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A significant element of the appeal within the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* is the manner countless cards depict well-known narratives. Cards like Tidus, Blitzball Star, which provides a glimpse of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous sports star whose secret weapon is a fancy shot that pushes a defender aside. The abilities represent this with subtlety. Such narrative is prevalent throughout the complete Final Fantasy set, and not all joyful stories. A number serve as somber callbacks of emotional events fans continue to reflect on to this day.

"Powerful stories are a vital element of the Final Fantasy franchise," wrote a senior designer on the project. "They created some overarching principles, but in the end, it was primarily on a individual basis."

While the Zack Fair card isn't a competitive powerhouse, it represents one of the set's most refined instances of storytelling by way of gameplay. It masterfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial cinematic moments with great effect, all while utilizing some of the product's core systems. And while it avoids revealing anything, those acquainted with the tale will quickly recognize the significance behind it.

The Mechanics: Story Through Gameplay

For one white mana (the color of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair is a base stat line of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 marker. By spending one colorless mana, you can remove from play the card to grant another creature you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s bonuses, plus an Equipment, onto that chosen creature.

This card depicts a scene FF fans are very familiar with, a moment that has been revisited multiple times — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline iterations in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it resonates powerfully here, expressed completely through gameplay mechanics. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Moment

For backstory, and take this as your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a clash with Sephiroth. Following extended experimentation, the friends get away. Throughout this period, Cloud is comatose, but Zack makes sure to look after his companion. They finally make it the plains outside Midgar before Zack is killed by troops. Left behind, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the role of a elite SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield

In a game, the card mechanics in essence let you reenact this iconic scene. The Buster Sword is a a powerful piece of armament in the collection that requires three mana and provides the equipped creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can make Zack into a formidable 4/6 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate combo potential with the Buster Sword, enabling you to search your deck for an artifact card. In combination, these three cards function in this way: You play Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Due to the manner Zack’s sacrifice ability is structured, you can potentially use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to cancel out the damage altogether. This allows you to do this at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a formidable 6/4 that, every time he does damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two cards without paying their mana cost. This is precisely the kind of experience alluded to when talking about “emotional resonance” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the gameplay evoke the memory.

Extending Past the Obvious Interaction

However, the thematic here is incredibly rich, and it reaches further than just this combo. 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, in a way, the SOLDIER conditioning he received, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a small connection, but one that implicitly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

The card does not depict his death, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the rain-soaked cliff where it happens. It isn't necessary. *Magic* lets you reenact the legacy yourself. You perform the sacrifice. You hand over the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while engaged in a strategy game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most impactful game in the series to date.