🔗 Share this article

A significant aspect of the appeal found in the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion numerous cards narrate familiar narratives. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which provides a glimpse of the protagonist at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose signature move is a specialized shot that takes a defender aside. The card's mechanics mirror this in nuanced ways. These kinds of narrative is widespread throughout the complete Final Fantasy set, and they aren't all fun and games. Some are somber echoes of sad moments fans remember vividly decades later.

"Moving tales are a vital part of the Final Fantasy series," noted a principal game designer involved with the project. "They created some general rules, but in the end, it was mostly on a case-by-case level."

Though the Zack Fair card may not be a tournament staple, it is one of the set's most refined instances of storytelling through rules. It skillfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial dramatic moments brilliantly, all while capitalizing on some of the expansion's core mechanics. And while it avoids revealing anything, those familiar with the story will instantly understand the emotional weight embedded in it.

The Mechanics: Flavor in Rules

For one white mana (the color of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair has a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 marker. By spending one generic mana, you can remove from play the card to grant another ally you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s markers, as well as an artifact weapon, onto that chosen creature.

This card portrays a moment FF fans are extremely know well, a moment that has been retold multiple times — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline iterations in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it lands powerfully here, expressed entirely through gameplay mechanics. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

For context, and take this as your *FF7* spoiler alert: Before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a battle with Sephiroth. Following extended imprisonment, the friends manage to escape. The entire time, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack vows to look after his companion. They eventually reach the plains outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by Shinra soldiers. Presumed dead, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the role of a elite SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Passing of the Torch on the Game Board

On the tabletop, the card mechanics essentially let you relive this entire sequence. The Buster Sword is featured as a top-tier piece of armament in the collection that requires three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can transform Zack into a solid 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate synergy with the Buster Sword, letting you to look through your library for an artifact card. Together, these three cards unfold in this way: You summon Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to pull the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Owing to the manner Zack’s sacrifice ability is designed, you can technically use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “block” an attack and activate it to negate the attack entirely. This allows you to make this play at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a strong 6/4 that, each time he does damage a player, lets you pull extra cards and cast two cards at no cost. This is precisely the kind of moment referred to when talking about “emotional resonance” — not explaining the scene, but letting the gameplay make you remember.

Beyond the Obvious Synergy

And the narrative here is deeply satisfying, and it reaches beyond just Zack and Cloud. 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 in a way hints that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER enhancement he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a subtle nod, but one that cleverly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

This design doesn't show his demise, or Cloud’s trauma, or the stormy location where it concludes. It isn't necessary. *Magic* enables you to recreate the passing for yourself. You choose the sacrifice. You transfer the legacy on. And for a brief second, while playing a trading card game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most impactful game in the saga ever made.