FAB Update: What to Expect From Flesh and Blood 2.0

Two and a half years ago, the Legend Story Studios trading card game ‘Flesh and Blood’ was released. 

Over that time, fans and stores across more than 30 countries helped the game succeed in delivering its mission: ‘To bring people together in the flesh and blood through the common language of playing great games’.

In a bid to evolve in order to upscale FAB into a ‘truly global game’, the creators have announced that fans can expect some new changes to the game for the better. 

But what will these involve? And will they hinder the original integrity of the Flesh and Blood game we all know and love? We’ve got the answers for you in this blog - read on to find out more.

What is Flesh and Blood 2.0?

Flesh and Blood’s first set titled ‘Welcome to Rathe’ was released in October 2019 with 226 cards. Fast-forward to now, the TCG wishes to implement a fresh take on the game, an endeavour they’re calling ‘FAB 2.0’. 

Flesh and Blood 2.0 is a conscious collection of updates that are being made to the game to:

• Better support the delivery of its previously mentioned mission
• Better support local game stores that serve as community hubs where people come together to play FAB
• Expand its reach into new non-English markets, which will help achieve its aim of becoming a ‘truly global game’
• Better commit to competitive play

One thing that Legend Story Studios has cemented is that FAB 2.0 is not about changing the game system. The existing Comprehensive Rules will receive no alterations.

So, What Will Change?

As the Flesh and Blood player base is large and growing strongly all around the world, it has disrupted the balance between ‘First Edition’ and ‘Unlimited’, to the point where First Edition is no longer as special as it was intended to be.

Founder James White said: “It is my view that if First Edition isn’t legitimately special, there is no point differentiating First Edition at all.”

Therefore, starting with ‘Uprising’ which will be released on 24th June, there is no differentiation between First Edition and Unlimited: only Uprising.

Uprising will include both cold foil and rainbow foil equipment, fabled, and alternate versions of cards - with a promise to surprise and impress players with the alts especially. 

Legendary and fabled cold foils in Uprising will be around three times rarer than they have historically been. Players will also see a new rarity symbol appear in Uprising, which will be showcased in the form of a purple triangle. This rarity of cards will be referred to as ‘marvels’, and will be used on high tier alt versions of cards going forward. All cards with the marvel rarity symbol are much rarer than a normal foil version of their base rarity would be.

What About New Flesh and Blood Players?

With its continued growth in popularity, new players need to still be catered for. To grant them access to the original cards in order to play the primary non-rotating formats that make up the official FAB game, the History Pack will be introduced.

Up until now, the Unlimited edition had served this role. Acting as the new gateway to card accessibility for FAB’s growing player base, the History Pack will still respect the collectability of the original cards. 

The History Pack comprises a booster set that includes:

• Reprints of cards from Flesh and Blood’s past, in a white border, with no foils
• Cards from Welcome to Rathe, Arcane Rising, and Crucible of War

As a way of thanking fans who have patiently waited for over two years for a localised version of Flesh and Blood, a short print run will be released for one time only: a Black Label edition of French, German, Italian, and Spanish History Pack 1. The release dates are:

• English History Pack 1: 6th May, 2022
• French, German, Italian, and Spanish History Pack 1 Black Label: 1st July, 2022

New Focuses for Gameplay

Another major investment from FAB will be the resources that will go into better supporting social and casual play.

There are four key areas that they plan to emphasise, these include:

This will see the TCG invest more attention and consideration to character development. One example of this is Bravo returning in Everfest, and Dorinthea and Rhinar returning in Classic Battles and the stories behind these character motivations. 

Fan feedback has promoted the TCG to introduce an out-of-the-box product that players can use to introduce friends and family to what Flesh and Blood is. As such, Classic Battles: Rhinar vs Dorinthea is the first example of a product that has been specifically designed for the first play experience which will inspire new players to discover more.

Based on feedback, the TCG is updating the Ultimate Pit Fight suggested rules set to align with the Blitz format. As a result, the suggested UPF rules are:

• Young heroes only
• 11 card inventory (weapons and equipment)
• 40 card deck
• Up to two copies of each unique card
• Every official Flesh and Blood card is legal, including cards like Go Bananas and Taylor

FAB will also publish an official set of Commoner rules to meet the interests and needs of fans. The official Commoner rules are:

• 40 card deck - common cards only
• 11 inventory slots (weapons and equipment) - can include up to two rares and all other cards must be common (token weapons are common)
• One young hero card - can be rare or common (token heroes are common)
• Up to two copies of each unique card allowed
• An independent banned and suspended list for the Commoner format
• 30 minutes per round, best of one

The TCG is looking into developing a third type of rules enforcement level (REL) to help differentiate the environment and player expectations of different events such as:

• Casual events (Armory, Pre-release and Skirmish)
• Competitive events (ProQuest and Road to Nationals)

The aim is to better support an enjoyable play experience at the casual organised play level, all while maintaining a high standard of rules and policy compliance at the competitive level. It is expected that this will be announced in the coming months.

For more information about the changes to Flesh and Blood 2.0, check out the official post on FAB’s website.

Seventh Dimension is a leading hobby shop and gaming space in Belfast. For more information on the latest Flesh and Blood releases, keep an eye our blog page or contact us today.