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A significant element of the appeal found in the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the manner countless cards depict familiar narratives. Take for instance the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a glimpse of the character at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned sports star whose secret weapon is a specialized shot that pushes a defender out of the way. The card's mechanics represent this perfectly. This type of storytelling is widespread across the entire Final Fantasy set, and not all joyful stories. Several are heartbreaking echoes of tragedies fans remember vividly to this day.

"Powerful tales are a vital part of the Final Fantasy series," wrote a principal designer involved with the project. "The team established some broad guidelines, but ultimately, it was mostly on a individual basis."

While the Zack Fair card may not be a competitive powerhouse, it is one of the collection's most clever pieces of flavor via gameplay. It masterfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important story moments with great effect, all while capitalizing on some of the product's core gameplay elements. And although it steers clear of spoiling anything, those familiar with the story will immediately grasp the meaning within it.

The Card's Design: Story Through Gameplay

For one white mana (the color of heroes) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a base stat line of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 counter. By paying one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to grant another ally you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s markers, as well as an artifact weapon, onto that target creature.

This card paints a scene FF fans are very familiar with, a moment that has been reimagined throughout the years — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined iterations in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it lands with equal force here, conveyed solely through rules text. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Scene

A bit of history, and take this as your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a clash with Sephiroth. After years of testing, the friends break free. Throughout this period, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack vows to look after his companion. They finally reach the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is killed by troops. Left behind, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the identity of a elite SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Moment on the Game Board

On the tabletop, the card mechanics effectively let you reenact this entire sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a top-tier piece of equipment in the collection that requires three mana and gives the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can turn Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate interaction with the Buster Sword, enabling you to find for an equipment card. In combination, these pieces function as follows: You play Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Because of the design Zack’s key mechanic is worded, you can actually use it during combat, meaning you can “block” an assault and trigger it to negate the damage completely. Therefore, you can do this at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a powerful 6/4 that, whenever he deals combat damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two cards without paying their mana cost. This is exactly the kind of moment referred to when discussing “narrative impact” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the gameplay trigger the recollection.

Extending Past the Central Synergy

But the flavor here is oh-so-delicious, and it goes past just this combo. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity is part of the collection 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 sort of implies that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER conditioning he received, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. This is a small connection, but one that implicitly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

This design doesn't show his end, or Cloud’s trauma, or the rain-soaked bluff where it all ends. It isn't necessary. *Magic* lets you reenact the passing personally. You make the ultimate play. You hand over the sword on. And for a brief second, while enjoying a trading card game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most influential game in the series to date.