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A significant part of the appeal within the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion so many cards depict well-known tales. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a portrait of the character at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose secret weapon is a specialized shot that knocks a defender aside. The gameplay rules mirror this in nuanced ways. This type of flavor is widespread across the entire Final Fantasy offering, and some are not fun and games. A number act as somber echoes of sad moments fans still mull over decades later.

"Emotional narratives are a key component of the Final Fantasy series," noted a principal designer for the project. "We built some general rules, but finally, it was primarily on a case-by-case level."

While the Zack Fair is not a top-tier card, it represents one of the collection's most clever pieces of narrative design via mechanics. It artfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments in spectacular fashion, all while utilizing some of the product's key systems. And while it avoids revealing anything, those acquainted with the saga will quickly recognize the meaning behind it.

The Mechanics: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one white mana (the alignment of good) 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 ally you control indestructible and transfer all of Zack’s markers, along with an Equipment, onto that chosen creature.

This card paints a moment FF fans are all too familiar with, a moment that has been revisited throughout the years — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline versions in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it lands just as hard here, conveyed solely through rules text. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Card

For history, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Years before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a clash with Sephiroth. After years of experimentation, the friends get away. During their ordeal, Cloud is delirious, but Zack makes sure to protect his companion. They eventually arrive at the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by troops. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the role of a elite SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Moment on the Battlefield

In a game, the abilities in essence let you relive this iconic event. The Buster Sword is featured as a top-tier piece of armament in the collection that requires three mana and gives the wielding creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can make Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate synergy with the Buster Sword, letting you to find for an equipment card. In combination, these three cards unfold like this: You play Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Because of the design Zack’s key mechanic is structured, you can actually use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “block” an assault and trigger it to cancel out the damage altogether. So you can do this at a key moment, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a strong 6/4 that, whenever he deals combat damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and play two cards at no cost. This is just the kind of interaction referred to when talking about “narrative impact” — not explaining the scene, but letting the card design evoke the memory.

More Than the Obvious Synergy

But the thematic here is deeply satisfying, and it reaches past just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova card 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 then becomes a Mutant. This sort of implies that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER enhancement he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a small reference, but one that implicitly ties the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the set.

The card does not depict his end, or Cloud’s confusion, or the memorable bluff where it concludes. It isn't necessary. *Magic* allows you to reenact the legacy personally. You make the sacrifice. You hand over the weapon on. And for a brief second, while engaged in a card battle, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most beloved game in the franchise ever made.