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A major aspect of the allure found in the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* is the way numerous cards narrate iconic stories. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a portrait of the character at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated sports star whose secret weapon is a fancy shot that pushes a defender out of the way. The gameplay rules reflect this in nuanced ways. This type of flavor is prevalent in the whole Final Fantasy set, and they aren't all lighthearted tales. A number serve as somber callbacks of emotional events fans remember vividly to this day.

"Moving tales are a vital part of the Final Fantasy series," wrote a senior designer for the project. "They created some general rules, but finally, it was mostly on a card-by-card level."

Though the Zack Fair is not a tournament staple, it is one of the release's most refined pieces of narrative design by way of mechanics. It skillfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments brilliantly, all while utilizing some of the product's core mechanics. And even if it steers clear of spoiling anything, those familiar with the story will instantly understand the meaning within it.

The Card's Design: Story Through Gameplay

For one white mana (the alignment of heroes) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a starting stat line of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 marker. By paying one generic mana, you can destroy the card to grant another unit you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s counters, as well as an Equipment, onto that other creature.

These mechanics paints a moment FF fans are extremely familiar with, a moment that has been revisited again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it hits with equal force here, communicated entirely through card abilities. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Card

For context, and here is your *FF7* warning: Years before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a battle with Sephiroth. Following years of imprisonment, the pair get away. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack ensures to look after his comrade. They finally reach the plains outside Midgar before Zack is killed by troops. Abandoned, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the persona of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Moment on the Battlefield

On the tabletop, the card mechanics in essence let you reenact this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword is a a powerful piece of equipment in the set that requires three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can transform Zack into a formidable 4/6 with the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud Strife card also has clear interaction with the Buster Sword, letting you to look through your library for an weapon card. In combination, these pieces function like this: You play Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to pull the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Due to the design Zack’s key mechanic is designed, you can actually use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and trigger it to cancel out the attack completely. So you can do this at a key moment, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a formidable 6/4 that, every time he does damage a player, lets you pull extra cards and play two spells without paying their mana cost. This is precisely the kind of interaction meant when discussing “narrative impact” — not revealing the scene, but letting the card design make you remember.

Beyond the Central Interaction

But the narrative here is deeply satisfying, and it goes past 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 additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This in a way hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER treatment he received, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. This is a subtle reference, but one that subtly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the expansion.

Zack’s card avoids showing his end, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the memorable bluff where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* lets you reenact the moment for yourself. You perform the sacrifice. You transfer the sword on. And for a brief second, while enjoying a trading card game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most impactful game in the franchise for many fans.