The Hunted Primer

The Hunted is the latest sharpened-edge way to play Flesh and Blood! With their Emperor slain, the fiery forces of Volcor attempt to smoke out the killers and bring them to justice. But it's not going to be easy... a web of danger lies in wait for the approaching Dracai.

The Hunted features two Draconic heroes - a Warrior and a Ninja - as well as their target, a mysterious Chaos Assassin.

The Hunted Sealed Deck uses EIGHT booster packs, with a main deck size of EXACTLY 30 cards. No more, no less. Open your packs and remove the last two cards in each pack, which will be either tokens, cold foils, Legendary-rarity cards, and/or Expansion Slot cards. Set aside any non-token cards removed this way, as they cannot be used in your limited deck.

Next, choose a token hero and their token weapons, make sure you have a Marked token handy, then prepare to begin the hunt!

Before we dig into the core mechanics and heroes, let's jog your memory on the basics.

A Combat Chain is created by attacking. Each new attack on the combat chain is called a Chain Link. Playing a reaction or instant won't close the combat chain, but playing a non-attack action will require you to close the combat chain first. Some cards in The Hunted care about how many chain links you control, and what type they are (e.g. a Draconic chain link).

Attack Reactions are played by the attacking hero in the Reaction Step after the defending hero has declared their blocking cards. They increase the damage of your attacks and sometimes have nasty tricks attached.

Defense Reactions are played by the defending hero in the Reaction Step after they have declared their blocking cards. They counter attack reactions by adding extra defense to your blocking cards. Note that while you can't defend with cards from your arsenal, you can play defense reactions from your arsenal.

Instants can be played or activated at any time, even during the other hero's turn. Like reactions, they do not need an action point.

Traps are usually special defense reactions with a bonus effect when they are played against a certain type of attack. Being a trap doesn't change the way the card is played, but there are some cards in The Hunted that care about whether a card is a trap or not.

Stealth is a keyword that does nothing by itself. What stealth does depends on the Assassin using it. Arakni has a variety of unique abilities that apply to stealth cards.

Draconic is a type of card that can only be used by Draconic heroes. They can be identified by their fiery border pattern, and the dragon symbol in their card text.

Many cards in The Hunted can mark a hero. If a hero is marked, put a Marked token somewhere on their side of the arena to indicate it.

A marked hero stays marked until they're hit, then they're no longer marked. There is no way to 'un-mark' yourself except by being hit. For example, if Arakni is marked and becomes an Agent of Chaos, they're still marked.

Being marked doesn't stop you from playing normally, but there are many cards in The Hunted that care about whether a hero is marked or not.

Fang is a Royal Draconic Warrior. He can play Draconic and Warrior cards. His weapons of choice are dual Obsidian Fire Vein.

Fang likes to attack with Obsidian Fire Vein, then in the Reaction Step, play a Draconic attack reaction or instant, which activates its ability. This gives it a damage boost and go again so Fang can then swing his other dagger.

Fang's goal is to mark the opponent, then hit them in order to create Fealty tokens. Once he has demonstrated his devotion to the Draconic cause by creating 3 or more Fealty tokens, his weapons will become free to activate! This is a very powerful advantage and should be your number one focus during the game.

When building a Fang deck, look for lots of Draconic reactions and instants to power up your daggers, as well as several cards that mark a hero. Remember that if you don't draw any Draconic cards, you can use a Fealty to enable your daggers or prevent losing more Fealty.

Cindra is a Royal Draconic Ninja. She can play Draconic and Ninja cards. Her weapons of choice are dual Kunai of Retribution.

Cindra likes to attack aggressively with her daggers, which will destroy themselves after attacking, then play several Draconic attacks in order to reduce the cost of her ability and grab her daggers back from the graveyard.

Cindra's goal is to chip the other hero down with small attacks until they are forced to defend or she can close the game with unpreventable damage. Unlike Fang, she doesn't need to save her Fealty, instead using it to make cards Draconic. Some Ninja cards have effects that only activate when they become Draconic.

When building a Cindra deck, look for lots of attacks with go again, as well as cards that mark a hero so that you can create Fealty. Cards that destroy daggers in order to deal damage are very strong in a Cindra deck, as they let you squeeze free value out of your Kunai before they are destroyed.

PRO TIP: The Kunai themselves also contribute to your Draconic chain link count. This means you can attack with a single Kunai, close the combat chain so it is destroyed, open a new combat chain by attacking with the second Kunai, use Cindra's ability to fetch back the first Kunai, and then attack with it again.

Arakni is a Chaos Assassin. They can play Assassin cards. Their weapons of choice are dual Mark of the Huntsman.

As Arakni, you are the target Fang and Cindra are hunting, which means they are equipped with special tools to take you out. Your goal is to flip the script and mark them back, disrupting their mission by spreading chaos.

When the other hero is marked, your stealth cards become more threatening. It's important to manage this marked state carefully. Sometimes it's better to wait for more powerful plays rather than attacking for the sake of attacking and removing the marked status.

When building an Arakni deck, look for lots of cards with stealth, several ways to mark the other hero, and at least one trap.

Uncertainty is an Assassin's best friend. Attacking with a stealth card while keeping a card in hand is a powerful play as it forces the other hero to guess if it's an attack reaction, a second attack, or even just a card you're planning to put in your arsenal.

Your starting daggers likely won't stick around for long, but don't worry! Some cards in The Hunted can create a special token dagger - Graphene Chelicera. You cannot start the game with this weapon, you have to create it through a card effect. It has stealth, which means it works with Arakni's abilities.

At the end of your turn if the other hero is marked, you call upon your network of Assassins. There are 6 different Agent of Chaos tokens, each with a unique ability. Roll a 6 sided die to determine which one you become. At the end of your next turn, you become Arakni, Web of Deceit again. Note that you cannot become a new Agent of Chaos during the same turn you return to the brood.

If you're playing Arakni, make sure you have all 6 Agent of Chaos tokens set aside for when you start spreading chaos!