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A core element of the charm within the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the way numerous cards depict iconic stories. Take for instance the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a glimpse of the protagonist at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose key technique is a specialized shot that takes a defender aside. The abilities reflect this with subtlety. Such narrative is widespread throughout the whole Final Fantasy offering, and not all fun and games. Several act as poignant echoes of emotional events fans remember vividly decades later.

"Moving stories are a central element of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a principal game designer on the collaboration. "They created some broad guidelines, but in the end, it was mostly on a card-by-card level."

While the Zack Fair is not a top-tier card, it is one of the collection's most elegant instances of storytelling via rules. It artfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important dramatic moments brilliantly, all while leveraging some of the expansion's central systems. And although it doesn't spoil anything, those acquainted with the story will instantly understand the meaning embedded in it.

The Mechanics: A Narrative in Play

For one mana of white (the hue of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a base stat line of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 marker. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to bestow another ally you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s bonuses, as well as an Equipment, onto that chosen creature.

This design depicts a sequence FF fans are extremely familiar with, a moment that has been revisited throughout the years — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it hits powerfully here, conveyed entirely through rules text. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Card

For history, and take this as your *FF7* spoiler alert: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a clash with Sephiroth. After years of testing, the duo break free. During their ordeal, Cloud is comatose, but Zack ensures to protect his friend. They eventually make it the edge outside Midgar before Zack is killed by troops. Left behind, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the identity of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Moment on the Battlefield

Through gameplay, the abilities essentially let you reenact this iconic scene. The Buster Sword is featured as a powerful piece of gear in the set that costs three mana and grants the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can transform Zack into a respectable 4/6 with the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, letting you to look through your library for an weapon card. When used in tandem, these three cards play out in this way: You summon Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Because of the way Zack’s signature action is structured, you can potentially use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and trigger it to prevent the damage altogether. Therefore, you can make this play at a key moment, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a formidable 6/4 that, whenever he does damage a player, lets you pull extra cards and play two cards at no cost. This is precisely the kind of interaction referred to when talking about “narrative impact” — not explaining the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

Beyond the Main Interaction

However, the flavor here is incredibly rich, and it reaches past just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity appears in the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This in a way implies that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER enhancement he underwent, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. It's a subtle nod, but one that subtly connects the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

Zack’s card does not depict his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the stormy location where it concludes. It doesn't have to. *Magic* enables you to relive the moment for yourself. You choose the ultimate play. You transfer the weapon on. And for a fleeting moment, while enjoying a card battle, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most impactful game in the series to date.