Bright Lights Pre-Release Primer

Here in Metrix, it's survival of the fastest! If you can't keep up with the big shots, it's off to the junkyard...

Bright Lights puts the boost in booster set, bringing players into the steam-fueled frenzy of an all-Mechanologist mashup!

This primer will teach you everything you need to know about the new heroes and cards, so you can crank it at your local Pre-Release with style.

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Let's start with some basic reminders for Bright Lights sealed format. Unlike regular Flesh and Blood sets, players start by opening FOUR packs instead of the usual six. Don't worry, you'll still get to open those extra two packs after the event has finished.

When you open your packs, make sure to remove the two cards at the very back. These two cards will be either token cards (such as young heroes and weapons - if you don't have enough to share between players simply ask your store to provide extra tokens), or special cards that you can't play in your sealed games.

These special cards include:

• Expansion slot cards (EVO235 to EVO249)
• Legendary and Fabled rarity cards
• Cold Foil cards
• Extended Art cards
• Adult Hero cards

Using your pool, build a deck of at least 30 (but no more than 40) cards. Choose your hero and weapon, and remember, you also get to start with a full set of Proto Base equipment. There are other Base equipment cards in Bright Lights that have stronger abilities, but you will need to open these in order to play them.

Make sure that the only equipment cards you shuffle into into your main deck before you play are Evo cards. Evo cards also cannot start the game equipped to your hero, you have to draw and play them onto a Base equipment you already have in play.

Evos and Upgrades

Evo cards are special equipment that start in your deck. You can play an Evo from hand, transforming your Base equipment into new cybernetic outfits to stomp the competition! There are many benefits to playing Evos, such as bolstering your defenses and unlocking new abilities. You can identify Evos by their sleek, futuristic border.

When you play an Evo, your Base equipment goes underneath the new Evo card, which is then equipped to its respective zone. Be warned, if your new Evo is destroyed, you won't get the Base equipment back, so you will be unable to play Evos of that type (Head, Chest, Arms, Legs) unless you find a rare way to equip a new Base. If you have an Evo in hand that you can't play, you can always defend with it or pitch it for resources.

Upgrade cards are attack actions that are more powerful the more Evos you have equipped. They can be identified by their copper-coloured border. It's best to try and save these cards for when you have two or more Evos equipped, so you can make the most out their special effects!

Boost and Crank

The Mechanologist class accelerates to new speeds with power-ups to their classic mechanics. Boost is a keyword that allows you to banish the top card of your deck when you attack, getting go again if you banished a Mechanologist card (which is basically every card in your deck). This allows you to attack multiple times, but be careful of stepping on the gas too often, or you'll run out of fuel quicker than expected! Cards with boost and other cards to support them can be identified by their iconic orange steampunk border.

The other longtime staple of the Mechanologist class - items - also receive a brand spanking new feature. Typically when you play an item, you're using your action for the turn to set up for a bigger play later in the game. But with the new crank keyword, you have the option of blasting full steam ahead straight away! The items in Bright Lights gain a number of steam counters when you play them, and if they have crank, you can remove a steam counter to get go again, following up with a cheeky surprise for your opponent. You can identify items by their chrome circuit-like border.

Scrap and Galvanize

Scrap is an innovative new way to get more bang for your buck by turning piles of junk into heavy grade machinery. Scrap cards allow you to banish spent items and equipment to gain extra value, so it's best to play these when you have the materials needed in your graveyard. Both scrap and galvanize cards can be identified by their weathered blue border.

Galvanize gives you greater flexibility than ever, allowing you to use your cards defensively as well. By destroying an item you control, you can increase the defense value of your galvanized card. This is very useful if you have items that are about to self-destruct when they run out of steam counters, or aren't providing you much use by themselves.

Overpower and Block

By now you will have noticed a few cards with the keyword overpower. This is a strong ability that prevents your opponent from defending the attack with more than one action card (that includes the Evos that are also actions, regardless of whether they're in the hand or equipped to your hero). This is a great way to close out games, so you should try to have a few tricks up your sleeve to avoid getting hit with it.

One way is through the new 'block' cards. These are super simple - they block! You defend with them like any other card, but since they're not actions, they can easily get around overpower. Note that the cost circle in the top right-hand corner is blank, this is because block cards cannot be played, only pitched or defended with. Be careful not to put a block card in your arsenal, as then you might not have any way to remove it!

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Teklovossen

Teklovossen is the brilliant mind behind Teklo Industries, bringing a future with Bright Lights to everyone in Metrix. Known for his technological genius, Teklovossen strives to become more than human...

Teklovossen is a control-style deck, defending heavily until he can set up several Evo equipment to stomp the competition! You'll want to have at least three Evo cards from different zones in your card pool to build a Teklovossen deck. Key cards to look out for are the Evo Sentry Base set, which provide cheap defensive value while also being able to transform into other Evos since they are also Bases.

Other cards you'll want to look for are Upgrade attacks to pair with your Evos, 2-cost attacks to pair with your weapon, and high power scrap attacks. Remember to read all of your cards so that you know when to use them correctly! Banishing an Evo then playing it using Teklovossen's hero ability is a key power play in this deck.

Maxx Nitro

Maxx is a rebel, looking to blow apart the fat cats who rule Metrix and rebuild his once-beautiful home from the ground up. Maxx knows his way around an engine or two, rigging Hyper Drivers to propel himself at breakneck speed!

Maxx is an aggressive deck, centered around attacking several times in a turn and exploiting free resources and action points. Boost cards are absolutely critical to Maxx's success, and you will need quite a lot of them to build a successful Maxx deck. Key boost cards to look out for are Crankshaft, Big Bertha, and Jumpstart, which will help you get Maxx-imum value out of your Hyper Drivers.

Other cards to keep an eye out for are cards with overpower so you can finish games before you boost away your whole deck, cards that reduce equipment defense, and extra Hyper Drivers (you can never have too many!). You can also afford to take it slow instead of swinging with Banksy every turn, tricking your opponent into keeping a spare card to defend your weapon, only for you to play an item or put a card into arsenal instead!

Dash, Database

The debut darling Mechanologist is back to cause more mischief than ever! This time, she has teamed up with Data Doll to raise a ruckus with a symbiosis of muscle and machine, unlocking unlimited possibilities...

Dash, Database is a midrange hero, able to adapt and improvise on the fly. Her ability grants useful knowledge about the top of her deck, and allows her to play items on either player's turn. By playing an item with crank at instant speed, Dash can gain an extra action point, since she didn't use her first one by playing the item, and crank grants go again, allowing her to follow up with an attack, another item, or chipping in with her new gun.

You will want about roughly a third of your deck to be items in order to build Dash. Keep an eye out for the Backup Protocols, which can fetch attacks from your graveyard to close out games. Other cards to look out for are cards with scrap and galvanize, so that you can gain extra value from some of the weaker items in your deck. Playing items as instants allows you to keep your opponent guessing, such as tossing in a Boom Grenade when they least expect it.

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We hope you all have a blast with Bright Lights this weekend (and next week for some stores in Europe), and don't forget to share any Marvels, Legendaries, or Fableds you discover with us online! We love seeing players coming together to celebrate the release of a new set, and Bright Lights is unlike any Flesh and Blood booster set we've ever produced, ushering us all into the new age of steam!

Round the Table: TCC x LSS also launches this weekend, allowing players to take control of the Professor himself in a rowdy bout of Ultimate Pit Fight! We're incredibly proud of this new multiplayer box set, and urge you to pick one up at a Bright Lights Pre-Release to play with your friends and family.

Becoming more than human has never been this much fun!

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