🔗 Share this article

A core element of the appeal within the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion numerous cards depict iconic stories. Consider the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which provides a snapshot of the protagonist at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated professional athlete whose key technique is a unique shot that takes a defender aside. The card's mechanics reflect this perfectly. This type of storytelling is widespread throughout the complete Final Fantasy set, and they aren't all lighthearted tales. Some act as heartbreaking reminders of tragedies fans still mull over to this day.

"Moving narratives are a vital element of the Final Fantasy franchise," wrote a senior game designer on the collaboration. "They created some broad guidelines, but in the end, it was largely on a individual basis."

Though the Zack Fair card is not a top-tier card, it stands as one of the collection's most refined instances of storytelling via gameplay. It masterfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important cinematic moments brilliantly, all while utilizing some of the product's key systems. And while it avoids revealing anything, those who know the story will quickly recognize the meaning behind it.

The Mechanics: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one white mana (the hue of good) in this collection, Zack Fair has a starting stat line of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 counter. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to bestow another creature you control protection from destruction and move all of Zack’s bonuses, plus an Equipment, onto that chosen creature.

This design portrays a sequence FF fans are all too know well, a moment that has been revisited throughout the years — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined retellings in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it hits just as hard here, communicated entirely through rules text. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

A bit of history, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following extended testing, the pair get away. Throughout this period, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack vows to protect his friend. They eventually make it the plains outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by troops. Left behind, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the role of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Passing of the Torch on the Game Board

In a game, the card mechanics in essence let you relive this whole scene. The Buster Sword is a a top-tier piece of equipment in the collection that costs three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can turn Zack into a respectable 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to look through your library for an artifact card. Together, these three cards play out like this: You play Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Due to the way Zack’s sacrifice ability is worded, you can actually use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and trigger it to cancel out the attack altogether. This allows you to do this at a key moment, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a formidable 6/4 that, each time he deals combat damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two spells for free. This is just the kind of experience meant when discussing “flavorful design” — not explaining the scene, but letting the mechanics make you remember.

More Than the Obvious Combo

However, the thematic here is incredibly rich, and it reaches past just this combo. The Jenova card appears in the set 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 sort of implies that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a tiny connection, but one that implicitly connects the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

Zack’s card doesn't show his death, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the memorable location where it all ends. It isn't necessary. *Magic* lets you reenact the moment for yourself. You choose the sacrifice. You transfer the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while playing a card battle, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most beloved game in the franchise ever made.