The Zack Fair Card Proves How Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond Can Tell Powerful Narratives.

A major element of the charm of the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the fashion numerous cards depict familiar narratives. Consider Tidus, Blitzball Star, which offers a glimpse of the protagonist at the outset of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned sports star whose secret weapon is a fancy shot that takes a defender out of the way. The abilities represent this with subtlety. This type of narrative is found across the complete Final Fantasy offering, and some are not fun and games. Some are somber callbacks of tragedies fans continue to reflect on years after.

"Moving stories are a vital part of the Final Fantasy series," explained a principal designer involved with the project. "They created some general rules, but ultimately, it was primarily on a case-by-case basis."

While the Zack Fair card is not a top-tier card, it represents one of the collection's most refined pieces of narrative design by way of mechanics. It masterfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most important cinematic moments brilliantly, all while leveraging some of the product's central systems. And even if it steers clear of spoiling anything, those who know the tale will quickly recognize the significance behind it.

The Mechanics: Flavor in Rules

For one white mana (the hue of protagonists) in this collection, Zack Fair is a starting stat line of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 token. By paying one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to give another unit you control protection from destruction and put all of Zack’s counters, along with an artifact weapon, onto that chosen creature.

These mechanics paints a scene FF fans are extremely know well, a moment that has been retold throughout the years — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even alternate-timeline versions in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it lands just as hard here, expressed entirely through gameplay mechanics. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

A Spoiler for the Moment

A bit of context, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Prior to the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are left for dead after a clash with Sephiroth. After extended imprisonment, the friends break free. During their ordeal, Cloud is comatose, but Zack makes sure to take care of his companion. They finally arrive at the plains outside Midgar before Zack is killed by troops. Presumed dead, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the identity of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.

Reenacting the Moment on the Game Board

Through gameplay, the card mechanics in essence let you recreate this whole scene. The Buster Sword is a a strong piece of armament in the set that requires three mana and gives the equipped 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, Midgar Mercenary also has intentional combo potential with the Buster Sword, allowing you to look through your library for an weapon card. In combination, these pieces unfold like this: You play Zack, and he gains the +1/+1 counter. Then you play Cloud to pull the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Due to the way Zack’s sacrifice ability is structured, you can actually use it in the middle of battle, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and activate it to negate the attack altogether. This allows you to perform this action at any time, moving the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a strong 6/4 that, whenever he does damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two cards for free. This is precisely the kind of experience alluded to when talking about “narrative impact” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the mechanics evoke the memory.

Extending Past the Central Combo

And the flavor here is oh-so-delicious, and it goes beyond just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity appears in the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, puts a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This in a way implies that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER treatment he underwent, which included modification with Jenova cells. It's a small reference, but one that cleverly ties the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the set.

The card doesn't show his demise, or Cloud’s breakdown, or the memorable cliff where it concludes. It doesn't have to. *Magic* lets you reenact the passing personally. You perform the ultimate play. You pass the legacy on. And for a brief second, while enjoying a strategy game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* is still the most influential game in the franchise to date.