Dev Download: Kassai

“Sir, word has reached us from the Moat.”

The general didn’t even bother looking up from the hunk of lamb he was devouring.

“Reports of a young woman. Dark hair, fierce eyes, good with a blade. It sounds like… do you think it could be her?”

“Nonsense!” Scoffed the general, glugging down a goblet of wine. “That scrawny rodent would have perished in the harsh sands years ago.”

“Well, our source spotted a blade of the Cintari tribe in her hand as she fought in the arena.”

That grabbed the general’s attention. He thoughtfully swallowed a half-chewed chunk of meat and scratched his scraggly beard.

“Nobody lasts long in the arena. Even if by some miracle it is her, she won’t get very far.”

“She’s won 17 matches already, sir.”

“17?!”

“Yes, sir.”

He rose from the banquet table, assuming a stern posture with hands clasped behind his back. The illusion of bravery was wasted on the lieutenant, who immediately noticed the slight quivering of his bottom lip.

“It can’t be her. It’s simply not possible. It’s probably just some merc making quick cash for a Moat bender.”

“That’s the thing, sir. Our source followed her back to the treasury and overheard the bookie asking how she was planning to spend her coin.”

“What did she say?”

“Blood.”

Welcome to Dev Download, where we share red hot tips and tricks fresh from the game devs at Legend Story Studios so you can pick up a deck and play like a pro! Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be covering how to play each of the heroes in Heavy Hitters, focusing on Booster Draft and Classic Constructed!

Today, we are taking our revenge with Kassai of the Golden Sand!

Booster Draft

Heavy Hitters has a very dynamic limited style, featuring both multiple heroes of the same class and hybrid cards that are shared amongst them.

Kassai is a lean and mean Warrior, able to pump out extremely efficient attacks due to her powerful ability to gain free weapon swings if you've drawn a card. Kassai's goal is to chip away at the opponent while fueling the graveyard with reds and yellows. Once you have a Gold and an Agility on board, the power she unleashes is next to none! Get the opponent low on life, and let the combination of Cintari Sabers and attack reactions finish the job!

Key signals that Kassai is open are cards that allow you to draw or generate Gold, most notably Draw Swords. Red and yellow attack reactions are also key to both dealing damage and defending against overpower. A good Kassai deck also runs several payoffs for drawing cards such as Rising Speed and Rising Energy. Cards that cost 1 or less and/or have go again are also good pickups.

Having efficient attacks is great, but you still need to be able to play them out. Agility generators like Lead with Speed or Goblet of Bloodrun Wine are some of the most important core functions of the deck, allowing you to swing with your swords alongside your attack actions. The best turns Kassai can produce often revolve around swinging a Cintari Saber with go again from an Agility, into an attack action with go again, into a second Cintari Saber. This means you should also be on the lookout for attacks you can play from your arsenal like Trade In and Performance Bonus, as they work wonders! Red cards are obviously important, but make sure to also grab 4-6 yellows in order to fuel your hero ability.

Classic Constructed

Everyone's favourite mercenary has finally arrived in Classic Constructed and is already slicing and dicing through the top tables. Waging war is expensive and Kassai knows how to cut costs - literally. It's easy to read Raise an Army and envision twenty soldiers attacking at your command - but in reality you'll mostly be looking to hire just 1-3 helping hands throughout the battle, as having a pile of Gold at your fingertips is just too damn useful!

Unlike her more aggressive gameplan in Draft, Kassai is in her happy place while playing a long grind game in Classic Constructed. Like any trusty Warrior, Kassai is iron-clad in a fridge of armour, which includes the stunning Valiant Dynamo. The longer the game goes, the more value this card provides, which can end up being a staggering amount. To ensure you are reliably able to swing your swords twice as often as possible, you'll want to pack nine copies of Blade Runner, as well as other go again enablers like Shift the Tide of Battle and Glint the Quicksilver. Since you're not relying on a weapon to hit in order to swing twice (unlike another golden-haired Warrior we know), cards like Blade Flurry and Slice and Dice provide cheap and deadly damage buffs.

We've gone over the bread and butter, now let's add a touch of spice! Kassai interacts with both drawing cards and the graveyard in unique ways. There are a number of cards across multiple sets you can use to extend your plays or ambush the opponent with something unexpected! Crown of Dominion gives you a Gold from the very get-go, which can be really useful against control decks that are looking to starve you off your cashflow. Cash In is a fantastic way to race against aggro decks that don't care about defending, allowing you to pump even more damage back! Nourishing Emptiness finds a very comfortable home here, as you can use your hero ability to banish any copies in your graveyard to make sure each one you draw is just as deadly as the last!

Lastly, we can't forget the past. Every step we've taken on our journey is a testament to our legacy, and Kassai is no different. The "Copper Package" is an awesome tool to have in the sideboard for those games where you really need to pull off a spectacular win! Spoils of War, Outland Skirmish, and Blood on Her Hands offer a potent OTK option that meshes well with the rest of the cards in your deck. This also works exceptionally well if you've drawn a card and can swing for free!

Kassai offers a really interesting way to play around with reds and yellows, with Gold reshaping the limitations of pitching, whether it's filtering through blues, or granting free weapon attacks. She is well-equipped for wars of attrition, and has many flexible options for tailoring the deck to different metagames. Pick up those swords, head to your local Road to Nationals, and help Kassai take that sweet vengeance!