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A major element of the charm within the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the way so many cards depict familiar narratives. Cards like Tidus, Blitzball Star, which gives a glimpse of the hero at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned sports star whose signature move is a fancy shot that pushes a defender out of the way. The gameplay rules represent this with subtlety. This type of flavor is widespread across the complete Final Fantasy set, and some are not lighthearted tales. Several act as somber echoes of emotional events fans remember vividly decades later.

"Emotional narratives are a central component of the Final Fantasy franchise," explained a principal designer involved with the project. "They created some general rules, but finally, it was primarily on a card-by-card basis."

Even though the Zack Fair card may not be a tournament staple, it is one of the release's most clever pieces of narrative design via mechanics. It masterfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important dramatic 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 saga will immediately grasp the meaning within it.

The Card's Design: Story Through Gameplay

At a cost of one white mana (the alignment of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair is a starting stat line of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 counter. By spending one generic mana, you can destroy the card to bestow another creature you control protection from destruction and move all of Zack’s counters, as well as an artifact weapon, onto that chosen creature.

This design depicts a scene FF fans are very remember, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it resonates just as hard here, communicated entirely through gameplay mechanics. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Card

A bit of history, and consider this your *FF7* warning: Years before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following extended imprisonment, the pair manage to escape. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack ensures to protect his companion. They eventually reach the plains outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Abandoned, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the identity of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Moment on the Game Board

On the tabletop, the card mechanics in essence let you reenact this entire event. The Buster Sword appears as a strong piece of gear in the set that requires three mana and gives the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can turn Zack into a respectable 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, letting you to search your deck for an weapon card. Together, these three cards function in this way: You play Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from 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 in the middle of battle, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and trigger it to cancel out the damage completely. This allows you to do this at a key moment, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a strong 6/4 that, every time he does damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two cards at no cost. This is precisely the kind of experience alluded to when talking about “flavorful design” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the gameplay evoke the memory.

More Than the Main Synergy

But the flavor here is oh-so-delicious, and it goes beyond just these cards. 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 target creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This kind of hints that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a subtle nod, but one that subtly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the expansion.

Zack’s card does not depict his end, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the stormy cliff where it happens. It does not need to. *Magic* enables you to reenact the passing for yourself. You choose the ultimate play. You hand over the sword on. And for a fleeting moment, while enjoying a trading card game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most beloved game in the franchise to date.