IGN can exclusively reveal four cards from the upcoming Flesh and Blood TCG set Dusk till Dawn including the extra special Majestic United We Stand, which sees the heroes of Rathe unite for the very first time in a tease of the upcoming PvE format.
The full United We Stand reveal can be seen above while the remaining three cards, Banneret of Resilience, Banneret of Salvation, and Banneret of Vigor can be viewed below. These full-art versions will be available as buy-a-box promos: local game store freebies given away to customers who buy a Flesh and Blood booster box. The remaining three Banneret cards can be seen for the first time on the ticketing page for one of Flesh and Blood’s next major tournaments, the Calling Birmingham.
All of these cards will be featured in the next set of Flesh and Blood (FAB), a fantasy themed hero-versus-hero fighting game designed to be played in person, in the flesh and blood.
Dusk till Dawn is the 10th set released, meaning Flesh and Blood has reached a milestone very few card games do. “Dusk till Dawn being the 10th FAB set, alongside a rapidly growing player base who majoritively voice strong belief that the game is getting better over time, is a strong indication that our long term vision has set FAB up to stand the test of time,” said James White, CEO and founder of developer Legend Story Studios (LSS).
“The reality of the TCG industry is it has a 98% failure rate. Many games that started out full of potential and hype are dead, on death’s door, or showing signs of fatal game system failure by the fourth or fifth set.”
Dusk till Dawn also tells a particularly important part of Flesh and Blood’s overall narrative, which is woven throughout its cards and stories released online. “[This set] is special because it returns fans to the heart of the primary story arc running through the world of Rathe,” White said. “It picks up the story where [a previous set called] Monarch left off, as well as tying together some of the subplot threads that have come since, such as bringing the heroes of Aria into the fray.
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“I think we have done an exceptional job integrating lore and character development with card design and game mechanics,” he added. “This flows through to create a really immersive experience when playing the game. You feel like you are playing as the hero.”
LSS has corroborated the game’s story into a summary on its website, though it also uses the cards themselves to signify key moments, introduce new characters, and so on.
“United We Stand is storytelling through card design at its best,” White added. “The new Unity mechanic featured across multiple cards in the set expresses the concept of heroes defending together, with United We Stand showcasing all the iconic heroes who have come together to defend the city of Solana in her time of greatest need.”
What United We Stand also does with the term “party” is give a glimpse at Flesh and Blood’s upcoming PvE mode, which will move the game beyond its current PvP only formats.
“United We Stand is a sneak peek at PvE, the highly anticipated social play format for Flesh and Blood,” White said. “TCGs are typically premised on confrontation, including multiplayer formats, where ultimately the goal of the game is kill the other players.
“Inevitably there is one winner and everyone else loses. PvE completely changes this dynamic, with players cooperating to overcome a common objective. The social dynamic changes from confrontation to cooperation.
“Players are incentivized to keep their fellow players alive and in the campaign rather than killing and eliminating them from the game. It’s much more akin to an RPG experience that is so complimentary to the holistic Flesh and Blood design.”
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It will therefore build on the RPG mechanics already in the game. “One of the most fun and unique things about FAB is you get to equip your hero with all kinds of different weapons and armour depending on which hero you’re fighting against,” White said. “It is very RPG-like in this respect and adds a lot of customizability to how you set up your hero to fight.”
Keeping these fundamental rules and mechanics in line is another important aspect of the game’s success, White said, as heroes created in the first sets are designed to go toe to toe with heroes in the most recent.
“Our design philosophy is to keep the game mechanics as simple as possible,” he explained. “Furthermore, we are deliberate in making sets from time to time that can act as great onboarding ramps for new players, such as [the most recent release] Outsiders, which is mechanically quite a simple set based on simple melee damage interactions.”
On this point, White also teased what’s coming in the future for Flesh and Blood. “As we move forward, you’ll start to see changes to our card and product design that really supports ease of access for new players to pick up and play FAB easily,” he said. The next release after Dusk till Dawn will also be created with limited play in mind, like many FAB sets before it, meaning they’re fully draftable and ready for sealed play.
As for the game’s story, White revealed Dusk till Dawn is just part two of the Monarch trilogy, which is set to reach its climax in early 2025. And alongside the more dedicated PvE mode, LSS is looking to grow the game’s narrative in other ways too.
“We always looked at FAB as being the development of an IP, not just a game,” White said. “That includes world building, character development, and storytelling. So far the IP has been applied to the trading card game, but we see a lot of opportunity for storytelling in other mediums over time.”
Dusk till Dawn launches July 14, 2023, but special War of the Monarch pre-release events take place at local game stores around the world from July 7 to 9. Players attending can experience part one of the trilogy by playing Monarch draft, gain special promo cards for participating, and winners take home Dusk till Dawn packs and another special promo. Spoiler Season for Dusk till Dawn, meaning the period of time in which the remaining cards are revealed, begins June 30.
Disclaimer: The author of this article has written for the Flesh and Blood website previously, reporting on the UK community and tournaments.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
