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A significant aspect of the appeal within the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the way so many cards depict well-known stories. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which provides a portrait of the character at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned sports star whose secret weapon is a unique shot that knocks a defender aside. The card's mechanics represent this perfectly. Such flavor is found across the whole Final Fantasy set, and they aren't all lighthearted tales. Several are somber callbacks of sad moments fans still mull over decades later.

"Powerful tales are a vital element of the Final Fantasy series," wrote a lead game designer for the set. "They created some overarching principles, but in the end, it was mostly on a individual level."

Even though the Zack Fair card is not a competitive powerhouse, it is one of the set's most refined examples of storytelling by way of gameplay. It artfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important story moments in spectacular fashion, all while utilizing some of the set's central mechanics. And although it doesn't spoil anything, those familiar with the saga will instantly understand the emotional weight embedded in it.

The Mechanics: A Narrative in Play

For one mana of white (the hue of good) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 counter. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to bestow another ally you control indestructible and transfer all of Zack’s markers, plus an Equipment, onto that other creature.

These mechanics portrays a moment FF fans are all too remember, 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 hits just as hard here, expressed entirely through card abilities. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Moment

For backstory, and consider this your *FF7* warning: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following years of imprisonment, the duo get away. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack makes sure to look after his friend. They eventually reach the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by Shinra soldiers. Presumed dead, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the role of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Legacy on the Game Board

On the tabletop, the abilities in essence let you relive this iconic event. The Buster Sword appears as a top-tier piece of armament in the set that requires three mana and gives the equipped creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can turn Zack into a solid 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud Strife card also has intentional interaction with the Buster Sword, enabling you to find for an artifact card. Together, these pieces unfold like this: You cast Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to pull the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Owing to the manner Zack’s sacrifice ability is worded, you can technically use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and activate it to negate the damage completely. So you can do this at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a powerful 6/4 that, each time he deals combat damage a player, lets you draw two cards and play two spells for free. This is just the kind of experience referred to when discussing “emotional resonance” — not revealing the scene, but letting the gameplay trigger the recollection.

Extending Past the Obvious Synergy

But the narrative here is oh-so-delicious, and it reaches past just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity is part of the set 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 sort of suggests that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. It's a tiny nod, but one that implicitly connects the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the set.

The card doesn't show his end, or Cloud’s confusion, or the rain-soaked bluff where it happens. It isn't necessary. *Magic* enables you to recreate the passing for yourself. You choose the sacrifice. You transfer the sword on. And for a fleeting moment, while engaged in a card battle, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most impactful game in the franchise for many fans.