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

A core aspect of the allure within the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* is the fashion numerous cards depict iconic tales. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which provides 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 card's mechanics mirror this with subtlety. These kinds of flavor is widespread in the complete Final Fantasy offering, and they aren't all joyful stories. A number act as somber callbacks of emotional events fans still mull over to this day.

"Powerful tales are a key part of the Final Fantasy legacy," noted a principal game designer involved with the collaboration. "The team established some overarching principles, but in the end, it was mostly on a case-by-case basis."

Though the Zack Fair isn't a tournament staple, it stands as one of the release's most clever examples of flavor via gameplay. It artfully reflects one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important dramatic moments brilliantly, all while utilizing some of the set's central gameplay elements. And even if it steers clear of spoiling anything, those who know the tale will immediately grasp the meaning behind it.

The Card's Design: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one mana of white (the color of good) in this set, Zack Fair has a base power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 marker. By paying one generic mana, you can remove from play the card to bestow another ally you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s counters, plus an Equipment, onto that chosen creature.

These mechanics paints a moment FF fans are extremely familiar with, a moment that has been retold throughout the years — in the first *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new versions in *FF7 Remake*. And yet it lands just as hard here, conveyed entirely through gameplay mechanics. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Scene

Some necessary backstory, and take this as your *FF7* warning: Years before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a battle with Sephiroth. After extended experimentation, the friends manage to escape. Throughout this period, Cloud is delirious, but Zack vows to look after his companion. They finally arrive at the edge outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by Shinra soldiers. Presumed dead, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Passing of the Torch on the Tabletop

In a game, the card mechanics in essence let you reenact this whole scene. The Buster Sword is a a top-tier piece of armament in the set that requires three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. Thus, with an investment of six mana, you can turn Zack into a formidable 4/6 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has deliberate interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to look through your library for an weapon card. Together, these three cards play out as follows: You summon Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to retrieve the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Because of the design Zack’s key mechanic is designed, you can actually use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and activate it to cancel out the attack completely. Therefore, you can make this play at a key moment, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a powerful 6/4 that, every time he deals combat damage a player, lets you pull extra cards and cast two cards at no cost. This is just the kind of experience meant when discussing “flavorful design” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the card design evoke the memory.

Beyond the Central Synergy

However, the narrative here is incredibly rich, and it goes further than just Zack and Cloud. The Jenova card appears in the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This in a way hints that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER enhancement he received, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. This is a subtle nod, but one that subtly ties the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the expansion.

This design doesn't show his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the memorable bluff where it happens. It does not need to. *Magic* enables you to recreate the moment yourself. You make the ultimate play. You hand over the sword on. And for a short instant, while playing a trading card game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most influential game in the saga ever made.