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A major aspect of the allure of the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the fashion numerous cards depict familiar stories. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a glimpse of the protagonist at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous Blitzball pro whose secret weapon is a fancy shot that takes a defender aside. The card's mechanics represent this with subtlety. This type of flavor is widespread in the entire Final Fantasy offering, and they aren't all lighthearted tales. A number serve as somber echoes of emotional events fans continue to reflect on decades later.

"Emotional tales are a vital element of the Final Fantasy legacy," wrote a senior game designer involved with the collaboration. "The team established some overarching principles, but finally, it was primarily on a case-by-case level."

Even though the Zack Fair card may not be a top-tier card, it stands as one of the collection's most clever pieces of narrative design via rules. It masterfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial cinematic moments in spectacular fashion, all while utilizing some of the set's central mechanics. And although it avoids revealing anything, those familiar with the saga will instantly understand the significance embedded in it.

The Mechanics: Story Through Gameplay

For one mana of white (the alignment of heroes) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a starting stat line of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 counter. By spending one generic mana, you can destroy the card to grant another unit you control indestructible and move all of Zack’s counters, as well as an Equipment, onto that target creature.

This card paints a moment FF fans are extremely familiar with, a moment that has been revisited again and again — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new retellings in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it hits with equal force here, communicated completely through card abilities. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

Some necessary backstory, and here is your *FF7* warning: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a battle with Sephiroth. Following years of testing, the friends manage to escape. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack makes sure to look after his companion. They finally arrive at the edge outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by forces. Abandoned, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the identity of a elite SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Passing of the Torch on the Game Board

Through gameplay, the card mechanics essentially let you recreate this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a strong piece of gear in the collection that costs three mana and provides the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can make Zack into a formidable 4/6 with the Buster Sword attached.

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

Because of the manner Zack’s signature action is designed, you can technically use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to prevent the damage entirely. Therefore, you can make this play at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a powerful 6/4 that, each time he strikes a player, lets you pull extra cards and cast two spells without paying their mana cost. This is exactly the kind of experience alluded to when discussing “flavorful design” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the card design evoke the memory.

Extending Past the Central Synergy

And the flavor here is deeply satisfying, and it goes further than just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova card 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 in a way hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER treatment he received, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a small reference, but one that subtly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

The card does not depict his demise, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the rain-soaked location where it all ends. It does not need to. *Magic* enables you to relive the moment personally. You make the sacrifice. You transfer the sword on. And for a fleeting moment, while engaged in a trading card game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most impactful game in the saga ever made.