Skirmish - 5 Blitz Decks to Play

Skirmish Season 10 kicks off this weekend, featuring a mix of Living Legend, Rosetta Sealed Deck, and of course, Blitz! If you'd like to try your hand at winning a Cold Foil Terra equipped with a Cold Foil Redwood Hammer, or even a Cold Foil Channel Thunder Steppe, then you'll need to get up to speed with the meta.

Blitz in particular has undergone some massive changes since last Skirmish Season, both through Briar, Dash, and Rhinar leaving the format, and some health checks implemented by recent Banned and Restricted Announcements. Zen of course, is now back for blood, although nowhere near as devastatingly powerful as he was during his first run.

Today, let's go over 5 different heroes who have made waves in Blitz recently, and are expected to be top dogs this season...

Blaze, Firemind

Just when you thought it was safe to take out your Arcane Barrier...

Blaze is the format's most nuclear Wizard, with the most explosive arcane damage output in the current field. She wins games by using a variety of cards that opt in order to stack up counters while digging through her deck for powerful spells. Typically she'll sling a 1 or 2 cost burn spell during the opponent's turn, spending any remaining resources on Waning Moon. She is extremely capable of closing out games before the opponent has a chance to deal a lethal blow, going over the top with cards like Absorb in Aether, Cindering Foresight, and Storm Striders.

The best way to counter Blaze is to try and kill her before she gets too much damage through, and force her to waste her precious resources while your life total is in a comfortable position. If your deck is slower and more defensive, Arcane Barrier is a good start, but to be truly protected you may want to look at options like Sigil of Solace, Oasis Respite, and Arcane Polarity.

Data Doll MKII

No... Seriously... This isn't a joke...

Previously the laughing stock of the Blitz world due to her significant disadvantage of having only 3 Intellect, Data Doll has snuck up while everyone's back was turned, empowered by several upgrades from both Bright Lights and Armory Deck: Dash. Her ability to flood the arena with aggressive/value items combined with a flurry of cheap boost attacks, card draw from Cerebellum Processor, and resources from Teklo Foundry Heart, make her one of the most formidable aggro decks in the format (provided the printer doesn't jam).

You can counter Data Doll one of two ways - trying to race her might work, but leaves a lot to chance. If your goal is to outlast her until she's run out of gas, then you'll need to run some relevant disruption, such as Erase Face, Command and Conquer, and The Weakest Link. Data Doll is extremely susceptible to on-hits, due to her reduced hand size and numerous non-blocking items. You can even shut down her systems every now and then with Warmonger's Diplomacy, depriving her of those crucial activations of Cerebellum Processor, Micro-processor, and Teklo Foundry Heart.

Kayo

Single-handedly take down your Skirmish!

Rhinar's gone into hibernation, and there's a new apex predator on the loose! Kayo is a very well-balanced deck for this upcoming Skirmish, with powerful spike turns enabled by Bloodrush Bellow and Savage Sash, chunky armour to protect from on-hits, and great flexibility that allows you to pivot into more defensive 1-2 card lines while making good value use of Might tokens. You can also customise your 6-power lineup for the decks you expect to face.

Countering Kayo revolves around punishing his pockets of bad luck, regardless of whether your plan is to go fast or slow. Remember that Kayo rarely comes with intimidate attached, so you will have many options available to you when defending. Don't needlessly take damage just to walk into his equipment, and pick your moments to apply pressure carefully. Defense reactions can be extremely valuable at offsetting Might tokens, while cards like Ripple Away can clear Agility tokens that would cause Kayo to go beyond your defenses.

Victor Goldmane

The rich get richer...

Another bad boy from Heavy Hitters, Victor was a standout star last season, able to outlast aggro decks, or wallop them into the dirt completely! The name of the game is big juicy attacks with relevant on-hits, often backed by Pummel to ruin the opponent's day. What sets Victor aside from other Guardians is the free card draw he gains from cards like Trounce, Test of Strength, and The Golden Son. In a quick game of Blitz where even one point of damage can decide the game, just one extra card can turn the tide in Victor's favour (let alone 3 or 4!).

Countering Victor can be tricky for decks with a limited damage ceiling. Pure arcane damage is one way to take him out almost guaranteed, but not everybody will have access to Blaze, and while the other Wizards, Runeblades, and Illusionists in the format have a natural advantage against him, you don't necessarily have to play those classes to win. What it comes down to is lining up your power cards for big over-the-top turns, as opposed to just throwing your hand at him turn after turn. After all, he excels at defending, so it's fine to take some slower turns to set up with your go-wide cards.

Zen

Guess who's back... Back again...

Zen doesn't have access to the tools that skyrocketed him into Living Legend, but he is far from weak. On his second run through, Zen is more focused on Crouching Tiger synergy, playing out good value aggressive turns supported by easy access to Chi. He can play fast when he needs to, or at a slower midrange pace that leverages 2-3 card hands. His high blue count is useful against arcane damage, and he even has access to Cosmic Awakening to prevent getting fatigued by the likes of Victor. While we don't expect him to top the charts as consistently as he did last Skirmish, there's no doubt he's a very well-rounded choice.

Countering Zen is more straightforward in his second term. You don't have to worry about being blown out of the water nearly as much, and despite being a Ninja there are very few relevant on-hits that you need to cover up. You're free to pick and choose your moments to defend and attack, so pay attention to what cards Zen has used so you can make the right call each turn. Cards that counter Chi such as The Weakest Link are extremely valuable once Zen has used most of his equipment, but you can also make use of cards like Amnesia, That All You Got?, or any other forms of disruption you may have available.

Good luck to everyone competing in Skirmish Season 10! We've got our eyes on interesting faces such as Aurora, Vynnset, Arakni, Solitary Confinement, and many more. Play hard, play fair, and if you win an event with an interesting hero, make sure to email through a copy of your decklist to coverage@fabtcg.com!