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A significant element of the appeal found in the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the way numerous cards depict well-known narratives. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a glimpse of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned sports star whose signature move is a fancy shot that knocks a defender aside. The abilities represent this perfectly. This type of narrative is widespread in the whole Final Fantasy set, and some are not fun and games. A number act as somber reminders of tragedies fans remember vividly decades later.

"Moving narratives are a central component of the Final Fantasy franchise," wrote a principal game designer on the set. "The team established some broad guidelines, but finally, it was mostly on a card-by-card basis."

Though the Zack Fair isn't a competitive powerhouse, it is one of the release's most refined instances of narrative design via mechanics. It artfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important dramatic moments in spectacular fashion, all while leveraging some of the set's key systems. And although it steers clear of spoiling anything, those familiar with the story will immediately grasp the emotional weight behind it.

The Card's Design: Story Through Gameplay

For one white mana (the alignment of heroes) in this set, Zack Fair has a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but enters with a +1/+1 token. For the cost of one generic mana, you can destroy the card to bestow another unit you control protection from destruction and move all of Zack’s markers, plus an Equipment, onto that target creature.

This design depicts a sequence FF fans are very remember, a moment that has been revisited throughout the years — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline iterations in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it lands powerfully here, communicated solely through gameplay mechanics. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Card

Some necessary history, and here is your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a clash with Sephiroth. After extended imprisonment, the pair get away. Throughout this period, Cloud is comatose, but Zack ensures to look after his friend. They eventually make it the edge outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by Shinra soldiers. Presumed dead, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Legacy on the Battlefield

Through gameplay, the abilities essentially let you recreate this whole scene. The Buster Sword is featured as a top-tier piece of equipment in the set that costs three mana and grants the wielding creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can turn Zack into a respectable 4/6 while the Buster Sword equipped.

The Cloud Strife card also has clear interaction with the Buster Sword, letting you to search your deck for an equipment card. In combination, these pieces function like this: You cast Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to pull the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Due to the manner Zack’s key mechanic is worded, you can technically use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to negate the damage completely. So you can make this play at a key moment, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a strong 6/4 that, every time he deals combat damage a player, lets you pull extra cards and play two cards without paying their mana cost. This is just the kind of experience meant when talking about “narrative impact” — not explaining the scene, but letting the card design evoke the memory.

Extending Past the Obvious Interaction

And the thematic here is incredibly rich, and it reaches further than just this combo. 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 suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER enhancement he received, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a small connection, but one that implicitly ties the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

This design doesn't show his end, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the stormy cliff where it all ends. It doesn't have to. *Magic* lets you recreate the moment personally. You make the ultimate play. You pass the sword on. And for a brief second, while playing a trading card game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most influential game in the saga to date.