The Future of the Living Legends Format
December 21, 2023 by
Peter Buddensiek 
(Bravo, Star of the Show | Art by Marco Wulfr)
Living Legend
For the last year there have been rumblings and rumors about when a particular high-power Flesh and Blood format would finally be legal. A format where you could play your old favorite heroes that achieved Living Legend status and were no longer legal in Classic Constructed. And that time has finally come.
The Living Legend format made its international debut at the Battle Hardened event in Barcelona on day three of the World Championship. This highly anticipated tournament did not disappoint. With 281 players competing in this new format for a Prism statue, collectors and players alike took their shot at winning it all!
Tale Of the Tape
Out of those 281 players, one thing stood out: Bravo, Star of the Show. With 112 people running the infamous hero, and making him the most played hero by a wide margin, he was out to shine that weekend. The powerhouse of Starvo was the fastest deck to ever hit Living Legend and rotate out of Classic Constructed, and it’s the cornerstone of this new format.
With the entire top eight of the tournament being Starvo, you know this was his format to reveal, dominate, and go again. The first winner of a Living Legend Battle Hardened was a familiar face: Lucas Oswald. Piloting the star of the show, one of North America’s bright talents did it again, adding another Pro Tour invite to his collection and the coveted Fabled Collection Prism Statue.
This did have people asking questions, though. Was this just a one time event, or would LSS build on this format for the future? That question was answered with the latest Banned and Restricted announcement by Bryan Gottlieb.
A New Format
Living Legend was the main subject of the announcement. With seven updates to the format, they really wanted to change it up! We found out the method of controlling the format LSS wants to use going forward is restrictions, which limit the total number of copies of specific cards to only one copy in a deck. The article repeatedly states that this iss a format where they want the most powerful gameplay and for everyone to use all of the cards available in Flesh and Blood. Restrictions align with this idea perfectly, allowing you to still be able to play every card in the game but not be able to see or use that effect on an every-game basis.
The seven restrictions are Awakening, Channel Lake Frigid, Hypothermia, Crippling Crush, Oaken Old, Star Struck, and Warmonger’s Diplomacy. Every one of these seven cards were found in Starvo lists at the event and made a clear indication that they would be keeping a close eye on the most powerful deck, but still do believe he will be a pivotal force in the metagame.
The Future
With all these changes, what does it mean for the format moving forward? With a tone-down of the best deck in the format and restrictions on specific cards, I expect a couple things to happen as a result. The first major result is that Chane, Bound by Shadow will be a pivotal piece of the metagame moving forward. Something that was lacking at that Battle Hardened was Chane, who was nowhere to be seen. The old Pro Tour One Championship hero had no seat at the table with only an abysmal eleven people deciding to run it. With the deck’s hate cards like Warmonger’s Diplomacy, Channel Lake Frigid, and Hypothermia gone, I fully expect him to be back on the menu for future events.
Just like Chane, other Runeblades like Viserai, Rune Blood also appreciate the restrictions. The power Viserai has with his combo of Bloodsheath Skeleta and Sonata Arcanix is immense, and it might also be his time in the light. With many fans of the deck left disappointed with the effect banning Skeleta has had on the hero right before the first Pro Tour, maybe he’ll return to be a pivotal force like he once was.
Parting Thoughts
With a whole new format being introduced, I can’t wait for the innovation and future it creates. If this also excites you or if you think I missed something, let me know in the comments below. There’s been a lot of discussion around this format and I can’t wait to hear what everyone has to say. Will Starvo shake off these restrictions and still be a powerful force, or will old faces get to come into view and take control?
Whatever happens, I can’t wait to see it in Flesh and Blood.
Further Reading:
Flesh and Blood’s Living Legend System, and the Power of Storytelling
