It’s time to choose your weapon and prepare for combat – as we check out all Flesh and Blood sets!
Since launching in 2019, Flesh and Blood has gained significant popularity amongst card gamers – thanks to a focus on face to face play and a great deal of community support from publishers Legend Story Studios.
A trading card game (or TCG), much like Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh, what sets Flesh and Blood apart is its focus on a single, one-on-one combat encounter between two Heroes.
Note that being designated as a Hero doesn’t necessarily denote purity or good intent – it doesn’t make for a heroic character in the traditional sense, rather it means that these are particularly formidable opponents to face in battle!
Though it’s only been around for a few years, Flesh and Blood has brought a beautifully realised, richly detailed world to its fans – with numerous sets expanding upon the lore and bringing new Heroes into the fold too.
So what sets have been released – and what is featured in each one?
Let’s find out, as we check out all Flesh and Blood sets in order!
1. Welcome to Rathe (2019)
The very first Flesh and Blood release, Welcome to Rathe had the unenviable task of introducing players not just to the brilliantly realised world of the game, but to the overall mechanics too.
Yet it’s clear that Legend Story Studios knocked it out of the park immediately.
The production values and gorgeous aesthetic – not just with the stunning art, but the overall design of the cards – really set the stage for the game’s success, as did the unique gameplay mechanics.
Focusing on players attempting to string combos of attacks together via the ‘Combat Chain’, Flesh and Blood almost has the feel of a one on one fighting video game; it’s not a stretch for games such as the weapon-focused fighter series Soul Calibur to come to mind.
That also stretches to the fantasy feel of Rathe, with brightly coloured Heroes alongside much darker, more vicious-looking characters.
Welcome to Rathe introduced players to four characters, each representing a different Class – there’s Rhinar the Brute, Bravo (a Guardian), the Ninja named Katsu and Dorintha, a Warrior.
Unless marked as Generic, Heroes can only use equipment, actions and attacks that match their Class – another facet of the game that gives Flesh and Blood a unique feel.
Re-released as an Unlimited Edition in 2020, the limited Alpha Print of Welcome to Rathe was a convincing statement of intent for Legend Story Studios, bringing lots of well deserved acclaim and attention to the fledgling trading card game!
2. Arcane Rising (2020)
Another limited release, the First Edition of Arcane Rising followed Welcome to Rathe in March 2020.
It introduced four new Classes to the game: Mechanologist, Ranger, Runeblade and Wizard.
Thanks primarily to the Mechanologist, it also introduced a more Steampunk aesthetic to the game, along with bringing more magic into the proceedings too – with the Runeblade and Wizard in particular.
Naturally, Arcane Rising’s artwork and overall aesthetic was impressive, continuing on from the groundwork laid by the first set of cards.
Arcane Rising’s Unlimited Edition followed just a few weeks after Welcome to Rathe’s less exclusive Unlimited Edition was released, towards the end of 2020.
3. Crucible of War (2020)
August of 2020 saw the release of another First Edition set – Crucible of War.
This was a great set that brought together all of the previously released Hero cards and gave us new ones too; adding new character choices for most of the Classes.
For example, Brute Rhinar was no longer accompanied by a Young Hero version of himself, but instead the Young Brute Hero named Kayo, Beserker Runt.
Alongside Katsu were young Ninja Heroes Ira and Benji, Dorinthea was joined by the young Kassai and Mechanologist Dash had Data Doll MKII by their side.
Some Classes weren’t so lucky and remained single character options; however, every Class option did have new equipment and other cards to bolster the choices available for Flesh and Blood deck building!
Oh – and did we mention the entirely new Classes that made their debut in Crucible of War?
The incredibly creepy Kavdaen, Trader of Skins introduced the Merchant Class, alongside Shiyana, Diamond Gemini as the first Shapeshifter.
Shiyana in particular was a pretty exciting introduction here – her shapeshifting nature allowed her to use the specialization cards of any Hero in her deck, as well as being able to copy a target Hero in play and utilise their card types too!
4. Monarch (2021)
After re-releasing Unlimited Editions of both Welcome to Rathe and Arcane Rising in late 2020, Legend Story Studios allowed players to familarise themselves with an already impressively-sized card pool – it would be another six months before a new set was released.
Monarch’s First Edition arrived in May 2021 and brought an explicitly light vs dark theme to Flesh and Blood, with the celestial feel of Illusionists and Light Warriors taking on the dark, demonic Shadow Brutes and Shadow Runeblades.
In addition, Monarch brought plenty of new options for Warriors, Brutes and Runeblades too – as well as, naturally, new generic cards for use by any Class.
Monarch’s Unlimited Edition followed in June 2021 (it’s also worth noting that Crucible of War made a return as an Unlimited Edition in July of the same year too!).
5. Tales of Aria (2021)
In September 2021, Legend Story Studios released Tales of Aria, which brought Elemental Heroes into the game – with Elemental Guardian, Elemental Ranger and Elemental Runeblade adding a twist to three existing Classes.
It also featured Elemental cards which utilised multiple elements – opening their use up to more than one Elemental Hero!
Standard Guardian, Ranger and Runeblade Heroes were also treated to more cards in Tales of Aria too – so the option to use pre-existing Heroes with new equipment and actions was definitely on the table!
6. Everfest (2022)
From its red and white aesthetic and even the font used for its logo, Everfest immediately captured the feel of a magical carnival.
This beautifully colourful set brought Bravo – one of the original Flesh and Blood Hero cards – back in updated form (gaining the Elemental subtype), alongside three new characters.
Merchants got a far less creepy representative in the form of Genis Wotchuneed, new Elemental Wizard Iyslander debuted (as a Young Hero) and players were also introduced to another Guardian: Valda Brightaxe, another Young Hero in Everfest.
Numerous other Classes received some superb cards in Everfest too, alongside a decent selection of generic actions and equipment.
7. History Pack 1 (2022)
With new players being tempted in by the lavish production values and innovative mechanics of Flesh and Blood as new sets and Heroes emerged, Legend Story Studios made the decision to reprint many key cards from the game’s first year.
History Pack 1 brought back cards from Welcome to Rathe, Arcane Rising and Crucible of War in white-bordered form, thus distinguishing them from their original releases.
8. Classic Battles: Rhinar vs Dorinthea (2022)
Flesh and Blood can be played in a few different formats – with the Blitz format being a faster way to play, with smaller decks than those needed in Standard constructed formats of the game.
As part of most set releases, Legend Story Studios also release pre-contstructed Blitz decks.
Each features a single Hero and is a great way to get a taste of a set, as well as a Hero’s playstyle, before getting hold of booster packs.
However, these are of course only for single players; should you have wanted to play against an opponent, they’d need to have invested in their own deck.
With the release of Classic Battles: Rhinar vs Dorinthea, however, you can tempt a friend into trying out Flesh and Blood with you, without them first having to invest in their own cards!
That’s because, as you may have gathered, Rhinar vs Dorinthea is a set with two decks; pitting the Brute and Warrior – who both debuted in the very first Flesh and Blood set, Welcome to Rathe – against each other.
This set is undoubtedly the best way into the game for absolute beginners, as it also contains a quickstart playmat and 48-page booklet, to give insight into the lore of the featured Heroes.
Yet it’s also a set that may well be of interest to collectors – as it contains cold foil treatments or Hero and Weapon cards, as well as full art mentors.
If you are interested in learning how to play Flesh and Blood but you’re still on the fence about investing in the game, it’s worth noting that any Flesh and Blood retail stockist should have Ira decks in stock which quickly and cleverly teach the basics. Best of all, these are also completely free.
Check out our Where to Buy Flesh and Blood TCG article for more details.
9. Uprising (2022)
Arriving in June 2022, Uprising took Flesh and Blood to a Far East inspired realm – and featured a focus on dragons, with the mythical creatures featuring on plenty of the stunning cards in this set.
Uprising also introduced ‘Marvels’; a new card rarity with spectacular art, making many cards great for collectors as well as players of the game.
The Draconic keyword was used for the first time in Uprising, with Dromai, Ash Artist being a Draconic Illusionist Hero and Fai, Rising Rebellion being a Draconic Ninja Hero – both of whom made use of cards bearing the Draconic keyword.
Those aforementioned Marvel cards were utilised to showcase the unbelievably gorgeous dragons that made an appearance in Uprising – three of which we’ve opted to showcase in the above image!
10. Dynasty (2022)
The next full set to be released was Dynasty, in November 2022.
Set in and around a lavishly designed palace, Dynasty’s overall aesthetic and lore was very much inspired by Asian history and mythology – continuing the style and setting introduced in Uprising.
Dynasty continued the prevalent usage of the Draconic subtype, with Emperor, Dracai of Aesir. This card was incredibly versatile, being a – deep breath now – Royal Draconic Warrior Wizard Hero!
Also debuting in Dynasty was the Assassin Hero Class; of course, this meant a new character: Arakni.
Yet Arakni and the Emperor weren’t the only new characters; the Guardian Class got their own new addition with Yoji, Royal Protector.
11. Outsiders (2023)
Though History Pack 2 was also released in 2023, it wasn’t an English language release; rather, it was a way to bring previous cards into different languages for the first time.
So the first new English language release of 2023 was the Outsiders set.
Outsiders marked the first time that a set featured multiple heroes of the same Class – and also featured the debut of hybrid cards that could be used by multiple Classes!
This set felt darker thematically and aesthetically – and even featured jaw-dropping, special ‘Marvel’ rarity cards, with art based on Renaissance/Enlightenment era medical illustrations.
12. Dusk Till Dawn (2023)
Dusk Till Dawn – released in July 2023 – features the return of a popular character, the Light Illusionist named Prism.
It also marks a return to the Angels and Demons themes present in prior set, Monarch.
Also notable are the frankly incredible full art cards in Dusk Till Dawn, which are among the most beautiful cards we’ve seen in any CCG/TCG, ever.
Given our decades of experience with card games here at Card Gamer, this isn’t something we say lightly!
Just like Uprising’s focus on dragons, in Dusk Till Dawn the full art cards focus on Angels, to jaw-dropping effect – as you can see in the above image.
13. Bright Lights (2023)
Released in October 2023, Bright Lights is a Mechanologist focused set, set in the steampunk utopia of Metrix City.
Perhaps the most exciting new feature being brought to Flesh and Blood in Bright Lights is the ‘Crack, Shuffle, Play’ format.
Mirroring the innovation of Jumpstart in Magic: The Gathering – which we cover in our how to get started with Magic: The Gathering article – Crack, Shuffle, Play allows players to grab three packs with which to immediately begin playing.
That’s right – according to the Flesh and Blood website: ‘Simply crack 3 packs, remove tokens and equipment, shuffle the rest together, choose your hero and weapon, and play!’
That’s not the only innovation that Bright Lights is bringing to Flesh and Blood – booster packs will now also have an ‘Expansion Slot’ – which replaces the token in 1 of every 15 boosters.
Expansion Slot cards will be high rarity cards of various functionality: either a lore expanding card, a card which goes beyond the Class focus of the set it features in or a highly sought after reprint.
Both of these new features, as well as the unique, Mechanologist-focused setting of Metrix City mean that Bright Lights is one of the most exciting and innovative Flesh and Blood sets to have emerged since the first release.
Which just goes to show that Legend Story Studios – despite phenomenal success and growth with Flesh and Blood over the last few years – are definitely not content to rest on their laurels.
It demonstrates that there’s plenty of ways that Flesh and Blood will remain an exciting and innovative experience for years to come.
It’s certainly very impressive – especially as Flesh and Blood only launched in the last few years, as the very first product from a brand new publisher!
14. Heavy Hitters (2024)
Arriving in February 2024, the Heavy Hitters set features six heroes, covering the Brute, Guardian, and Warrior classes, along with crossover hybrid cards.
Befitting its name, Heavy Hitters also features more weapons and equipment than any previous draftable set, allowing players a massive number of options when it comes to putting their decks together!
The set is also accompanied by six Blitz decks, allowing new players or those wishing to play more casually a chance to sample the cards in the set with pre-constructed decks that are ready to play, straight out of the box.
Designed to be perfect for a variety of formats, including Sealed Deck or Booster Draft, along with the Blitz Decks, Heavy Hitters is an excellent way in to Flesh and Blood for new players, as well as long term fans.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Flesh and Blood without amazing card art and incredible variants, and Heavy Hitters features ten Marvel hero cards, as well as Fabled, Legendary and Majestic cards in addition to the more standard and commonplace Rare cards.
The ‘Expansion Slot’ also makes a return to booster packs in Heavy Hitters, which means you may find support and equipment cards for heroes and classes beyond those found in the set.
15. Part the Mistveil (2024)
We’re heading back into Chinese mysticism-inspired territory with 2024’s Part the Mistveil, launching on May 31st, 2024.
Part the Mistveil also marks the first time that a set is launching in Japanese, alongside the expected English and European languages.
New to Part the Mistveil is the Mystic talent, which also brings with it a new type of resource: Chi.
The Chi resource is exclusively for use by Heroes who have the new Mystic talent; giving this set a clear and unique identity, even at this early stage.
The setting of Misteria also seems to be unusual and atmospheric, with the environment featuring hanging villages suspended between dangerous canyons and gullies.
The set is also accompanied by new Blitz Decks, featuring three characters from Part the Mistveil (Nuu, Enigma and Zen) who each headline a different deck.
There’s also an entirely new product: the Blitz Deck Collection. This include the three Part the Mistveil Blitz Decks, as well as three Part the Mistveil booster packs, plus a Misteria Hanging Village rubber playmat with zones marked on the play area. This is all packaged in a reusable Mistcloak Gully-themed storage box.
It’s a great window into the new set, either for new or longterm players; not only does it provide enough decks and accessories for players to check out the new cards, strategies and combos, but it also provides the potential (with the booster packs), for those decks to be customised too.
The inclusion of accessories such as the playmat and storage box is also useful, again for complete newcomers or Flesh and Blood fans who are already familiar with the game.
The future of Flesh and Blood is continuing to look bright, with regular tournaments proving popular, new sets continuing to be added on a regular basis, and even new elements such as the ‘Crack, Shuffle, Play’ boosters and Chi resource breathing further life into the game.
We’ll continue to cover all new Flesh and Blood sets as they’re announced; as the saying goes, watch this space!
