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A core part of the allure within the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* is the manner so many cards depict familiar stories. Take for instance the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a portrait of the character at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated sports star whose signature move is a unique shot that knocks a defender aside. The card's mechanics represent this in nuanced ways. This type of storytelling is found across the whole Final Fantasy set, and not all joyful stories. Some act as somber echoes of sad moments fans still mull over to this day.

"Powerful tales are a central element of the Final Fantasy series," explained a lead game designer for the set. "They created some overarching principles, but finally, it was primarily on a individual level."

While the Zack Fair may not be a competitive powerhouse, it represents one of the release's most elegant pieces of flavor by way of gameplay. It artfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments in spectacular fashion, all while capitalizing on some of the product's central mechanics. And although it doesn't spoil anything, those familiar with the tale will quickly recognize the significance within it.

The Card's Design: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one white mana (the hue of good) in this collection, Zack Fair is a base power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 counter. By paying one colorless mana, you can remove from play the card to give another creature you control indestructible and put all of Zack’s counters, plus an gear, onto that chosen creature.

This card portrays a sequence FF fans are all too familiar with, a moment that has been revisited again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline versions in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it lands just as hard here, conveyed solely through rules text. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Card

Some necessary backstory, and consider this your *FF7* warning: Prior to the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following years of experimentation, the pair break free. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack vows to take care of his comrade. They finally make it the plains outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the persona of a elite SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield

On the tabletop, the card mechanics effectively let you recreate this iconic scene. The Buster Sword appears as a powerful piece of equipment in the set that requires three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can transform Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an equipment card. When used in tandem, these three cards function in this way: You summon Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Owing to the manner Zack’s key mechanic is worded, you can potentially use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to negate the damage altogether. So you can perform this action at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a strong 6/4 that, each time he deals combat damage a player, lets you draw two cards and play two spells without paying their mana cost. This is just the kind of experience alluded to when discussing “flavorful design” — not explaining the scene, but letting the card design evoke the memory.

Beyond the Obvious Synergy

And the flavor here is deeply satisfying, and it extends past just these cards. The Jenova card appears in the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This in a way suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a tiny nod, but one that cleverly ties the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the expansion.

Zack’s card does not depict his death, or Cloud’s confusion, or the stormy bluff where it all ends. It doesn't have to. *Magic* enables you to recreate the passing personally. You make the sacrifice. You hand over the weapon on. And for a short instant, while engaged in a strategy game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most influential game in the franchise for many fans.