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A core part of the charm of the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the way countless cards depict familiar tales. Cards like Tidus, Blitzball Star, which gives a glimpse of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose secret weapon is a unique shot that takes a defender out of the way. The abilities represent this perfectly. This type of flavor is prevalent throughout the entire Final Fantasy offering, and some are not joyful stories. Some act as heartbreaking reminders of emotional events fans continue to reflect on years after.

"Moving tales are a central component of the Final Fantasy series," wrote a principal game designer on the set. "We built some broad guidelines, but ultimately, it was mostly on a card-by-card basis."

Even though the Zack Fair is not a top-tier card, it stands as one of the release's most refined instances of flavor via gameplay. It skillfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial cinematic moments brilliantly, all while capitalizing on some of the expansion's central mechanics. And while it steers clear of spoiling anything, those acquainted with the story will instantly understand the meaning behind it.

The Card's Design: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one white mana (the color of protagonists) in this set, Zack Fair is a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 marker. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to bestow another creature you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s counters, as well as an Equipment, onto that chosen creature.

This card depicts a sequence FF fans are very familiar with, a moment that has been reimagined throughout the years — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline versions in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it lands powerfully here, communicated entirely through card abilities. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Scene

For backstory, and consider this your *FF7* warning: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a clash with Sephiroth. Following extended imprisonment, the friends manage to escape. Throughout this period, Cloud is delirious, but Zack vows to protect his comrade. They finally make it the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is killed by troops. Presumed dead, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the persona of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Moment on the Battlefield

In a game, the card mechanics effectively let you recreate this whole sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a top-tier piece of equipment in the set that costs three mana and grants the equipped creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can transform Zack into a formidable 4/6 with the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, allowing you to look through your library for an equipment card. In combination, these three cards function as follows: You summon Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you play 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 activate it to cancel out the attack altogether. This allows you to perform this action at any time, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a formidable 6/4 that, every time he deals combat damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two spells without paying their mana cost. This is just the kind of interaction alluded to when talking about “narrative impact” — not revealing the scene, but letting the gameplay evoke the memory.

Beyond the Main Combo

However, the thematic here is incredibly rich, and it reaches past just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity is part of the set 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 hints that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER conditioning he received, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. It's a small nod, but one that implicitly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set.

This design does not depict his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the stormy location where it all ends. It isn't necessary. *Magic* enables you to reenact the moment personally. You choose the ultimate play. You pass the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while playing a strategy game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most impactful game in the series for many fans.