Parker Brown, also known as Br33zy, is a passionate Flesh and Blood content creator, covering a wide range of topics from casual to competitive play.
In the three years I’ve played Flesh and Blood, I’ve become all too familiar with the emotions surrounding a new set release. Almost as if watching a storm roll in from the distance, we patiently await for Dusk till Dawn to reveal its impact. And amongst the looming uncertainty, we become anxiously still.
Wrapped up in speculation, so many of us may miss out on the incredible opportunity to discover the unexplored. While it would be ill-advised to forget everything we know about the established metagame, we owe it to ourselves to take advantage of this time and harness our creativity. Afterall, at its core, Flesh and Blood is a game about self expression.
So today, we explore what it means to take solace in the silence and learn to enjoy short-lived breaks between the ever-evolving metagame.
Expect the Unexpected
During seasons of heavily established metagames, for better or worse, some of Rathe’s heroes can be left by the wayside. This can often portray unwarranted negative views of a hero, thus leaving them unexplored for months on end.
Whether rooted in strategy or a desire to secure a seat at the top tables, sometimes heroes, cards, and strategies are lost in the noise. But as the tides change and the fog clears, overlooked and underperformed heroes beg to be brought to the surface.
Consider Ser Boltyn and ask yourself “when was the last time I charged a Take Flight?”, or maybe you have never experienced the subtle joy of sliding a Light card into your soul while a Lumina Ascension marinates in your arsenal.
With the undoubted reality that struggles between Solana and the Demonstary are swelling, there’s no better time to explore forgotten Light cards such as Soul Food or Impenetrable Belief. While I can’t promise you that Boltyn will be the king of the hill, he has access to some incredibly powerful tools that are sure to see loads of action post Dusk till Dawn.
Everfest came and went with hardly an eye batted at Iyslander’s potential. It wasn’t until Uprising that her toolkit expanded and players around the world began to see her dormant strength that, in reality, had been there all along.
She wasn’t expected to be the rising star in a set with a hero that could literally summon dragons, but the expansive creativity of Michael Hamilton allowed her to flourish. Now, that could partially be due to the fact that Hamilton is a prodigy, but the key component to his success could likely be credited to his ability to explore the past and present.
Wounded Bull was hardly the talk of the town when it was released in Welcome to Rathe, but it’s a prime example of how a creative outlook can be used to fine tune even the most unexpected hero.
Speaking of Wizards, maybe you’re like me and you’ve never felt the rush of digging for a Blazing Aether to piggyback an Aether Wildfire midway through your opponent's turn. Most of us have been there, patiently watching as our opponent responds to lethal damage in an attempt to shove it right back in our face. It’s a sight to behold and one that I’ve never given the time to master.
That’s right, I’m also guilty of avoiding specific heroes either due to feeling intimidated by their meticulous play patterns, fear of underperforming, or in the case of Kano…my fear of math. But my worries subside when I realize the benefits of taking the time to learn a new hero like Kano.
After all, some heroes aren’t packing enough Nullrune in their tightly bound sideboard to deal with the Dracai of Aether. This lack of preparedness from the field can provide massive payoffs for stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Hell, nothing’s stopping you from building a Kano deck with Talishar, the Lost Prince, and maniacally laughing as your opponent plays an entire game with 3 pieces of useless equipment.
If you need encouragement to engage the unexpected, allow me to remind you of Azalea’s story. For years she was considered the most meme-worthy underdog in Rathe. Well look who’s laughing now, because a few key cards bolstered her strength to the tune of 36 Living Legend Points in a matter of months. For years she lay in wait hoping that the masses would pluck at her bow, yet only a handful of adventurous spirits knew the real question was “when?” and not “how?”.
Discover Something Different
When it boils down to it, the reason why you play Flesh and Blood today is because something captured your attention. For me, it was the incredible artwork that immediately directed me to the front doors of the Demonastery. The purple glow of my best boy, Viserai, drew me in like a moth to a flame. But if I completely disliked his playstyle, I likely wouldn’t be where I am today.
I say this because aesthetics and a desire to enjoy something can only take you so far on your journey. While I fell in love with Viserai’s bad boy image, it was his rewarding play patterns that sealed the deal. Therein lies a potential roadblock for someone so bound to a specific play pattern. We often spend so much time dabbling in the familiar that we discount others for being lesser than or uninviting.
Again, we need to utilize these precious moments during the calm before the storm to ready ourselves for anything and everything. Becoming accustomed to something different than the norm may very well give us a new found appreciation or upper hand in battle.
Grab a Dawnblade and witness the true power of placing your opponent in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” scenario. Maybe you’re constantly at the whim of Arakni telling you what cards you get to keep in your deck and you just can’t figure out the matchup.
Put yourself in their shoes and work through the mechanics of the deck so that you can fully understand their intentions. You might have so much fun playing a hero with a vastly different playstyle that you just adopt them as your own.
Did you try playing Dromai when she was first released but the mechanics and complex play patterns just didn’t sit right with your “go fast” Ninja brain? That’s completely understandable! But just like this game, we grow, change, and evolve over time. The opinions you established six months ago could have changed and with a new perspective, Dromai might click differently for you now. Suddenly, you’re pitching to Flamescale Furnace at instant speed, creating an ash, and avoiding a discard from that nasty Pummel. Now that’s a big brain move.
One of the best ways to discover the full spectrum of flavors in Flesh and Blood is to simply build a commoner deck for each hero. It’s relatively inexpensive and opens the door to endless exploratory possibilities.
At the end of the day, there are no rules regarding how a specific hero plays their cards. You could spend this time developing a cheerios go-wide Kayo deck and nobody can stop you. The only limits keeping that monstrosity out of this world are the ones we set for ourselves.
Into the Unknown
The moral of the story is that we owe it to ourselves to unabashedly explore the unknown and break free from the pressures of past expectations. Dig through past sets and find your Wounded Bull. Now is the time to shamelessly pick up Hexagore, the Death Hydra and say, “what the hell does this thing do?”.
Try something new or try something so wildly different it’ll make your opponent's head spin. Winning is great, don’t get me wrong. After all, it’s a win or lose scenario every time you sit down to play a match. But what do we always tell our opponents before the game starts? Good luck, have fun. We can only control the latter.