🔗 Share this article

A significant aspect of the allure 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 offers a portrait of the hero at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated sports star whose key technique is a specialized shot that pushes a defender aside. The abilities mirror this in nuanced ways. Such narrative is found across the entire Final Fantasy offering, and not all lighthearted tales. Some serve as heartbreaking echoes of tragedies fans still mull over to this day.

"Powerful narratives are a key part of the Final Fantasy franchise," wrote a principal game designer for the set. "They created some broad guidelines, but ultimately, it was mostly on a individual basis."

Though the Zack Fair is not a top-tier card, it represents one of the collection's most clever instances of flavor by way of gameplay. It skillfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments brilliantly, all while leveraging some of the expansion's central mechanics. And while it steers clear of spoiling anything, those familiar with the tale will instantly understand the emotional weight behind it.

How It Works: Story Through Gameplay

At a cost of one white mana (the color of good) in this set, Zack Fair has a base power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 marker. By spending one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to bestow another creature you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s counters, along with an artifact weapon, onto that other creature.

This design paints a sequence FF fans are all too remember, a moment that has been retold multiple times — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline versions in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it resonates just as hard 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 Card

For context, and consider this your *FF7* warning: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following years of experimentation, the friends break free. The entire time, Cloud is comatose, but Zack vows to look after his friend. They finally arrive at the plains outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Left behind, Cloud then takes up 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 Game Board

Through gameplay, the abilities effectively let you relive this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a top-tier piece of gear in the set that costs three mana and provides the equipped creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can make Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has clear combo potential with the Buster Sword, allowing you to search your deck for an artifact card. When used in tandem, these pieces unfold like this: You play Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Owing to the way Zack’s key mechanic is worded, you can actually use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “block” an assault and activate it to cancel out the damage completely. This allows you to do this at a key moment, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a strong 6/4 that, whenever he does damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and play two spells without paying their mana cost. This is just the kind of moment meant when discussing “flavorful design” — not explaining the scene, but letting the card design make you remember.

Beyond the Main Combo

However, the flavor here is oh-so-delicious, and it reaches beyond just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity is part of the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This kind of suggests that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER conditioning he received, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. It's a small nod, but one that implicitly connects the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

This design does not depict his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the stormy location where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* lets you reenact the legacy for yourself. You choose the sacrifice. You transfer the legacy on. And for a short instant, while enjoying a trading card game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most influential game in the series for many fans.