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A major aspect of the appeal found in the Final Fantasy Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* lies in the manner so many cards depict familiar tales. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which offers a portrait of the hero at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose secret weapon is a fancy shot that knocks a defender aside. The card's mechanics reflect this perfectly. These kinds of flavor is widespread in the whole Final Fantasy set, and not all joyful stories. A number are heartbreaking callbacks of sad moments fans continue to reflect on decades later.

"Powerful stories are a vital component of the Final Fantasy franchise," wrote a senior game designer involved with the collaboration. "They created some general rules, but ultimately, it was largely on a individual basis."

Though the Zack Fair card may not be a top-tier card, it represents one of the set's most refined instances of flavor through gameplay. It skillfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most crucial story moments in spectacular fashion, all while utilizing some of the product's key mechanics. And although it doesn't spoil anything, those acquainted with the story will quickly recognize the meaning embedded in it.

How It Works: Flavor in Rules

At a cost of one white mana (the color of protagonists) in this set, Zack Fair is a starting stat line of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 token. By paying one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to grant another creature you control protection from destruction and transfer all of Zack’s counters, along with an Equipment, onto that chosen creature.

These mechanics portrays a sequence FF fans are all too 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*. And yet it resonates just as hard here, communicated completely through rules text. Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud, who then takes up the Buster Sword as his own.

The Story Behind the Card

A bit of backstory, and consider this your *FF7* spoiler alert: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a confrontation with Sephiroth. Following years of experimentation, the duo manage to escape. During their ordeal, Cloud is comatose, but Zack ensures to protect his comrade. They finally arrive at the edge outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by forces. Presumed dead, Cloud then takes up Zack’s Buster Sword and assumes the identity of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Playing Out the Passing of the Torch on the Battlefield

In a game, the rules effectively let you relive this entire sequence. The Buster Sword is featured as a powerful piece of gear in the set that requires three mana and grants 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 attached.

The Cloud Strife card also has intentional interaction with the Buster Sword, allowing you to find for an equipment card. Together, these pieces function as follows: You play Zack, and he receives the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to pull the Buster Sword out of your deck. Then you cast and attach it to Zack.

Because of the manner Zack’s signature action is designed, you can actually use it during combat, meaning you can “block” an attack and activate it to negate the damage completely. So you can do this at any time, transferring the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a powerful 6/4 that, each time he deals combat damage a player, lets you gain card advantage and cast two cards for free. This is precisely the kind of moment meant when discussing “flavorful design” — not spoiling the scene, but letting the gameplay evoke the memory.

More Than the Obvious Synergy

And the flavor here is oh-so-delicious, and it reaches past just these cards. The Jenova, Ancient Calamity 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 then becomes a Mutant. This sort of suggests that Zack’s starting +1/+1 token is, symbolically, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included experimentation with Jenova cells. It's a subtle reference, but one that cleverly ties the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter ecosystem in the expansion.

Zack’s card avoids showing his death, or Cloud’s trauma, or the memorable location where it happens. It isn't necessary. *Magic* enables you to recreate the passing yourself. You make the ultimate play. You hand over the legacy on. And for a short instant, while engaged in a card battle, you recall why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most beloved game in the series to date.