From First Hands to Smart Plays: Strategy Guide for Flesh and Blood Players

Turn after turn, you try to outmaneuver each other in combat. With every passing turn your decks shrink, time runs short, and only one player can emerge victorious. Finally, they give you an opening. At last, you unleash the decisive blow that’s been waiting in your hand. Their defenses can’t handle it. They die. You win.

Many players love strategy card games for the thrill of a close win—competitive platforms like 22Bit offer that same excitement. Every move and decision can change the game, deciding if you win or lose.

You might have been curious about Flesh and Blood. Or maybe you’ve already started playing, but drawing a fresh hand each turn feels overwhelming. This guide will show you how to navigate that challenge step by step. It gets harder as you read more. New players might practice with the early paragraphs first. Experienced players can skip some initial steps for quicker progress.

This article is for those who have played Magic: The Gathering, which is my background. I will compare it to that game, but you don’t need to know Magic to follow along. I’ll assume you know the rules of Flesh and Blood. And if the rules feel fuzzy, don’t worry — there are plenty of places to brush up on the basics.

If you come from Magic, some gameplay mechanics might feel strange. This game works in a completely different way. No lands? No permanents at all? Four new cards each turn? That’s exactly why I put this guide together: to make the game clearer and easier to approach.

Just a reminder: when I mention red card, yellow card, or blue card, I mean the resources they pitch. A red card is 1, a yellow card is 2, and a blue card is 3. I will use classic generic cards or cards from the 1st Strike decks, Aurora and Terra. I highly recommend these decks for learning the game.

Just like in Magic, Flesh and Blood has both limited and constructed formats.

● Classic Constructed is the flagship format, where most games are played. Decks are 60 cards, up to three copies of each, led by an adult hero who usually begins with 40 life. There's a strict banlist for certain cards. Once a hero racks up enough tournament victories, they leave the format and move into the Living Legend tier.

● Living Legend is the Vintage equivalent. It’s like Classic Constructed. You can use any hero and play with cards limited to one copy each. This opens up stronger strategies.

● Blitz is a fast game. It uses 40-card decks, with a maximum of 2 copies of each card. Players control young heroes who usually start with 20 life. Blitz rounds are half the time of Classic Constructed. There’s a unique banlist, and some heroes are exclusive to Blitz.

Along with these formats, there are the classic Limited ones: Sealed and Draft. Limited formats use 30-card decks with young heroes. In Sealed, you build from 8 packs, which often results in stronger decks than Draft.

The set before, Part the Mistveil, had a Mystic Ninja, a Mystic Illusionist, and a Mystic Assassin. Before that was Heavy Hitters. It featured two Brutes, two Warriors, and two Guardians.

I love drafts for a few reasons. Every new set opens the door to fresh class mixes and unique strategies to explore. They also bring fresh puzzles to solve. Also, the gameplay is phenomenal! Limited is where you’ll most often get these razor-close games. You need to think about your best hand now. Since decks are small, you'll often see the cards you discard early. So, it’s key to plan too. Playing draft helps you avoid the high cost of buying constructed stables. Plus, you can build your collection at the same time.

Right now, Classic Constructed has 33 legal heroes, with more arriving in the upcoming set, The Hunted.

They’re divided into 10 classes:

● Assassin

● Brute

● Guardian

● Illusionist

● Mechanologist

● Ninja

● Ranger

● Runeblade

● Warrior

● Wizard

Some also have Talents such as Light, Shadow, Draconic, Mystic, or Elemental. Elemental includes Lightning, Earth, and Ice. Your hero’s class + talent decides what cards you can play.

● Aurora is allowed to play Elemental, Lightning, and Runeblade cards all at once.

If you’re new, pick a hero that excites you — either for their playstyle or their vibe. Two great resources:

● Fabrary → Learn about heroes, browse decklists, and build your own.

● Talishar → Playtest decks online for free (great for learning, though no official tournaments).

For starting out:

● 1st Strike decks let you try Aurora (Lightning Runeblade) and Terra (Earth Guardian). Aurora is already a top Classic Constructed hero.

● Blitz preconstructed decks (40 cards) are a straightforward way to jump in, yet still offer plenty of depth for competitive growth.

● Armoury Decks are ready-to-play Classic Constructed decks. They’re great for immediate use and easy to upgrade later.

With the formats and heroes covered, we can move on to the strategic concepts that help you play the game.

At its core, Flesh and Blood follows a simple principle:“One card is worth 3 points.”

In Flesh and Blood, every card is basically worth around 3 points.

● 3 attack = 3 points

● 3 defense = 3 points

● Pitching for 3 resources = 3 points

If a card hits 3 or more on one of these, it’s “on rate.”

● Red cards: Usually the most efficient — they attack/defend right on rate.

● Blue cards: Weaker attacks, but their value is in making 3 resources.

● Yellow cards: Middle ground, but often fall slightly below the rate.

Attack action cards without Go Again get an extra point of value (since they use up your one action). For example, Brutal Assault costs 2 resources but adds up to 6 attack value — perfectly on rate.

The cool part is combining cards:

● A simple 2-card hand (blue pitch + Brutal Assault) = 6 value, on rate.

● A 3-card hand with Fry, a blue, and Brutal Assault = 11 value, which is above rate.

Efficiency and combinations are key in Flesh and Blood. You always want to get the most points from each card.

Flesh and Blood rewards careful planning, smart resource use, and knowing the true value of your cards. You can start with precons or go for deeper formats. Just remember to keep it efficient and mix things up. Every point is important. The more you play, the clearer the puzzles become, and that’s where the real fun begins.