Quick answer
CardSpicy takes the structure from the publisher’s tournament rules rather than from a shop shelf, and Legend Story Studios publishes the deck specification for every format in full. The two that matter most for a first deck are Classic Constructed — 1 hero, a maximum of 80 arena-cards and deck-cards combined, up to 3 copies of each unique card, and a deck of at least 60 cards — and Silver Age, the younger and smaller format, which restricts the card pool to common- and rare-rarity cards. The publisher’s own entry-level product is the Ira Welcome Deck.
This page is about structure and product configuration, not about what anything costs, because the publisher’s own material is about how a deck is assembled.
Why the hero comes first
Flesh and Blood is not built around a card pool that everyone plays from equally. Each player builds a deck around one hero, and the same card pool plays differently depending on which hero leads it. The publisher says as much directly: the game rewards good decisions rather than good luck, and it is built around a unique resource system and a combat structure that begins on the first turn.
The practical consequence for a new collection is straightforward. Choosing a hero is not a step you can defer. The hero sets the class and the talent, and those decide which of your cards are legal in the deck at all.
The constructed formats, and what each one asks for
These are the publisher’s own specifications, quoted from the tournament rules.
| Format | Hero | Cards | Copies | Deck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Constructed | 1 hero. Living Legend heroes and their signature weapons are not legal; young heroes and pit-fighter heroes are not legal either. | Maximum 80 arena-cards and deck-cards combined. | Up to 3 of each unique card. | Minimum 60 cards. |
| Living Legend | Following the same rules as Classic Constructed, but Living Legend heroes and their signature weapons are legal. | Maximum 80 combined. | Up to 3 of each unique card. | Minimum 60 cards. |
| Blitz | 1 young hero. | Maximum 52 combined. | 1 of each unique card. | Exactly 40 cards. |
| Silver Age | 1 young hero, and the hero itself must be common- or rare-rarity. | Maximum 55 combined. | Up to 2 of each unique card. | Exactly 40 cards. |
Two things stand out. The first is that Silver Age is the only constructed format where rarity is part of the deck specification: both the hero and the cards must be common- or rare-rarity, and the publisher defines those words by the card’s whole print history rather than by its latest printing.
The second is that the copy limit runs in the opposite direction to what a player might expect. Blitz, the smallest format, allows one copy of each card — not more — while Classic Constructed allows three. A Blitz deck is therefore wider in card variety than its 40-card size suggests.
Deck sizes here are governed by the rules, not by a product
The publisher is unusually specific about deck size, and it is worth reading the numbers literally: Classic Constructed is a minimum of 60, while Blitz, Silver Age and Ultimate Pit Fight are exactly 40. An exact size is a different constraint from a minimum, because it caps how much a player can tune a deck upward.
| Format | Specification |
|---|---|
| Ultimate Pit Fight | 1 young hero, a maximum of 52 arena-cards and deck-cards, up to 2 copies of each unique card, and exactly 40 cards. A multiplayer format: matches typically comprise 4 players. |
| Sealed Deck | 1 young hero and everything opened, with a deck of exactly 30 cards. Any number of copies of each unique card. |
| Booster Draft | Pods of 8 players, 3 booster packs each, one card taken and the rest passed. A deck of exactly 30 cards. |
The limited formats have one rule that is genuinely convenient and easy to miss: a player may use any number of basic-rarity cards from the sets being used without having to open them. The publisher also notes that the two cards at the back of a pack are removed before a draft — basic-rarity cards or arena-cards — so a draft pack is not simply opened and played.
The products the publisher builds for each route
| Route | What the publisher supplies |
|---|---|
| Learning the game | The Ira Welcome Deck, described by the publisher as a free starter deck that can also be printed at home. |
| Playing Classic Constructed | Armory Decks, described by the publisher as ready-to-play Classic Constructed decks. |
| Playing the smaller format | Silver Age decks, described by the publisher as fast and affordable young-hero decks. |
| Collecting or drafting | The booster sets, plus the Mastery Packs and History Packs listed separately in the publisher’s product line. |
| Playing against other people | Local play events and the World Tour, which the publisher describes as awarding two million US dollars in cash prizes annually across its events. |
The one rule that can retire your collection
Before committing a collection to a single hero, it is worth understanding the rule that governs legality in this game, because it works differently from a set rotation.
Legend Story Studios uses a revolving card legality model driven by heroes. A hero accumulates Living Legend points as it wins events. The publisher’s threshold is 1000 points, it performs the check every Monday, and a hero that crosses the threshold — together with its signature weapon — is no longer legal for official tournament play from the Friday of that same week.
Two details make this more than trivia. Points are weighted by how long a hero has been legal: the publisher applies a 0.75x multiplier to a hero legal for less than a year, 1.0x for one to two years, and 1.5x for two years or more. And a hero that has attained Living Legend status remains legal in the Living Legend format, which exists precisely for them.
So a collection built around one hero is a collection exposed to that hero’s tournament results. That is not a reason to avoid the hero; it is a reason to know the rule before deciding how narrowly to collect.
What this page does not claim
- It does not compare the routes by cost. CardSpicy prints no prices and makes no valuation or investment recommendation.
- It does not name a best starting hero. The publisher maintains class guides, and which one suits a player depends on the class rather than on a ranking.
- It does not state a card count for any set. The publisher states a composition for each set separately.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards are in a Flesh and Blood deck?
It depends on the format. Classic Constructed needs a minimum of 60 cards, while Blitz, Silver Age and Ultimate Pit Fight each require exactly 40. Sealed and draft decks are exactly 30.
What is Silver Age?
A constructed format for a young hero where both the hero and the cards must be common- or rare-rarity. It allows up to 2 copies of each unique card, a maximum of 55 combined arena-cards and deck-cards, and exactly 40 cards in the deck.
Can my hero stop being legal?
Yes. A hero that reaches 1000 Living Legend points stops being legal for official tournament play, along with its signature weapon. The publisher checks the standing every Monday and applies the change from the Friday of that week.
Do I need to open packs to play Sealed Deck?
Yes. Sealed Deck is built from booster packs, and the publisher specifies a deck of exactly 30 cards. Basic-rarity cards from the sets being used may be added without opening them.
What is a Flesh and Blood Armory Deck?
A ready-to-play Classic Constructed deck, as described by the publisher. Silver Age decks are a separate product line aimed at the smaller young-hero format.
Sources
Sources and scope
- Legend Story Studios, Tournament Rules and Policy — the Classic Constructed, Living Legend, Blitz, Silver Age and Ultimate Pit Fight card-pool specifications including deck sizes and copy limits; the Sealed Deck and Booster Draft specifications; the rule that any number of basic-rarity cards may be used without opening them; and the removal of the two back cards from a draft pack.
- Legend Story Studios, the official Living Legend page — the 1000-point threshold, the Monday check with Friday effect, the signature weapon consequence, the time-of-legality multipliers of 0.75x, 1.0x and 1.5x, and the continued legality of Living Legend heroes in the Living Legend format.
- Legend Story Studios, the official Flesh and Blood site, Learn to Play and About Us pages — the Ira Welcome Deck, the Armory Decks, the Silver Age decks, the class guides, the World Tour and its stated annual cash prizes, and the publisher’s statement that the game rewards decisions rather than luck.
- Scope note: only details published by Legend Story Studios, or printed on the cards, are stated as confirmed. No prices, no card counts per set and no ranking of heroes are given.
Format specifications, product contents and card legality are set by the publisher and can change. Check Legend Story Studios’ own rules and product pages before acting on the basis of anything on this page.
Related reading
- Flesh and Blood cards
- Flesh and Blood rarities and foils
- Flesh and Blood sets and releases
- Flesh and Blood Silver Age: Usurp the Shadow Throne
- Other card games
- The Collector’s Library
- The Card Protection Guide
- Humidity and card storage
- Card accessories
Where to go next
- The CardSpicy card index — every card we track, with its PSA 10 population and market history (195 cards).
- The illustrator index — every artist behind those cards, card by card (110 artists).