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A significant aspect of the charm of the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the way so many cards tell well-known tales. Consider the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a snapshot of the hero at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous sports star whose signature move is a specialized shot that takes a defender out of the way. The gameplay rules mirror this in nuanced ways. This type of narrative is prevalent in the entire Final Fantasy offering, and some are not fun and games. Some serve as somber callbacks of tragedies fans continue to reflect on decades later.

"Moving tales are a vital component of the Final Fantasy series," noted a senior game designer on the set. "They created some general rules, but finally, it was mostly on a individual basis."

Though the Zack Fair card isn't a competitive powerhouse, it represents one of the set's most clever instances of storytelling through gameplay. It masterfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal dramatic moments with great effect, all while utilizing some of the product's key systems. And while it avoids revealing anything, those familiar with the tale will quickly recognize the significance within it.

The Mechanics: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one white mana (the color of good) in this set, Zack Fair has a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 counter. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to bestow another ally you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s markers, along with an Equipment, onto that target creature.

This card portrays a sequence FF fans are extremely remember, a moment that has been reimagined multiple times — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined iterations in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it resonates just as hard here, expressed entirely through rules text. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Card

Some necessary history, and consider this your *FF7* warning: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a confrontation with Sephiroth. After years of experimentation, the duo get away. During their ordeal, Cloud is delirious, but Zack vows to look after his friend. They eventually make it the edge outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by troops. Presumed dead, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the identity of a elite SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Legacy on the Game Board

In a game, the card mechanics in essence let you recreate this whole event. The Buster Sword is featured as a powerful piece of gear in the collection that requires three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can make Zack into a solid 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud Strife card also has clear interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to search your deck for an equipment card. Together, these three cards unfold as follows: You cast Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Due to the way Zack’s signature action is designed, you can actually use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to negate the damage completely. This allows you to make this play at a key moment, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a formidable 6/4 that, each time he strikes a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two spells without paying their mana cost. This is just the kind of interaction meant when talking about “narrative impact” — not revealing the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

More Than the Main Interaction

And the narrative here is incredibly rich, and it extends beyond just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity is part of 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 in a way suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a small connection, but one that implicitly ties the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

The card does not depict his end, or Cloud’s trauma, or the rain-soaked bluff where it happens. It doesn't have to. *Magic* enables you to recreate the passing personally. You choose the sacrifice. You pass the weapon on. And for a short instant, while engaged in a trading card game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most impactful game in the saga for many fans.