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A core part of the appeal within the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the way numerous cards tell well-known stories. Consider the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a snapshot of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated professional athlete whose signature move is a specialized shot that pushes a defender out of the way. The card's mechanics mirror this with subtlety. Such flavor is found in the whole Final Fantasy set, and they aren't all joyful stories. A number serve as heartbreaking echoes of emotional events fans continue to reflect on years after.

"Emotional narratives are a central element of the Final Fantasy series," noted a lead designer on the set. "They created some broad guidelines, but ultimately, it was largely on a card-by-card basis."

While the Zack Fair is not a tournament staple, it stands as one of the release's most clever examples of flavor through rules. It masterfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments with great effect, all while capitalizing on some of the set's central systems. And while it doesn't spoil anything, those familiar with the story will quickly recognize the emotional weight behind it.

The Mechanics: A Narrative in Play

For one mana of white (the alignment of good) in this collection, Zack Fair is a base power and toughness of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 marker. By spending one generic mana, you can sacrifice the card to bestow another creature you control indestructible and transfer all of Zack’s bonuses, as well as an artifact weapon, onto that other creature.

These mechanics portrays a sequence FF fans are very familiar with, a moment that has been retold multiple times — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new retellings in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it lands just as hard here, expressed entirely through rules text. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Moment

A bit of context, and here is your *FF7* warning: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a battle with Sephiroth. Following extended imprisonment, the pair get away. The entire time, Cloud is delirious, but Zack ensures to take care of his friend. They eventually reach the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by forces. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the role of a elite SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Legacy on the Game Board

In a game, the abilities effectively let you reenact this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a strong piece of armament in the set that requires three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can make Zack into a respectable 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, letting you to search your deck for an weapon card. In combination, these pieces play out like this: You cast Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Because of the way Zack’s key mechanic is structured, you can actually use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and trigger it to negate the damage entirely. So you can perform this action at a key moment, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a powerful 6/4 that, every time he does damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two cards without paying their mana cost. This is exactly the kind of interaction referred to when talking about “flavorful design” — not revealing the scene, but letting the gameplay trigger the recollection.

More Than the Central Combo

However, the thematic here is incredibly rich, and it reaches beyond just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova card appears in the set 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 initial +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER treatment he received, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. It's a subtle nod, but one that implicitly ties the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set.

Zack’s card does not depict his end, or Cloud’s trauma, or the memorable location where it happens. It doesn't have to. *Magic* enables you to recreate the moment yourself. You perform the sacrifice. You pass the legacy on. And for a brief second, while engaged in a card battle, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most influential game in the series to date.