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A significant element of the appeal found in the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion countless cards narrate well-known tales. Consider Tidus, Blitzball Star, which provides a glimpse of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose key technique is a unique shot that takes a defender aside. The abilities reflect this in nuanced ways. This type of storytelling is widespread in the complete Final Fantasy offering, and they aren't all joyful stories. A number act as heartbreaking reminders of sad moments fans continue to reflect on to this day.

"Emotional tales are a key element of the Final Fantasy legacy," explained a senior designer involved with the collaboration. "The team established some broad guidelines, but ultimately, it was mostly on a card-by-card basis."

While the Zack Fair card isn't a top-tier card, it is one of the release's most clever pieces of storytelling by way of rules. It skillfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial cinematic moments brilliantly, all while utilizing some of the product's central systems. And even if it doesn't spoil anything, those who know the story will immediately grasp the significance embedded in it.

How It Works: Story Through Gameplay

For one mana of white (the hue of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair has a base power and toughness of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 token. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to give another ally you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s bonuses, along with an artifact weapon, onto that target creature.

This design portrays a scene FF fans are all too remember, a moment that has been reimagined multiple times — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new versions in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it hits powerfully here, communicated completely through rules text. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Scene

For context, and consider this your *FF7* warning: Prior to the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a clash with Sephiroth. Following extended imprisonment, the friends manage to escape. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack ensures to protect his companion. They eventually make it the edge outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Abandoned, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the persona of a first-class SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Moment on the Battlefield

On the tabletop, the card mechanics essentially let you reenact this whole scene. The Buster Sword is featured as a strong piece of armament in the set that requires three mana and gives the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can transform Zack into a respectable 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has intentional combo potential with the Buster Sword, enabling you to search your deck for an equipment card. In combination, these pieces play out as follows: You cast Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Owing to the way Zack’s sacrifice ability is worded, you can actually use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and activate it to negate the attack completely. So you can perform this action at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a strong 6/4 that, every time he strikes a player, lets you draw two cards and play two spells for free. This is precisely the kind of experience alluded to when discussing “narrative impact” — not revealing the scene, but letting the gameplay evoke the memory.

More Than the Central Interaction

And the thematic here is incredibly rich, and it reaches past just this combo. The Jenova card appears in the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This kind of hints that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a small nod, but one that implicitly ties the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the set.

The card does not depict his death, or Cloud’s confusion, or the memorable cliff where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* allows you to reenact the moment personally. You make the ultimate play. You transfer the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while playing a trading card game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most impactful game in the franchise for many fans.