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A significant element of the charm of the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond set for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the fashion countless cards tell familiar tales. Consider Tidus, Blitzball Star, which gives a snapshot of the protagonist at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated sports star whose secret weapon is a fancy shot that pushes a defender out of the way. The card's mechanics reflect this with subtlety. These kinds of flavor is widespread across the complete Final Fantasy set, and some are not fun and games. A number act as somber echoes of emotional events fans still mull over years after.

"Powerful tales are a vital component of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a senior designer on the collaboration. "The team established some general rules, but finally, it was mostly on a card-by-card level."

Though the Zack Fair card is not a tournament staple, it represents one of the collection's most elegant examples of storytelling through mechanics. It masterfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial dramatic moments in spectacular fashion, all while utilizing some of the product's core gameplay elements. And even if it avoids revealing anything, those acquainted with the tale will quickly recognize the significance behind it.

The Mechanics: Flavor in Rules

For one white mana (the hue of heroes) in this set, Zack Fair has a base stat line of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 counter. For the cost of one generic mana, you can remove from play the card to bestow another unit you control protection from destruction and move all of Zack’s bonuses, as well as an artifact weapon, onto that target creature.

These mechanics portrays a moment FF fans are all too know well, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline versions in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it resonates just as hard here, expressed completely 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

A bit of history, and take this as your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a clash with Sephiroth. Following years of testing, the friends get away. Throughout this period, Cloud is delirious, but Zack makes sure to take care of his friend. They finally make it the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is killed by Shinra soldiers. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the role of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Legacy on the Tabletop

Through gameplay, the rules essentially let you reenact this iconic event. The Buster Sword is a a powerful piece of equipment in the set that costs three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can make Zack into a respectable 4/6 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate interaction with the Buster Sword, enabling you to search your deck for an artifact card. When used in tandem, these pieces play out like this: You cast Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to pull the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Owing to the manner Zack’s sacrifice ability is worded, you can technically use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to negate the attack altogether. 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, whenever he does damage a player, lets you pull extra cards and cast two spells at no cost. This is just the kind of moment referred to when discussing “narrative impact” — not revealing the scene, but letting the card design make you remember.

Extending Past the Obvious Combo

However, the narrative here is deeply satisfying, and it extends further than just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova card is part of the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which then becomes a Mutant. This sort of hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a small connection, but one that cleverly connects the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the set.

This design does not depict his death, or Cloud’s confusion, or the memorable cliff where it happens. It does not need to. *Magic* enables you to recreate the moment yourself. You make the ultimate play. You pass the sword on. And for a fleeting moment, while enjoying a trading card game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most beloved game in the saga to date.