It’s been a little while since I’ve written about Flesh and Blood, but I’m happy to jump back in. Premier play is going strong, there are a bunch of powerful strategies available and the game continues to be a standout success. Plus, my obsession with Kano remains strong (even if he isn’t generally on top, I still would likely play him if I were to go to an event). Anyways, let’s get to the action.
The concept for this article is simple:
“If you like THIS DECK in Magic, you should play THIS DECK in Flesh and Blood”.
This will help give you a little guidance if you know what you enjoy in Magic, while perhaps giving you a new perspective on a variety of Flesh and Blood decks. Plus, who doesn’t like making wild comparisons and confident pronouncements?
If you like Burn, you should play Rhinar.
Hero / Weapon / Equipment 1 x Arcanite Skullcap 1 x Barkbone Strapping 1 x Gambler's Gloves 1 x Goliath Gauntlet 1 x Heartened Cross Strap 2 x Mandible Claw 1 x Nullrune Gloves 1 x Nullrune Hood 1 x Scabskin Leathers 1 x Skullhorn Pitch 1 2 x Alpha Rampage (1) 2 x Bare Fangs (1) 2 x Barraging Beatdown (1) 2 x Massacre (1) 1 x Pack Hunt (1) 2 x Savage Feast (1) 2 x Swing Big (1) 2 x Wild Ride (1) Pitch 2 2 x Barraging Beatdown (2) 2 x Barraging Big Horn (2) 2 x Beast Within (2) 2 x Bloodrush Bellow (2) 1 x Riled Up (2) 2 x Savage Swing (2) 2 x Smash Instinct (2) 2 x Wrecker Romp (2) Pitch 3 2 x Barraging Beatdown (3) 2 x High Roller (3) 2 x Reckless Swing (3) 2 x Sand Sketched Plan (3) 2 x Wrecker Romp (3)
Rhinar was one of the first Heroes I played, and the game plan has remained largely the same – go face. Flesh and Blood naturally is a game where you’re trying to directly attack the opponent’s health total, but Rhinar is one of the most blatant and unsubtle about it. Each turn, you’re throwing away resources to make big attacks, and hoping to overwhelm their defenses. It’s quite reminiscent of the Lava Spike Experience, and if you’re a Burn fan, this is definitely where I’d start.
If you like Ramp, you should play Viserai.
Hero / Weapon / Equipment 1 x Arcanite Skullcap 1 x Bloodsheath Skeleta 1 x Grasp of the Arknight 1 x Rosetta Thorn 1 x Spellbound Creepers 1 x Vexing Quillhand Pitch 1 3 x Amplify the Arknight (1) 3 x Enlightened Strike (1) 3 x Meat and Greet (1) 3 x Mordred Tide (1) 3 x Rattle Bones (1) 3 x Read the Runes (1) 3 x Reduce to Runechant (1) 3 x Revel in Runeblood (1) 3 x Rune Flash (1) 3 x Runeblood Incantation (1) 3 x Runic Reclamation (1) 2 x Shrill of Skullform (1) 3 x Sonata Arcanix (1) 3 x Spellblade Assault (1) 3 x Swarming Gloomveil (1) 3 x Unmovable (1) Pitch 2 3 x Mauvrion Skies (2) 3 x Ninth Blade of the Blood Oath (2) Pitch 3 1 x Arknight Shard (3) 3 x Become the Arknight (3) 3 x Dread Triptych (3) 3 x Lead the Charge (3) 3 x Mauvrion Skies (3) 2 x Oath of the Arknight (3) 3 x Spellblade Assault (3) 2 x Vexing Malice (3) Others 1 x Gorganian Tome
Viserai is an interesting one, and plays the most like a Ramp deck when it comes to Magic. Your goal is to build up Runechants, often forgoing attacks to do so, and eventually drop the hammer with huge attacks like Ninth Blade of the Blood Oath. Runechants are the resource you need to manage, and spending time building those up definitely gives off a strong Ramp vibe. If you like building up your stockpile so you can make a huge attack, this is the way to go. Old Bravo would have fit into this category too, but he’s recently taken a more elemental approach.
Funnily enough, Viserai also has Affinity-esque vibes, as the Runechants make all your spells cheaper, but I still think Ramp is the best comparison.
If you like Storm, you should play Kano.
Hero / Weapon / Equipment 1 x Arcanite Skullcap 1 x Blood Drop Brocade 1 x Crucible of Aetherweave 1 x Fyendal's Spring Tunic 1 x Ironrot Gauntlet 1 x Metacarpus Node 1 x Ragamuffin's Hat 1 x Robe of Rapture 1 x Robe of Rapture 1 x Storm Striders 1 x Talismanic Lens Pitch 1 1 x Aether Flare (1) 2 x Aether Spindle (1) 2 x Aether Wildfire (1) 2 x Blazing Aether (1) 2 x Snapback (1) 1 x Stir the Aetherwinds (1) 2 x Tome of Aetherwind (1) Pitch 2 2 x Chain Lightning (2) 2 x Lesson in Lava (2) 2 x Sonic Boom (2) 2 x Tome of Fyendal (2) Pitch 3 1 x Aether Flare (3) 2 x Cindering Foresight (3) 2 x Energy Potion (3) 1 x Eye of Ophidia (3) 2 x Gaze the Ages (3) 2 x Potion of Deja Vu (3) 2 x Reverberate (3) 2 x Scalding Rain (3) 2 x Scour (3) 2 x Snapback (3) 2 x Zap (3)
In a shocking twist, the Hero I enjoy most is similar to Storm decks – who could have seen that coming? While Kano doesn’t explicitly pay you off for playing tons of spells in the same turn, the mechanic of pitching a card to play more cards and chaining them together certainly has the right feel. Sequencing is important for every Hero in FAB, but Kano more than most, as the goal is to increase Arcane damage and hit them with a flurry of multi-shot spells.
If you like aggro, you should play Chane.
Hero / Weapon / Equipment 1 x Arcanite Skullcap 1 x Carrion Husk 1 x Grasp of the Arknight 1 x Rosetta Thorn 1 x Spellbound Creepers 1 x Vexing Quillhand Pitch 1 3 x Belittle (1) 3 x Bounding Demigon (1) 3 x Command and Conquer (1) 3 x Ghostly Visit (1) 3 x Howl From Beyond (1) 3 x Minnowism (1) 3 x Rift Bind (1) 2 x Runic Reclamation (1) 3 x Shadow Puppetry (1) 1 x Soul Reaping (1) 3 x Unhallowed Rites (1) 3 x Unmovable (1) 2 x Vexing Malice (1) Pitch 2 3 x Art of War (2) 1 x Captain's Call (2) 1 x Lead the Charge (2) 2 x Mauvrion Skies (2) 2 x Shrill of Skullform (2) 2 x Tome of Fyendal (2) Pitch 3 3 x Bounding Demigon (3) 3 x Captain's Call (3) 1 x Drowning Dire (3) 1 x Eclipse (3) 3 x Invert Existence (3) 3 x Mauvrion Skies (3) 2 x Minnowism (3) 1 x Seeping Shadows (3) 3 x Shadow of Ursur (3) 3 x Shrill of Skullform (3) 2 x Timesnap Potion (3) 3 x Vexing Malice (3)
While there are many ways to build Chane decks, aggression is a big part of the strategy. Chane offers plenty of power, but at a cost – blood debt will eventually catch up to you if you don’t end the game. Aggressive Chane strategies are similar to aggro in Magic these days – you attack early and often, but have plenty of ways to not run out of gas if your initial salvo fails. That doesn’t mean you want to go for the long game against control/ramp style decks, but you aren’t one-and-done either. Chane is a tricky Hero to play, but quite rewarding once you get the hang of it.
If you like Control, you should play Oldhim.
Hero / Weapon / Equipment 1 x Crater Fist 1 x Crown of Seeds 1 x Fyendal's Spring Tunic 1 x Heart of Ice 1 x Ironhide Legs 1 x Nullrune Boots 1 x Nullrune Gloves 1 x Rampart of the Ram's Head 1 x Sledge of Anvilheim 1 x Stalagmite, Bastion of Isenloft 1 x Winter's Wail Pitch 1 2 x Command and Conquer (1) 2 x Enlightened Strike (1) 2 x Fate Foreseen (1) 2 x Oaken Old (1) 1 x Pulverize (1) 2 x Pummel (1) 2 x Sigil of Solace (1) 2 x Spinal Crush (1) 1 x Steadfast (1) Pitch 3 2 x Autumn's Touch (3) 1 x Awakening (3) 2 x Channel Lake Frigid (3) 1 x Glacial Footsteps (3) 1 x Heart of Fyendal (3) 2 x Macho Grande (3) 2 x Polar Blast (3) 1 x Pulse of Isenloft (3) 2 x Sow Tomorrow (3) 2 x Staunch Response (3) 2 x Tear Asunder (3) 2 x Winter's Bite (3) 2 x Winter's Grasp (3)
With a strong defensive Hero power, Oldhim is the perfect choice if you enjoy drawing out the game and winning with powerful finishers. Oldhim plays the resource management game nicely, and you’ll feel right at home if you’re used to having a hand full of counterspells.
These are but a sampling of decks to try, and if you’re thinking of jumping into Flesh and Blood, I hope this helps!
What if we like Midrange 🙂 ?
Prism
I would have compared Chane to Dredge, and perhaps a Ninja or Warrior to aggro? Also, Oldhim like Mono Blue control seems about right, maybe comparing Prism to a super friends/planeswalker control deck would also be apt, since it’s a control deck all about building small advantages that compound every turn.
Play Prism if you like Planeswalker Control decks. She’s all about small incremental advantages that compound each turn.