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A major part of the appeal within the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion numerous cards tell familiar tales. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a snapshot of the character at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated sports star whose secret weapon is a fancy shot that takes a defender out of the way. The abilities mirror this in nuanced ways. This type of narrative is widespread in the entire Final Fantasy offering, and some are not lighthearted tales. Several serve as heartbreaking echoes of tragedies fans continue to reflect on to this day.

"Emotional narratives are a central part of the Final Fantasy franchise," noted a principal game designer involved with the project. "The team established some overarching principles, but in the end, it was primarily on a individual level."

While the Zack Fair is not a competitive powerhouse, it stands as one of the release's most clever pieces of narrative design by way of gameplay. It skillfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal dramatic moments in spectacular fashion, all while utilizing some of the product's core systems. And even if it avoids revealing anything, those familiar with the saga will quickly recognize the emotional weight within it.

How It Works: Story Through Gameplay

For one white mana (the alignment of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a base power and toughness of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 marker. By paying one colorless mana, you can remove from play the card to grant another ally you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s counters, along with an artifact weapon, onto that other creature.

This design paints a moment FF fans are extremely familiar with, a moment that has been retold multiple times — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline iterations in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it hits powerfully here, expressed completely through gameplay mechanics. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

A bit of history, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Years before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a clash with Sephiroth. After years of testing, the friends manage to escape. During their ordeal, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack vows to look after his companion. They finally arrive at the plains outside Midgar before Zack is killed by Shinra soldiers. Presumed dead, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the identity of a elite SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Moment on the Tabletop

In a game, the card mechanics in essence let you reenact this whole event. The Buster Sword is a a strong piece of armament in the set that costs three mana and gives the equipped creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can make Zack into a formidable 4/6 with the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has clear combo potential with the Buster Sword, enabling you to find for an equipment card. In combination, these three cards play out in this way: You summon Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Due to the design Zack’s sacrifice ability is structured, you can technically use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “block” an assault and trigger it to prevent the damage completely. Therefore, you can make this play at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a powerful 6/4 that, each time he does damage a player, lets you pull extra cards and cast two spells at no cost. This is precisely the kind of interaction referred to when discussing “narrative impact” — not explaining the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

Extending Past the Obvious Combo

However, the narrative here is oh-so-delicious, and it reaches past just these cards. 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 then becomes a Mutant. This sort of hints that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a tiny nod, but one that subtly ties the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

The card avoids showing his death, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the memorable location where it all ends. It does not need to. *Magic* enables you to reenact the moment personally. You make the sacrifice. You pass the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while enjoying a strategy game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most influential game in the series to date.