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A significant part of the allure found in the *Final Fantasy* Universes Beyond release for *Magic: The Gathering* comes from the fashion so many cards tell iconic narratives. Cards like the Tidus, Blitzball Star card, which provides a glimpse of the protagonist at the very start of *Final Fantasy 10*: a wildly famous professional athlete whose secret weapon is a unique shot that knocks a defender aside. The card's mechanics reflect this with subtlety. Such flavor is prevalent in the complete Final Fantasy set, and some are not joyful stories. A number act as poignant reminders of emotional events fans remember vividly to this day.

"Emotional tales are a central component of the Final Fantasy series," wrote a lead designer for the set. "They created some overarching principles, but ultimately, it was mostly on a individual level."

Even though the Zack Fair card may not be a tournament staple, it represents one of the release's most elegant pieces of flavor through rules. It skillfully captures one of *Final Fantasy 7*'s most pivotal story moments brilliantly, all while leveraging some of the product's core gameplay elements. And even if it doesn't spoil anything, those who know the story will immediately grasp the significance behind it.

The Card's Design: Flavor in Rules

For one white mana (the alignment of protagonists) in this set, Zack Fair has a starting power and toughness of 0/1 but arrives with a +1/+1 marker. By spending one colorless mana, you can destroy the card to give another creature you control protection from destruction and move all of Zack’s bonuses, along with an Equipment, onto that target creature.

These mechanics depicts a sequence FF fans are extremely know well, a moment that has been reimagined again and again — in the classic *FF7*, *Crisis Core*, and even new iterations in *FF7 Remake*. But somehow it hits powerfully here, communicated completely through rules text. Zack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Cloud, who then inherits the Buster Sword as his own.

The Context of the Scene

For history, and here is your *FF7* warning: Before the primary events of the game, Zack and Cloud are gravely wounded after a clash with Sephiroth. Following extended testing, the friends manage to escape. Throughout this period, Cloud is delirious, but Zack vows to protect his comrade. They eventually arrive at the edge outside Midgar before Zack is gunned down by troops. Left behind, Cloud subsequently grabs Zack’s Buster Sword and takes on the persona of a elite SOLDIER, setting the stage for the start of *FF7*.

Simulating the Legacy on the Game Board

On the tabletop, the abilities essentially let you recreate this whole event. The Buster Sword is a a powerful piece of armament in the collection that costs three mana and provides the wielding creature +3/+2. So, for a total of six mana, you can turn Zack into a formidable 4/6 with the Buster Sword attached.

The Cloud Strife card also has intentional combo potential with the Buster Sword, letting you to look through your library for an weapon card. In combination, these three cards function like this: You cast Zack, and he gets the +1/+1 counter. Then you summon Cloud to fetch the Buster Sword from your deck. Then you play and equip it to Zack.

Because of the design Zack’s sacrifice ability is worded, you can actually use it when blocking, meaning you can “intercept” an attack and trigger it to prevent the damage entirely. Therefore, you can do this at a key moment, passing the +1/+1 counter *and* the Buster Sword to Cloud. He then becomes a formidable 6/4 that, whenever he does damage a player, lets you draw two cards and play two spells without paying their mana cost. This is just the kind of moment alluded to when talking about “flavorful design” — not explaining the scene, but letting the card design trigger the recollection.

More Than the Obvious Combo

But the thematic here is oh-so-delicious, and it goes 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 target creature, which additionally gains the type of a Mutant. This sort of implies that Zack’s initial +1/+1 token is, figuratively, the SOLDIER conditioning he underwent, which included genetic manipulation with Jenova cells. It's a tiny nod, but one that subtly links the entire SOLDIER program to the +1/+1 counter mechanic in the expansion.

This design avoids showing his demise, or Cloud’s trauma, or the stormy location where it happens. It does not need to. *Magic* allows you to recreate the moment yourself. You perform the ultimate play. You pass the legacy on. And for a fleeting moment, while enjoying a trading card game, you remember why *Final Fantasy 7* remains the most impactful game in the franchise for many fans.