Zack Fair Illustrates That Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond Are Capable of Telling Emotional Stories.

A significant aspect of the charm found in the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* is the manner countless cards tell well-known stories. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a snapshot of the hero at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous sports star whose signature move is a specialized shot that knocks a defender out of the way. The abilities represent this perfectly. Such flavor is found across the entire Final Fantasy offering, and some are not fun and games. Some act as somber reminders of sad moments fans still mull over years after.

"Powerful tales are a central part of the Final Fantasy series," explained a senior designer on the collaboration. "They created some general rules, but in the end, it was largely on a case-by-case level."

While the Zack Fair card may not be a top-tier card, it is one of the collection's most elegant instances of storytelling via mechanics. It masterfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important cinematic moments brilliantly, all while leveraging some of the product's core systems. And although it avoids revealing anything, those acquainted with the saga will immediately grasp the significance embedded in it.

The Mechanics: A Narrative in Play

At a cost of one white mana (the hue of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair has a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 counter. By spending one colorless mana, you can remove from play the card to bestow another unit you control indestructible and put all of Zack’s counters, along with an artifact weapon, onto that other creature.

This card paints a scene FF fans are all too know well, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined versions in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it lands with equal force here, expressed completely through card abilities. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Card

Some necessary context, and consider this your *FF7* warning: Years before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a clash with Sephiroth. After years of testing, the duo break free. During their ordeal, Cloud is delirious, but Zack vows to protect his companion. They finally arrive at the plains outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by forces. Abandoned, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and adopts the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield

Through gameplay, the card mechanics in essence let you relive this iconic event. The Buster Sword appears as a strong piece of equipment in the set that requires three mana and grants the wielding creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can turn Zack into a solid 4/6 while the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has intentional synergy with the Buster Sword, allowing you to search your deck for an equipment card. When used in tandem, these pieces unfold in this way: You cast Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to pull the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Owing to the manner Zack’s sacrifice ability is structured, you can potentially use it during combat, meaning you can “block” an assault and activate it to negate the attack completely. Therefore, you can make this play at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a formidable 6/4 that, whenever he does damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two cards without paying their mana cost. This is just the kind of moment alluded to when discussing “emotional resonance” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

Beyond the Main Synergy

However, the flavor here is incredibly rich, and it goes further than just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity is part of 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 sort of suggests that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a tiny connection, but one that implicitly connects the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the expansion.

The card avoids showing his demise, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the rain-soaked bluff where it all ends. It does not need to. *Magic* lets you recreate the passing for yourself. You perform the ultimate play. You pass the sword on. And for a fleeting moment, while enjoying a card battle, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most impactful game in the saga for many fans.