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A major element of the appeal of the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the way numerous cards narrate iconic stories. Cards like Tidus, Blitzball Star, which gives a snapshot of the protagonist at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose secret weapon is a unique shot that takes a defender aside. The card's mechanics reflect this with subtlety. This type of storytelling is prevalent in the entire Final Fantasy set, and some are not lighthearted tales. Some are poignant reminders of sad moments fans continue to reflect on to this day.

"Emotional narratives are a central component of the Final Fantasy legacy," wrote a principal designer involved with the set. "We built some general rules, but ultimately, it was primarily on a individual level."

Though the Zack Fair card may not be a competitive powerhouse, it is one of the release's most clever examples of storytelling via rules. It artfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal dramatic moments in spectacular fashion, all while utilizing some of the product's core mechanics. And even if it avoids revealing anything, those familiar with the tale will instantly understand the meaning embedded in it.

The Card's Design: Flavor in Rules

For one white mana (the hue of good) in this collection, Zack Fair is a base power and toughness of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 token. 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 bonuses, as well as an artifact weapon, onto that chosen creature.

This card depicts a sequence FF fans are extremely know well, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined versions in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it lands with equal force here, communicated completely through rules text. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

A bit of history, and consider this your *FF7* warning: Prior to the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following extended testing, the friends break free. During their ordeal, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack makes sure to take care of his companion. They finally arrive at the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the role of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Moment on the Game Board

Through gameplay, the rules in essence let you reenact this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword is a a top-tier piece of armament in the set that requires three mana and grants the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can transform Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate interaction with the Buster Sword, enabling you to look through your library for an artifact card. When used in tandem, these three cards function in this way: You cast Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to pull the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Due to the design Zack’s key mechanic is designed, you can potentially use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to prevent the damage entirely. This allows you to do this at any time, passing 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 pull extra cards and play two spells for free. This is precisely the kind of moment meant when discussing “narrative impact” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the card design make you remember.

Extending Past the Central Synergy

However, the thematic here is incredibly rich, and it reaches past just these cards. The Jenova card is part of the collection 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 suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. It's a tiny nod, but one that implicitly ties the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

Zack’s card does not depict his demise, or Cloud’s trauma, or the stormy bluff where it all ends. It doesn't have to. *Magic* enables you to recreate the moment yourself. You perform the ultimate play. You transfer the weapon on. And for a short instant, while playing a strategy game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most influential game in the series ever made.