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A significant aspect of the charm found in the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the way numerous cards narrate familiar tales. Take for instance the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a snapshot of the hero at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose secret weapon is a fancy shot that takes a defender out of the way. The card's mechanics represent this perfectly. These kinds of flavor is prevalent throughout the entire Final Fantasy set, and not all lighthearted tales. A number are somber callbacks of emotional events fans still mull over to this day.

"Moving narratives are a vital part of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a principal designer involved with the set. "We built some overarching principles, but finally, it was largely on a card-by-card basis."

Though the Zack Fair card may not be a tournament staple, it stands as one of the collection's most elegant examples of flavor through mechanics. It skillfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial cinematic moments brilliantly, all while leveraging some of the expansion's core systems. And even if it steers clear of spoiling anything, those familiar with the tale will immediately grasp the meaning embedded in it.

The Card's Design: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one white mana (the alignment of good) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a base power and toughness of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 token. By paying one generic mana, you can destroy the card to give another unit you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s counters, along with an Equipment, onto that target creature.

This card portrays a moment FF fans are all too familiar with, a moment that has been revisited multiple times — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new retellings in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it resonates with equal force here, expressed entirely through card abilities. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Moment

Some necessary backstory, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following years of testing, the pair break free. During their ordeal, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack makes sure to look after his comrade. They finally make it the edge outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by forces. Presumed dead, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the persona of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Passing of the Torch on the Tabletop

On the tabletop, the rules in essence let you relive this entire sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a strong piece of armament in the collection that costs three mana and gives the wielding creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can make Zack into a formidable 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has deliberate interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an artifact card. In combination, these three cards unfold as follows: You summon Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to pull the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Owing to the manner Zack’s sacrifice ability is designed, you can potentially use it during combat, meaning you can “block” an attack and trigger it to negate the attack entirely. Therefore, you can perform this action at any time, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a powerful 6/4 that, every time he strikes a player, lets you gain card advantage and play two cards without paying their mana cost. This is precisely the kind of interaction meant when talking about “emotional resonance” — not explaining the scene, but letting the card design trigger the recollection.

Beyond the Central Interaction

But the flavor here is incredibly rich, and it reaches beyond just this combo. The Jenova card appears in the collection 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 in a way suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a subtle nod, but one that subtly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set.

Zack’s card doesn't show his death, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the rain-soaked location where it all ends. It isn't necessary. *Magic* lets you recreate the moment yourself. You make the ultimate play. You hand over the weapon on. And for a brief second, while engaged in a strategy game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most influential game in the saga to date.