Rules and Policy

Release Notes

Living Legend Information

Errata

23 May 2024 Errata Bulletin #9
- Bonds of Attraction and Bonds of Memory errataed to prevent an unintended interaction where stacking triggers would grant an extra +1{h}
- Endless Arrow and Gaze the Ages fixed to return to the owner’s hand
- Various weapons abilities fixed to give the attacks (rather than the weapon itself) go again
- Enchanting Melody does not have Ward, and Down and Dirty does not have Ambush
15 March 2023 Errata Bulletin #6
- Give and Take triggers for each action card that defends it
- “event-based triggers typically use a present tense verb (defends) and state-based triggers typically use a past tense (defended) or a continuous tense verb (defending)”
- Back Heel Kick receives a while condition to work while face up in any zone
17 February 2023 Watch Your Step…
- Traps updated to require being played from arsenal on the card rather than in the CR
3 October 2022 B&S Update
- Young Heroes prohibited in CC
- Yorick banned in official events
3 October 2022 Errata Bulletin #5
- Runechant and Quicken unified to always trigger on play/activation rather than when a weapon becomes attacking
- Zephyr Needle, Phantasmal Footsteps rolled back and now trigger when defending, not when the chain closes
- Clarifications on Fractal Replication, Forked Lightning
12 January 2022 Errata Bulletin #4
- Briar can only make one Embodiment of Earth per turn
5 November 2021 Errrata Bulletin #3
- Blizzard now asks the attack’s controller, instead of the attacking hero, to pay the tax
4 June 2021 Errata Bulletin #2
- Attack Card Effects now trigger “when you attack”
- Vestige of Sol is a Replacement Effect
- Become the Arknight is Modal
1 September 2020 Errata Bulletin #1
- Ira is Young
- Gambler’s Gloves is a Replacement Effect

Back Alley Oracle

Back Alley Oracle is used to announce rules and policy changes as well as document updates and OP / Judge Program information. Only major rules and policy changes are called out here.

#1: Comprehensive Rules 2.0 Update
- Snag and Chokeslam retroactively apply “can’t gain” effects
- Replacement effect ordering updated
- Crucible of Aetherweave no longer buffs effects that would deal 0 arcane
- Find Center can now be defended by objects without a cost property
- Frost Lock checks legality after X is declared
- Defense Reactions “Defend” when they are resolved, not when they are played
- Stamp Authority is less confusing, but still a little confusing
#2: Korshem
#3: Various 1.5 to 2.0 changes
- If an attack ceases to exist before damage, the combat chain closes. If it ceases to exist later than that, the combat chain does not close.
- The Stack is not in the Arena, and so Potions etc cannot be activated until they resolve
#4: Tiebreakers (player-focused explanation)
Unnumbered bonus: CR 2.0 Overview
#5: Procedure and Penalty Guide (preview)
#6: Judge Program Overview (largely outdated)
#7: Penalty and Procedure Guide (release announcement, partially outdated)
#8: Elo Ranking Explained (player-focused explanation)
#9: Avoid Common Tournament Infractions (player-focused guide)
#10: Defending Update
- A card “defends” if it is added to the chain link as a defending card, regardless of whether it is used to defend, played as a defense reaction, or added by an effect
- Dominate looks at defending cards actively on the chain link, if a defending card is Routed, it is legal to play a defense reaction from hand
- Reprise looks back in time to see if a card has ever been added as a defending card from hand, if a defending card is Routed, Reprise is still active
#11: Missed Triggers and Player Responsibilities
- Missed Trigger Warning upgrade is based on context of the game state
- Partial fixes and rewinds are authorized to correct missed mandatory triggers
- If a partial fix or rewind would further damage the game state or create unfair advantage for the player committing the error, leave the game state as it is
#12: Tokens, Triggers, and Tardiness
- Tokens (both token type and token rarity) are cards, but token type cards cannot be in a card-pool
- For multiple triggers being put on the stack simultaneously, turn player chooses which player’s triggers go on the stack first, but players order their own triggers
- If you can look at the top of your deck (Dash I/O), and that card changes during an effect, you can’t look at the new card until the effect completes and a player gains priority
- Phantasm no longer forces the combat chain to close on its own, so if a Phantasm card triggers after damage (or on a previous chain link) the chain will not close
- UPF range of influence rules updated
- Tardiness penalties updated and now includes late decklists
#13: Misprints, Alters, Proxies, and Tokens
- Updated alter/misprint rules, too extensive to summarize
#14: Forked Lightning, Concessions, and more
- Legendary keyword only applies to constructed
- Prevention effects can apply to each event of damage, i.e. two instances of AB1 can prevent all damage from Forked Lightning
- Arcane damage buffs are now split between ones that buff a card (and all effects on it), and ones that buff an event
- Players can no longer ask for a concession before decks are presented
- Players who have discussed a prize split may not concede
- Players may not discuss future turns after time is called
- Players must reveal face-down cards (e.g. cloaked equipment) at end of game and must use the standard “T” layout for equipment, particularly if any are face-down

Useful Rulings

UK Nats Investigation Outcome

Expectations of Professional-level play National Championship events represent some of the highest levels of competition for Flesh and Blood and are ruled at a professional rules enforcement level. As such, we expect players to “play hard, and play fair”. Flesh and Blood is a game of skill, and we expect players to win games, and tournaments, through skilful play in an honest and fair manner, not through exploitation of the game rules, ‘rules sharking’, or ‘angle shooting’ to derive an unfair advantage. To be clear, this does not mean players are obliged to let their opponents ‘take back’ mistakes once a play has been made. We strongly emphasize, however, that players are expected to hold themselves to the same standard that they hold their opponents to.

…

The playspace (defined by the outline of both player’s mats) should be clear from obstruction to preserve the integrity of physical communication and gameplay. This includes oversized and/or all non-game related objects. For the avoidance of doubt, the use of a die to represent the amount of resource you have remaining, ideally placed just above the pitch zone, is allowed and strongly encouraged.

Tokens that are not in play should not be present in the game space. This is clearly stated in the Tournament Rules and Policy document. Tokens such as Briar’s Embodiments, Runechants, Spectral Shields, and others, must not be present if they are not in play. It is not acceptable to have these in the game space “by default”, then use dice (or move them to a different position) to indicate when they are “active” or “present”.
Back Alley Oracle #1

IMPORTANT NOTE: Because the reprise condition now is officially checked on resolution of the layer, there may be complications when players argue that any responding defense reactions are played before their card resolves and therefore the reprise condition would be met when their card resolves. However, benefit of the doubt is given in any situation where it would be un-optimal to play a defense reaction that would allow the reprise condition to be met. In example 2, this is a purely hypothetical situation that shows the consequence of the rules change - in this example it would be ruled that Unmovable was played after Rout resolves to prevent cases of rules sharking and/or angling.