🔗 Share this article

A core part of the allure of the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond set for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the way so many cards depict familiar stories. Consider the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a portrait of the hero at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated Blitzball pro whose key technique is a unique shot that pushes a defender out of the way. The card's mechanics reflect this with subtlety. This type of storytelling is widespread across the entire Final Fantasy set, and they aren't all joyful stories. A number act as somber callbacks of tragedies fans remember vividly years after.

"Moving tales are a vital component of the Final Fantasy series," wrote a senior game designer involved with the project. "The team established some general rules, but ultimately, it was primarily on a individual basis."

While the Zack Fair is not a tournament staple, it is one of the release's most refined instances of narrative design through rules. It artfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal dramatic moments brilliantly, all while utilizing some of the set's central gameplay elements. And even if it avoids revealing anything, those acquainted with the tale will instantly understand the meaning embedded in it.

The Card's Design: Story Through Gameplay

For one mana of white (the alignment of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair is a base stat line of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 token. By paying one generic mana, you can destroy the card to grant another creature you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s markers, as well as an gear, onto that other creature.

This card paints a scene FF fans are extremely remember, a moment that has been reimagined throughout the years — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline retellings in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it lands with equal force here, conveyed entirely through rules text. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Moment

A bit of backstory, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a confrontation with Sephiroth. After years of imprisonment, the friends manage to escape. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack makes sure to take care of his companion. They eventually reach the edge outside Midgar before Zack is killed by troops. Left behind, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Moment on the Battlefield

Through gameplay, the card mechanics essentially let you recreate this entire event. The Buster Sword appears as a strong piece of armament in the collection that costs three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can make Zack into a solid 4/6 with the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, letting you to find for an weapon card. Together, these three cards unfold like this: You summon Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to pull the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Because of the way Zack’s sacrifice ability is designed, you can technically use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and trigger it to prevent the attack completely. This allows you to do this at a key moment, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a formidable 6/4 that, every time he deals combat damage a player, lets you pull extra cards and cast two cards for free. This is just the kind of moment meant when talking about “flavorful design” — not explaining the scene, but letting the gameplay trigger the recollection.

More Than the Obvious Combo

But the thematic here is oh-so-delicious, and it extends further than just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity appears in the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This sort of suggests that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a tiny nod, but one that implicitly ties the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

Zack’s card avoids showing his demise, or Cloud’s confusion, or the memorable bluff where it all ends. It isn't necessary. *Magic* enables you to recreate the passing personally. You perform the sacrifice. You transfer the legacy on. And for a short instant, while playing a strategy game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most impactful game in the series for many fans.