The Zack Fair Card Demonstrates That Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond Are Capable of Telling Meaningful Stories.

A significant part of the appeal within the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the manner so many cards narrate iconic narratives. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which gives a snapshot of the hero at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose key technique is a fancy shot that takes a defender aside. The abilities represent this in nuanced ways. These kinds of narrative is found across the complete Final Fantasy set, and they aren't all lighthearted tales. Several serve as somber echoes of sad moments fans still mull over to this day.

"Emotional narratives are a key part of the Final Fantasy series," explained a senior game designer for the collaboration. "We built some overarching principles, but in the end, it was largely on a card-by-card level."

While the Zack Fair card is not a top-tier card, it is one of the set's most refined examples of flavor by way of rules. It skillfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal dramatic moments in spectacular fashion, all while leveraging some of the set's central mechanics. And although it doesn't spoil anything, those acquainted with the tale will immediately grasp the significance behind it.

The Card's Design: Story Through Gameplay

At a cost of one mana of white (the alignment of good) in this collection, Zack Fair enters with a starting stat line of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 token. For the cost of one generic mana, you can destroy the card to bestow another creature you control indestructible and move all of Zack’s bonuses, plus an Equipment, onto that other creature.

This design portrays a scene FF fans are extremely know well, a moment that has been reimagined throughout the years — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined retellings in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it lands powerfully here, communicated completely through card abilities. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Scene

Some necessary context, and take this as your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a clash with Sephiroth. Following years of testing, the friends break free. During their ordeal, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack makes sure to protect his comrade. They eventually arrive at the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by troops. Presumed dead, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the role of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Legacy on the Tabletop

In a game, the card mechanics essentially let you reenact this whole scene. The Buster Sword is featured as a strong piece of armament in the set that costs three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can turn Zack into a respectable 4/6 with the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud Strife card also has intentional interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to search your deck for an artifact card. Together, these pieces function as follows: You cast Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to pull the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Due to the manner Zack’s sacrifice ability is structured, you can actually use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and activate it to cancel out the damage entirely. This allows you to do this at a key moment, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a strong 6/4 that, each time he deals combat damage a player, lets you pull extra cards and play two spells for free. This is just the kind of moment alluded to when talking about “narrative impact” — not explaining the scene, but letting the mechanics trigger the recollection.

Beyond the Main Combo

However, the narrative here is deeply satisfying, and it reaches further than just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity appears in the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This kind of hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER conditioning he received, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. This is a tiny nod, but one that subtly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the set.

The card does not depict his demise, or Cloud’s confusion, or the stormy cliff where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* lets you reenact the legacy personally. You choose the ultimate play. You hand over the legacy on. And for a brief second, while enjoying a card battle, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most beloved game in the franchise to date.