(Kano, Dracai of Aether | Art by Alexander Mokhov)

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 to interactions with other heroes. Looking at Blitz, CC, and UPF, we’ll see which heroes are winners, playable, fun, or need more support.

After the Flesh and Blood ice age, many players sighed in relief. Iyslander was scary enough as a Wizard, the ice part just made her that much more terrifying and annoying. But many players still forget about the first Wizard, the original arcane headache – Kano. Through the times he’s gotten more fuel for his flames, and today we’re going to take a look at what the Dracai of Aether has up his sleeve.

What Does Kano Do?

Young Kano has four intellect and 15 life, while adult Kano (Kano, Dracai of Aether) has four intellect and 30 life. He’s a Wizard hero, which means he can use generic and Wizard cards. Kano has an instant effect where for the low price of three resources, you can basically play non-attack action cards on your opponent’s turn. More on this later.

Weapon and Equipment

Like other Wizards, Kano uses a staff – his Crucible of Aetherweave. Kano loves dealing arcane damage, and his staff helps him deal even more. You just need one point of damage to pass and you can add another one for one resource. Another option is Waning Moon, also a Wizard staff that’s a bit more expensive and a bit more powerful. Pay two to deal two, or three if it’s not your turn, and for the most part, it won’t be your turn.

Looking at Kano’s equipment, there are a few pieces with which you can’t go wrong: Alluvion Constellas, Fyendal’s Spring Tunic, or Spellfire Cloak for your chest piece; Storm Striders for your legs (shocking, I know); Metacarpus Node for your arm piece; and Ragamuffin’s Hat for your headpiece (just read the card, it makes sense). You can swap out almost any of these for common pieces such as Mage Master Boots or Robe of Rapture, but that will depend on the format you’re playing, your matchup, and your deck budget.

Core Cards for Kano

Let’s just get attack actions out of the way. The answer is no, you will not need them. You might put in one or two really heavy hitters like Nourishing Emptiness or Fyendal's Fighting Spirit, but that’s it. Arcane damage is your best friend and your magical bread and butter will be Wizard action cards.

Kano has a few specializations and wants to play them. Blazing Aether and Lesson in Lava are both excellent picks. Aether Flare, Aether Wildfire, Aether Spindle, even Emeritus Scolding are beautifully pain inducing action cards that your opponents will hate to see. 

But enough about arcane (and regular) damage. Take a look at Tome of Aetherwind. Or Gaze the Ages. Or even Contest the Mindfield and Potion of Déjà Vu. All of these have one thing in common: helping you set up for your turn or your opponent’s turn. Don’t disregard a good setup; preparation is half the game for Kano.

If this all seems too expensive to play, you’re right. That’s why adding a few Energy Potion cards will make your life generally easier. Kindle is also a nifty little instant that you should be including in your Kano deck.

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

Some cards we talked about before are banned in Blitz. But no time for crying over spilled milk – you have opponents to defeat. Turtling isn’t a bad strategy; many have survived to greet another day with one or two cards in hand. And while it is true that offense sometimes is the best defense, there is a reason Wizard cards block for three. Keep your head cool and chip away at your opponent’s health bit by bit.

Say bye bye to the two cards above in your Blitz deck, but fret not! While you don’t have much time on your hands to unleash ultimate chaos, you can still prepare for you turn, just quickly. You’re aiming for big arcane damage and cheat cards that you can play as instants.  When you set up for that, nothing else matters and nobody can stop you, at least not in Blitz.

CC

Kano, Dracai of Aether is the master of getting hit only once. Your opponent can’t hit you if they’re busy preventing arcane damage. And you’ve got all the time in the world, or at least more than in Blitz. People are scared of you because they can’t stop you. There’s only a few things you should keep in mind while piloting Kano. You need to know every single card you have in your deck by heart, outthink your opponent, and pitch stack like your life depends on it. The cards you drew don’t even matter the first few turns. What matters is surviving until you get that golden combo.

What the golden combo is depends on the big arcane hitter that you’re playing, but you need that, blues for pitching, and preferably a way to gain or have go again. You will cycle through your deck, you will play almost exclusively on your opponent’s turn, and you will be a headache. Keep in mind the cards that they play – how many blues did they have, how much AB are they playing, and how often do they let your damage just pass? These are all things you should be cautious about. 

UPF

Honest recommendation: if you want to play a wizard in UPF, play Emperor. Kano is not built to withstand a beating. Your only option for a good time with him is a group hug type deck for which Kano doesn’t have much support. If you want to play Emperor, take a look at this article.

Emperor, Illus. by Sam Yang

Overall Score: Fun to Play

Taking control of the game is the definition of Kano. Taking down foes twice his size is practically a calling card at this point. The only problem with Kano is that this is a hero you really need to know how to pilot. All the tools are there, but winning the game isn’t that simple. You need to know your deck inside and out. You need to plan your moves three steps ahead. And you need to do the thinking for both your turn and your opponent’s. If you can do all that, victory will be yours. 

Further Reading:

Play on Both Turns With Wizards In Flesh and Blood!

A History of Wizards in Flesh and Blood

Taking the Tempo in Flesh and Blood

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?