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A significant element of the allure within the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* is the fashion numerous cards narrate familiar narratives. Cards like Tidus, Blitzball Star, which provides a portrait of the hero at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose key technique is a fancy shot that knocks a defender out of the way. The card's mechanics mirror this with subtlety. These kinds of flavor is found across the entire Final Fantasy set, and they aren't all fun and games. Several are poignant callbacks of tragedies fans still mull over decades later.

"Moving stories are a key element of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a senior designer involved with the set. "They created some broad guidelines, but ultimately, it was largely on a individual level."

Even though the Zack Fair card is not a tournament staple, it stands as one of the release's most clever examples of storytelling by way of rules. It skillfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments brilliantly, all while leveraging some of the expansion's central systems. And while it steers clear of spoiling anything, those acquainted with the tale will quickly recognize the significance embedded in it.

The Mechanics: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one white mana (the hue of good) in this set, Zack Fair has a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 token. By spending one generic mana, you can sacrifice the card to bestow another ally you control indestructible and put all of Zack’s bonuses, along with an Equipment, onto that target creature.

These mechanics portrays a sequence FF fans are very remember, a moment that has been revisited throughout the years — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it resonates with equal force here, communicated entirely through rules text. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Moment

Some necessary context, and take this as your *FF7* warning: Years before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a clash with Sephiroth. Following years of experimentation, the duo manage to escape. During their ordeal, Cloud is comatose, but Zack makes sure to look after his companion. They finally make it the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Left behind, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the role of a first-class SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Passing of the Torch on the Tabletop

Through gameplay, the rules effectively let you reenact this whole event. The Buster Sword is a a top-tier piece of armament in the set that costs three mana and grants the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can make Zack into a solid 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, allowing you to search your deck for an equipment card. When used in tandem, these three cards unfold like this: You summon Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to pull the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Owing to the design Zack’s signature action is designed, you can actually use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and activate it to prevent the damage entirely. So you can make this play at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a strong 6/4 that, every time he does damage a player, lets you draw two cards and play two cards at no cost. This is just the kind of interaction alluded to when discussing “flavorful design” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the mechanics make you remember.

Beyond the Main Combo

And the narrative here is incredibly rich, and it extends past just this combo. The Jenova card appears in the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This kind of implies that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. It's a subtle reference, but one that subtly connects the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the expansion.

The card doesn't show his end, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the rain-soaked cliff where it concludes. It doesn't have to. *Magic* enables you to reenact the legacy for yourself. You make the sacrifice. You hand over the weapon on. And for a brief second, while engaged in a strategy game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most impactful game in the series ever made.