An anvil for a surgical end effector is disclosed. The anvil can include a staple-forming surface, wherein pockets are defined in the staple-forming surface. The pockets can be aligned with staples in a staple cartridge. Moreover, the pockets can define a perimeter in the staple-forming surface, and the perimeter of at least one pocket can be nested with the perimeter of at least one other adjacent pocket. For example, an extended landing zone of a first pocket can extend into a receiving peninsula of a second, adjacent pocket.
