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A major part of the charm found in the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set for *Magic: The Gathering* is the way so many cards depict well-known stories. Cards like Tidus, Blitzball Star, which provides a snapshot of the hero at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose secret weapon is a unique shot that takes a defender aside. The gameplay rules represent this perfectly. This type of narrative is found throughout the complete Final Fantasy offering, and some are not lighthearted tales. Several serve as poignant echoes of tragedies fans remember vividly years after.

"Moving narratives are a key part of the Final Fantasy franchise," noted a principal game designer for the project. "The team established some general rules, but in the end, it was largely on a card-by-card basis."

Though the Zack Fair card isn't a top-tier card, it is one of the collection's most clever examples of narrative design through gameplay. It skillfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial cinematic moments with great effect, all while leveraging some of the product's central mechanics. And even if it doesn't spoil anything, those who know the tale will instantly understand the emotional weight embedded in it.

The Card's Design: Story Through Gameplay

For one mana of white (the alignment of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair has a base stat line of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 counter. By paying one colorless mana, you can remove from play the card to give another ally you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s bonuses, along with an gear, onto that other creature.

This card depicts a scene FF fans are extremely know well, a moment that has been revisited multiple times — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline iterations in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it resonates powerfully here, communicated solely through gameplay mechanics. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

Some necessary history, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a battle with Sephiroth. After extended experimentation, the friends get away. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack vows to protect his comrade. They eventually arrive at the plains outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Abandoned, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the role of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Passing of the Torch on the Tabletop

Through gameplay, the abilities essentially let you recreate this whole event. The Buster Sword is a a powerful piece of armament in the set that requires three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can turn Zack into a solid 4/6 with the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has intentional interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an artifact card. In combination, these pieces play out like this: You cast Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Because of the manner Zack’s key mechanic is structured, you can potentially use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and trigger it to prevent the attack entirely. So you can perform this action at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a strong 6/4 that, whenever he deals combat damage a player, lets you pull extra cards and play two cards without paying their mana cost. This is just the kind of experience referred to when talking about “narrative impact” — not explaining the scene, but letting the mechanics trigger the recollection.

More Than the Main Combo

But the flavor here is incredibly rich, and it extends past just this combo. The Jenova card is part of the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This kind of suggests that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER conditioning he received, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a subtle reference, but one that subtly connects the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

Zack’s card avoids showing his end, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the stormy bluff where it all ends. It does not need to. *Magic* enables you to reenact the moment personally. You perform the sacrifice. You pass the weapon on. And for a short instant, while enjoying a trading card game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most impactful game in the franchise for many fans.