Zack Fair Illustrates That Magic's Universes Beyond Can Tell Meaningful Stories.
A core part of the allure found in the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond collection for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the way numerous cards narrate familiar tales. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which gives a glimpse of the character at the beginning of *Final Fantasy 10*: a renowned Blitzball pro whose secret weapon is a specialized shot that pushes a defender aside. The gameplay rules represent this perfectly. These kinds of storytelling is widespread across the complete Final Fantasy offering, and not all joyful stories. Several act as heartbreaking echoes of sad moments fans still mull over to this day.
"Emotional stories are a central part of the Final Fantasy legacy," wrote a principal game designer for the collaboration. "We built some general rules, but in the end, it was largely on a individual level."
While the Zack Fair card is not a competitive powerhouse, it represents one of the collection's most elegant pieces of flavor through mechanics. It artfully echoes one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments with great effect, all while leveraging some of the product's key systems. And although it doesn't spoil anything, those who know the saga will instantly understand the emotional weight within it.
The Card's Design: Story Through Gameplay
At a cost of one white mana (the hue of good) in this set, Zack Fair enters with a starting stat line of 0/1 but comes into play with a +1/+1 token. By spending one generic mana, you can destroy the card to bestow another unit you control indestructible and transfer all of Zack’s bonuses, as well as an Equipment, onto that other creature.
This card depicts a moment FF fans are very remember, a moment that has been revisited throughout the years — in the original *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even reimagined versions in *FF7 Remake*. Yet it hits with equal force here, communicated solely through rules text. Zack gives his life to save Cloud, who then picks up the Buster Sword as his own.
A Spoiler for the Scene
Some necessary context, and here is your *FF7* warning: Years before the main events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following extended testing, the pair break free. During their ordeal, Cloud is delirious, but Zack makes sure to look after his friend. They finally reach the edge outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by Shinra soldiers. Left behind, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the role of a first-class SOLDIER, which leads right into the start of *FF7*.
Reenacting the Moment on the Game Board
On the tabletop, the card mechanics essentially let you recreate this whole sequence. The Buster Sword is featured as a powerful piece of equipment in the collection that requires three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can make Zack into a solid 4/6 while the Buster Sword attached.
The Cloud, Midgar Mercenary also has intentional synergy with the Buster Sword, enabling you to find for an equipment card. When used in tandem, these three cards play out as follows: You summon Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you cast Cloud to pull the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you summon and give it to Zack.
Owing to the design Zack’s sacrifice ability is structured, you can potentially use it during combat, meaning you can “intercept” an assault and trigger it to prevent the attack completely. This allows you to perform this action at a key moment, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He subsequently becomes a powerful 6/4 that, whenever he strikes a player, lets you pull extra cards and play two cards without paying their mana cost. This is exactly the kind of moment meant when talking about “emotional resonance” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the card design trigger the recollection.
More Than the Obvious Synergy
And the narrative here is deeply satisfying, and it reaches further than just this combo. The Jenova card is part of the collection as a creature that, at the start of combat, places a number of +1/+1 counters on a chosen creature, which also becomes a Mutant. This sort of hints that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER enhancement he received, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. It's a tiny connection, but one that subtly links the whole SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the expansion.
The card avoids showing his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the rain-soaked bluff where it all ends. It does not need to. *Magic* allows you to reenact the moment personally. You choose the ultimate play. You transfer the weapon on. And for a fleeting moment, while engaged in a strategy game, you are reminded of why *Final Fantasy 7* continues to be the most beloved game in the franchise ever made.
