(Yoji, Royal Protector | Art by Othon Nikolaidis)

Yoji is one of the most written-off heroes in Blitz. People tend to see him as only a fatigue deck, but there is a lot more to the hero.  He has access to one of the most powerful class card pools in the game and a bump in life. This actually opens up more options than you may expect.

The Way of The Shield, The Hammer, and The Frying Pan

There are three main ways to build Yoji.

The Shield

A shield is strong and defensive. This build is the same. This is the most competitive version of Yoji, and is known for grinding out games by blocking efficiently and sending Titan’s Fist. The game plan is all about being good at fundamentals and having a lot of (or all) three-block cards in deck.

To supplement this plan of longevity, it runs a handful of gain three life cards. This plan gives the advantage of dealing psychic damage to your opponent’s confidence. Though the list has lost some of it’s power with the (re)banning of Drone, a dedicated pilot should be able to find lines that keep you up on cards while blocking effectively.

Overall, this is a great build for anyone that likes to always have a response for whatever the opponent does.

The Hammer

While it may be named after the weapon, it’s only to indicate that we’re attacking in this build. This is the aggressive Yoji build. It turns out that Guardian has big attack actions, and that’s pretty good when most of the field has 20 or less life. The list is abusing the extra life and one of the best equip suites in the game to keep more cards and play aggressively. As a result, the deck shares a lot of similarities with a Bravo list. The big difference is that it’s very prepared to have the opponent block with their hand. Once you get the opponent blocking, they tend to end up in a dilemma where they know that they can’t take a lot of damage but they’re running out of cards in deck. This usually opens up a turn where the opponent over-extends, and you can close the game with a well timed Pummel.

People who like big numbers and a straightforward plan should give these builds a look.

The Frying Pan

Yoji is a meme machine. It starts at the fact that his textbox does almost nothing in Blitz. Then the real trick is the same reason why the aggressive build works. Yoji is just the best at staying alive since Oldhim went Living Legend. Meme and jank builds struggle with dying before they can set up their fun plays.  He makes the perfect place to build silly combo decks or your favorite pet cards.

If you want to build something goofy and it can fit in the Guardian card pool, give this hero serious consideration.

The Way of the Toolbox

This dude has access to one of the best class card pools, and it gives him some key pieces for his strategies.

The Life Gain

If 22 life is good, more life is gooder! The fatigue builds of the deck are known for running a few life gain cards in the form of Sigil of Solace, Blessing of Deliverance, and Blessing of Patience. This majorly enables Yoji to be an absolute brick wall even into Wizard. Playing Yoji feels like giving a gift that was wrapped multiple times.

You’re going to see some life total bumps multiple times in a game. Blessing of Patience is cool because you can search it with Imposing Visage. The same trick is available with Blessing of Deliverance, but it gives you a card back. Notably, at minimum, this filters the deck, but it can also synergize with Earthlore Bounty if you run it.

The Hammer and The Buckler

While a lot of Guardians run Steelbraid Buckler and Titan’s Fist in the side, Yoji uses it in his main kit. Yoji trades the extra damage of Anothos for three-block each game with Buckler. When he has a full equip suite, he often starts the game with 34 “life.” The shield is also great at keeping break points at bay. This can be crucial in a format that still has Plunder Run legal.

The Bonk

When Yoji needs to end a game with a big swing, he has to turn to a Guardian staple. Red Macho Grande is a card that isn’t seen in a lot of other Guardian decks because the others have better finishers to choose from. For Yoji, ideally one copy of this is getting the opponent low, and the other is ending the game. There are no frills here. This card pushes damage.

The Bling

Fatigue is the most popular of the ways to build the deck. As such, you can leverage Heart of Fyendal in these lists to help with chip damage. It’s also just fun to play with the fabled cards if you have access to them.

The Goofy

With all his sustainability, Yoji can have some goofy or uncommon auras in his deck.  Stamp Authority used to show up in more Guardian lists in the past but a lot of them have outgrown it. A defensive Yoji deck can make use of it to help with things like Assassin, Ninja, and Plunder Run decks. Towering Titan is an old meme card for Guardian. I kind of miss seeing it as a one of in Bravo lists for the hope to get it on turn one. Yoji is typically doing less in his deck and can afford to run one or two of the blue Towering Titan to try and hit that funny first turn.

Nerves of Steel can also be a great add for when you run into decks with a lot of small attacks. All of these Auras become more viable choices when you add Imposing Visage to your decks. Plus, using a whole hand into Visage to get Towering Titan and end your turn is the ultimate power play.

The Emperor is Dead. Now What?

Yoji is quite capable of playing different archetypes. You can even catch the opponent off guard when you aren’t a fatigue deck. He will test your fundamentals and show you where you need to improve. If you want a break from the meta decks, Yoji is a great choice.

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.