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A significant element of the charm within the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the manner so many cards tell iconic tales. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a glimpse of the protagonist at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose key technique is a specialized shot that pushes a defender out of the way. The abilities mirror this in nuanced ways. Such narrative is prevalent across the whole Final Fantasy set, and some are not joyful stories. A number are heartbreaking callbacks of tragedies fans still mull over years after.

"Emotional tales are a vital part of the Final Fantasy franchise," explained a principal game designer on the set. "They created some overarching principles, but ultimately, it was mostly on a card-by-card level."

While the Zack Fair card is not a top-tier card, it is one of the release's most refined instances of narrative design through mechanics. It artfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal dramatic moments with great effect, all while leveraging some of the set's core systems. And although it doesn't spoil anything, those familiar with the tale will immediately grasp the significance embedded in it.

The Card's Design: Flavor in Rules

For one white mana (the alignment of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a starting stat line of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 marker. By spending one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to give another creature you control indestructible and put all of Zack’s counters, as well as an gear, onto that chosen creature.

This design depicts a scene FF fans are extremely know well, a moment that has been reimagined multiple times — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined iterations in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it hits just as hard here, conveyed entirely through card abilities. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

For context, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Years before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a battle with Sephiroth. Following extended experimentation, the friends manage to escape. Throughout this period, Cloud is delirious, but Zack ensures to look after his friend. They eventually make it the plains outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the persona of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield

Through gameplay, the card mechanics effectively let you recreate this whole scene. The Buster Sword is featured as a powerful piece of gear in the set that requires 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 with the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has intentional interaction with the Buster Sword, enabling you to search your deck for an equipment card. In combination, these three cards play out as follows: You play Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Because of the design Zack’s sacrifice ability is structured, you can potentially use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and activate it to negate the attack completely. Therefore, you can perform this action at a key moment, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a formidable 6/4 that, whenever he strikes a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two spells without paying their mana cost. This is just the kind of experience alluded to when talking about “emotional resonance” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the mechanics make you remember.

Beyond the Obvious Combo

However, the narrative here is incredibly rich, and it extends past 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 chosen creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This sort of hints that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a tiny connection, but one that implicitly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the expansion.

This design avoids showing his death, or Cloud’s confusion, or the rain-soaked bluff where it concludes. It isn't necessary. *Magic* enables you to relive the passing for yourself. You make the ultimate play. You hand over the weapon on. And for a short instant, while enjoying a card battle, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most beloved game in the franchise ever made.