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A significant part of the appeal within the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the manner so many cards depict iconic stories. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a portrait of the hero at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous sports star whose key technique is a fancy shot that takes a defender out of the way. The abilities mirror this perfectly. This type of storytelling is widespread in the entire Final Fantasy set, and not all joyful stories. A number are somber echoes of emotional events fans still mull over to this day.

"Powerful stories are a vital part of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a senior game designer involved with the collaboration. "We built some general rules, but in the end, it was mostly on a individual level."

Even though the Zack Fair card is not a competitive powerhouse, it stands as one of the collection's most clever instances of narrative design via mechanics. It skillfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial story moments with great effect, all while capitalizing on some of the set's central gameplay elements. And although it avoids revealing anything, those acquainted with the tale will immediately grasp the significance within it.

How It Works: Story Through Gameplay

For one white mana (the hue of heroes) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 token. For the cost of one generic mana, you can destroy the card to grant another unit you control indestructible and transfer all of Zack’s markers, plus an Equipment, onto that chosen creature.

This card portrays a scene FF fans are extremely familiar with, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it lands with equal force here, communicated solely through gameplay mechanics. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Scene

For history, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Years before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following years of imprisonment, the pair break free. The entire time, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack ensures to protect his companion. They eventually reach the edge outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by forces. Presumed dead, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the persona of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Legacy on the Game Board

On the tabletop, the rules effectively let you recreate this iconic event. The Buster Sword is a a powerful piece of equipment in the collection that costs three mana and gives the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can turn Zack into a formidable 4/6 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has intentional combo potential with the Buster Sword, allowing you to search your deck for an equipment card. Together, these three cards unfold in this way: You play Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Owing to the manner Zack’s signature action is structured, you can potentially use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and trigger it to prevent the attack entirely. So you can make this play at a key moment, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a powerful 6/4 that, whenever he deals combat damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and play two spells for free. This is just the kind of moment meant when talking about “flavorful design” — not revealing the scene, but letting the mechanics make you remember.

Extending Past the Obvious Synergy

But the narrative here is incredibly rich, and it goes beyond just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity appears in the collection 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 initial +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER enhancement he underwent, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. It's a subtle connection, but one that cleverly connects the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the expansion.

The card avoids showing his death, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the rain-soaked bluff where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* lets you recreate the legacy for yourself. You choose the ultimate play. You pass the legacy on. And for a brief second, while playing a trading card game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most beloved game in the series ever made.