(Melody, Sing-along | Art by Andy Aslamov)

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.

Round the Table brought us a few new heroes from familiar classes. One of them is the newest Bard of the game: Melody, Sing-along. Obviously, she’s a hero made for multiplayer, with cards and equipment in her precon deck that target each hero. However, many players have tried piloting her in a different shape with different cards and a different strategy.

What Does She Do?

Melody, Sing-along is exclusively a young hero with four intellect and 20 life. She’s a Bard, which means she can play Generic and Bard cards. Her effect benefits her most in UPF as she creates Copper tokens equal to the number of other players in the game every time she plays a song.

Weapons and Equipment

The weapon she’s given in her deck is Jinglewood, Smash Hit, a Bard Fiddle which attacks for two physical damage. The effect is much more important than the damage, because for three resources, once per turn you can choose an opposing hero and they create a token from the list on the weapon. You create some money and rinse-repeat till you’re rich. The Fiddle will get destroyed if you attack with it and it hits.

Another instrument you can use in your UPF games is Hummingbird, Call of Adventure. It’s banned in pretty much every format that’s competitive, but while Yorick isn’t invited to UPF, nobody said his lute can’t come. Unlike Jinglewood, Hummingbird doesn’t target just one hero, but all heroes at the table.

A bunch of decks also use Talishar, the Lost Prince, a classic go-to for a few heroes. If you want your Melody to pack a bit more of a punch, keep Talishar in your sideboard.

Bard equipment from Melody’s precon deck isn’t necessarily bad. Out of the set, you’re most likely to use the leg part, Quickstep. Other equipment you’ll want is the fan-favorite Fyendal’s Spring Tunic, which can work in mostly any deck. The rest will depend greatly on the type of game you’re playing and your opponents.

Cards That Are the Core

This Bard loves music, and a good musician knows many songs. The most important one you’ll want in your deck is the Final Act. In some games, it might be the only attack action you use in your deck. Another fun card you’ll want is Encore, a Bard action that will fetch you that Final Act back from the graveyard.

Other cards will mostly include Songs that are included in the precon Melody deck. The good thing about these Songs is that they have good block value and they can help you get other players on your side.

As far as Generic cards go, Last Ditch Effort, Coax a Commotion and Life of the Party are all good picks. You’ll also want to fill up on Potions, Talismans, and Amulets, but you can choose those that’ll work best for your playstyle.

Let’s take a look at the formats Melody can be played in.

Blitz

A good Blitz deck for Melody isn’t that different from a good UPF deck. However, you need to keep in mind that you don’t have a lot of time for these games. While you’ll have all the time in the world to set up your move in a UPF match, you need to be sure that you get the right cards in the right moment for Blitz matches. Therefore, items just aren’t the best choice, unless you’re running a few in total and their primary task is setting you up.

For example, playing Crazy Brew to make sure you can set up for Life of the Party might be a viable choice, but make sure you can do without it if you don’t draw it early enough.

CC

As a young hero, Melody can’t be played in CC.

UPF

When Melody plays, everybody sings along. And playing this hero is all about letting the table play without you as a target. Your Songs will give everybody something they need, and at the same time make sure you have enough block in case you become a target.

Lay low and don’t become a threat. Your job is to keep the table happy with tokens, and when everybody is defeated, pull out your Final Act and your Encore, make sure you have a bunch of cards in pitch, and just close the curtain on the game.

Overall Score: Fun to Play

If you choose Melody, you’re just going to have a blast. You’re a spectator and backup musician that creates beautiful music to everybody else dishing it out. Blitz is a bit of a different story, but still a pretty fun experience.

Further Reading:

How to Play Melody in Ultimate Pit Fight

Multiplayer Card Design in Flesh and Blood

The Blitz Format is Great, and You Should Be Playing It!

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?