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A core part of the appeal of the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the way numerous cards tell iconic stories. Consider Tidus, Blitzball Star, which provides a portrait of the hero at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned sports star whose signature move is a fancy shot that knocks a defender out of the way. The abilities reflect this with subtlety. Such flavor is found throughout the whole Final Fantasy offering, and some are not lighthearted tales. Some serve as heartbreaking callbacks of tragedies fans remember vividly to this day.

"Emotional stories are a vital part of the Final Fantasy franchise," explained a principal designer involved with the collaboration. "They created some general rules, but finally, it was primarily on a individual basis."

Even though the Zack Fair card may not be a competitive powerhouse, it stands as one of the collection's most refined instances of narrative design through gameplay. It skillfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important story moments with great effect, all while utilizing some of the set's key systems. And while it steers clear of spoiling anything, those familiar with the story will instantly understand the significance behind it.

The Mechanics: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one mana of white (the alignment of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair has a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 marker. By paying one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to grant another ally you control indestructible and move all of Zack’s bonuses, plus an gear, onto that target creature.

This card depicts a scene FF fans are extremely familiar with, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline iterations in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it lands just as hard here, conveyed entirely through rules text. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

Some necessary history, and consider this your *FF7* warning: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a clash with Sephiroth. After years of imprisonment, the friends break free. During their ordeal, Cloud is delirious, but Zack vows to protect his companion. They eventually make it the plains outside Midgar before Zack is killed by troops. Abandoned, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the persona of a elite SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Legacy on the Tabletop

In a game, the abilities essentially let you reenact this entire scene. The Buster Sword appears as a powerful piece of gear in the set that costs three mana and provides the equipped creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can transform Zack into a respectable 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud Strife card also has intentional combo potential with the Buster Sword, enabling you to search your deck for an weapon card. In combination, these pieces function in this way: You cast Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Owing 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 damage altogether. So you can do this at any time, moving 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 cast two spells at no cost. This is exactly the kind of experience meant when talking about “flavorful design” — not explaining the scene, but letting the gameplay evoke the memory.

Beyond the Obvious Synergy

But the flavor here is oh-so-delicious, and it goes past 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 target creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This kind of suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a subtle reference, but one that implicitly ties the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

This design does not depict his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the memorable bluff where it all ends. It isn't necessary. *Magic* lets you recreate the legacy yourself. You make the ultimate play. You pass the weapon on. And for a short instant, while enjoying a trading card game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most beloved game in the saga for many fans.