Skirmish Season 7 Meta Analysis: Week 1

Welcome back to another season of Skirmish, where dreams could come true or be shattered in an instant. We’ve kicked off season 7 with a mad scramble from almost every hero to race to the top of the hill where the frosty pair once ruled.

A warmer climate has both strengthened old roots and brought new life into the fold. Two heroes have outclassed the rest and stand proud, but it’s up to the rest of the field to cut them down to size, and if there’s anything we’ve learned from Skirmish, it’s that anything could happen!

This particular Skirmish has been like no other, with special rules allowing for main deck-cards to be included in your inventory, rather than just a truckload of equipment (how do they keep carting all that gear around?), as well as some new toys from Dusk till Dawn - not just for Shadow and Light enthusiasts, but also in the Generic pool with the gobsmackingly powerful Warmonger’s Diplomacy.

Let’s check out who’s hot, who’s not, and what’s what.

Ira and Kassai

The debut poster child hero of Flesh and Blood, Ira has been around the block and knows a thing or two. Naturally built for wars of attrition with her annoying Kodachis, free power bonus, and flexibility between attacking several times with threats of drawing cards, and blocking more efficiently than your ex on social media, Ira has long been the favoured pick of any seasoned FAB veteran.

What seemed like a classic that would never change has actually evolved quite a bit over time, with Spinning Wheel Kick and Hundred Winds serving as cheap go again attacks while gaining extra defense from Flic Flak.

Able to swap 2-3 awkward cards in between matchups, like Drone of Brutality and Oasis Respite, Ira can take out tools she needs to play against the decks that would punish her for playing them.

We knew it was only a matter of time before Kassai returned to seek her vengeance. With the absence of pesky Frostbites, Kassai has fully embraced her hot girl summer and is bringing a level of pain to Blitz unlike anything we’ve ever seen. If you do not have a plan into this deck, you will lose. Blood on Her Hands is one of the most efficient OTK engines in Flesh and Blood history, backed up by a natural affinity towards attack-heavy heroes, and a gleaming suite of armour to soak up breakpoints.

But that armour isn’t impenetrable. Pack some defense reactions, some late game threats, and a devastating counter like Warmonger’s Diplomacy, and you’ll have Kassai running back into the desert with her sabers between her legs in no time.

Chane, Kano, and Dash

Chane is absolutely lethal when built correctly, and unsurprisingly, a handful of new Shadow Runeblade cards patches some major gaps that were holding Chane back. Dyadic Carapace gives the big meany a huge tool against Wizard and Runeblades, as well as the new ‘Darkness’ equipment.

Funeral Moon provides a secondary option to Howl From Beyond as a non-attack action you can play from your banish zone. It’s no Seeds of Agony, but it pairs well with Spellbound Creepers, allowing for some really efficient turns. Widespread Ruin also can’t be ignored, as an extra popper to include against Illusionist that only requires 2 Runechants to play from the banished zone.

But Chane needs to watch his back - a well-timed Warmonger’s Diplomacy can force him into some dodgy negotiations involving large stacks of blood debt.

By now, you should have all read Kieran Carnegie’s masterclass guide to Kano (if you haven’t, check it out here). Kano has always performed rather well in Skirmish, but this season he has really outdone himself.

Trying to perform a miracle while an aggro deck is shredding through your life total can be a huge challenge, but if you can learn to roll with the punches, or even better, burn your opponent to a smoldering pile of ash before said punch even lands, you can laugh all the way to the bank.

If you’re struggling with certain matchups, try swapping out cards that you're finding to be awkward for specific tech like Fyendal’s Fighting Spirit.

And it’s full steam ahead on the Dash train! Dash arguably gets the most out of the new sideboard rules, able to tuck away those non-blocking items for slower matchups to become a lean, mean, boost machine! Teklo Pounder does wonders for racing even the most vile of villains, while Induction Chamber will leave some heroes feeling like they brought a knife to a gun fight.

Unfortunately, the two most successful heroes this season are built for the long haul, and starting at 20 life really doesn’t leave you with the wiggle room to clap back like you can in Classic Constructed.

But everything will change for Dash when Bright Lights drops its mechanized madness.

Briar, Prism, Levia, and Bravo

Like her Shadow counterpart, Briar has some incredible split damage that can close out games faster than you can blink, especially when bolstered by her new specialization, Anthem of Spring. Flexibility is key in Blitz, and this new Earth action does EVERYTHING.

Dyadic Carapace gives her some much-needed tools against Kano and other Runeblades, but at the end of the day Briar will always be subject to random chance - and the threat of Warmonger’s Diplomacy (hmm, this card seems to be coming up quite a lot), makes those odds even trickier.

Even though heroes now have the option to bring more poppers into battle against Prism, there’s still the matter of actually drawing them when you need to. And even if you do, a single Lost in Thought can completely destroy any chance of surviving against the onslaught of angelic antics.

Most of the Light Illusionist cards in Dusk till Dawn revolve around Prism’s new glow-up, but old mate can still get a few cheeky hits in with card like Celestial Reprimand, while using her limited sideboard space to streamline her strategy into oddball decks.

Levia has never been hungrier! The goth maiden has already made some waves in Classic Constructed, and the same goes for Blitz. Slithering Shadowpede continues to be an absolute gamechanger. Not only can you play it from the banished zone, it only costs 1!

Blood Dripping Frenzy and Diabolic Offering also put in work rounding out those sometimes awkward blues, and the ability to heal up to 8 life out of nowhere by transforming into Levia, Redeemed has given this Shadow Brute everything she needs to take revenge on her former bullies.

It wouldn’t be a good show without the main man himself. There’s been a steady uptick in Bravo players, partially due to the recent retirement of Oldhim, and also because on-demand dominate paired with Bravo’s mighty specializations bring so much more to the table than just the 2 extra life from Yoji.

Star Struck is great at swinging games in your favour, while the staggering tank armour does wonders into aggro decks. Bring a gameplan against Kano and you’re sure to get the crowd cheering your name!

24 heroes claimed a win this weekend, one of the most diverse fields we’ve ever seen! We’ve also seen decent performances from newcomers Vynnset and Prism, Advent of Thrones, who each snagged multiple victories. Although there are some clear decks to beat, there is still much to be explored. Ira, Kassai, and Kano are each creeping closer and closer to that Living Legend threshold, which is sure to drastically turn the tides once they’re gone. Make sure you head down to your local game store to give them a spin while there’s still time - we could be saying goodbye to these longtime classics sooner than expected…