(Bravo, Showstopper | Art by Alexander Mokhov)

Flesh and Blood is a brutal game of pitched combat between powerful heroes, with some of the most aggressive decks able to craft turns presenting over 20 damage. But FAB’s history has seen a few decks choose a different path – one lined with refrigerators, armor, and stamina to bring the game to a controversial end: fatigue.

Understanding your hand’s value to determine the maximum offensive output you can achieve is typically the first step in deciding which, if any, cards you can use to throw in the way of your opponent’s attacks. Performing these calculations is essential for nearly every matchup. However, some heroes build to excel in a defensive, long-term game plan.

Let’s explore the past, present, and future of fatigue in Flesh and Blood.

Key Points

• Flesh and Blood is a game of attacking and blocking
• Oldhim was the best deck that could win on defense
• More fatigue archetypes are coming for all classes
• Currently Brutes, Guardians, and Mechanologists can all fatigue

The History of Fatigue in Flesh and Blood

All the way back in Welcome to Rathe, blocking was a fundamental part of the game. Particularly in limited play, outliving your opponent’s power cards became a key strategy for FAB’s inaugural heroes.

The Guardian of Aria, Bravo became the game’s first block-heavy hero. With access to plenty of defense reactions and an incredible variety of blue cards that block for three, Bravo was sure to be Welcome to Rathe’s tank.

Another hero emerged in the competitive circuit to outshine the Anothos-wielding wunderkind, wah-eee-ooo turtle Katsu. Flic Flak and a pair of Kodachis helped this Ninja against his heavier-hitting adversaries.

Arcane Rising brought four new classes to the game and another critical piece to the defender’s toolkit: Fate Foreseen. Dash emerged as a long-game contender who could bide her time as she upgraded her Teklo Plasma Pistol and out-valued her battle-worn counterpart.

Monarch Limited proved the utility of fatigue play. But in Classic Constructed, it took some time to see how to slow down the most powerful hero the game had seen to date: Chane. 

It would take the innovative play of Tyler Horspool and Prism to temporarily put the brakes on the Shadow Runeblade at the 2021 Calling in Las Vegas.

Tyler’s deck, specifically, and Prism’s Illusionist card pool, generally, showed Flesh and Blood players the innovative ways the game’s mechanics can create defensive value.

However, no hero exemplified the tank archetype more than Tales of Aria’s own Oldhim.

Oldhim — the Grandfather of Eternity and Shield of Isenloft

Oldhim became a staple deck at the same time Michael Hamilton became a household name. It was November 2021. The first US National Championship was in Orlando, Florida, paired alongside a Calling in The Runeblade Era.

Briar, Warden of Thorns and Chane, Bound by Shadow sat atop the standings at every event in sight, but the players in the Calling weren’t afraid to go off the assumed meta path. The Calling Orlando’s top 8 included:

• Three Briars
• Two Oldhims
• One Bravo
• One Chane
• One Viserai

The Guardian heroes proved to live up to their high-defense destinies, and Michael Hamilton showed the world that Oldhim was ready to push himself into the top echelon of Flesh and Blood (you know, until Starvo and then until reaching Living Legend status).

Oldhim maintained a high win rate but relatively low attendance throughout his tenure in constructed formats. Crown of Seeds and Winter’s Wail proved to be two of the most powerful equipment pieces ever printed.

No other hero could cover the litany of damage this Elemental Guardian could. Many players despised Oldhim’s defensive capabilities, particularly when they were enhanced from Ice talent cards.

However, fatigue remains a valid tactic today and will continue into the future of Flesh and Blood.

The Current State of Fatigue

Lexi, Livewire is the reigning queen of the meta. Her onslaught of arrows is hard, but not impossible to outlive. The last remaining Guardian, Bravo, and a variety of Mechanologist decks (like Treefrog Dash) can fatigue the lithe Ranger, but differently than Oldhim.

When a Ranger hero is at the top of the meta, players know that when they run out of arrows, they’re truly out of threats. While Dash and Bravo can try their best to get to the end of Lexi’s pile with a handful of health remaining and activate their weapon turn after turn, theoretically, many other heroes could do the same. 

Runeblades and Brutes have access to some incredible pieces of armor. Iyslander has ice magic to slow down aggressors. And current limited favorite Teklovossen could assemble enough EVOs to nullify any arrows shot his way.

Angelic Prism can create a ward wall to make up for her zero-defense cards and lower health. Assassins can leverage their recyclable armor to block out nasty hit effects while biding their time to find an opening. Riptide is lurking in the dark, setting his traps for a meta to come. A meta beyond the heroes from Aria. A meta promised to be meticulously more balanced for years to come.

The Future of Fatigue

With Heavy Hitters on the horizon as possibly another talentless set, Flesh and Blood returns to a game balanced between attacking, defending, and interactive permanents on the board.

While some classes can block more reliably than others, an increasing array of equipment pieces, block-type cards, and defense reactions will help any hero stay alive longer.

In Bright Lights, we received several cards designed just to help block attacks. Some of them even increase their blocking potential if they’re blocking an attack with overpower, the key evasion mechanic in the set.

The limited set before that, Outsiders, also contained various defensive maneuvers in the form of traps. These protective features allowed for a more dynamic experience in limited and beyond, much like in Welcome to Rathe, which had generic and class-specific defense reactions.

I believe Heavy Hitters will follow this same trend. It’s even possible to have a total repeat of the classes represented in Welcome to Rathe in this gladiatorial combat-themed release (maybe without a Ninja). 

Fatigue is likely to become a matchup tactic rather than a full-on tournament strategy. I think this is exactly what LSS intends.

I’m also willing to bet that our next defense-heavy hero will come from Heavy Hitters. This time, though, it won’t be a Guardian. Prepare yourselves for (prediction time) a spear and shield Warrior who will constantly try to stay one step ahead of their opponent by utilizing the reaction step on both sides of combat.

The future of fatigue in Flesh and Blood looks to be less controlling and more of an even trade of a card for a card as heroes look to rely on their weapons and late-game red attacks to seal the deal.

Tommy Mains

Tommy Mains is a long-time tabletop gamer. He fell in love with Flesh and Blood's thematic gameplay and expansive lore. Find more of him on YouTube — @fleshandbloodbrothers.