Cheeky, cunning and naturally gifted, Kano has grasped the art of the arcane at an exceptionally young age. Not just any arcane, but aether. Aether is the special type of arcane found only in the noble bloodline of the first emperor of Volcor. This special type of magic is extremely powerful and the Royal Court of Volcor has a high priority in tracking those who have access to the aether. The rigidity and formality of the royal court does not align with Kano’s irreverence. The tensions run high, as he unexpectedly becomes a pivotal part of the court.
“As a member of the royal court, Kano must inevitably take on his duty, and accept his place amongst the Dracai. But Kano, he’d rather focus on exploring age-old tomes in the deepest recess of the libraries, or hidden within ancient catacombs, for spells and tricks to control and amplify his flame.”
Kano has one of the most unique ways of approaching combat. As any wizard, Kano relies on his knowledge of the arcane to inflict damage onto his foes. Fire bolts, chain lightning and sonic booms are his bread and butter. Dealing with arcane damage creates a unique challenge for Kano’s opponents. Needing to equip into arcane barrier or trying to race Kano’s arcane blows creates one of the most unique game dynamics in Flesh and Blood. This is amplified by the fact Kano’s hero ability allows him to play cards at instant speed.
Kano’s hero ability allows him to cast his spells at instant speed, meaning he can also cast them on his opponent’s turn as long as he has priority. Kano masters must master the art of priority windows. Basically, any time a player activates an ability, plays a card or a trigger occurs during an action phase, each player gets a priority window when they can play or activate instants.
While quite simple on the surface, Kano’s ability is extremely complex because of the ways priority windows work. This is why there is a common sentiment with Wizards that whenever you play against one, each one of your turns isn’t just yours – it’s theirs as well! Thanks to his hero ability, Kano has a lot of control over the game state. Is your opponent attacking you? You can defend, save cards for your turn or activate your hero ability and try to snipe them down with an aether blast. This is what makes Kano special, but also challenging to play. You don’t know what is on top of your deck. If you decide to pull the trigger and activate your hero ability, but do not hit a useful spell, you could be worse off than just defending.
Crucible of Aetherweave is no ordinary weapon. While most weapons attack, Crucible of Aetherweave channels Kano’s arcane powers, amplifying the damage dealt by his spells. While only adding one point of arcane damage to your next spell might not look impressive, it can make or break a powerful on-damage effect
Let’s say you activated Kano’s ability and hit a Lesson in Lava off the top of your deck. Your opponent has three sources of arcane barrier. Pitching one to Crucible of Aetherweave pushes your Lesson in Lava to four arcane damage. This means the spell is guaranteed to hit if your opponent is purely relying on their arcane barrier. The difference between the spell hitting or getting prevented can make or break your arcane offense. Even if your opponent had arcane barrier four, threatening four damage means they need to pitch an extra card to fully prevent the damage, leaving them with less cards to attack you with. Offense, even with arcane damage, is the best defense.
The key to unlocking Kano’s power is to combine his spells together to create enormous arcane blasts that are bigger than the individual sum of their parts. Some spells like Aether Flare or Tome of Aetherwind power up your next spell, while cards like Forked Lightning and Blazing Aether get more powerful the more you pump them up beforehand.
The challenge is setting up these card combinations without multiple action points. You can use your hero ability, but without extra help, you simply do not know what is on top. Cards like Talismanic Lens, Timesnap Potion and Reverberate can help. Any cards that help you manipulate the top of your deck can set up what you need on top, while extra action points on your turn mean you can play out two spells that synergize with each other to let the power of the aether hurl towards your opponent.
While most heroes of Rathe equip themselves with armor, weapons and other gear, Kano thrives with the help of potions. Potions like Energy Potion, Timesnap Potion and Clarity Potion are the glue that helps Kano create those impactful, synergistic turns. The utility provided by them helps you push the damage of your spells over what your opponent is able to stop, and often leads to their demise. The best thing about them? If you hit a potion with your hero ability, you can just play it out for free, at instant speed without needing to use up your action point.
If you are drawn to magic and all things arcane, Kano is your hero. This unique character pushes the boundaries of what you can and cannot do in a game of Flesh and Blood that is interesting, fun and unique. There is nothing more satisfying than the simmer of a fully iron plated warrior after getting hit by a big ball of arcane energy. Challenge yourself and challenge your opponents to a different take at Flesh and Blood by giving this mischievous Wizard a go.
