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A significant part of the charm within the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* is the fashion numerous cards depict familiar narratives. Consider the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which provides a snapshot of the protagonist at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous sports star whose key technique 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 entire Final Fantasy set, and they aren't all joyful stories. Some act as heartbreaking callbacks of emotional events fans still mull over years after.

"Powerful stories are a vital element of the Final Fantasy series," explained a principal designer for the collaboration. "They created some general rules, but finally, it was mostly on a case-by-case basis."

Though the Zack Fair card may not be a competitive powerhouse, it represents one of the release's most clever examples of storytelling through rules. It masterfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important story moments brilliantly, all while capitalizing on some of the set's central gameplay elements. And although it steers clear of spoiling anything, those familiar with the story will immediately grasp the meaning behind it.

The Mechanics: Flavor in Rules

For one white mana (the alignment of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair has a starting stat line of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 marker. For the cost of one generic mana, you can sacrifice the card to bestow another ally you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s markers, plus an artifact weapon, onto that target creature.

These mechanics depicts a sequence FF fans are very remember, a moment that has been retold again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined versions in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it resonates with equal force here, communicated solely through gameplay mechanics. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

A bit of backstory, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a clash with Sephiroth. After extended imprisonment, the pair get away. During their ordeal, Cloud is delirious, but Zack ensures to take care of his companion. They finally make it the edge outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by Shinra soldiers. Abandoned, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the role of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Moment on the Tabletop

On the tabletop, the card mechanics effectively let you recreate this entire sequence. The Buster Sword is a a strong piece of gear in the collection that requires three mana and gives the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can make Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate synergy with the Buster Sword, allowing you to search your deck for an artifact card. When used in tandem, these pieces play out like this: 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 play and equip it to Zack.

Because of the design Zack’s key mechanic is designed, you can actually use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and trigger it to cancel out the attack entirely. This allows you to do this at a key moment, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a strong 6/4 that, each time he strikes a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two spells for free. This is just the kind of interaction meant when talking about “emotional resonance” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the mechanics make you remember.

More Than the Obvious Synergy

But the flavor here is deeply satisfying, and it goes further than just this combo. The Jenova card 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 also becomes a Mutant. This sort of suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. This is a small reference, but one that cleverly ties the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

The card doesn't show his death, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the memorable cliff where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* enables you to reenact the moment yourself. You choose the ultimate play. You pass the weapon on. And for a fleeting moment, while enjoying a trading card game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most impactful game in the series for many fans.