(Katsu, The Wanderer | Art by Adolfo Navarro)

Welcome back to CnC! Through this series, we’ll break down just what each hero brings to the table, from abilities, to playable cards and equipment, and interactions with other heroes. Looking at Blitz, CC, and UPF, we’ll see which heroes are winners, playable, fun, or need more support.

Four heroes were the first in Flesh and Blood history. We talked about our Warrior and our Guardian, and today we’ll take a look at our resident Ninja. Katsu has gotten plenty of praise over the years, as well as fanarts, cosplays, and LL points. With plenty of specializations and victorious matches, The Wanderer isn’t just some hero. Let’s take a closer look at him.

What Does Katsu Do?

Young Katsu has four intellect and 20 life, while the adult hero, Katsu, The Wanderer, has 40 life. He’s a Ninja hero, which means he can play generic and Ninja cards. The first time that an attack action card you control hits during your turn, you may discard a zero-cost card. If you do that, you can look through your deck, banish a combo card (which you can play this turn), and then shuffle your deck.

Weapons and Equipment for Katsu

Just like Ira, this Ninja also loves his Kodachis. The Harmonized Kodachi is a Ninja staple and a very welcome one in every Katsu deck. You need those zero-cost cards anyway to activate your ability, so why not use them for your occasional weapon swing?
The Kodachi is really the only weapon you’ll be swinging, but if you think one is enough, why not try fashioning an Arcane Lantern in your other hand. With so many decks sporting arcane damage, having extra Arcane Barrier at hand isn’t such a bad idea.

As for your robes, the situation is very similar to most Ninjas. You’ll want a mask for your headpiece, probably Mask of Momentum or Mask of the Pouncing Lynx. Your arm piece is pretty obvious – Breaking Scales will give your combo cards that extra push that makes them hit. As for the chest piece, a good old fashioned Fyendal’s Spring Tunic goes a long way. For more potent punches, there’s also Heartened Cross Strap. Your leg area will also give you some combo support with Breeze Rider Boots, while Tide Flippers is a good AB choice.

Core Cards

Katsu loves combo cards. I cannot stress this enough. Your deck will mostly be made up of attack action cards, with half of them or even more being combo cards. The Bonds of Ancestry chain is probably the best, with the card giving you more than one option when it comes to cards that come before it. From Surging Strike to Whelming Gustwave or Descendent Gustwave following up, leading to Bonds and finishing off with Dishonor being the one that brings together everything you worked for.
Another good way to continue a Gustwave combo would be with Katsu’s specialization Mugenshi: RELEASE yellow, followed by his other specialization, Lord of Wind. Don’t forget, Katsu isn’t only about Ninja cards. Enlightened Strike and Command and Conquer will most likely go into your deck.

You won’t need many reactions in your deck, non-attack actions, or instants. What you should have in your deck is Ancestral Harmony, which is another lovely way to buff your combo cards. Reaction-wise, the only one you’ll probably need is Flic Flak, and both red and blue ones at that. If you really want to get spicy, throwing in an Art of War wouldn’t be a bad idea. Attack reactions are also ok in your deck, but mostly just Ancestral Empowerment.
Most of your cards will be zero cost, so don’t worry about having enough pitch. Zero-cost blues and yellows will be welcome for your Kodachi attacks, but half of your deck should be red.
Let’s take a look at the formats he can be played in and see if he’s playable, fun, a winner, or needs more support.

Blitz

Health isn’t an issue for Katsu in Blitz. The main reason is that he’s too busy attacking to notice the opponent has even done anything. He’ll play zero-cost cards such as Hundred Winds and combo the cards onto themselves or create three Crouching Tiger tokens, give them all plus one and come at you with a Tiger Swipe or Growl. Part the Mistveil might have Zen, but till he starts showing some muscle, Katsu is the alpha tiger. A beautiful card you’ll need in your Blitz deck is also the shapeshifting Be Like Water. It might just get you out of a situation where you’re missing the start of a good combo piece.

CC

There really isn’t a wrong way to play Katsu in CC. Pack your zero-cost cards and your blues for pitching and you’re ready to take the tempo. Constant pressure is the way to go with The Wanderer and you should be attacking with at least two or three cards every turn. If you start getting pressured into blocking, just let the damage pass. Sometimes the best defense is offense.

When sideboarding, think about which combo piece will be really problematic for this opponent. For example, are you playing against Kassai and want to make her lose her hero ability? Bonds of Ancestry chain finishing off with Dishonor will be her downfall. A smart player will know how you plan on finishing your combo and won’t let your cards hit, so they might stop your chain at the second attack. Your equipment will be very helpful here as well as your reactions. Sometimes that plus one is all you need for the damage to pass, for the card to get go again, and for your combo chain to continue.

UPF

Katsu may not be the best choice for Ultimate Pit Fight, but if you really want to play him, go for it. You have two options with him – sharing is caring, and destroying the weak. You’ll most likely want the latter, as many of your cards want an intact combat chain for maximum damage. Teaming up with somebody to take down everybody else might sound like a good idea, but good luck getting anybody on your side. Katsu is a threat, so make sure you’re prepared to become a target yourself.

Overall Score: Winner

With Part the Mistveil bringing a new Ninja hero, Katsu might get pushed to the side. But till that hero proves himself worthy, The Wanderer will definitely stay a winner. If you like dishing out a lot of damage and watching your opponent cry as they throw their last defense, knowing that you still have more cards in hand, then Katsu is the hero for you!

Valera

Valera tried Magic in highschool then forgot about it. Some years later, she fell in love with broken FaB heroes (like Data Doll MKII) and tribal commander MTG decks. A shapeshifter, collector, traveller, writer... Who needs free time?