Images credited to Legend Story Studios
Greetings and salutations my fabulous FAB folks! Welcome to something a little different. (Or… old? Depending on whether you remember my #fabdad series.) Today we’re examining exactly what it is that makes Flesh and Blood so…. so darn expensive.
In my humble opinion (and based on conversations with other players), it boils down to a combination of a couple of things-
- The game’s popularity is outpacing its supply.
- Organized/competitive play rules the Flesh and Blood world.
Now, let’s talk about basic supply and demand.
What Do You Mean Flesh and Blood’s Popularity Is Outpacing Its Supply?
I mean exactly that. The game’s recent growth has been nothing short of explosive. This is mostly thanks to the constant stream of awesome new sets and products that we’ve been getting. I don’t have access to LSS’s sales numbers myself, but anyone who’s paid attention to the game can tell you that Part the Mistveil, Rosetta, and The Hunted have all been smash hits.
The Armory Deck and First Strike lines of products have made huge strides in lowering the barrier to entry for the game. I feel confident in saying that the new GEM packs have done wonders for reinvigorating local Armory attendance as well. My local scene specifically has hit record numbers week after week thanks to the spicy new promos.
For The Hunted specifically, in Dev Talk #11, James White and Bryan Gottlieb discussed how their projections for the set were completely blown out of the water. They were not prepared for the demand to be as high as it’s been. Because of that, not enough product has made its way onto the market yet.
When demand skyrockets while supply lags, prices inevitably spike.
As of this writing, relief is coming, but The Hunted is still almost completely sold out. Competitive players, like me, looking for competitive staples to compete at the highest levels of organized play have opened every box we could get our hands on. Even so, Shelter from the Storm, the game’s newest generic competitive staple, is trending down, but is still sitting at nearly $200 for a playset on TCGplayer.
Ok, So What Does Organized Play Have to Do with High Flesh and Blood Card Prices?
Flesh and Blood is and has always been a player’s game. Investors and collectors are welcome, naturally, but it’s the competitive spirit that pulls most players out of the house and to their LGS for a few rounds of Swiss every week. It’s organized play that encourages players to drive, fly, run, or walk to World Tour events around the globe. As FAB’s first World Champion Michael Hamilton said, “Flesh and Blood is hard.” But it’s the competition that pushes players to get better while taking their lumps in their new player days.
A lot of the reason for this is that prize payouts at Flesh and Blood events are notoriously top heavy. Before we got GEM packs, players had every reason to bring their best strategy to locals. Even down at the Armory level, they played their strongest lists to hone their skills. While that hasn’t really changed at my own locals, I have seen some comments on social media where more casual/lower powered heroes are seeing more Armory play.
Why Do Competitive Players Spend So Much More on the Best Cards Though?
Players wanting to play in this kind of competitive environment are always looking to narrow their margins. Playing budget options works just fine for casual play, and you can certainly win games with budget decks. I’ve written about a few that are both solid and fun, after all. But when you really, truly want the best chance of spiking a tournament, you need to play the best cards available to your strategy.
The game’s popularity and the long gap since the last printing of meta staples like Enlightened Strike and Codex of Frailty have caused supply to dry up. (Again, high demand, low supply.) Right now, many competitive staples are in the hands of established players. This makes it harder for newcomers to enter the competitive scene without breaking the bank.
So What’s the Fix? How Do We Get Flesh and Blood Prices Under Control?
Going back to that same Dev Talk from earlier, a quick jaunt through the comments shows what a lot of players think is the solution. Collectively, we want reprints of the tournament staples that are spiking due to the game’s popularity. By no means do I think we need widespread reprints of everything. Flesh and Blood cards have great liquidity because the competitive staples are always in demand. If we see widespread reprints, it will make selling out of certain cards much more difficult, or force veterans to take a loss.
There are a couple of safe reprint options that LSS could pursue, and they’ve already successfully implemented one. Before we got a Command and Conquer reprint in The Hunted, it was trending over $100 per card. Right now, it’s right around $70 for the cheapest printing.
By reprinting meta staples, upshifting their rarity, and possibly introducing new artwork, LSS can put these cards into new players’ hands at a more reasonable price. (Don’t come at me, here. I don’t think $70 per card is reasonable, but it’s moving in the right direction for what many consider one of the best FAB cards ever printed.)
Could a New History Pack Be the Answer?
I’d like to think we’ll see History Pack II coming sooner than later. Even if it’s not exactly formatted like the original, I like the idea of white border cards being printed for accessibility. That being said, I’d like to see it done differently than just blandly reprinting the entirety of several sets at once.
Instead, LSS should prioritize reprints of key rares, majestics, and legendaries rather than flooding the market with more commons. It’s been long enough since History Pack 1 came out that we’ve probably got enough of a supply to make a good size set out of just those. Commons are easy to find, and we don’t really need reprints for them.
Let’s be honest, invested competitive players don’t need more bulk commons cluttering their collections. In fact, most of us are willing to throw bulk commons at any new player who stays still long enough to take it.
Final Thoughts
Despite the price concerns, Flesh and Blood is in a really great place. However, its success has made the game more expensive than ever. More players want to compete, but the supply of older staples is dwindling, and new product is struggling to keep up. Competitive play is driving demand for the best cards, and without enough reprints, prices are not coming down anytime soon.
LSS has taken steps to improve accessibility with products like First Strike and Armory Decks, but there’s still work to be done. Whether it’s through targeted reprints, another History Pack, or a new approach we haven’t seen yet, something has to give.
The game isn’t slowing down, which is a great thing. However, ensuring that new players can get the cards they need is key to Flesh and Blood‘s long-term health.
Like I said, the game is in an incredible place, and its future looks bright. Competitive play is thriving, and more players than ever are eager to jump in. Now it’s time to make sure everyone, new players and old, have the tools they need to keep it that way.
Have you ever been priced out of playing in an event? Do you think reprints are the way to go, or is there another way to make competitive play more accessible? What card do you think needs a reprint the most? (My vote is Codex of Frailty.) Do you want to listen to my buddies and me talk about all things Flesh and Blood on our podcast? Drop a comment or hit me up as @Dracohominis87 and let me know!
Want to know what’s going on in the world of Flesh and Blood? Check out our most recent monthly update.
