“Beware the man born into power, who abandoned his people to pursue the Arcane Arts. He who, even now, seeks power to rival the Aesir themselves. He who would bend and break the laws of this world as he sees fit. No amount of power shall ever be enough to satisfy his desires.”
Introduction
Viserai is a powerful, chaotic, multidimensional character that rewards high synergy and long combat chains. The constant barrage of mixed damage at your opponent makes their blocks awkward/confusing. Eventually, your arcane magic will begin to consume them turn after turn. Viserai’s power is extraordinary, but controlling this massive power and focusing it into a victory requires time and practice. Through this guide, I hope to help you navigate the complexity of options you encounter when first learning to play Viserai, Rune Blood and introduce you to some tips and tricks that will help elevate your consistency in play against your friends or foes.
[Decklists]
Both these decklists are good examples of Viserai builds that encourage you to create wide chains to get the most use out of Viserai hero ability. Going wide consistently will help overwhelm your foes and turn on your primary weapon Rosetta Thorn. Playing a Non-Attack Action + Attack Action + Rosetta Thorn will be the main combat chain you will try to set up every turn. Learning to set up and master this chain will be the first step in understanding Viserai play patterns. Some cards on this list are a little pricey, but that’s okay, as there are budget options you can use!
Arknight Shard <~> Gorganian Tome
Command and Conquer <~> Amplify the Arknight
Erase Face <~> Rifting
Spellbound Creepers <~> Sutcliffe’s Suede Hides
Crown of Providence <~> Ironrot Helm
Fyendels Spring Tunic <~> Deep Blue
Tome of Fyendel <~>Tome of the Arknight
Deck Link: https://fabdb.net/decks/build/xaBGppaA
Deck Link: https://fabdb.net/decks/build/qGYPkkPZ
[Perspective Matters]
In the world of Flesh and Blood, many playable characters can have different playstyles. This is great for long-term play as you will get to see your favorite character get molded and shaped by the ever-changing environment of your local meta, but that can definitely leave room for confusion when you look up decklists or talk to local character mains about what are the best decklists/cards to include when getting started. In this article, we will focus our perspective on a couple lines of thought to keep things straightforward.
1. Always Adapt to YOUR meta.
You know your environment best. If you need to make changes or think some cards are ineffective in your meta, please change them! I played 4 different Viserai lists during ProQuest Season 3, all with considerable consideration of what character I was most likely to face at each event. Adding your own spice/flavor is encouraged and will make your list unique and can make board states that will create an advantage for you.
2. Create CONSISTENT Pressure.
The Viserai decklists/playstyle we will be going over today is focused on one thing and one thing only, creating consistent pressure against your opponent and forcing them to use cards out of hand to try and repel you back, making their swings at you a little less heavy. This constant explosive pressure early on is essential; if you can focus on this, you will come out victorious!!
3. Setup yourself up for success DESPITE the circumstances.
This is a card game; sometimes, cards stack weirdly when your deck is shuffled. Every hand might not be the one you need to create an advantage for yourself, which is okay. You might have scenarios where you have to use your whole hand to block out an enemy turn, but if that is what you need to do to create space to find that opening to switch tempo, then do it to be patient to find an opening. Once you have your opportunity, stealing tempo back with Viserai is very straightforward. It will put them on the back foot once again.
[Gameplay]
Going First or Second
This is usually a hard choice for most people. Still, thankfully Viserai makes it easy for you to choose either.
Going First
Going First with Viserai usually results in filtering your hand and setting up, then attacking with mixed damage. Pitching a card to activate your Grasp of the Arknight is a great way to filter your hand and set up for a swing with mixed damage. You can pitch cards in any order, so if you have a couple reds you don’t need early on, then you can pitch that first to pay half the cost of Grasp and then pitch another card to pay the rest of the cost, making it, so you filtered 2 cards that are not as good early out of your hand. If you decide to swing with your weapon, that can filter a 3rd card and apply some pressure. The other player may choose to block; either way, you do some damage, and you get to filter more cards than them to set up for a more decisive turn. When filtering your cards, try and look to keep the card that costs the cheapest amount; Viserai prefers it to be a Non-Attack Action, but if not, that’s okay. Just make sure it’s cheap, so it doesn’t get stuck in the Arsenal Slot.
Going Second
Going 2nd is generally the same with most characters. Here you want to focus on blocking all the damage coming at you and trying not to take any damage. No card is too important to block with, as you will just draw a new hand at the end of the turn. IF you have the option to keep cards, then keeping a Non-Attack Action is usually preferred to an Attack Action.
Basic Chainlinks
Mauv Skies + Shrill Skullform + Rosetta Thorn
Cost: 3 Mana Potential Damage if it Hits: 15
Grasp of the Arknight + Mauv Skies + Vexing Malice + Meat and Greet + Rosetta Thorn
Cost: 5 Mana Potential Damage if it Hits: 20
Mauv Skies + Drawn to the Dark Dimension + Pummel + Rosetta Thorn
Cost: 5 Mana Potential Damage if it Hits: 15 + They Discard a Card
Advanced Chainlinks
Mordred Tide + Mauv Skies + Shrill Skullform + Revel in Runeblood + Rosetta Thorn
Cost: 3 Mana Potential Damage if it Hits: 26
Mordred Tide + Quilhand + Swarming Gloomveil + Swarming Gloomveil + Revel in Runeblood + Rosetta Thorn
Cost: 1 Mana Potential Damage if it Hits: 26
Cost: 3 Mana Potential Damage if it Hits: 26
Matchup Tips & Sideboard
Illusionist– It’s a favored matchup for Runeblade, and as long as you stay aggressive and sideboard in all your 6 cost cards you should be able to win fairly fast.
Mechanologist– If you notice they are boosting a ton, don’t be afraid to block them out as they will just mil themselves to death often. If they are building their weapon, look to line up some more Advanced Chains to close out games quickly.
Ninja– This is frequently a pure race to see who can kill who faster, but if you can line up some disruption like Pummel or Command and Conquer, you can stay ahead of their Tempo and win.
Ranger– This is often a hard matchup because Ranger has a lot of on-hit effects. You can’t be greedy with your hand, so don’t be afraid to block when you need to and just threaten their arsenal to get tempo back. Try Talisman of Warfare; it feels super strong
Guardian- This matchup can often feel like a 50/50, but if you can keep pressure on them, they will start to break. Be careful of their powerful hits and try to block out those turns, then hit them with some Basic Chainlinks til they lose.
Runeblade– Swift game since it will be pure racing each other for damage. Ensure you equip at least AB1
Warrior– The Warrior usually likes to come out strong and fast. Still, if you can block some key early turns, they will become more predictable and will give you a turn to do a lot of damage. Overblocking is necessary at times.
Wizard– This matchup can be very easy if you make sure not to attack with your whole hand every turn. Wizards like to play at instant speed, and if you drop all your cards, they can take advantage, so just continue to poke at them. They will eventually lose since they can’t fully threaten you. Playing instant cards like Oasis and Sigil of Solace can help in this matchup.
Brute– Be aggressive, and don’t fear vanilla damage; if you can be a little sneaky with attack reactions, that also helps!
Thanks for Reading!!
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