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Player Guides

There are many ways to get started with a TCG, but in the case of Flesh and Blood in particular, we've always felt it's best to start with a hero. The heroes of Rathe form an identity and shape the strategies and tactics you'll develop first. So we've collected a series of introductory FAB101 articles to help you find the hero who's right for you.

Assassins

Assassins use disruption and hidden information to gain incremental advantages across a long game. With ample access to attack reactions and Uzuri's unique ability to replace one attack with another, opponents must make blocking decisions without really knowing what's at stake. Assassins have tools to burn cards from the opponent's deck, which forms the core of Arakni's gameplay. A young class with plenty of room to grow, Assassin is a great fit if you like catching people off guard and stripping them of agency.

Brutes

The Brutes of Flesh and Blood push the boundaries of the cost-for-power formula. By discarding their own cards, they get incredible power for low cost, seize extra actions, and deprive opponents of defensive options. Rhinar has long been the definitive Brute, and while his strategy may look random, with time and familiarity you see just how much control Rhinar has of a game. Kayo is built to go wider, with greater freedom to prioritize resources over raw power. Under the influence of Shadow, Levia pushes beyond the graveyard and into the banished zone, where her debts to demonic forces pile up in a dangerous game of risk vs. reward. If you like to put it all on the line for a strong assault, Brute may be the class for you.

Guardians

When a Guardian shuffles up a deck, they expect to see every card in it. Guardians play the long game, aiming to outlast you by using most of their cards for resources rather than playing them. Bravo's famous "Anothos for 6" has worn down many opponents as he sets up a stacked deck for the late game; when he sets down the hammer in favor of an attack from hand, it's going to hurt. Victor takes a more defensive approach, but similarly uses his cards primarily for resources and blocking; his aim is to wear you down to the point he can defeat you simply with numbers. Betsy's approach is more attack-focused, as she wants to claim rewards for pushing damage through. Rotated from both Classic Constructed and Blitz, Oldhim waits for Living Legend events to bring his disruptive ice and enduring earth to the Guardian class. These heroes are for you if playing toward the late game and blocking damage is your idea of a good time.

Illusionists

Illusionists establish presence on the board through conjured allies and auras. Dromai's illusions take the form of dragons, while Prism's are more angelic. Illusionists have strong preferences in their resource curves, which can lead to deckbuilding and play pattern constraints - more than most other classes, a player needs to learn a lot of unique skills to pilot an Illusionist deck. If you like building up a board toward overwhelming victory, Illusionists offer an entirely unique Flesh and Blood experience.

Mechanologists

Within the card pools of Flesh and Blood, none is so insular as the Mechanologist. These heroes focus intently on their class cards, often to the exclusion of generics altogether. The class began with Dash, who's most frequently played as a weapon upgrading deck with a 'too wide to fail' endgame strategy. Recently, Dash has acquired a new I/O version, whose constant knowledge of the top of her deck is paired with the ability to cheat items into play from there. Maxx Nitro has emerged as the preeminent reckless Mechanologist; he burns through his own deck to go wide while hitting hard. And Teklovossen aims to upgrade his equipment, blocking and cycling until he can put his endgame into motion. There's a common theme of collecting the pieces for a big finish that unites these disparate Mechanologists, and if that appeals to you, then Metrix is right this way.

Ninjas

Death by a thousand cuts is an overused cliche, but it nonetheless accurately describes the Ninja class. These heroes string together long series of small attacks, finding power in the way they chain together. Katsu is especially focused on the sequencing, with many attacks calling out card titles by name. Fai stretches the limits of the combat chain, overwhelming the enemy's defenses with sheer quantity. Players who like to play a lot of cards will find the Ninja class speaks to them.

Rangers

The Ranger card pool is dominated by the arrow: a subtype of attacks that must be played from the arsenal by a hero equipping a bow. If those hurdles don't turn you off, you may have Ranger in your blood. Azalea founded the class with her preference for hard-to-block disruption and draw manipulation. Lexi (a Classic Constructed Living Legend) tried taking a wide approach to combat instead, opting to offer up disruption across multiple attacks and asking the opponent to determine how to value them. Riptide uses his arsenal for both arrows and traps, a defensive card type that moves his disruption to the opponent's turn. Rangers are well suited for players who like modular control and want to win by foiling the enemy's plans at every turn.

Runeblades

Runeblades split damage across two planes, and ask you to simultaneously address both on the defensive. To fully block out a Runeblade is a taxing task, if possible at all. Viserai is the most flexible of the lot, but what he offers uniquely is the ability to store up massive amounts of arcane damage to finish an opponent with one devastating attack. Briar prefers to apply constant pressure across a series of small attacks; notably, adult Briar has moved to Living Legend, where she joins the like-minded Chane. Vynnset picks up the Shadow where Chane left off, banishing cards in hopes to play them out through board state rather than resources. You may enjoy Runeblade if a battle across two planes appeals to you.

Warriors

Warriors rely heavily on their weapons, but where an attack goes from that basic start is anyone's guess. Dorinthea lives in the attack reaction step, aiming to climb over the top of defenses to enable a second swing of her sword and snowballing momentum. Boltyn plays for the finisher instead, and while his attacks also climb, they do so with the goal of bringing the opponent's life total low enough for a massive combo to end it. Kassai can shift her focus across either of her sword attacks, and how she values each in a turn is her primary strategy. Olympia looks to score hits in pursuit of greater hand sculpting; his draw power, fueled by gold, ensures you find the cards you need faster. Warriors appeal to players who enjoy the bluffing game.

Wizards

Wizards abandon the physical plane of combat in favor of direct damage that’s hard to avoid. Kano plays at instant speed, and aims to combo out with multiplicative damage. Iyslander, a Living Legend in both Classic Constructed and Blitz, played a slower, more disruptive angle. Both force the opponent to adjust their gameplay radically to address yours. Wizards are for players who like to think hard to find their wins, and require a strong ability to analyze your windows of opportunity to strike at the perfect moment to close out the game or tilt it irrevocably in your favor.