🔗 Share this article

A core aspect of the allure within the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the way so many cards narrate iconic tales. Take for instance the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which provides a portrait of the hero at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a celebrated sports star whose key technique is a unique shot that takes a defender out of the way. The gameplay rules represent this in nuanced ways. This type of storytelling is prevalent throughout the whole Final Fantasy set, and some are not joyful stories. Some are poignant reminders of tragedies fans remember vividly years after.

"Emotional stories are a key part of the Final Fantasy franchise," explained a lead game designer involved with the set. "They created some broad guidelines, but in the end, it was primarily on a card-by-card level."

Even though the Zack Fair card may not be a competitive powerhouse, it is one of the collection's most clever instances of narrative design through rules. It artfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important cinematic moments in spectacular fashion, all while leveraging some of the product's key mechanics. And while it avoids revealing anything, those who know the saga will quickly recognize the significance behind it.

The Card's Design: A Narrative in Play

For one white mana (the alignment of good) in this collection, Zack Fair is a starting stat line of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 counter. By spending one generic mana, you can remove from play the card to grant another unit you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s bonuses, along with an gear, onto that other creature.

These mechanics paints a scene FF fans are all too know well, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined iterations in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it resonates powerfully here, conveyed solely through card abilities. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Scene

Some necessary backstory, and here is your *FF7* warning: Years before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a battle with Sephiroth. After years of imprisonment, the duo break free. Throughout this period, Cloud is delirious, but Zack makes sure to look after his comrade. They finally reach the outskirts outside Midgar before Zack is fatally wounded by forces. Presumed dead, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the role of a elite SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Legacy on the Game Board

In a game, the rules effectively let you recreate this whole sequence. The Buster Sword appears as a top-tier piece of equipment in the collection that costs three mana and gives the equipped creature +3/+2. Therefore, using six mana, you can transform Zack into a formidable 4/6 with the Buster Sword wielded.

The Cloud Strife card also has clear synergy with the Buster Sword, enabling you to find for an equipment card. In combination, these three cards function like this: You summon Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Due to the manner Zack’s sacrifice ability is structured, you can potentially use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and activate it to cancel out the damage completely. Therefore, you can do this at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a formidable 6/4 that, each time he does damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two spells without paying their mana cost. This is exactly the kind of experience alluded to when talking about “emotional resonance” — not revealing the scene, but letting the gameplay trigger the recollection.

Beyond the Obvious Synergy

But the thematic here is incredibly rich, and it reaches past 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 suggests that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, in a way, the SOLDIER treatment he received, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a small reference, but one that implicitly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter theme in the set.

This design does not depict his end, or Cloud’s trauma, or the rain-soaked bluff where it concludes. It does not need to. *Magic* enables you to relive the legacy personally. You perform the ultimate play. You hand over the legacy on. And for a short instant, while engaged in a strategy game, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most beloved game in the franchise to date.