A Guide to Living Legend

Parker Brown AKA Br33zy is here to awaken your inner Living Legend with a guide to the most explosive Flesh and Blood format. Get yourself up to speed with the titans of Rathe ahead of Battle Hardened: Los Angeles, where gold and glory awaits...

For us veterans of Flesh and Blood, the term 'Living Legend' has been a part of our daily vocabulary. It’s what we’re referring to when we say things like “back in my day” or “way back when”. For newcomers to the game, skimming through the Living Legend roster might bring about the same feeling you get when you flip through your parents' high school yearbook (To be fair, Chane does give off 1980’s Mötley Crüe vibes). And just like throwing on an old mix tape, you too can relive the good old days, or if you’re new around these parts, ask yourself “what the hell were they doing back then?!”

Once an adult hero gains 1000 points in Classic Constructed they are officially etched into the history books as 100% badass, along with the players who made it happen. This scaling system allows you, the players, to make meta calls and see which heroes have been exuding the gusto required to take down the masses. Regardless of your tenure with Flesh and Blood, it comes as my highest recommendation to bookmark the Living Legend Leaderboard so you can always stay up to date on where each hero stands in their respective format.

Though there is a short list of restricted cards, there are currently no banned cards in Living Legend format. That’s right, it’s time to dust off those Ball Lightnings, Bloodsheath Skeletas, and Winter’s Wails! Knowing that, let’s see how this rowdy bunch might shake up the show at Battle Hardened: Los Angeles and how you can best prepare to play some truly epic games.

Who's Who

It may come as no surprise that Starvo has been an absolute powerhouse in Living Legend format. After all, he charted to the top of the leaderboard faster than any other adult hero at the time. His ability to play Awakening on your turn, stack Seismic Surge tokens, grab a Crippling Crush and then clap back for 13 with dominate, go again, then smash your face with Winter’s Wail is truly a sight to behold.

His Elemental engine allows him to handle aggressively wide decks using Frostbites and nasty on-hits, while punishing slower heroes like Viserai with raw power. Because of this, you may realize that there are a staggering number of players representing Starvo at Living Legend events. Don’t let that deter you from picking up the deck, because the mirror matches are some of the most action-packed games I’ve witnessed to date.

The Star of the Show may come prepared with plenty of fireworks, but he does have defensive weaknesses. With non-blocking instants coupled with 2-defense Element cards, Starvo can be backed into a corner if you keep the tempo racing against him. Many of Starvo's tools were also limited to one copy recently, so he can't consistently slam dunk you turn after turn like he used to.

Speaking of action-packed games, Chane does not disappoint in his showmanship on the battlefield. The OG Shadow Runeblade threw Runechants out the window in exchange for Soul Shackles, forever solidifying himself as the dark rift drifter. And what did he get in exchange for making a pact with Ursur? Go again, baby!

Chane takes the true nature of Runeblade's split damage to the next level when compared to the likes of Viserai or Vynnset. Banishing upwards of 7+ cards in order to string together massive 30+ damage turns means that Chane is one of the most complex and rewarding heroes to pilot in the format. Art of War coupled with Seeds of Agony, Belittle, Minnowism, and a Rift Bind or two make for some fascinating blows. Bonus points if you can cap it all off with a thwip from Rosetta Thorn *chef’s kiss*.

While not for the faint of heart, he’s a rock and roll badass that deserves your attention if you love decks that go BRRRR. Just watch out for Frostbites!

Prism. Whew. The original Illusionist from the good ol’ Monarch days was, and continues to be, a fan favorite. Prism is arguably one of the most lethal heroes to play against if you come to the party unprepared.

Sure, her Heralds are illusions that can be swiftly dispelled by blocking with a 6+ power attack, but she has more than a few tricks up her sleeves. Having your Herald of Erudition popped from phantasm is just something you’ll have to come to terms with as long as Starvo and Oldhim are around. But spectra is the sideways pill your opponent has to swallow, handfuls at a time. Her ability to amass a Pinterest board of auras like Passing Mirage, Merciful Retribution, Genesis, and Arc Light Sentinel make Prism a prime candidate to be the poster child for the word 'riveting'.

Simply have a yellow pitch card in your pitch zone on your turn and transform your aura army into weapons of mass destruction and inflict death by a thousand cuts. All thanks to arguably the most impressive weapon to exist in Flesh and Blood, Luminaris. If you want to tango with Prism, make sure you have a firm grip on reality and pack plenty of 6+ power attacks into your deck.

Fai, while not being a member of the Living Legend roster yet, has access to an absolute powerhouse of a Generic common in the form of Stubby Hammerers. Back in 2022 "Stubbies" were removed from Classic Constructed.

Today, Fai can relive the glory days of popping Stubbies, dropping a Belittle/Minnowism combo, Double Strike, and of course, a couple of Phoenix Flames which can produce Chane levels of damage. The cherry on top is a swift destruction of Mask of the Pouncing Lynx to search for Salt the Wound or Tenacity for one final insult to injury at the end of the chain.

Fai is a prime example that you don’t need a pocket full of points to do explosive things in Living Legend format. Fai is another one of those heroes that loves to race, so a Frostbite or a Pummel to the face would be wise choices when trying to slow him down!

Lexi may be one of the newest cardholders to the elite Living Legend club, but she’s quickly showing the world that she has every right to be here. Harnessing the elements of Ice and Lightning, Lexi has access to pure disruption in the form of Winter’s Bite and Arctic Incarceration while simultaneously snapping go again with cards like Lightning Surge and Electrify.

Though, what pushed Lexi into the spotlight was a build popularized by Yuki Lee Bender. The fuse-less list took advantage of cards like Drill Shot, Infecting Shot, and Bolt’n Shot, backed by monstrous turns with a well timed Three of a Kind or Codex of Frailty. All of this raw, aggressive power is made possible with the help of Voltaire, Strike-Twice.

Lexi, and all Rangers as a matter of fact, have some of the nastiest on-hits in the game, so when you’re chunking 15+ damage per turn, it can really put the pressure on your opponent.

Briar will forever maintain a soft spot in the hearts of Runeblade players and raw hatred from those who oppose her. “Why?” you may ask. Well, she brought one of the most epic weapons to the party. Rosetta Thorn is a token, yes a token, that Briar wields as her signature weapon and it very well may be the reason she sits in the Living Legend lounge today.

Briar is another one of our Elemental heroes from Tales of Aria, similar to Lexi, though she differs by exuding the essence of Earth and Lightning. With access to Earth cards like Channel Mount Heroic and Earthlore Surge to produce massive attacks paired with arcane damage, she often leaves her opponents scratching their heads on how they’re expected to digest it all. She can take full advantage of these monstrous turns by mixing in attacks like Ball Lightning, Arcanic Shockwave, Snatch, and Coax a Commotion.

Not only does she have incredible offensive techniques, she can throw up a defensive brick wall with the help of an Embodiment of Earth token. Like most aggressive playstyles, Briar can be quickly stunted by most disruption and can’t quite deflect heavy doses of instant arcane shilled out by the likes of Kano. Remember, the version of Briar that is legal for Living Legend format is the errata'd version!

The Underdogs

The world where Starvo amassed his Living Legend points was very different from the world that Iyslander earned hers in. But now they co-mingle and, unfortunately, have not been getting along too well. It was during Battle Hardened: Barcelona that the entire world witnessed that even after all this time, Starvo still has what it takes to bully the new kids on the block. So much so, that the entire Top 8 of that event was filled with Starvo players! This was enough to garner the attention of Legend Story Studios and the previously mentioned restrictions were set in motion to help curb some of Starvo’s staunchness.

Now, with these changes in place, the parlor doors are swinging wide open in this wild west of a format. Back in my day, Viserai was the hard counter to Starvo by utilizing an OTK plan. The name of the game is to play Read the Runes and Runeblood Incantation to stack Runechants so high it would make any billionaire envious. Then, with your coin purse filled to the brim with Runechants, destroy Bloodsheath Skeleta, play Sonata Arcanix declaring X = 15+ and draw upwards of 10 cards. Simply follow that up with a Mauvrion Skies into Ninth Blade of the Blood Oath with 30+ Runechants on top and your opponent will be begging for mercy.

With the addition of Scepter of Pain and Looming Doom for steady arcane pings and Sonata Galaxia to fetch out your Runechant generators like Blessing of Occult, Viserai has far more tools at his disposal to become Living Legend’s worst nightmare.

Iyslander is not to be taken lightly in this format, especially if the previously mentioned Viserai wombo-combo begins to claim his seat at the top tables. Utilizing her hero ability to perfectly time when to toss a Frostbite at her opponent requires a degree of mastery. Iyslander is like the city inspector of the Living Legend format. When she shows up, you know you’re playing by her rules and on her time. She keeps things regulated and as soon as things get out of line, she says “in response” and flips a fused Aether Icevein from her arsenal, forcing you to pump the brakes.

Playing against her can be extremely tricky due to the nature of the mind games she puts her opponents through. Does she have a Blizzard in arsenal? Probably not. Are you going to tip-toe around it? Probably. Does he have Channel Lake Frigid? Probably. Iyslander isn’t like her hot-headed counterpart Kano, due to the fact that she wants to play the long game. Sure, she can have explosive turns, but disruption is the name of her game and just when you think you see a window of opportunity, the Storm Striders activate.

Do you like making your opponent sweat? Then Iyslander is the Ice Queen you’ve been looking for and the Living Legend format is the only place you’ll find her.

Speaking of Ice, it’s difficult to think about Oldhim being an underdog, but Old Man Winter just hasn’t seen the love he deserves in the format. When it comes to Guardians that have access to Ice and Earth, his compadre, Bravo, Star of the Show, is quick to steal the limelight. For this reason, he's down here partying with Viserai and Iyslander… for now.

With the recent changes to the Restricted card pool, Starvo may very well be right on par with Oldhim these days. Though, many of the affected cards also have secondhand effects on Oldhim’s strategy, so only time will tell how he manages to pick up the pieces in the format. At a glance, what separates Oldhim from Starvo is pure card efficiency and blocking power. Oldhim has been, and will continue to be, disruptive and punishing to heroes trying to push past his life threshold.

Oldhim earned his Living Legend points by proving he’s capable of doing more than just blocking. His specialization Endless Winter packs a heavy dose of damage on the surface but when fused can cause a whole heap of issues for your opponent. There has never been a hero in Flesh and Blood that oozes with the amount of control that Oldhim does, so his expanse is looking far from bleak.

Anything Goes

With only a short list of restricted cards and the largest card pool of any official format, Living Legend boasts the most expansive canvas to creatively fill with your unique colors. As one door closes, another opens, so you can always look forward to coming back to the format with a fresh perspective as new heroes ascend.

This format exists for two simple reasons: to feel Flesh and Blood at its most explosive power and relive old memories with your favorite heroes. We’re often so focused on conquering the battleground that we forget to visit the playground from time to time. So encourage your locals to give it a shot and talk to your LGS about bringing the format into rotation as an Armory night. Your LGS owner wants nothing more than to see a packed shop full of laughter and comradery, and the Living Legend format promises to deliver that.

The Pro Tour may be the main course at Los Angeles, but you can be certain we'll definitely also be watching the Battle Hardened to see if Bravo makes a thrilling second act performance, or if he'll be ushered into exiting stage right.