FaB Review - Silver Age: Chapter 2 Precon

A while ago, we reviewed Silver Age - Chapter 1, more specifically Kayo, Viserai, Iyslander, Dash, and Bravo, Flattering Showman.

Today, we'll go over Silver Age - Chapter 2, which includes Enigma, Fai, Dorinthea, Arakni, Web of Deceit, and Azalea!

Illusionists aren't great in 20-HP formats, but Enigma is different. Thanks to its auras and Cosmo, Scroll of Ancestral Tapestry, it can both protect itself and deal a lot of damage.

Enigma centers around the board state: many of its cards will stay in play until the opponent removes them. The Ward mechanic makes these cards leave play if you take damage, so a valid strategy for this hero is to avoid damage as much as possible and as efficiently as possible. Eventually the opponent will run out of resources, and you'll be able to finish the game with auras.

But, if your auras can't stay in play, dealing a lot of damage is also a valid option. There are many cheap, powerful Illusionist attacks, like Enigma Chimera (1) and Phantasmal Haze (3). This last card might be blue, but it is a great example of how this hero can turn blue hands into damage.

This precon is pretty solid in this format, but some rare cards can make it even better. Wave of Reality gives you 2 HP (Spectral Shield can also work as a weapon) and Essence of Ancestry: Body and Essence of Ancestry: Mind are extremely strong against aggressive decks with powerful attacks, like Dash and Kayo.

Difficulty: Average - Hard.

Fai is one of the best aggro decks in the format and one of the best decks for beginners. You can learn mechanics like the combat chain, chain link, and talents just by playing this list.

This is the classic example of an aggro deck that doesn't care about blocking and uses the entire hand very aggressively. It plays many free attacks and cards that gain go again when you meet their pretty easy conditions, which shows how aggressive this hero is. Even its equipment set progresses this game plan and helps you finish the game.

Besides some classic Draconic Ninja cards, Compendium of Rathe gave us some new tools for heroes like Fai. Enflame the Firebrand and Fire that Burns Within, for instance, only make this Ninja even stronger. Some cards in this list only cost 1, but Searing Emberblade will still fix your curve.

Fai is one of the few archetypes that is perfect straight out of the box, but we can still improve it. You can keep the cards that come in the original list - just add some copies of Arcane Polarity (1), Wax On (1), and Energy Potion (3) to the inventory.

Difficulty: Easy.

The most iconic Dorinthea list centers around Decimator Great Axe, but this new precon brings a different game plan centered around Dawnblade instead. The idea behind this card is the following: you'll start out weak but get stronger as time goes on because Dawnblade will get many counters.

To make this plan work, you'll need two types of cards. Cards that give this weapon go again, and cards that buff it and allow you to deal damage with it.

The cards that give it go again are Goblet of Bloodrun Wine (3), Hit and Run (3), Trot Along (3), Run Through (2), and Warrior's Valor (1). To attack again with Dawnblade, though, you'll need to deal damage with it, so this list also plays Out for Blood (1), Puncture (1), and Ironsong Response (1).

This deck also plays cards that are quite helpful when attacking with Dawnblade isn't enough. Scar for a Scar (1) will allow you to deal a lot of damage, and Wreck Havoc (1) will destroy defense reactions in the opponent's arsenal - one of the most problematic cards for this strategy.

You can upgrade this list in two ways: keep the Dawnblade game plan or abandon this weapon and lean more towards control with Decimator Great Axe. We decided to keep the original game plan.

Compedium of Rathe actually gave us great tools for this plan. Display of Craftsmanship (1) and Rend Flesh (3) are some of them, but some older cards also fit this strategy nicely, like Slice and Dice (1) and Dauntless (1).

Difficulty: Easy/Average.

The most disruptive tools Assassins play are majestic cards, which we can't really play in this format, but there is an upside to Arakni: its ability is extremely strong.

All of these abilities are quite powerful in a format that is more restricted, like Silver Age, particularly because most of them are on-hit effects, like Arakni, Black Widow's and Arakni, Tarantula's.

Obviously, we need more than just this hero's ability to win, so this precon plays an array of aggressive attacks and ways to deal damage.

Like any great Assassin cards, these attacks do something when they deal damage. Mark of the Black Widow (1) is one of the best attacks in this deck because it can be highly disruptive, particularly with Prey Spotters. Nonetheless, the other cards above also play their role well: Art of Desire: Body, for instance, is similar to Snatch (1).

The most dangerous cards any Assassin can play are attack reactions that put the opponent in pretty uncomfortable situations. Cards like Scar Tissue (1) and Shred (3) will allow you to deal damage and also activate your on-hit effects.

Here's a tip: you may get weird hands (hands full of blue cards, attacks without go again, etc) with this list. In these cases, be proactive with your daggers (Mark of the Huntsman and Graphene Chelicera) and keep trying to deal damage. You can even try to set up surprise attack reactions.

To upgrade this list, you can shift the main focus a bit. Instead of focusing on the daggers, you can make it a classic aggro list with more free attacks with 4 power, like Ravenous Rabble (1) and Pursue to the Edge of Oblivion (1), as well as add more ways to take advantage of the cards in your hand, like Nimblism (1) and Hurl (1).

Difficulty: Easy/Average.

Lastly, we have the Ranger precon centered around Azalea, a hero many veteran Flesh and Blood players love.

Azalea is one of the best examples of a "go tall" deck we have: it doesn't play many attacks with go again, but it does play many buffs that will make an arrow attack for 11 or 14 damage and also activate some on-hit effects.

To make this aggressive game plan with Death Dealer work, this deck plays the best and most efficient arrows. Drill Shot (1), Infecting Shot (1), and Bolt’n Shot (1) were already quite popular in Classic Constructed and are also popular in this format. They might seem like harmless attacks, but, with Azalea's ability, they often close games and deal damage despite all odds.

This precon already comes with the best buffs in the game. The Lace cycle is incredibly strong and can disrupt the opponent considerably if you play them at the right time. Other buffs, like Release the Tension (1) and Take Aim (1), are also quite useful.

To take advantage of this hero, this list plays a few Opt effects, as with them we'll be able to manage the top cards in our deck. Talismanic Lens is the best of them because it is always available and is a head piece, but other cards are also pretty similar to it, like Read the Glide Path (1) and Spire Sniping (2).

Just like Fai, this Azalea list is pretty good straight out of the box, but you can make it a bit more defensive with cards like Take Cover (1) or add cards for specific matchups, like Fatigue Shot (1) (which is excellent against heroes that play big attacks).

Difficulty: Easy.

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Thank you for reading, and see you next time!