Arakni, Marionette — Classic Constructed Strategy Guide

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Archetype Overview

Arakni, Marionette is a Chaos Assassin tempo deck. It marks the opponent, then chains zero-cost stealth and dagger attacks that gain go again by hitting a marked hero. The list is almost entirely red, nearly every non-weapon card costs 0, and the whole build exists to turn one mark into a long turn that strips the opponent's cards. This build took Top 4 at Calling: Kyoto 2026 in the hands of Law Wen.

What the Deck Is

The hero ability sets the shape. Your stealth attacks against a marked hero get +1 power and "When this hits, this gets go again." Nothing in the hero text gives you go again for free. Every link has to connect, so the list is built in four layers:

• Mark sources. Hunter's Klaive marks on hit. Scar Tissue gives any dagger attack the same rider. Reaper's Call marks at instant speed when you discard it. Relentless Pursuit marks outright. Cut from the Same Cloth marks if their hand shows an attack reaction. Lair of the Spider marks off a block against a go again attack.
• Stealth bodies. Kiss of Death, Mark of the Black Widow, Art of Desire: Body, Infiltrate, Meet Madness and the blue stealth attacks all cost 0 and pick up the hero bonus.
• Dagger pump. Savor Bloodshed, Up Sticks and Run, To the Point, Incision and Tarantula Toxin make a 1-power Klaive swing for real damage.
• Hit insurance. Stains of the Redback, Stalker's Steps and Blacktek Whisperers give go again directly. Tarantula Toxin and Shred shrink blocks so the hit lands.

Kiss of Death sits at the center. It is both a dagger attack and a stealth attack, so every pump in the deck works with it, and the hero's go again applies to it too.

The Plan

You mark first, then you attack. The cheapest mark is a Hunter's Klaive hit, and you don't always need to swing to get it. Flick Knives and Pain in the Backside each make an off-chain dagger deal 1 damage, and the dagger counts as having hit. That puts the Klaive's mark on the opponent. Once they are marked, you run zero-cost stealth links, and each hit pays for the next. Stains of the Redback gets cheaper against a marked hero. To the Point goes from +3 to +4. Take Up the Mantle can turn the attack into a copy of your best stealth card from the graveyard. Mark of the Black Widow makes them banish a card from hand.

The damage is only half the value. Nearly every hit removes a resource from the opponent:

• Leave No Witnesses banishes the top card of their deck and can take their arsenal.
• Meet Madness banishes a random choice of hand card, arsenal card or top card.
• Persuasive Prognosis banishes the top card, then a card from their hand of the same color.
• Command and Conquer turns off defense reactions for its chain link and destroys their arsenal on hit.

An opponent who takes a long chain loses life and also starts the next turn with fewer cards to play.

The deck can also recover its daggers. Flick Knives destroys the dagger it uses. Up Sticks and Run and Pick Up the Point bring a dagger back from the graveyard, so you can reuse that line during the game.

Why the Plan Is Strong

The cards are cheap. With almost everything at cost 0, your resources go to Hunter's Klaive activations and Stains of the Redback. Fyendal's Spring Tunic supplies an extra resource on the turn you need it. Your blues double as pitch and as 1-power stealth links that still gain go again against a marked hero. A full four-card hand plus the arsenal can turn into a full turn of attacks.

A mark pays off on both turns. At the start of your end phase, a marked opponent turns you into a random Agent of Chaos. On defense, Mask of Deceit lets you choose your Agent of Chaos instead of rolling for one, provided the attacker is marked.

Your blocks punish their turn. Frailty Trap, Inertia Trap and Lair of the Spider block for 3 and attach downsides to the go again or pumped attacks that opponents rely on. Under the Trap-Door lets you replay a trap from the graveyard. Codex of Frailty hands the opponent a Frailty token while you take a Ponder token. Even when you are defending, you are setting up your next turn.

You can adjust your pressure. A short turn of Klaive plus one pumped Kiss of Death keeps your blockers in hand. A long turn ends the game. You choose which one each turn, depending on the opponent's life, their hand size and whether they are already marked.

Who Should Pick It Up

Pick this deck up if you like long, precise turns and are willing to track details. You need to know:

• whether the opponent is marked,
• which daggers are on or off the chain,
• which pump targets "dagger attack" and which targets "attack with stealth,"
• whether a link has to hit before the next card is live.

Hand reading matters, because the effects that banish from hand and arsenal reward knowing what the opponent kept. You also have to accept some randomness from the Agent of Chaos transformations. If you prefer simple, high-power turns that work without setup, this is the wrong deck.

Check legality before you register. As of 2026-10-19, fabtcg.com's Card Legality Policy lists Arakni, Marionette as a Living Legend. Under the Living Legend rules, a hero leaves official play from the Friday after it reaches Living Legend (source: fabtcg.com Card Legality Policy and Living Legend page, accessed 2026-10-19). Confirm current status for your event date before you build around this list.

Core Strategy & Game Plan

This deck wins by turning every hit into a resource swing. You present a long chain of cheap stealth attacks, almost all of which cost nothing, and each one that connects takes something from the opponent: a card from hand, the arsenal, the top of the deck, or a point of life. Your hero converts that chain into a sustained turn. The opponent loses cards to your hit triggers and to blocking, and has less to work with on their own turn. Every decision runs through one question: is the opponent marked right now?

The Engine: Mark First, Then Stealth

Arakni, Marionette gives stealth attacks against a marked hero +1 power and "When this hits, this gets go again." Unmarked, your stealth attacks are 3-power or 1-power swings that often end your turn. Marked, every hit adds another chain link. So sequence the mark first and the stealth attacks second.

Your marking tools, roughly in order of reliability:

• Reaper's Call: an instant discard that marks with no attack required. It is the cleanest way to start a turn already marked, and it doubles as a blue to pitch or a 1-power stealth attack.
• Relentless Pursuit: marks with go again, so it costs you nothing in tempo.
• Hunter's Klaive: a 2-resource attack with go again and piercing 1 that marks on hit. Pump it with Scar Tissue, To the Point, Incision or Tarantula Toxin to force the hit or force a heavy block.
• Scar Tissue: grants the mark-on-hit to any dagger attack, including Kiss of Death, which is a stealth dagger attack. That makes it a pump that fixes both problems at once.
• Cut from the Same Cloth and Lair of the Spider: conditional marks. They depend on the opponent revealing an attack reaction, or attacking you with go again.

The mark also pays off at the beginning of your end phase. If the opponent is still marked, you become a random Agent of Chaos. Ending your turn with the mark still on the opponent is a real goal, not a bonus.

Keeping the Chain Alive

The hero's go again only triggers on a hit, so you need backups for when the opponent blocks:

• Stains of the Redback gives a stealth attack go again plus power, and it gets cheaper against a marked hero.
• Stalker's Steps gives a stealth attack go again outright.
• Blacktek Whisperers gives an Assassin attack action card go again on hit.
• Orb-Weaver Spinneret, Savor Bloodshed, Up Sticks and Run and Cut from the Same Cloth all have go again built in. They are free links that make your next attack bigger.

Pumps also force bad blocks. Tarantula Toxin and Shred shrink defending cards, so blocking a stealth attack with one card often fails.

Hits Become Card Advantage

Your payload cards strip the opponent's resources:

• Mark of the Black Widow banishes a card from a marked opponent's hand.
• Persuasive Prognosis and Meet Madness reach into the hand as well.
• Leave No Witnesses clears the top of the deck and the arsenal.
• Command and Conquer destroys the arsenal and shuts off defense reactions on its chain link.
• Infiltrate lets you play the banished card.
• Art of Desire: Body draws you a card and gains you life off red banishes.

Leave No Witnesses has a contract to banish the opponent's red cards. Completing it makes Silver, and two Silver let Blacktek Whisperers re-equip from your graveyard. That gives you another go again option later in the game.

Daggers as the Glue

Two Hunter's Klaive and Flick Knives form a second mark engine. Flick Knives has a dagger that isn't on the active chain link deal 1 damage, and that dagger "has hit." That hit triggers the Klaive's mark without the Klaive having to connect in combat. Pain in the Backside does the same from a hitting attack. The Knives destroy the dagger, so Up Sticks and Run and Pick Up the Point are there to retrieve it. Running two Klaives means losing one never shuts off the plan.

Posture: Proactive, With Real Defense

This is an aggressive deck. Nearly every card carries 2 or 3 defense, though, so blocking with spare reds is cheap. The traps punish specific attacks:

• Frailty Trap and Lair of the Spider punish go-again attacks.
• Inertia Trap punishes pumped attacks.
• Under the Trap-Door replays a trap from your graveyard.

Mask of Deceit triggers a transformation when it defends. If the attacker is marked, you choose the Agent of Chaos instead of rolling for it. Defend to keep your next turn intact, not to race. Your clock comes from the opponent running out of cards, not from trading life evenly.

The Ideal Game

1. Early turns: Establish the mark with a pumped Hunter's Klaive or Reaper's Call. Pitch blues to fund the Klaive's 2-resource attack, and block efficiently with spare reds.
2. First big turn: Start already marked. Lead with a go-again setup card (Orb-Weaver Spinneret or Savor Bloodshed). Then chain stealth attacks, saving Stains of the Redback or Stalker's Steps for the link the opponent is most likely to block. Make sure a disruption card is among the attacks that connect.
3. Mid game: Keep the opponent marked through your end phase. Use Codex of Frailty to put an attack back into your arsenal and hand the opponent a Frailty token. Retrieve daggers so Flick Knives stays live.
4. Closing: Against a depleted hand, Kiss of Death's life loss, piercing Klaive swings and Flick Knives pings finish the opponent even through blocks.

Card Choices & Breakdown

Almost every card in this list costs 0. The only things that ask for resources are Hunter's Klaive (2), Command and Conquer (2) and Stains of the Redback (1, or 0 into a marked hero). That is why the deck runs so many reds: your pitch mostly pays for Klaive swings, so you can afford to fill your hand with pitch-1 cards. Copy counts are capped at 3 per name and colour (source: fabtcg.com Classic Constructed format page, accessed 2026-10-19), so every "3x" below is a maxed slot. The pool totals exactly 80 cards with weapons and equipment.

Weapons and Equipment

• 2x Hunter's Klaive: Your mark engine. It attacks with go again, has piercing 1, and marks on hit. You want two because Flick Knives destroys a dagger to make it "hit." That hit marks the opponent with no attack on the chain.
• Flick Knives: The off-chain dagger ping marks through Klaive's hit trigger. Up Sticks and Run and Pick Up the Point retrieve the destroyed dagger.
• Mask of Deceit: When it defends, you become a random Agent of Chaos. If the attacker is marked, you choose which one instead. Mark before you block with it.
• Stalker's Steps / Blacktek Whisperers: Two legs pieces, so you pick one per game.
  • Steps gives a stealth attack go again and carries Arcane Barrier 1.
  • Whisperers gives go again on hit to an Assassin attack action card. It re-equips from the graveyard by destroying 2 Silver, which Leave No Witnesses creates when you complete its contract.
• Fyendal's Spring Tunic: A banked extra resource that funds a turn with two Klaive activations. It was the most-played card across the window's published lists, at 21 of 32 (source: fabtcg.com decklist API, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19).

Marking

Arakni, Marionette only adds +1 power and go-again-on-hit to stealth attacks if the opponent is marked. A mark at your end phase also turns you into a random Agent of Chaos. Your mark sources are:

• Scar Tissue (3)
• Reaper's Call (3), whose discard instant marks at any time
• Relentless Pursuit (1), which goes to the bottom of your deck if you've already attacked them that turn
• Cut from the Same Cloth (3), which marks when the revealed hand contains an attack reaction and pumps a dagger +4 regardless
• Lair of the Spider, which marks off a block

Reaper's Call at three is the key number. It is a 0-cost stealth attack, a pitch-3 card and an instant-speed mark in one.

Stealth Attacks

• 3x Kiss of Death: The best attack in the deck. It is both a dagger attack and a stealth attack. Dagger pumps (To the Point, Incision, Tarantula Toxin) and stealth pumps (Orb-Weaver Spinneret, Stains of the Redback, Arakni's bonus) all stack on it.
• 3x Mark of the Black Widow: Hand disruption that only works into a marked hero.
• 2x Art of Desire: Body, 2x Infiltrate, 2x Meet Madness: Stealth bodies with deck or hand banish attached. You run two each because they add disruption, not damage.
• Blue stealth attacks: Persuasive Prognosis (3), Under the Trap-Door (3), Unmake the Underlings (2). At 1 power they are pitch first and an attack when you need the extra chain link. Unmake also handles ally decks.

Pumps and Go Again

• 3x Orb-Weaver Spinneret (red): +3 to your next stealth attack, go again, and it equips a Graphene Chelicera token. Red is your only option, because the blue and yellow versions are banned (source: fabtcg.com Card Legality Policy, accessed 2026-10-19).
• Stains of the Redback (3 red, 1 blue): Go again plus power, free into a mark. The blue copy is effectively your fourth Stains, at the cost of 2 power.
• Dagger non-attack actions: Savor Bloodshed, Up Sticks and Run and Cut from the Same Cloth, 3 each. All give go again and +4 to your next dagger attack. Savor also draws a card off a marked dagger hit.
• Dagger attack reactions: To the Point, Incision, Scar Tissue and Tarantula Toxin, 3 each. Toxin's second mode gives a defending card -3 defense against a stealth attack, which helps a stealth Kiss of Death connect.
• Pain in the Backside (3) and Pick Up the Point (2): Go-again attacks that refill or trigger your daggers.
• Take Up the Mantle (1): Copies a stronger stealth attack from your graveyard into a marked hero.
• Shred (1): Strips defense from a blocker.

Disruption

• 3x Leave No Witnesses: Your biggest base power at 4. It hits arsenal and feeds Whisperers through Silver. It has no stealth, so Arakni's bonus doesn't apply.
• 3x Codex of Frailty: Your only yellows. It gives go again, puts an attack from your graveyard into your arsenal, makes the opponent discard, and creates a Ponder token for you and a Frailty token for them.
• 1x Command and Conquer: Turns off defense reactions and wipes arsenal. One copy is enough because it is your only costed attack.

Defense

• Traps: Frailty Trap (2), Inertia Trap (1) and Lair of the Spider (1). Under the Trap-Door lets you replay one from the graveyard. Frailty Trap and Lair both punish go-again attackers, and Lair marks them for your next turn.
• Fate Foreseen, Shelter from the Storm and Sink Below (1 each): 4-defense generics.
  • Fate Foreseen gives Opt 1.
  • Sink Below cycles a dead card from your hand.
  • Shelter prevents damage from the next three times you'd be dealt damage that turn.
  These are your flex slots. Keep them as singletons, because each one dilutes the go-again density the hero needs.

Core Versus Flex

Every Arakni, Marionette Top 8 list at Kyoto shared the full weapon and equipment suite. They also all ran 3 each of Kiss of Death, Leave No Witnesses, Mark of the Black Widow, Orb-Weaver Spinneret, Codex of Frailty and Under the Trap-Door (source: fabtcg.com decklist API, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). Treat those as fixed. The singletons and 2-ofs are where you tune.

The Decklist

This is the exact 80-card pool that took Law Wen to a Top 4 finish at Calling: Kyoto 2026. The format page sets the card-pool at 80 cards, including weapons and equipment, with a deck of at least 60 cards (source: fabtcg.com Classic Constructed format page, accessed 2026-10-19). This list fills the pool completely: 7 arena cards plus 73 deck cards. Notes marked Flex are the slots you can reasonably tune. Everything else is the engine.

One status note before you register: the Card Legality Policy lists Arakni, Marionette as a Living Legend as of 2026-10-19 (source: fabtcg.com Card Legality Policy, accessed 2026-10-19). Confirm the hero is still legal for your event date.

Hero / Weapon / Equipment

Pitch 1 (red)

Pitch 2 (yellow)

Pitch 3 (blue)

Reading the list

The curve is almost entirely 0-cost, and the reds far outnumber the yellows and blues combined. Blues are pitch and marking tools first and attacks second. Most of your resources go into Hunter's Klaive activations and the occasional Command and Conquer.

The non-negotiable core is the set of cards every Arakni list in the published Kyoto Top 8 shares (source: fabtcg.com decklist API, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19):

• Arena: the two Hunter's Klaive, Mask of Deceit, Flick Knives, Blacktek Whisperers and Stalker's Steps.
• Deck: three each of Kiss of Death, Leave No Witnesses, Mark of the Black Widow, Orb-Weaver Spinneret, Codex of Frailty and Under the Trap-Door.

Treat everything marked Flex as your tuning budget, and leave the core alone. The full list runs about $801 at TCGplayer market prices.

Hand Planning & Pitching

Your intellect is 4, and almost every card in the deck costs 0. Your only resource sinks are Hunter's Klaive (2 to swing), Stains of the Redback (1, or free once the defender is marked) and Command and Conquer (2). For most hands, the plan comes down to whether the opponent is marked when your attacks start, and how many cards you have to pitch to get there.

The Resource Budget

• One blue pitch (3) covers a Hunter's Klaive swing plus one unmarked Stains of the Redback. It also covers two Klaive swings on a turn where you have both daggers available.
• Marked opponent: both colors of Stains of the Redback become free. A hand of zero-cost cards can then run its whole chain with no pitch at all.
• Red pitches (1) are expensive in cards. Pitching two reds to fund one Klaive swing is a bad trade unless that swing lands the mark that turns on the rest of the hand.
• Fyendal's Spring Tunic adds a counter at the start of each of your turns and pays out 1 resource at 3 counters. Track it so you know which turn it lets you fund a Klaive swing and a Stains off a single red.

What to Pitch

The blues are your pitch base. How you sort them depends on whether the opponent is already marked:

• Pitch first: Persuasive Prognosis, Unmake the Underlings and Shred. They are low-impact plays, so let them pay for the Klaive.
• Keep if the opponent is unmarked, pitch if marked: Reaper's Call. Its discard ability is an instant mark that costs no resources. Once the mark is already there, it is just a blue.
• Keep if a trap is in your graveyard, otherwise pitch: Under the Trap-Door.
• Keep when the mark is live: the blue Stains of the Redback. It is free at that point and grants go again, so it is worth more as a play than as 3 resources.

Codex of Frailty and Take Up the Mantle pitch for 2. That is enough to fund a Klaive swing on their own, so they are reasonable pitches in hands that are already strong.

What to Play: Find the Mark, Then Spend

Before committing anything, check whether this hand can mark the opponent before your stealth attacks resolve. Arakni, Marionette's bonus only applies to stealth attacks against a marked hero. Your sources of a mark:

• A Hunter's Klaive hit.
• Scar Tissue on a dagger attack.
• Pain in the Backside or Flick Knives making a Klaive "hit".
• Discarding Reaper's Call.
• Relentless Pursuit.
• Cut from the Same Cloth, but only if the opponent reveals an attack reaction.

Two hand shapes come up most often:

• Dagger hands: lead with the go-again actions (Savor Bloodshed, Up Sticks and Run, Cut from the Same Cloth), then swing a Klaive that has collected the +4. Kiss of Death is also a dagger attack, so the dagger pumps work on it too. It is a free alternative when you can't afford the Klaive.
• Stealth hands: if the mark is up, stealth attacks get go again on hit. Stains of the Redback, Stalker's Steps or Blacktek Whisperers protect the chain against a block. Play Orb-Weaver Spinneret before the stealth attack you most want to land.

Relentless Pursuit only goes to the bottom of your deck if you have already attacked that opponent this turn. Play it first when you need the mark for that turn's attacks. Play it after an attack when the mark is for the end phase, since the hero becomes an Agent of Chaos at end of turn only if the opponent is marked.

What to Keep: Blocking and the Arsenal

Most of your reds block for 3, while Cut from the Same Cloth, Pain in the Backside, Pick Up the Point, Up Sticks and Run, Scar Tissue and To the Point block for only 2. When a hand has more attacks than you can fund, block with the cards whose effects need setup you don't have this turn.

Fate Foreseen, Shelter from the Storm and Sink Below block for 4 and make good arsenal cards. The traps add value against specific attacks:

• Lair of the Spider marks an attacker that has go again. That sets up both Mask of Deceit and your next turn.
• Frailty Trap punishes attacks with go again.
• Inertia Trap punishes attacks with pumped power.

Defend with Mask of Deceit only when it matters. It has blade break, and against a marked attacker you choose the Agent of Chaos instead of getting a random one.

When you know a mark is coming next turn, arsenaling an attack reaction like To the Point or Stains of the Redback adds extra damage to that turn. Keep your arsenal empty on turns you plan to cast Codex of Frailty, because Codex puts a card there.

Going First vs. Going Second

Going first, your graveyard is empty. That means:

• Codex of Frailty has nothing of yours to arsenal.
• Under the Trap-Door has no trap to recast.
• Up Sticks and Run and Pick Up the Point retrieve nothing unless you destroyed a dagger earlier this turn with Flick Knives.

Pitch those cards and build the turn around marking: Reaper's Call, or a Hunter's Klaive swing backed by Scar Tissue or Pain in the Backside. Landing a mark also triggers the Agent of Chaos transformation at your end phase.

Going second, keep the traps and 4-defense reactions for the opponent's opening attacks. A trap that blocks then sits in the graveyard for Under the Trap-Door. If Lair of the Spider connects, you start your first turn with the opponent marked, so both colors of Stains of the Redback are free from the first swing.

Sequencing & Key Lines

Lead with the Mark

Before any turn, find the mark. Every stealth attack into a marked hero gets +1 power and "When this hits, this gets go again" from Arakni. Stains of the Redback drops by a resource, and To the Point becomes +4. So the mark comes first and the attacks come after it. Your cheapest marks:

• Reaper's Call: discard it as an instant. It costs no action point and no resources.
• Relentless Pursuit: has go again. If you've already attacked them this turn, it goes to the bottom of your deck, so it isn't lost.
• Cut from the Same Cloth: marks only if they reveal an attack reaction. It still gives your next dagger attack +4 and shows you their whole hand, so it is never dead.

Standard Line: Klaive Into the Stealth Chain

1. Pitch a blue. Play Cut from the Same Cloth with go again. The +4 goes onto your next dagger attack.
2. Swing Hunter's Klaive for 2 resources. That's 5 power with piercing 1 and go again, and it marks them on hit.
3. Follow with Kiss of Death. It is both a stealth attack and a dagger attack, so both pump packages work on it. Stack Arakni's +1, To the Point at +4, and Tarantula Toxin with both modes. On a hit they lose 1 life and you get go again.
4. Keep going with stealth attacks like Mark of the Black Widow, Art of Desire: Body or Persuasive Prognosis. Use Orb-Weaver Spinneret for +3 before whichever one you want to land.

Time Savor Bloodshed for when they are already marked. That way the +4 and the draw land on the same dagger hit, instead of the +4 going on the Klaive that only creates the mark.

Recovery Line: The Klaive Got Blocked

If they block the Klaive, they stay unmarked, but you can still mark them:

1. Move to your next attack, ideally a stealth attack.
2. In its reaction step, use Flick Knives on the Klaive. The Klaive is no longer on the active chain link, so it qualifies.
3. Flick Knives deals 1 damage and the Klaive "has hit," so the mark trigger fires.
4. The attack you're on now gets Arakni's bonus, and your Stains and To the Point get their marked discounts.

Flick Knives destroys the dagger. Get it back with Pick Up the Point, which retrieves it when it attacks, or Up Sticks and Run, which retrieves it and adds +4 to the next dagger attack. Pain in the Backside does the same ping on hit without destroying the dagger. That makes it the better choice when you still want a second Klaive swing this turn.

Spending Go-Again Insurance

Arakni's go again needs a hit. Order your enablers by how reliable they are:

• Blacktek Whisperers: also needs a hit. Against a marked hero it duplicates the hero ability, so spend it on an attack action card into an unmarked opponent.
• Stalker's Steps and Stains of the Redback: grant go again whether you hit or not. Save them for the link the opponent most wants to block.

Steps is gone once you use it. Whisperers can come back from the graveyard by destroying 2 Silver at the start of your turn. Leave No Witnesses creates Silver each time you complete its contract, so the Whisperers are the one you can spend freely.

Closing the Turn

Your attacks without go again should be the final link of the chain:

• Leave No Witnesses has no stealth and no go again. On hit it banishes their arsenal card.
• Command and Conquer also ends the chain and destroys their arsenal on hit.

Before you pass, check the mark. If they're unmarked, discard Reaper's Call or play Relentless Pursuit while you still have an action point. Marking them before your end phase turns you into a random Agent of Chaos. It also means Mask of Deceit lets you choose your Agent instead of rolling when you block their next attack.

Playing Around Defense Reactions

Across the 32 published CC lists in the window, Shelter from the Storm appears in 16, Sink Below in 15 and Fate Foreseen in 11 (source: fabtcg.com decklist API, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). Expect at least one of them in most hands. The main answers:

• Shelter from the Storm prevents 1 damage three times. That blanks Flick Knives and Pain in the Backside pings, so "if damage is dealt" fails and no mark happens. Against an opponent holding cards, mark with Reaper's Call or Scar Tissue on a real hit rather than relying on a ping. Kiss of Death's life loss isn't damage, so Shelter doesn't stop it.
• Command and Conquer stops defense reactions for its whole chain link. Play it as the link where a 4-defense reaction would otherwise come down.
• Tarantula Toxin and Shred target a card that is already defending. Toxin's -3 needs a stealth attack, and Shred's -2 needs an Assassin attack. Hold them until the defense reaction is actually on the link, instead of firing them early at a block card.

On Their Turn

Pick the trap that matches the attack:

• Frailty Trap and Lair of the Spider trigger only against attacks with go again. Lair is the strongest of the three because it marks them going into your turn for free.
• Inertia Trap needs an attack whose power is above its base.

Under the Trap-Door doubles as a blue pitch card and a second copy of whichever trap you already spent. Discard it as an instant to replay a trap from your graveyard; the trap is banished afterward. If you keep them marked through your end phase, every Mask of Deceit block on their turn is a chosen Agent, not a random one.

Matchup Matrix

Fang and Cindra

Fang had the most Round 1 entries at Kyoto and no Top 8 slot, while Cindra was the fifth most-played hero there (source: Calling: Kyoto Round 1 pairings and final standings, fabtcg.com, 2026-10-17 to 2026-10-18). Both decks want long chains of go-again attacks, and that is exactly what your trap package punishes. Lair of the Spider marks them when it defends a go-again attack. That turns on your hero's +1 power and go again for your stealth attacks on your next turn. Frailty Trap hands them a Frailty token on the same trigger.

Your plan is to hold one trap, or two if your hand allows, rather than pitching them. Block the go-again link that matters, then swing back into a marked hero. Stains of the Redback costs nothing on your turn once they're marked. Don't race blindly. You win these games by making their chains cost them, then taking the tempo back.

Levia SA

Levia SA was heavily played at both Callings (source: Atlanta and Kyoto Round 1 pairings, fabtcg.com, 2026-10-03 to 2026-10-18). Every published list runs red attackers such as Dread Screamer and Feeding Frenzy (source: fabtcg.com decklists, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). That makes the contract on Leave No Witnesses live: banishing their reds creates Silver, and two Silver re-equips Blacktek Whisperers from the graveyard.

Inertia Trap triggers against any attack pushed above its printed power. Your 40 life gives you room to take smaller hits, so save your 4-defense reactions for the swings that matter. Win by tempo, not attrition. Use Tarantula Toxin and Shred to shrink their blocks so your marked-hero turns connect.

Arakni Mirror

Arakni M had three Kyoto Top 8 slots and as many Round 1 entries as Levia SA (source: Calling: Kyoto coverage, fabtcg.com, 2026-10-17 to 2026-10-18). The deciding card is Mask of Deceit. When it defends, you choose your Agent of Chaos if the attacker is marked, and you get a random one if not. Reaper's Call is an instant, so you can discard it on their turn to mark them before your Mask blocks.

Their go-again attacks like Pick Up the Point and Pain in the Backside feed your Lair of the Spider. Your Cut from the Same Cloth marks them if they're holding attack reactions, and both lists are full of them. Every mark you keep up turns on your hero, your end-phase transformation, and Mark of the Black Widow's hand banish.

Ser Boltyn

Ser Boltyn won Kyoto, and every published list runs a full weapon and equipment suite plus three Saving Grace (source: fabtcg.com decklists, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). Expect a long game. Your Shred, Tarantula Toxin and Kiss of Death life loss matter more here than raw power. Pick your big turns and don't flood the board into a full set of blocks. For that side of the matchup, see our Ser Boltyn, Breaker of Dawn Classic Constructed guide.

Jarl

Jarl is the toughest named matchup on paper. All three published lists run three Command and Conquer and two or three Sink Below (source: fabtcg.com Atlanta decklists, 2026-10-03 to 2026-10-04). Command and Conquer stops defense reactions on its chain link, so your traps and 4-defense reactions can't stop it. If it hits, it also destroys your arsenal.

Block it with equipment and cards from hand, and don't park a key piece in arsenal when they have resources up. Their many reds make the Leave No Witnesses contract reliable. Push early, while their high-defense hands are still building up.

Rest of the Field

• Other go-again aggro: The plan is the same as against Fang and Cindra. Traps are premium, so hold them over attacks.
• Control and fatigue: Leave No Witnesses and Command and Conquer strip arsenals. Meet Madness, Persuasive Prognosis and Mark of the Black Widow shred hands. Keep them marked and keep swinging.
• Arcane and wizard decks: Stalker's Steps gives you only one point of Arcane Barrier, and you should spend it rather than its go-again ability when arcane damage is lethal. Close fast.
• Ally strategies: Unmake the Underlings destroys allies it hits and turns allies in their graveyard face-down. It's a real attacker here, not just a blue to pitch.

Card Pool & Matchup Configuration

Classic Constructed lets you reconfigure every game. Per the official format page, your registered card pool is 80 cards including weapons and equipment, your deck has a minimum of 60, and each game you choose arena cards first, then deck cards, from that pool. At Callings the pool is registered online beforehand and can't be changed during the event. Matches are best of 1, so this choice happens once per round, after you see the opposing hero. Under the pre-game trial announced on 2026-09-17, heroes are revealed simultaneously, then arena cards, then decks. You configure knowing the hero, not their equipment.

This list is exactly 80: seven arena pieces plus 73 deck cards. That gives you up to 13 deck cards to leave out each game and one real arena decision. Present 60. Arakni wins by assembling marks, stealth and dagger pumps, and every card over 60 dilutes that.

Arena: the legs slot

Head, arms and chest are fixed: Mask of Deceit, Flick Knives, Fyendal's Spring Tunic, and both Hunter's Klaive. The choice is legs.

• Stalker's Steps: start it against any deck dealing arcane damage, since Arcane Barrier 1 is the only arcane protection in the pool. It's also the safer default when you're unsure.
• Blacktek Whisperers: start it against red-heavy decks. There, Leave No Witnesses completes its contract often, and the Silver lets you re-equip the Whisperers from the graveyard for repeated Assassin go-again turns.

The locked core

Never side these out. They are the engine:

• Stealth attacks: Kiss of Death, Mark of the Black Widow, Leave No Witnesses, Reaper's Call, Under the Trap-Door.
• Pumps and go again: Orb-Weaver Spinneret, Stains of the Redback (red), To the Point, Scar Tissue, Incision, Savor Bloodshed, Up Sticks and Run, Pain in the Backside.
• Codex of Frailty.

The equipment suite and three copies each of Kiss, Leave No Witnesses, Mark of the Black Widow, Orb-Weaver, Codex and Trap-Door were shared by all three Arakni lists in the Kyoto Top 8 (source: fabtcg.com decklists, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19).

The flex packages

The remaining slots are Cut from the Same Cloth, Pick Up the Point, Take Up the Mantle, Relentless Pursuit and Stains of the Redback (blue). Cut from the Same Cloth only marks if an attack reaction is revealed. Against decks light on attack reactions it drops to a dagger pump with go again, so trim a copy there. Pick Up the Point stays whenever you expect to burn daggers with Flick Knives repeatedly.

Configuration by opponent type

Aggro and go-again decks: Bring all three defense reactions and the full trap package. Lair of the Spider marks the attacker when it blocks a go-again attack, which also lets Mask of Deceit choose its Agent instead of rolling randomly. Cut the disruption package first, then Unmake the Underlings.

Control and grindy decks: Cut the generic defense reactions and Inertia Trap. Bring every disruption piece.

• Command and Conquer stops defense reactions for its chain link and clears arsenals.
• Meet Madness and Persuasive Prognosis strip resources from hand.
• Against red-heavy lists, Art of Desire: Body turns each red banish into a card and a life.

Ally decks: Both Unmake the Underlings in. They're blues, so cut reds from the defense package to keep your pitch base intact.

The mirror: Arakni, Marionette had 29 of 342 Round 1 entries at Kyoto (source: Calling: Kyoto Round 1 pairings, fabtcg.com, 2026-10-17). Max the traps.

• Every Hunter's Klaive swing has go again, so Frailty Trap and Lair of the Spider always have targets.
• Pumped stealth attacks exceed base power, which turns on Inertia Trap.
• Keep all Cut from the Same Cloth. Opposing hands are full of attack reactions, so it marks reliably.

Swap discipline

Swap color for color. Most of the deck costs 0, but each Klaive activation needs 2 resources and Stains costs 1 against an unmarked hero. Cutting blues without replacing them stalls your weapon turns. If you shave blues, remove an equal number of reds so the pitch base stays roughly where it is.

Before registering for any future event, confirm the hero's status. The Card Legality Policy listed Arakni, Marionette as a Living Legend on 2026-10-19 (source: fabtcg.com Card Legality Policy, accessed 2026-10-19). Living Legend heroes leave official play from the Friday after reaching the threshold.

Tech Choices & Variations

Most of this list is fixed. The marking engine, the dagger pump suite, and the stealth payoffs need their full copies to function. Tech changes happen in roughly a dozen singleton and two-of slots, and the registered pool leaves no spare room. The 73 deck cards plus 7 weapons and equipment add up to 80, the card-pool cap on the Classic Constructed format page (source: fabtcg.com Classic Constructed format page, accessed 2026-10-19). Every addition needs a cut. Players may not change a registered deck during a Calling (source: fabtcg.com Event Structure and Decklist Requirements, accessed 2026-10-19), so make these decisions before you submit.

Don't touch

Leave the three-ofs of Kiss of Death, Mark of the Black Widow, To the Point, Scar Tissue, Stains of the Redback (red), Up Sticks and Run, and Savor Bloodshed alone, along with the blue stealth bodies. Orb-Weaver Spinneret can't be stretched into other colors because the blue and yellow printings are banned in CC (source: fabtcg.com Card Legality Policy, 2026-10-19). The red copies are the only option.

The flex slots

The defense-reaction trio is where tuning pays off most. Shelter from the Storm can be discarded as an instant without blocking, preventing 1 damage from each of the next 3 instances. That makes it strongest against decks that hit you many times for small amounts. Sink Below is the pick if your hands clog with situational pumps. Fate Foreseen fixes your next draw.

Shift the traps toward your field. Lair of the Spider marks a go-again attacker, which turns on your hero's stealth bonus, discounts Stains of the Redback, and upgrades To the Point to +4, all from a defensive card. Against go-again-heavy fields, move toward a second Lair or a third Frailty Trap. Against decks that buff attacks above their printed power, add a second Inertia Trap. Each extra trap also raises the ceiling on Under the Trap-Door.

Legs: Steps or Whisperers

Arena cards are chosen each game from the registered pool (source: fabtcg.com Classic Constructed format page, accessed 2026-10-19), so carrying both legs costs nothing.

• Stalker's Steps: Wear these against arcane damage for Arcane Barrier 1. They also grant go again to any stealth attack, daggers included.
• Blacktek Whisperers: Only targets Assassin attack action cards and only grants go again on hit. In exchange, they can be re-equipped by destroying 2 Silver. The Silver comes from completing the contract on Leave No Witnesses, so Whisperers are better in long games against decks full of red cards.

Tuning for your field

Confirm the hero is legal first. The Card Legality Policy lists Arakni, Marionette as a Living Legend as of 2026-10-19. Living Legend heroes leave official play from the Friday after reaching the threshold (source: fabtcg.com Card Legality Policy and Living Legend page, accessed 2026-10-19). Check that your event allows the hero before you tune anything.

Go-again aggro:

• Run the second Lair of the Spider and the third Frailty Trap.
• Keep Shelter from the Storm.
• Cut Command and Conquer and one Unmake the Underlings if the field has no allies.

Slow, defensive, or arsenal-reliant decks:

• Run a second Command and Conquer and a second Shred.
• Push Leave No Witnesses-style disruption by raising Meet Madness or Art of Desire: Body to 3.
• Trim the generic defense reactions to make room.

The mirror: Arakni, Marionette had 29 Round 1 entries at Calling: Kyoto, 8.5% of the field (source: fabtcg.com Calling: Kyoto Round 1 pairings, 2026-10-17/18). That makes it worth planning for.

• Opposing Hunter's Klaive attacks have go again printed on them, so Frailty Trap and Lair of the Spider trigger reliably.
• Mirror hands carry attack reactions, which makes the mark on Cut from the Same Cloth close to guaranteed.
• Lean traps over generic defense reactions.

Ally-based decks: Keep both Unmake the Underlings. They deal with allies on the board and in the graveyard without spending a dedicated removal slot.

Budget Options

The full list runs about $801 at TCGplayer market prices. Most of the maindeck is 0-cost reds, so the money tends to sit in three places: the equipment and weapon suite, the hero-specific pieces, and the full playsets. Before you buy, price each piece yourself where you shop, because singles prices move.

Check the hero's status first

As of 2026-10-19, the fabtcg.com Card Legality Policy lists Arakni, Marionette as a Living Legend. Living Legend heroes leave official play from the Friday after they reach the threshold (source: Card Legality Policy and Living Legend page, accessed 2026-10-19). If you want this deck for official Classic Constructed, confirm its status before you spend. If it has already left, treat the purchase as a local or casual build. In that case, put your money first into cards that keep value outside this hero: the Assassin class cards and the generics.

The generics in this list are already common elsewhere in the format. Across the 32 published Classic Constructed lists in the window, Fyendal's Spring Tunic appeared in 21, Shelter from the Storm in 16, Sink Below in 15, Fate Foreseen in 11 and Command and Conquer in 9 (source: fabtcg.com decklist API, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). Money spent there carries over to other decks.

The core: do not cut these

All three Arakni lists in the Calling: Kyoto Top 8 shared one core. Each ran 2 Hunter's Klaive, Mask of Deceit, Flick Knives, Blacktek Whisperers, Stalker's Steps, and three each of Kiss of Death, Leave No Witnesses, Mark of the Black Widow, Orb-Weaver Spinneret, Codex of Frailty and Under the Trap-Door (source: fabtcg.com decklist API and Calling: Kyoto decklists, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). The card text explains why each piece matters:

• Hunter's Klaive and Flick Knives are your marking engine. The Klaive marks on hit. Flick Knives lets a dagger that isn't attacking deal damage and count as having hit, so it can trigger that mark. Without them, the hero's +1 power and go-again bonus rarely turns on.
• Mask of Deceit is Arakni Specialization. Nothing else does its job, which is choosing your Agent of Chaos while you defend against a marked hero.
• Orb-Weaver Spinneret has to be the red. The blue and yellow versions are banned in Classic Constructed (source: Card Legality Policy, accessed 2026-10-19), so there is no cheaper colour to fall back on.

Acceptable swaps and what they cost you

Every swap below uses a card already in the list, so your build stays coherent. Make each one only if the replacement is actually cheaper where you buy.

• Fate Foreseen, Shelter from the Storm or Sink Below → a third Frailty Trap or a second Inertia Trap. You give up 1 defense on each block, plus Opt, damage prevention or hand filtering. In return, every trap you add is another target for Under the Trap-Door to replay from your graveyard. This is the best budget trade in the list.
• Command and Conquer → a third Infiltrate or Art of Desire: Body. You lose your only 6-power attack, your only way to stop defense reactions for a chain link, and your arsenal destruction. Against decks that build a big block from arsenal, you will feel this. Against everything else, another 0-cost stealth attack fits your chains better anyway.
• Fyendal's Spring Tunic → any defense-1 chest you own. You lose a free resource every few turns. On turns where that extra resource would let you swing the Klaive and still pump the attack, the difference is real. The block value stays about the same.
• Take Up the Mantle → a second Shred or Stains of the Redback (blu). You lose the copy effect. You keep a pitch-friendly attack reaction.
• Short on a legs piece? You choose your equipment each game, so you can start with just one. Without Blacktek Whisperers, your Leave No Witnesses Silver has nothing to spend on, and you lose the re-equip. Without Stalker's Steps, you lose one emergency go-again and your only arcane barrier. Pick up whichever is cheaper first.

Don't budget-cut the stealth attacks or the dagger pumps (Incision, To the Point, Scar Tissue, Savor Bloodshed, Up Sticks and Run). The deck needs a high density of 0-cost go-again plays to function, and cutting them breaks that.

Upgrade path

1. Core first: the hero, both Hunter's Klaive, Flick Knives, Mask of Deceit, and the shared playsets listed above. If you can't afford these, don't build the deck yet.
2. Chain enablers: full sets of Stains of the Redback (red), Tarantula Toxin, Cut from the Same Cloth, Pain in the Backside and Persuasive Prognosis.
3. Second legs piece: whichever of Blacktek Whisperers or Stalker's Steps you skipped.
4. Generics last, unless they carry over: Fyendal's Spring Tunic, Command and Conquer, and the 4-defense reactions. If you also play other decks in the format, buy these earlier, since they hold their use across many builds.
5. Finishing touches: Take Up the Mantle, Lair of the Spider, Relentless Pursuit and the singleton reactions. These sharpen the list but don't change what it does.

Common Mistakes

This list rewards precise ordering. Most lost games come from the same handful of sequencing slips, and nearly all of them trace back to the mark.

1. Swinging stealth into an unmarked hero

Arakni, Marionette gives stealth attacks +1 power and go again on hit only when the defending hero is marked. Several of your cards also scale off the mark. Mark of the Black Widow's on-hit does nothing without it. Stains of the Redback costs 1 instead of 0. To the Point gives +3 instead of +4, and Take Up the Mantle gives +2 with no copy effect. When you lead with Kiss of Death or Art of Desire: Body into a clean opponent, you lose damage on every link.

Fix: make the first link of the turn the marking link. Your mark sources are:

• a Hunter's Klaive hit
• the dagger ping from Pain in the Backside
• Scar Tissue on a dagger attack
• Relentless Pursuit
• a Reaper's Call discard
• Cut from the Same Cloth, if their hand shows an attack reaction

Play Relentless Pursuit after you've already attacked that turn so it goes to the bottom of your deck instead of the graveyard.

2. Burning go-again equipment the hero already provides

Against a marked hero, your stealth attacks already get go again when they hit. Destroying Blacktek Whisperers on a stealth attack into a marked opponent is pure redundancy, because it also only grants go again on hit. Spend Whisperers on Leave No Witnesses, which has no stealth, or on a stealth attack into an unmarked hero.

Stalker's Steps is different. It grants go again whether or not the attack hits. Save it for the link where you expect a block and still need the chain to continue.

3. Mismatching dagger pumps and stealth pumps

Your buffs split into two families:

• Dagger pumps: Incision, To the Point, Scar Tissue, Up Sticks and Run, Savor Bloodshed, Cut from the Same Cloth, and the first mode of Tarantula Toxin.
• Stealth pumps: Orb-Weaver Spinneret, both Stains of the Redback, Take Up the Mantle, and the defense-reduction mode of Tarantula Toxin.

Hunter's Klaive is a dagger without stealth, and Mark of the Black Widow has stealth but isn't a dagger. If you open with Orb-Weaver Spinneret and then run out of stealth attacks, the +3 dies at end of turn.

Fix: sort your hand into dagger and stealth attacks before playing the first non-attack action. Kiss of Death is both a dagger attack and a stealth attack. It is the one card that takes every buff, including both Tarantula Toxin modes at once. Route your biggest stack onto it.

4. Throwing daggers away to get the mark

Flick Knives makes a dagger hit, which triggers the Hunter's Klaive mark, but it destroys that dagger. Pain in the Backside produces the same "dagger has hit" result and keeps the dagger. If you Flick early, you're down to one Klaive. If you then pitch your Up Sticks and Run and Pick Up the Point, you lose your weapon turns and your dagger targets.

Fix: use Pain in the Backside first. Use Flick Knives only in two cases: you hold a retrieval card, or the mark it creates turns on a turn's worth of conditional payoffs right now.

5. Letting Mask of Deceit roll randomly

Mask of Deceit lets you choose your Agent of Chaos only if the attacking hero is marked when it defends. Otherwise the pick is random. A common error is blocking with Mask into an unmarked attacker while holding Reaper's Call. Its discard is an instant, so you can mark the attacker on their turn before you defend. Lair of the Spider can also mark a go-again attacker.

The same discipline applies to your end phase. The hero only transforms if an opponent is still marked, so don't end a turn unmarked when you were counting on that transform.

6. Pitching your instants

Reaper's Call and Under the Trap-Door are blue, so they look like free resources. Each is also an instant with a real job.

• Reaper's Call: pitching it when it's your only mark source this turn cripples the following chain.
• Under the Trap-Door: it replays a trap from your graveyard, then banishes that trap. Pitching it while Frailty Trap, Inertia Trap or Lair of the Spider sits in your yard throws away a defensive play.

Fix: pitch Persuasive Prognosis and Unmake the Underlings first. Check each trap's condition before you commit it or recur it. Frailty Trap and Lair of the Spider need an attack with go again. Inertia Trap needs an attack above its base power.

7. Casting Codex of Frailty blind

Codex of Frailty has each hero move an attack action card from their graveyard to their arsenal, and only heroes that do so discard. Before you cast it, check two things:

• Does the opponent's graveyard hold an attack action card? If not, they skip the discard and you lose half the card's value.
• Does your own graveyard hold one? If not, you get no arsenal card.

Remember that Codex also hands your opponent an arsenal card. Follow it with a Leave No Witnesses hit, which can banish a card from their arsenal, or a Command and Conquer hit, which destroys their whole arsenal. That way the card they took becomes a card they lose.

Tournament Prep & Final Notes

A deck this dense with 0-cost reactions rewards preparation more than most. The work is in rules fluency, pre-game decisions, and clock discipline. The core lines should already be second nature before you start.

Before You Register

• Confirm the hero is legal on your event date. Arakni, Marionette appears on the Living Legend list of the Card Legality Policy (source: fabtcg.com Card Legality Policy, as listed 2026-10-19). That page doesn't say when it qualified. A Living Legend hero leaves official play from the Friday after it qualifies. Check the policy page before you build plans around this list.
• Register the red Orb-Weaver Spinneret. The blue and yellow printings are banned in CC (source: fabtcg.com Card Legality Policy, as listed 2026-10-19). Writing the wrong colour on a registration sheet is an easy mistake to make.
• Registration is final. At Callings you register online before the event and can't change the deck during the tournament (source: fabtcg.com Event Structure and Decklist Requirements, accessed 2026-10-19). This list uses all 80 card-pool slots. Every tech decision gets locked in at the moment you submit.

What to Practice

• Arena picks by opposing hero. Under the current pre-game trial, heroes are revealed first, then arena cards (source: fabtcg.com B&R announcement, 2026-09-17). You will see your opponent's hero before you choose between Stalker's Steps and Blacktek Whisperers for your legs. Decide that choice for every hero in advance so you aren't guessing at the table.
• Deck cuts from the 73 deck cards. You choose deck-cards from the registered pool each game. Have a written cut list for each common opposing strategy so building takes seconds, not minutes.
• Every Agent of Chaos. Arakni, Marionette turns you into a random Agent of Chaos in your end phase if the opponent is marked. Mask of Deceit lets you choose one when the attacker is marked. You can't plan around a transformation you have to read mid-game, so learn all of them before the event.
• The field you'll face. At Kyoto, Fang, Levia SA, Arakni M, Jarl and Cindra drew the most Round 1 entries (source: fabtcg.com Calling: Kyoto Round 1 pairings, 2026-10-17/18). Expect mirrors and practice them.

Interactions to Know Cold

• Stealth is the gate for the hero bonus. Only attacks with stealth get the +1 power and the go-again-on-hit rider against a marked hero.
  • Hunter's Klaive, Leave No Witnesses, Pain in the Backside and Pick Up the Point don't have stealth.
  • Kiss of Death is both a dagger attack and a stealth attack. Every dagger pump applies to it, and so does the hero bonus.
• Daggers can "hit" without attacking.
  • Flick Knives and Pain in the Backside both state that the dagger has hit when it deals damage. A Hunter's Klaive that hits this way still marks the hero.
  • Flick Knives destroys the dagger afterward. Up Sticks and Run and Pick Up the Point bring it back.
• Mark at instant speed before you block. Reaper's Call can be discarded to mark the opposing hero at instant speed. Do it before Mask of Deceit defends, and you choose your Agent of Chaos instead of rolling for it.
• Marks drive cost. Stains of the Redback costs 1 normally and 1 less against a marked hero. Mark first, then reach for the reaction.
• Tarantula Toxin is "choose 1 or both." On a stealth dagger attack like Kiss of Death, take both modes: the +3 power and the -3 defense on a blocking card.
• Under the Trap-Door recursion. It banishes a trap from your graveyard and lets you play that trap this turn. If the trap would go to the graveyard afterward, it is banished instead, so each trap recurs once.
• Blacktek Whisperers can come back. At the start of your turn, destroy 2 Silver to re-equip it from the graveyard. Silver comes from completing the Leave No Witnesses contract, which means banishing your opponent's red cards. Track how many Silver you have.
• Command and Conquer stops defense reactions for the whole chain link. Use it on the link where a defense reaction would have saved them.

Clock Management

Matches are best of 1 with 55-minute rounds. When time runs out, the turn player finishes their turn and one more turn is played. If the game is still going, it's a draw (source: fabtcg.com Classic Constructed page, accessed 2026-10-19).

Your turns run long for several reasons:

• You chain many 0-cost attack reactions.
• Cut from the Same Cloth and Persuasive Prognosis make your opponent reveal or let you look at their hand.
• Your banish effects need resolving.
• You track marks, Silver, and Fyendal's Spring Tunic counters.

To keep the clock under control:

• Plan your full chain while your opponent is resolving their turn.
• Announce all your targets at once.
• Keep tokens and counters where both players can see them.
• If the round is past the 40-minute mark and you are ahead on life, stop setting up and push damage every turn.

Final Assessment

This list is built from aggressive, cheap cards. Almost every red is a 0-cost attack, pump, or go-again action. The blues are mostly 1-power stealth attacks that double as pitch, and they also give you instant-speed tools: Reaper's Call for marking and Under the Trap-Door for trap recursion. Full equipment coverage gives you a tunable arena for every hero you sit across from.

The ceiling comes from stacking marks, stealth bonuses, and dagger pumps into turns that keep going on hit. The floor comes from your traps and the generic defense reactions:

• Fate Foreseen
• Sink Below
• Shelter from the Storm

The weaknesses are real:

• You depend on a marked hero for your best turns.
• Random Agent of Chaos rolls add variance.
• Long turns put pressure on a 55-minute clock.

A Top 4 at Calling: Kyoto shows the build can compete at the top level. If the hero is still legal on your date and you can play its chains quickly and accurately, this list is a strong pick.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Arakni, Marionette deck win games?

It marks the opponent first, then chains zero-cost stealth and dagger attacks that gain go again by hitting a marked hero. Nearly every hit strips a card from hand, arsenal or deck, so the opponent runs out of cards rather than trading life evenly.

What are the best ways to mark the opponent with this deck?

The guide's main mark sources are a Hunter's Klaive hit, Scar Tissue on a dagger attack, Pain in the Backside or Flick Knives making a Klaive hit, discarding Reaper's Call at instant speed, and Relentless Pursuit. Cut from the Same Cloth and Lair of the Spider are conditional marks.

Why is Kiss of Death the most important card in the list?

Kiss of Death is both a dagger attack and a stealth attack, so every dagger pump and every stealth pump stacks on it, along with the hero's bonus. It can even take both modes of Tarantula Toxin at once, so route your biggest stack onto it.

What are the hardest matchups for Arakni, Marionette?

Jarl is the toughest named matchup, because its Command and Conquer copies stop your traps and defense reactions on that chain link and can destroy your arsenal. Levia SA, the Arakni mirror, Ser Boltyn and arcane decks are rated even.

What budget swaps does the guide recommend?

The best budget trade is replacing Fate Foreseen, Shelter from the Storm or Sink Below with a third Frailty Trap or second Inertia Trap. You can also swap Command and Conquer for a third Infiltrate or Art of Desire: Body, or Fyendal's Spring Tunic for any defense-1 chest you own.

Which cards should never be cut or sided out?

The guide treats the weapon and equipment suite as fixed core, along with three each of Kiss of Death, Leave No Witnesses, Mark of the Black Widow, Orb-Weaver Spinneret, Codex of Frailty and Under the Trap-Door. It also warns against budget-cutting the stealth attacks or dagger pumps.

Should I play Stalker's Steps or Blacktek Whisperers?

Start Stalker's Steps against arcane damage, since its Arcane Barrier 1 is the only arcane protection in the pool, and as the safer default. Start Blacktek Whisperers against red-heavy decks, where Leave No Witnesses makes Silver to re-equip them.

What should I practice before a tournament with this deck?

Decide your legs choice for every opposing hero in advance, keep a written deck-cut list for each common strategy, and learn every Agent of Chaos. Also practice playing your chains quickly, because long turns pressure the 55-minute clock.

Metagame Context

Built from Law Wen's Top 4 list at Calling: Kyoto 2026 (2026-10-19), via fabtcg.com official decklists. Metagame context comes from a research brief dated 2026-10-19 covering 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19, drawn from fabtcg.com (official Flesh and Blood site). Card text and prices: the-fab-cube card dataset and tcgcsv.com (TCGplayer prices).

Source: tournament results. Decklist and placements as reported by the event organizer.