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A significant part of the allure within the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set for *Magic: The Gathering* is the way countless cards narrate familiar tales. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a glimpse of the protagonist at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose key technique is a fancy shot that takes a defender out of the way. The card's mechanics represent this with subtlety. Such narrative is prevalent throughout the whole Final Fantasy set, and some are not fun and games. A number are somber callbacks of emotional events fans remember vividly to this day.

"Emotional tales are a vital component of the Final Fantasy franchise," noted a principal game designer involved with the collaboration. "They created some overarching principles, but in the end, it was mostly on a individual basis."

Though the Zack Fair isn't a tournament staple, it stands as one of the set's most elegant examples of storytelling through gameplay. It artfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments with great effect, all while leveraging some of the set's key mechanics. And although it avoids revealing anything, those who know the story will quickly recognize the significance within it.

The Mechanics: Story Through Gameplay

For one white mana (the color of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair is a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 counter. For the cost of one generic mana, you can sacrifice the card to give another creature you control indestructible and transfer all of Zack’s markers, as well as an gear, onto that other creature.

This card portrays a sequence FF fans are extremely know well, a moment that has been retold throughout the years — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new versions in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it resonates powerfully here, expressed entirely through gameplay mechanics. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Scene

A bit of context, and consider this your *FF7* warning: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a confrontation with Sephiroth. After extended experimentation, the friends break free. Throughout this period, Cloud is delirious, but Zack ensures to protect his friend. They finally reach the plains outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by forces. Presumed dead, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the identity of a elite SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Legacy on the Battlefield

Through gameplay, the abilities essentially let you reenact this iconic event. The Buster Sword is featured as a powerful piece of equipment in the set that requires three mana and gives the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can transform Zack into a solid 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud Strife card also has clear combo potential with the Buster Sword, allowing you to search your deck for an weapon card. When used in tandem, these pieces play out like this: You cast Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Due to the way Zack’s key mechanic is worded, you can technically use it during combat, meaning you can “block” an attack and trigger it to negate the damage entirely. So you can do this at a key moment, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a formidable 6/4 that, every time he strikes a player, lets you draw two cards and play two spells for free. This is precisely the kind of moment alluded to when talking about “flavorful design” — not revealing the scene, but letting the card design evoke the memory.

Extending Past the Central Interaction

And the narrative here is deeply satisfying, and it reaches past just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity appears in the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This kind of suggests that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER treatment he received, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. This is a small reference, but one that implicitly ties the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

This design doesn't show his demise, or Cloud’s confusion, or the stormy bluff where it concludes. It isn't necessary. *Magic* enables you to recreate the legacy for yourself. You perform the sacrifice. You pass the sword on. And for a fleeting moment, while engaged in a strategy game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most beloved game in the saga ever made.