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A major part of the allure found in the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion so many cards tell well-known tales. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a snapshot of the protagonist at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated sports star whose key technique is a fancy shot that knocks a defender out of the way. The card's mechanics mirror this perfectly. These kinds of narrative is found in the complete Final Fantasy offering, and not all lighthearted tales. Several are somber callbacks of tragedies fans continue to reflect on decades later.

"Moving tales are a vital component of the Final Fantasy franchise," explained a principal designer on the collaboration. "We built some overarching principles, but ultimately, it was largely on a individual level."

Though the Zack Fair card is not a tournament staple, it represents one of the set's most clever instances of storytelling through mechanics. It artfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial dramatic moments brilliantly, all while leveraging some of the expansion's key systems. And even if it doesn't spoil anything, those who know the story will quickly recognize the significance behind it.

How It Works: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one mana of white (the color of protagonists) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a starting stat line of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 counter. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to bestow another unit you control protection from destruction and move all of Zack’s bonuses, along with an gear, onto that target creature.

This card portrays a scene FF fans are very know well, a moment that has been revisited again and again — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it hits powerfully here, expressed entirely through rules text. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Card

Some necessary context, and consider this your *FF7* warning: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a battle with Sephiroth. Following extended testing, the duo manage to escape. During their ordeal, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack ensures to look after his comrade. They finally reach the plains outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by Shinra soldiers. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield

In a game, the rules in essence let you reenact this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a strong piece of armament in the set that costs three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can transform Zack into a solid 4/6 with the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud Strife card also has intentional interaction with the Buster Sword, enabling you to look through your library for an weapon card. In combination, these pieces function in this way: You cast Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Because of the manner Zack’s key mechanic is worded, you can actually use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “block” an assault and activate it to negate the attack altogether. So you can do this at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a powerful 6/4 that, each time he deals combat damage a player, lets you draw two cards and cast two cards for free. This is just the kind of experience alluded to when discussing “narrative impact” — not explaining the scene, but letting the card design trigger the recollection.

Extending Past the Main Interaction

But the narrative here is oh-so-delicious, and it goes past just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity 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 underwent, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. This is a subtle connection, but one that implicitly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

This design does not depict his demise, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the rain-soaked location where it all ends. It doesn't have to. *Magic* allows you to recreate the passing personally. You choose the sacrifice. You transfer the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while playing a strategy game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most influential game in the series for many fans.