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A core part of the appeal found in the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* is the way countless cards depict well-known tales. Take for instance the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which provides a portrait of the protagonist at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated sports star whose secret weapon is a unique shot that takes a defender aside. The card's mechanics mirror this with subtlety. Such flavor is prevalent across the entire Final Fantasy set, and not all fun and games. A number act as somber callbacks of tragedies fans continue to reflect on decades later.

"Moving narratives are a vital element of the Final Fantasy franchise," noted a principal designer on the project. "We built some overarching principles, but ultimately, it was largely on a individual level."

While the Zack Fair card isn't a competitive powerhouse, it is one of the release's most clever pieces of narrative design by way of gameplay. It artfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments in spectacular fashion, all while leveraging some of the product's key gameplay elements. And while it doesn't spoil anything, those familiar with the saga will instantly understand the meaning embedded in it.

The Card's Design: Story Through Gameplay

For one white mana (the alignment of heroes) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a base power and toughness of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 marker. By spending one generic mana, you can destroy the card to give another unit you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s counters, along with an gear, onto that target creature.

These mechanics paints a sequence FF fans are very know well, a moment that has been revisited again and again — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new retellings in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it hits with equal force here, expressed solely through rules text. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Card

A bit of history, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Years before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a confrontation with Sephiroth. After years of testing, the pair get away. Throughout this period, Cloud is comatose, but Zack makes sure to take care of his friend. They finally make it the plains outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by Shinra soldiers. Abandoned, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Moment on the Tabletop

Through gameplay, the rules effectively let you relive this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword is featured as a top-tier piece of gear in the set that costs three mana and provides the equipped creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can make Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has clear combo potential with the Buster Sword, letting you to find for an artifact card. In combination, these pieces play out like this: You play Zack, and he receives 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.

Due to the way Zack’s key mechanic is structured, you can potentially use it during combat, meaning you can “block” an attack and activate it to negate the attack entirely. Therefore, you can make this play at any time, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a powerful 6/4 that, whenever he strikes a player, lets you draw two cards and play two cards for free. This is precisely the kind of experience meant when talking about “emotional resonance” — not explaining the scene, but letting the mechanics trigger the recollection.

Beyond the Main Combo

But the flavor here is incredibly rich, and it goes beyond just this combo. The Jenova card 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 then becomes a Mutant. This kind of hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER enhancement he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a subtle reference, but one that implicitly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set.

Zack’s card doesn't show his end, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the rain-soaked cliff where it concludes. It doesn't have to. *Magic* lets you relive the passing for yourself. You make the ultimate play. You transfer the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while playing a trading card game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most impactful game in the franchise for many fans.