🔗 Share this article The Zack Fair Card Demonstrates That Magic's Universes Beyond Can Tell Meaningful Narratives. A core element of the allure found in the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the fashion so many cards depict familiar narratives. Take for instance the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a portrait of the character at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous sports star whose secret weapon is a specialized shot that takes a defender aside. The abilities represent this in nuanced ways. This type of flavor is found throughout the whole Final Fantasy offering, and some are not joyful stories. Some serve as poignant echoes of sad moments fans remember vividly years after. "Moving narratives are a central element of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a senior game designer involved with the set. "We built some general rules, but finally, it was largely on a individual level." Though the Zack Fair isn't a tournament staple, it stands as one of the set's most refined instances of flavor via rules. It artfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important story moments brilliantly, all while leveraging some of the product's key gameplay elements. And although it avoids revealing anything, those who know the story will quickly recognize the significance within it. The Mechanics: Flavor in Rules At a cost of one white mana (the alignment of protagonists) in this set, Zack Fair has a base stat line of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 marker. By spending one generic mana, you can sacrifice the card to grant another ally you control protection from destruction and move all of Zack’s counters, as well as an artifact weapon, onto that chosen creature. This design paints a sequence FF fans are extremely remember, a moment that has been retold multiple times — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined iterations in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it lands just as hard here, communicated completely through rules text. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own. A Spoiler for the Scene A bit of history, and take this as your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are severely injured after a clash with Sephiroth. Following years of imprisonment, the pair get away. The entire time, Cloud is delirious, but Zack vows to take care of his friend. They eventually arrive at the plains outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by troops. Abandoned, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, leading directly into the start of *FF7*. Reenacting the Passing of the Torch on the Game Board Through gameplay, the abilities essentially let you relive this whole sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a strong piece of armament in the collection that costs three mana and gives the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can turn Zack into a respectable 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached. The Cloud Strife card also has clear interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to search your deck for an weapon card. When used in tandem, these three cards function in this way: You cast Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack. Due to the manner Zack’s signature action is structured, you can technically use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and trigger it to cancel out the damage entirely. Therefore, you can do this at a key moment, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a powerful 6/4 that, each time he strikes a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two spells at no cost. This is precisely the kind of moment meant when talking about “flavorful design” — not revealing the scene, but letting the card design make you remember. More Than the Obvious Interaction And the thematic here is oh-so-delicious, and it goes further than just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova card appears in the set as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This sort of implies that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. This is a small reference, but one that implicitly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the set. This design avoids showing his demise, or Cloud’s confusion, or the stormy cliff where it concludes. It doesn't have to. *Magic* allows you to relive the moment yourself. You perform the sacrifice. You transfer the weapon on. And for a short instant, while playing a trading card game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most influential game in the saga to date.