Choosing a Set to Draft: A Guide for FaBTCG Players
Which FaBTCG Set Should I Draft at Locals?
It’s a great time to be a fan of Flesh and Blood in March of 2023. Outsiders just released to great acclaim from players and collectors alike, Pro Tour 3 is just around the corner, and every single Flesh and Blood set can be drafted for between $80-120 USD. In other words, now is the perfect time to be capitalizing on the recent player growth and testing out each set in the draft format.
That said, not all draft formats are created equally. It’s typically best to choose a draft that appeals to as much of your player base as possible. Some are really great for new players; others, not so much. Regardless of the set’s balance and card pool, some might just be more fun due the themes and ease of play. Lastly and unfortunately, there are some draft formats that aren’t very balanced, but - when analyzed thoroughly - they can provide advanced players with key insights into certain mechanics of the game.
Therefore, all draft sets are valuable experiences to “someone” and in “some situation.” This article will break down the draft experience for each Flesh and Blood set just enough to help you draft the right set, with the right people, at the right time.
Welcome to Rathe
New player friendliness:8/10
Skill Ceiling: 7/10
Balance: 10/10
“Fun” Factor: 10/10
Ideally, if you have players new to the game in your playgroup, give them the choice of drafting Welcome to Rathe and Tales of Aria, but steer them heavily into drafting Welcome to Rathe because it has the staples of all of the fundamental card types: actions, attack actions, instants, defense reactions, and attack reactions. As such, Welcome to Rathe gives the new player access to cards they will use regardless of meta and introduces them to the core interactions and mechanics of Flesh and Blood.
Furthermore, it's arguable that due to the time it spent in development, Welcome to Rathe is the most internally balanced of the sets, leading to fair play and plenty of room for skill expression. Arguably the best box of premium cardboard rectangles ever created, Welcome to Rathe is an enjoyable draft experience for any play group.
Arcane Rising
New player friendliness:2/10
Skill Ceiling: 10/10
Balance: 6/10
“Fun” Factor: 7/10
Arcane Rising's draft format has a lot of interesting card synergies and opportunities for more experienced players to express their skill - so I think this set is worth a draft if you have a more experienced player base (also, at the time of writing, this set is the most expensive and hardest to find of any set, sitting at around $90 or higher depending on where you get it).
Despite the intricate mechanics and opportunities for veteran players, balance takes a big hit on Arcane Rising's draft format simply because: if a Dash with even a semi-decent card pool drafts an induction chamber from the Super Rare slot, it's all over. Therefore, I recommend Arcane Rising for anyone looking to stretch their imagination and flex their ability to deck build, but isn’t worried too much about a bomb being dropped in their draft pool.
Monarch
New player friendliness: 5/10
Skill Ceiling: 8/10
Balance: 6/10
“Fun” Factor: 4/10
Monarch is a very polarizing set for a lot of reasons, but is especially so in the draft experience. Despite being the first set to introduce "Talents," I find that newer players understand Monarch's talents the least of any set released since (I'm writing this part around the release of Outsiders). New players typically need more instruction on how the "soul" and "blood debt" work, leading to longer game times and a lower quality of decks that get built.
Furthermore, despite being a set full of talents, the draft experience relies heavily on generics that can make or break the experience depending on the color pitch drawn - particularly those that can “break phantasm.” Because of this, the fun factor and balance of the set take a big hit from my perspective. I’ve rarely been around friends or at my locals where “lets draft Monarch” was a statement said without irony.
Tales of Aria
New player friendliness:10/10
Skill Ceiling: 9/10
Balance: 10/10
“Fun” Factor: 10/10
My review of the Tales of Aria draft experience is likely to earn me some haters, if I don't already have them by now. In my opinion, Tales of Aria is without a doubt THE BEST all around draft experience in Flesh and Blood. Don't get me wrong, I think the Welcome to Rathe draft experience is near perfect and overall might be the best “all-in-one” box of cardboard rectangles ever printed (constructed staples, sealed experience, draft experience, great introduction to the game, etc.), but in the draft department, TOA just has Rathe beat without a doubt.
TOA's elemental talent and hero classes lend itself to having the best new player experience for drafting. The classes chosen: Runeblade, ranger, and guardian are all thematically enticing and each simple to explain. Runeblade is "swing sword and do magic," Guardian is "Swing big and play defense," and Ranger is "Load an arrow and debilitate your opponent." Furthermore, the elements in TOA are fairly easy to understand. Ice is "slow your opponent down," lightning is "zap them with extra unblockable damage," and earth is “swing big while avoiding fatigue”. The simplicity of these classes, the elemental triangle (where each class has access to two of three elements), and the interesting effects of the card pool make it not only the best new player experience in FaB draft, but also the best place for high-end skill expression. TOA is the set you want to draft if you have players of all skill levels at your table.
I'll end my review of this set with a balance review, just to frustrate any haters I may have. Here it is:
Stop complaining about Briar. If you can't beat her and think she's op, you're not drafting the set right. Much love. - Sean Biava from Card Advantage (Hey, I know that guy)
Uprising
New player friendliness: 7/10
Skill Ceiling: 8/10
Balance: 4/10
“Fun” Factor: 8/10
Unfortunately, the problem people thought TOA had with Briar (wrongly so), Uprising has in spades as a result of Fai. When drafting Uprising, it isn’t unusual to have a draft pod where 4 to 5 players draft Fai due to the simplicity and power level of this hero in the format. This doesn’t happen because players believe Iyslander and Dromai cannot win, or even that they win the pod less often than Fai does; More-so the fact that an average Fai has the capacity to steal games in the first two turns with the right draws even against the most skilled Iyslander and Dromai players.
While the themes, card pool, and hero choices are very cool in Uprising, the experience is destroyed by the lack of balance applied to Fai. I can only recommend drafting uprising if your playgroup wants cards from the set, or believes a new player would benefit from drafting into Fai and would be able to compete more easily against the stronger players.
Outsiders
New player friendliness: 8/10
Skill Ceiling: 9/10
Balance: 10/10
“Fun” Factor: 10/10
Outsiders is an exceptional limited experience. In just the first weekend of release, I’ve heard players saying things like “this feels like we’ve gone back to Welcome to Rathe,” “I love that the games are actually long and that I have to block,” and “with this set, its possible to play my way out of a poorly drafted deck.” Moreover, I’ve heard newer players at my locals - with little draft experience - say they find the set extremely fun and comfortable to draft.
While deck building in Outsiders is straightforward (as the multi-class cards introduced in this set serve as a parallel to Tales of Aria’s overlapping elemental heroes) playing Outsiders is a different beast entirely. The variety of on-hits presented by the new trio of tokens, the fact that there are 6 heroes to learn and keep track of, the stealth mechanic and its associated reactions, and Benji’s unpreventable damage make Outsiders’ combat extremely deep. These things, along with the challenge of piloting ranger heroes, make Outsiders a set worth returning to over and over again.
For the love of limited
The Best Time ever to Draft Flesh and Blood is NOW
We’re in a unique position in FaB history where every draft-able set is readily available to be drafted at $80-90 or less for an entire pod of 8 players. Because it’s so affordable all things considered, I encourage everyone to try to draft each set with their friends in order to enjoy the game in a new way and hopefully to experience the catharsis that comes with solving each format.
Which Set is Right For You?
I’m a new player:
Welcome to Rathe
Tales of Aria
Uprising
I’m an experienced player looking for a balanced experience:
Welcome to Rathe
Tales of Aria
Outsiders
I understand the mechanics and want to experience spice
Arcane Rising
Monarch
Outsiders
I want to get tilted out of my mind
Uprising (Fai is too free)
Monarch
“This is the most dynamic draft set we’ve ever developed” - James White (paraphrased), just before the release of each and every new draft set.
If you’re looking for more draft content from Card Advantage, check out our old review of Uprising’s draft format.
Outsiders is a great draft - Uprising felt high roll-y at times and while TOA was awesome, monarch and Arcane Rising lack the interaction I love about the game. Outsiders really feels like a great draft, with many different options for each hero. You can outskill opponents even with a medium deck, reminding me of WTR a lot
As a fan of blocking, Outsiders limited has felt very refreshing and super fun to play.