Ironrot to Conquer the Universe
Hello FAB community!
It has come to my attention that some potential new players are having second thoughts about getting into Flesh and Blood due to the steep cost of some cards that are considered to be ‘essential’. Well, luckily I have some good news for you! With unlimited sets being released, most Majestics are very affordable nowadays, with the exception of CRU cards, which are still playing “hard to get”. And as for Legendaries: You don’t have to play the hardest baller cards for each equipment slot. The common alternatives are really solid options to play around with and you can still play semi-competitively in your local scene and Skirmishes. Moreover, for many heroes several common equipments are already the absolute fan-favorites: Snapdragon Scalers, Refraction Bolters and Breaking Scales, just to name a few.
The Chest slot does have some expensive options, but Aether Ironweave is a fantastic substitute for Carrion Husk (or Bloodsheath Skeleta) in runeblade. It is even straight up better than the Husk when running Dimenxxional Crossroads! Heartened Cross Strap is an excellent alternative as an Illusionist, especially in Blitz.
In the Head slot, Ebon Fold and Halo of Illumination are really fine Common equipments that fix your hand but they can’t be used to defend, unlike the most popular equipment in Head-slot: The Arcanite Skullcap. I have been playing with 2 Ironrot equipment (Helm and Legs) since the beginning of times, because I don’t own a copy of the superior versions (in Viserai and Prism). But I have noticed plenty of players using their more expensive defensive equipment wrong. I feel like playing with simple, basic equipment is similar to how some characters from the Dragonball Z franchise train in weighted clothing. The fight is much harder, but it makes you appreciate what you have more and it forces you into more creative solutions and better timing. It is good to keep in mind that your armor is much more valuable than life points* and it is crucial to use it at the right times!
(*: With the exception of your final life point of course, otherwise it is GGWP! And there are more exceptions, such as the 2nd to last HP against Warrior, and the 3rd to last HP against Brute due to Steelblade Shunt and Reckless Swing respectively.)
You’ve probably seen that bold statement in the featured image: [Ironrot Helm is better than Arc Skullcap – Change my mind!] I’ll be honest with you… This is not entirely true, but it might have peaked your interest: You can’t blame a writer for using a little bit of clickbait to spice things up ♥. The Skullcap will always be superior to the Helm when both are played correctly, so my actual statement is:
“A perfectly timed Ironrot Helm (def: 1) is so much better than a carelessly used Arcanite Skullcap for 2, even if it gets to block poorly again afterwards.”
If you just throw your equipment into the fight to defend against irrelevant attacks or to not fully block an attack anyway, it just translates into life points 1:1. However, if you use it -in addition to cards from hand and arsenal- to stop an attack with an on-hit effect, it still defends for the same total of points, but you also stop that nasty on-hit effect. Which can be huge when this prevents big effects from cards such as Steelblade Supremacy (card draw), Red in the Ledger (only 1 action on your turn), Dawnblade (+1 counter), Katsu (fixing their combo sequence) or Pursuit of Knowledge (an extra card). It is great when your equipment saves you a card and/or prevents your opponent from getting one. In these situations the equipment translates to more than 1:1 in lifepoints.
Before a match even begins it is important to identify your opponent’s threats. For example, against a Bravo-player you really need to look out for that ‘BIG D’ Crippling Crush coming in for 11 or 13 damage, which you don’t want to deal 4 or more damage because you would lose 2 cards. When it’s given Dominate with their hero-power, you will really be glad you’ve saved some armor pieces and/or possibly a card in arsenal. You’ll feel really silly if you blocked that Hammer-swing with equipment the turn before.
Flesh and Blood is such a well designed and balanced game, which makes good plays SO MUCH more important than having good cards but using them sub-optimally. Remember that playing with the cheaper alternatives is like training with weighted clothing. And if you fall in love with the game, like many of us, you can purchase/trade the baller cards to unleash your full potential! I hope that everyone can convince their skeptical friends that FAB is, at the very least worth looking into, but more likely the best game around right now!
Thank you for reading and
See you around!!
Jeroen