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A core aspect of the allure within the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion countless cards depict well-known tales. Take for instance the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which provides a snapshot of the character at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose signature move is a specialized shot that takes a defender out of the way. The gameplay rules mirror this perfectly. Such storytelling is widespread in the complete Final Fantasy offering, and they aren't all lighthearted tales. Some are heartbreaking reminders of tragedies fans still mull over decades later.

"Powerful narratives are a central element of the Final Fantasy series," explained a lead designer on the collaboration. "The team established some broad guidelines, but in the end, it was mostly on a card-by-card level."

While the Zack Fair is not a tournament staple, it stands as one of the release's most clever pieces of narrative design via mechanics. It masterfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments in spectacular fashion, all while leveraging some of the expansion's central systems. And although it steers clear of spoiling anything, those who know the story will quickly recognize the meaning embedded in it.

How It Works: A Narrative in Play

For one mana of white (the color of protagonists) in this set, Zack Fair is a base stat line of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 counter. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to give another creature you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s markers, plus an Equipment, onto that chosen creature.

These mechanics portrays a sequence FF fans are very know well, a moment that has been retold multiple times — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it lands with equal force here, conveyed completely through gameplay mechanics. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Card

A bit of context, and here is your *FF7* warning: Years before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a clash with Sephiroth. After extended testing, the duo get away. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack ensures to protect his companion. They eventually make it the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by troops. Left behind, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the role of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Legacy on the Game Board

Through gameplay, the card mechanics in essence let you recreate this whole scene. The Buster Sword appears as a strong piece of armament in the set that requires three mana and grants the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can make 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 search your deck for an artifact card. When used in tandem, these three cards function like this: You summon Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to pull the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Because of the way Zack’s sacrifice ability is structured, you can actually use it when blocking, meaning you can “block” an assault and activate it to negate the attack entirely. Therefore, you can do this at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a formidable 6/4 that, each time he strikes a player, lets you pull extra cards and play two spells for free. This is precisely the kind of interaction meant when discussing “narrative impact” — not revealing the scene, but letting the gameplay trigger the recollection.

More Than the Main Synergy

And the narrative here is oh-so-delicious, and it reaches past just Zack and Cloud. 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 sort of suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER treatment he received, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. This is a subtle connection, but one that subtly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

The card doesn't show his demise, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the rain-soaked bluff where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* lets you relive the legacy yourself. You perform the ultimate play. You pass the weapon on. And for a fleeting moment, while engaged in a strategy game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most beloved game in the saga to date.