🔗 Share this article

A significant aspect of the charm found in the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* is the fashion so many cards depict well-known stories. Take for instance Tidus, Blitzball Star, which provides a glimpse of the character at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned professional athlete whose secret weapon is a specialized shot that pushes a defender aside. The gameplay rules mirror this with subtlety. Such narrative is found throughout the entire Final Fantasy offering, and some are not fun and games. Some are poignant reminders of tragedies fans remember vividly years after.

"Powerful stories are a central component of the Final Fantasy franchise," explained a principal game designer for the set. "The team established some general rules, but ultimately, it was largely on a case-by-case basis."

While the Zack Fair card isn't a tournament staple, it stands as one of the release's most elegant examples of storytelling by way of rules. It skillfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important cinematic moments with great effect, all while capitalizing on some of the set's central mechanics. And while it avoids revealing anything, those acquainted with the story will instantly understand the meaning within it.

The Card's Design: Story Through Gameplay

For one mana of white (the color of heroes) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a base power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 token. For the cost of one colorless mana, you can sacrifice the card to bestow another creature you control indestructible and transfer all of Zack’s bonuses, along with an gear, onto that target creature.

These mechanics depicts a sequence FF fans are all too remember, a moment that has been retold again and again — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new retellings in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it hits with equal force here, expressed entirely through card abilities. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Card

For history, and take this as your *FF7* warning: Years before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a battle with Sephiroth. After years of experimentation, the friends manage to escape. During their ordeal, Cloud is barely conscious, but Zack makes sure to take care of his friend. They eventually arrive at the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by troops. Abandoned, Cloud in that moment claims Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Moment on the Battlefield

In a game, the abilities essentially let you reenact this iconic sequence. The Buster Sword is featured as a top-tier piece of gear in the set that requires three mana and provides the equipped creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can turn Zack into a respectable 4/6 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has clear combo potential with the Buster Sword, allowing you to look through your library for an equipment card. In combination, these pieces play out in this way: You summon Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.

Due to the way Zack’s key mechanic is worded, you can actually use it when blocking, meaning you can “block” an attack and trigger it to cancel out the damage entirely. This allows you to make this play at a key moment, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He is transformed into a formidable 6/4 that, each time he does damage a player, lets you draw two cards and play two spells for free. This is exactly the kind of interaction meant when discussing “flavorful design” — not revealing the scene, but letting the gameplay trigger the recollection.

More Than the Main Combo

And the thematic here is incredibly rich, and it extends further than just this combo. The Jenova card is part of the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This sort of hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER conditioning he received, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a subtle connection, but one that subtly ties the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

Zack’s card does not depict his death, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the rain-soaked cliff where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* enables you to reenact the legacy personally. You make the sacrifice. You transfer the weapon on. And for a brief second, while engaged in a strategy game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most beloved game in the series for many fans.