(Kavdaen, Trader of Skins | Art by Nikolay Moskvin)

Merchants are some of the most overlooked heroes in the game. They’re also some of the most beloved. Playing Merchant is often about sitting down at a table and declaring that you’re there to have fun, no matter the outcome. The decks come with immaculate vibes and goofy win conditions.

For those that are looking to do some goofy stuff and leave the opponent confused, Merchant may be your class.

What Kind of Store Are You Opening?

There are two different merchants to choose from in Blitz, with different abilities revolving around currency generation.

Kavdaen, Trader of Skins

Kav is the original merchant and has a bit more of a sinister ability when compared to the other two. Kav’s game plan in Blitz is typically aimed at outlasting the opponent. He can really grind a game out with his ability to slowly equalize the life totals.

A skilled Kavdaen pilot can modulate the life totals to bring their opponent into range to one-shot them with some kind of large threat. This is usually by trying to start your turn two life below the opponent every turn to be able to bring them down a life and you up one. In other cases, Kav is built as a fatigue deck that uses much the same method, but just trying to wait till the opponent runs out of cards naturally or is in range to have to double block every attack you send at them.

Genis Wotchuneed

Genis offers a different playstyle when compared to his other Merchant counterpart. He prefers to offer the opponent a catch-22. If they choose to filter their hand, you get a Silver for later. If they don’t, you get to draw a card.

Letting Genis have a Silver is usually the choice that they pick. This can be leveraged by playing payoffs in your deck. The most common deck for Genis is Potion O.T.K. (one turn kill). In this build, the goal is to assemble a bunch of potions on board and use them for a big attack (typically Regurgitating Slog). While this may sound hard, there are cards to help.

Merchandise

Merchant has just one card in their Blitz card pool. So, they have to rely on mostly generics to get the job done. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have iconic cards, though. There are a handful of cards that feel uniquely suited to them.

Silver Palms

This is the only Merchant card that is currently legal in Blitz. It can be a good token generator if you think that it will trigger and you can mitigate your opponent having an extra card. Beyond this, it’s a shinier version of Ironrot Gauntlet that wins major flavor points for the deck. I would go ahead and play it if I want a blocking equip for the arm slot.

Knick Knack Bric-a-brac

This is one of the only decks to seriously include Knick Knack Bric-a-brac. Searching up many potions in one turn saves a lot of time on finding them and playing them. This allows a Potion O.T.K. deck to assemble their Energy Potions, Potion of Strengths, and possibly some Timesnap Potions, with ease. Then there’s the advantage of not having to draw as many potions. When it comes to nice payoffs to play for money tokens, this is one of the most synergistic.

Cash In

There are more powerful decks for Cash In, but there are some Merchant builds that can use it quite well too. If you’re playing Genis and have an abundance of Silver, it can be good to filter. Finding pieces is the name of the game when it comes to combo decks. There have also been builds using a lot of generic go again attacks. These use Cash In the traditional way and try to make a turn that throws a decently long chain to put the opponent on the back foot.

Cash Out

This can be great for creating just a little more Silver with things you’re done with. When playing this, ideal candidates are a Skullcap with no block left and Talishar on two rust counters. When you run an all-generic deck, you have to make the most of every piece.

Last Ditch Effort

Last Ditch is included in these decks often. This stems from being a great card for longevity. No matter which Merchant you’ve picked, there’s a chance of finding the bottom of your deck. Last Ditch can really steal games in these situations. When it’s not needed to close out games, it’s blue and it blocks three.

The Checkout Line

While Merchant isn’t for everyone, it has a lot to offer for some. The class is the pinnacle of goofy lil’ guys shenaning once just to shenan again. For those that aren’t looking for the highest win rate but are instead seeking some laughs, Merchant might be your deck.

Further Reading:

What to Expect at a Flesh and Blood Skirmish

Is Flesh and Blood Worth Playing at a Casual Level?

The Competitive Edge of Specialists in Flesh and Blood

Jo O'Brien

Jo (they/them) is an avid Flesh and Blood player, judge and, writer. They are one of the blitz specialists here at FABREC. Jo has played a lot of classes and heroes but, they have an affinity for two heroes in particular, Dash and Valda. When not playing FaB, Jo is typically filling their free time playing guitar, playing Apex Legends, or building their next Rube Goldberg machine of a deck.