location where it concludes. It isn't necessary. *Magic* allows you to recreate the passing for yourself. You make the ultimate play. You pass the sword on. And for a brief second, while playing a trading card game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most influential game in the saga to date.