Zachary is an Australian player and ProQuest champion in season 1 and 2. He finished in the Top 8 of Battle Hardened: Sydney in 2022, and enjoys playing both competitive and casual formats with the Brisbane community.
The release of Outsiders is right around the corner - and with it comes a fresh new limited format for us to enjoy.
Draft is one of the best formats to get started in as a new player, since you don’t need to go through the hassle of bringing a deck, and you get to keep the cards you draft.
Learning how to draft can seem intimidating, but I’ll guide you through the process and share some tips to help you have fun during your first draft, while surviving the shadowy underworld of the Pits.
What is Draft?
Drafting is a test of your ability to choose cards and build a deck on the fly.
Eight players sit at a table and each opens a booster pack, removing any tokens. Each player selects a card from their pack to keep, then passes the remaining cards to the player seated left. This action is repeated until the final card of each booster pack has been chosen. The process is then performed again for two more booster packs, passing to the right for the second pack, and passing to the left again for the third pack.
You then build a deck of at least 30 cards using your selections.
You do not need to draft a token hero or token weapon to be able to play them, but you will need to draft any equipment you wish to play.
If you drafted less than 30 cards to play in your deck, you can use any number of copies of cracked bauble to get your deck up to the minimum requirement.
Then it’s time to battle with your ready-made deck!
Before the draft, I recommend you familiarize yourself with the heroes and token weapons available to you in Outsiders.
If you have any questions about how the cards in the set work together, ask your fellow players! One of the fun parts of Flesh and Blood draft is meeting new people. Regular armories are typically casual events, so people there are usually pretty friendly and willing to accommodate a new player, and should be able to answer any questions you might have.
How to Draft Outsiders
For the first 1-4 picks, just take the individual most powerful cards.
This could be a powerful majestic like the Codex of Frailty, a generic card that can be played in any deck like Wreck Havoc, or a piece of equipment such as Threadbare Tunic.
Early in the draft I recommend you don’t worry about trying to prioritize cards that all share the same class, as you can make that decision later on.
Outsiders features hybrid cards that can be played in 2 classes, such as Death Touch. These make strong early picks as you’ll be more likely to play them in the hero you eventually choose to play, as opposed to cards locked to a single class.
Codex of Frailty
Wreck Havoc
Death Touch
For picks 4-8, you have to make an important choice - what hero you are going to play.
Thinking back on the cards you have already chosen, there is usually a hero that stands out as best poised to use what you've got. If there are two or more playable cards for that hero remaining in the pack, now is a good time to commit to them.
If there are none or only a single card left for the hero you’d like to play remaining in the pack, try to look at what other heroes the pack offers strong cards for. Now could be a great time to swap to a hero that looks like it is being underdrafted. This is why I recommend taking power cards early on, regardless of the hero they are useful to, as you might already have a strong card for the open lane.
Once you’ve chosen a hero, it is important you stick to it. There might be a pack here or there that has poor offerings for a hero, but after all three packs you will usually have enough cards to make a playable deck despite a little bad luck.
As the first pack comes to an end, you may find that there are not many class options or powerful generics left. This is normal, you will have two more packs to choose powerful cards from early on. Now is a good time to focus on the “glue” of your deck. For example, if you’re drafting ninja, this is a great time to pick up additional 0-cost blue and yellow cards to power your kodachis.
After the first pack is finished, there will be a moment for you to review the cards you have chosen. Most heroes want a lot of red cards that have a high impact, and 8-14 blue cards in order to ensure you can pitch consistently.
The second pack is a lot like the first pack.
You want to focus on taking strong cards early on before the other players snap them up, and then focus on getting the “glue” later. If you already have 12 blue cards and you don’t think your deck needs any more, focus on generic cards you can play in your deck, and cards that defend for 3 or more.
At the end of the second pack, you will get another moment to look at your pool of drafted cards, and assess where the gaps are.
You should use the third and final pack as an opportunity to shore up any weaknesses that your deck might have.
You might not have enough reds, blues, or enough of the “glue” I mentioned. Focus on selecting those early on, as soon as the first pick. If you’re already very happy with your draft deck, you can try picking cards that will help against a specific hero, or cards that you know other players will need.
You’ve now completed your first draft. Well done!
You can now build your 30+ card deck. I always enjoy chatting with the folks I drafted with, and discussing the choices I made and what cards I decided to pass. Most players at an armory are quite friendly, so don’t be afraid to ask them for a little advice if you’re struggling to build your deck.
Draft is a rich format once you really sink your teeth into it, with lots of clever strategies players use.
Most importantly, when you head down to your local game store to give draft a try, you should feel empowered to ask for help! The best way to learn is to ask your fellow players.
I believe that is the best part of Flesh and Blood. Making new friends and sharing in the joy of great games is so much fun - and I hope with the release of Outsiders, you’ll share in it too.