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A core element of the appeal found in the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the manner so many cards depict iconic stories. Consider Tidus, Blitzball Star, which provides a glimpse of the hero at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose secret weapon is a fancy shot that knocks a defender out of the way. The abilities reflect this with subtlety. Such flavor is widespread across the whole Final Fantasy set, and they aren't all fun and games. Some are somber callbacks of sad moments fans still mull over to this day.

"Emotional stories are a key component of the Final Fantasy legacy," explained a principal game designer on the set. "The team established some general rules, but in the end, it was mostly on a card-by-card basis."

While the Zack Fair card is not a competitive powerhouse, it stands as one of the collection's most refined examples of storytelling through rules. It artfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important story moments brilliantly, all while capitalizing on some of the expansion's central gameplay elements. And while it steers clear of spoiling anything, those familiar with the saga will quickly recognize the emotional weight embedded in it.

The Card's Design: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one white mana (the alignment of heroes) 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 destroy the card to give another ally you control indestructible and put all of Zack’s markers, plus an Equipment, onto that other creature.

These mechanics portrays a moment FF fans are all too familiar with, a moment that has been retold multiple times — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline iterations in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it lands just as hard here, communicated entirely through card abilities. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Card

Some necessary history, and consider this your *FF7* warning: Prior to the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a battle with Sephiroth. After years of imprisonment, the duo get away. The entire time, Cloud is delirious, but Zack ensures to look after his companion. They finally arrive at the plains outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by troops. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the persona of a elite SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Legacy on the Tabletop

On the tabletop, the rules essentially let you reenact this whole event. The Buster Sword appears as a powerful piece of gear in the set that costs three mana and gives the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can make Zack into a respectable 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud Strife card also has intentional synergy with the Buster Sword, enabling you to find for an equipment card. In combination, these three cards play out in this way: You play Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Because of the manner Zack’s signature action is worded, you can technically use it when blocking, meaning you can “block” an assault and trigger it to cancel out the attack completely. So you can do this at a key moment, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a powerful 6/4 that, whenever he strikes a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two spells without paying their mana cost. This is precisely the kind of moment alluded to when discussing “flavorful design” — not revealing the scene, but letting the card design trigger the recollection.

More Than the Central Interaction

But the thematic here is oh-so-delicious, and it goes further than just Zack and Cloud. 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 chosen creature, which then becomes a Mutant. This sort of implies that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a small reference, but one that cleverly connects the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set.

The card does not depict his end, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the rain-soaked bluff where it concludes. It doesn't have to. *Magic* enables you to recreate the moment personally. You make the ultimate play. You hand over the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while enjoying a trading card game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most impactful game in the franchise for many fans.