Dorinthea — Silver Age Strategy Guide

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Archetype Overview

This is a weapon-first Warrior deck with one job: make Decimator Great Axe hit, then hit again. Dorinthea lets the axe attack an additional time the first time a weapon attack hits each turn. The rest of the list exists to make the opponent's blocking decision against that swing as bad as possible. Hayley Neighbors piloted it to 1st Place at Sunday Showdown: Mexico City 2026 on 2026-10-26, on a build that runs about $35.

What the deck is

The axe has 4 base power and attacks through a 3-resource, once-per-turn activation. On its own that is a slow, expensive threat. Dorinthea's ability and the support package turn it into the centerpiece of every offensive turn. The deck cards split into three working groups:

• Pre-swing pumps with go again: Felling Swing gives the next axe attack +6, +5 or +4 power depending on color. Sharpen Steel gives the next weapon attack +3 (red) or +1 (blue) at zero cost. A red Felling Swing into an axe swing is already a 10-power attack before you commit a single reaction.
• Attack reactions: Overpower, Display of Craftsmanship and Ironsong Response add power after the opponent has declared blocks. That makes them the deck's tools for punishing a defense the opponent has already committed.
• Go again for the second swing: Hit and Run and Refraction Bolters give the axe go again. That keeps an action point available when Dorinthea's ability unlocks another attack.

The plan: every block is a bad block

This deck wins because of what the axe does to defense. The first time a non-equipment card defends Decimator each turn, that card's base defense is halved, rounded up. A 3-defense card from hand blocks for 2. A 6-defense card blocks for 3. Now add Reprise. Red Overpower goes from +4 to +6, blue goes from +2 to +4, and Ironsong Response switches on for free. All of these trigger only when the defender used a card from hand on that chain link.

So the opponent is choosing between bad options:

• Block from hand: their card is worth half, and your reactions get bigger.
• Block with equipment only: they avoid both the halving and Reprise, but they are spending equipment defense against a pumped swing.
• Take it: the attack hits, Dorinthea unlocks the second swing, and Refraction Bolters can trade itself for go again to make that swing possible.

Your job is to present a swing big enough that taking it hurts, then make whichever defense they pick cost them.

Why the plan holds up

Pitch. Axe turns are expensive. Each activation costs 3, and Felling Swing and Overpower are 3 each. The list answers with 22 blue cards out of 46 deck cards. Many of the blues are also zero-cost enablers: blue Sharpen Steel, Hit and Run, Ironsong Response and Sift. A hand can pitch one blue for the swing and still play two free pumps ahead of it.

A second axis of damage. Look Tuff, Fyendal's Fighting Spirit, Sirens of Safe Harbor and Raging Onslaught give you real damage when the hand can't assemble an axe turn. They also make solid arsenal threats. Hit and Run's second clause gives your next attack +1 power if you've already swung the weapon, so these attacks can follow an axe hit.

Smoothing. Sift puts up to two cards from hand on the bottom and redraws, with go again. It turns a clunky hand into a functional one without costing your turn.

The defensive shell

Almost every deck card defends for at least 2, and most defend for 3. That means a hand that can't attack well still blocks well.

• Steelblade Shunt (6/5/4 defense): six copies, each dealing 1 damage to the attacking hero when it defends a weapon attack.
• On the Horizon: blocks for 4 and lets you look at the top card of your deck.
• Lay Low: defends for 3 at zero cost.
• Life gain: Sirens of Safe Harbor gains 1 when it goes to the graveyard from anywhere. Fyendal's Fighting Spirit gains 1 when you're behind on life. Arcane Polarity gains 4 if you've taken arcane damage that turn.

The equipment comes in pairs, one option per slot, with the physical set and the anti-arcane set side by side:

The Unity pieces get +1 defense when they block alongside a card from hand. Blade Beckoner Boots gets +1 against weapon attacks. The three Nullrune pieces each carry Arcane Barrier 1. Refraction Bolters trades defense for the go-again option on offense. With 20 life, these slot choices matter.

Who should pick it up

Pick this deck up if you like reading blocks and doing resource math. Most of your edge comes from two decisions: when to commit a reaction, and whether you can afford the second swing after the first one connects. It also suits you if you want a competitive list without a big outlay, or a deck where almost no hand is dead.

Look elsewhere if you want to win in one explosive turn or prefer to sit back and react all game. This deck needs you to present a real axe threat nearly every turn, and its best turns come from budgeting resources two attacks deep.

Core Strategy & Game Plan

This deck wins by attacking with Decimator Great Axe every turn and making each swing a problem with no good answer. Everything else exists to buff that swing, give it go again so Dorinthea can swing it a second time, or keep you alive long enough to keep swinging. The non-weapon attacks are a secondary threat. Your real damage comes from the axe.

The Dilemma Every Axe Swing Creates

Each time Decimator Great Axe attacks, your opponent has three ways to respond, and all three cost them something:

• Take it. If it hits, Dorinthea lets you attack an additional time with the axe that turn. Not blocking gives you a second swing.
• Block from hand. The first non-equipment card that defends the axe each turn has its base defense halved, rounded up. A 3-defense block becomes 2. Blocking from hand also turns on Reprise, so Overpower gives +6 or +4 instead of +4 or +2, and Ironsong Response gives its +1.
• Block with equipment. This avoids both the halving and Reprise. It is their cleanest answer, but equipment wears out. Every turn they spend equipment on your axe is a turn that equipment can't spend on their own plan.

Your job is to make all three options expensive. A big pre-buffed swing forces blocks. Holding reactions punishes hand blocks. A steady stream of swings drains their equipment.

The Engine: Power and Go Again

The axe has 4 base power and costs 3 to swing. Your intellect is 4. That math shapes every turn.

• Free buffs: Sharpen Steel and Hit and Run cost 0 and have go again. They are the cheapest way to grow a swing or set up a second one.
• Big buffs: Felling Swing adds +6, +5 or +4 but costs 3. A Felling Swing turn is a one-swing turn: 6 resources for one huge axe attack.
• Go again: Dorinthea lets you attack an additional time, but you still need an action point to do it. Hit and Run gives your next weapon attack go again. Refraction Bolters can be destroyed when a weapon attack hits to give it go again. Without one of these, a hit just ends your turn.
• Attack reactions: Overpower, Display of Craftsmanship and Ironsong Response go on the attack after blockers are declared. Hold them until you see whether a card from hand defended. Reprise rewards your patience.

Here is the standard four-card double-swing turn:

1. Play red Sharpen Steel (+3, go again).
2. Play Hit and Run (your next weapon attack gets go again).
3. Pitch a blue and swing a 7-power axe with go again.
4. If it hits, pitch your last blue and swing the axe a second time.

That is 11 damage across two attacks from one hand. If they block the first swing from hand instead, the halving makes that block weak, and you keep go again either way.

Posture: Proactive, With a Real Defensive Floor

You are the aggressor in most games, but this list doesn't race blindly. Many of its cards carry 3 defense, and the defense reactions are strong:

• Steelblade Shunt blocks for 6, 5 or 4 and pings for 1 against weapon attacks.
• On the Horizon blocks for 4.
• The Unity pieces (Helm of Unity, Plating of Unity, Gauntlets of Unity) each get +1 defense when you block with them alongside a card from hand.
• The Nullrune pieces and Arcane Polarity cover arcane damage.
• Sirens of Safe Harbor and Fyendal's Fighting Spirit gain life. Fyendal only gains it while you're behind on life, so it is a comeback tool rather than a lead extender.

Starting at 20 life, you can afford to block properly on the turns your opponent commits. Use those turns to set up an arsenal for the next big swing.

The rhythm is to alternate pressure and stability. When you have the cards, swing. When your opponent loads up a big turn, block hard and arsenal an Overpower or a Steelblade Shunt. Then come back with the axe.

The Ideal Game

1. Opening turns: Swing the axe every turn you can, using 0-cost buffs and blue pitch. Start draining their blockers right away. Keep a reaction or a Shunt in arsenal when you have nothing better.
2. Early to mid game: Find a hit with go again available and cash in the Dorinthea second swing. Save Refraction Bolters for the turn you hit without Hit and Run. It works once, so make it count.
3. When they block: Let their hand blocks run into the halving and Reprise. When they switch to equipment, keep swinging so that equipment wears down.
4. When they commit: Block with Shunts plus Unity equipment. Every Shunt that blocks a weapon attack also deals 1 damage back.
5. Closing: Once their equipment is spent and their hand is small, drop a Felling Swing turn or a double swing for lethal. Use the lifegain cards to stay ahead in a close race.

If you lose sight of the plan, return to the axe. Every turn it doesn't attack is a turn your opponent gets for free.

Card Choices & Breakdown

Every slot in this list serves one goal: make Decimator Great Axe hit so Dorinthea can swing it a second time. Silver Age caps you at 2 copies of each card per name and color, so the build decisions are about which colors to run, not how many copies. The pool holds 46 deck cards and the deck starts at exactly 40, so you won't see every card here in every game.

Hero and Weapon

Dorinthea gives you an additional weapon attack the first time a weapon attack hits each turn. Decimator Great Axe is the payload: 4 power for 3 resources, once per turn, with Dorinthea's trigger supplying the second swing. Its other line matters just as much. The first non-equipment card that defends it each turn has its base defense halved, rounded up. A hand block of 3 becomes 2, and a 6-defense Steelblade Shunt style wall becomes 3. Opponents who try to stop the hit with cards from hand lose value doing it. That pushes them toward equipment blocks or taking the damage, and both outcomes feed your plan.

Axe Pumps

• Felling Swing (all three colors, 6 copies): your biggest numbers at +6/+5/+4 to the next axe attack, with go again. It costs 3, so Swing plus axe is a 6-resource turn. This is why the deck runs so many blues.
• Sharpen Steel (red, blue): costs 0 and has go again, giving +3 or +1. It's the cheapest way to push the axe past a block without slowing down your turn.
• Overpower (red, blue): an attack reaction at +4/+2 that rises to +6/+4 if they defended from hand. Combined with the axe's defense-halving, it punishes hand blocks twice on the same chain link.
• Ironsong Response (blue only): costs 0, gives +1 only on Reprise. It sits in blue only because the effect is too small to justify a red. Its real job is pitching 3 on turns when the opponent blocks with equipment.
• Display of Craftsmanship (blue only): a flat +2 for 2 that still pitches for 3. The +1 counter rider is a bonus when the weapon has been sharpened that turn.

Go Again: The Real Bottleneck

Dorinthea grants the additional attack, but the axe itself has no go again. Without one of these, the first hit ends your turn's action economy:

• Hit and Run (blue): costs 0 and gives your next weapon attack go again. It also adds +1 to your next attack once you've swung a weapon, and it has go again itself. Treat both copies as premium, not filler.
• Refraction Bolters: destroy them when a weapon attack hits to give that attack go again. This is a one-shot that converts your best turn into a double swing. Spend it on the turn that wins the race, not the first turn it's available.

Generic Attacks

These cover turns when you can't fund the axe line, and they give opponents a reason to keep blocking cards.

• Look Tuff (red) hits for 8, or 7 if you skip the extra resource.
• Fyendal's Fighting Spirit (red, blue) attacks for 7/5 and gains 1 life whenever it attacks or defends while you're behind on life.
• Sirens of Safe Harbor (red, blue) is the cheap one at 2 cost for 6/4. It gains 1 life whenever it reaches your graveyard, which includes being blocked with.
• Raging Onslaught (blue) is a vanilla 5. It's here as a blue that still threatens damage.

None of these trigger Dorinthea, so they are your secondary plan. The lifegain riders on Fyendal's and Sirens add incidental life in a format where your hero starts at 20.

Defense

• Steelblade Shunt (all three colors, 6 copies): a 1-cost defense reaction for 6/5/4 that deals 1 damage back when it blocks a weapon attack. It's the deck's main wall, and every color pulls its weight.
• On the Horizon (red): 4 defense for 0 with a look at your top card. That look helps you plan next turn's pitch.
• Lay Low (yellow): a 0-cost, 3-defense reaction that pitches 2. Nothing in this list marks the opponent, so treat the marked clause as a rare bonus. You can't play it while you're marked.
• Arcane Polarity (red): a 0-cost instant that gains 1 life, or 4 if you've taken arcane damage that turn. It's live against arcane damage and otherwise a cheap life point.

Note that every pump and action in the deck also carries 3 defense, so almost nothing in hand is a dead block.

Smoothing

Sift (blue) costs 0 and has go again. It bottoms up to two cards and redraws that many. With intellect 4 and no mulligan, it turns a hand of attack reactions with nothing to pump into a functional turn. It still pitches for 3 if your hand is already good.

Equipment: Two Sets Per Slot

The pool carries a physical option and an arcane option for every slot. Arena cards are chosen each game, so you pick the set that fits the opponent.

The Unity pieces are 1 defense each, rising to 2 when they block alongside a card from hand. Plan your blocks in pairs. Blade Beckoner Boots reach 2 defense against weapon attacks. The Nullrune pieces have 0 defense and exist only for Arcane Barrier 1, so equip them only when arcane damage is the opponent's real plan. For legs, the choice is defense with the Boots versus a one-time double swing with Refraction Bolters.

Color Spread

The deck runs 22 blues, 6 yellows and 18 reds. Axe activations and Felling Swing each cost 3, so a single blue funding each piece is what makes the double-swing turn happen. The reds are reserved for cards where the top number matters: Swing +6, Overpower +6, Steelblade Shunt 6.

The Decklist

This is the 55-card pool Hayley Neighbors registered for her 1st-place finish at Sunday Showdown: Mexico City 2026. Silver Age pools are 55 cards including weapons and equipment, and each game starts with a 40-card deck, with no more than 2 copies of any card. At a Showdown the registered pool is locked for the event, but before each game you choose your arena cards and then your deck cards from it. The arena below has two options for every equipment slot. The deck section has 46 cards, so you cut 6 each game. Estimated cost is about $35.

Hero, Weapon & Equipment

Pitch 1 (Red)

Pitch 2 (Yellow)

Pitch 3 (Blue)

The pool has 22 blues against 18 reds and 6 yellows. That is deliberate: Decimator Great Axe costs 3 to swing, so one blue should pay for the axe every turn. When you trim to 40, cut from the flex rows and keep at least as many blues as reds. The core rows are the axe package and the defense reactions, and they stay in every game.

Hand Planning & Pitching

Every hand is four cards. Every swing of Decimator Great Axe costs 3 resources. That math drives almost every decision. Before you play anything, find your axe line, count the blues it needs, and decide what the leftover card is doing: blocking, going to arsenal, or covering a Steelblade Shunt on the opponent's turn. With no mulligan, the right call on a bad hand is to shape it toward the least-bad turn, not to dump it.

The Resource Math

The four-card Felling Swing turn is your baseline. You spend two blues and the red to swing for 10, and you keep one card. In most hands, the question is only what that fourth card does.

What to Pitch

Blues are the fuel, but they are not all equal. Pitch them in roughly this order:

1. Raging Onslaught (blu), Fyendal's Fighting Spirit (blu), Felling Swing (blu), Overpower (blu). These are the least efficient things to actually play in a 4-intellect hand.
2. Sirens of Safe Harbor (blu) and Steelblade Shunt (blu). Pitching sends a card to the bottom of your deck, not the graveyard. That means a pitched Sirens never gains its life. A Sirens that blocks does, so lean toward defending with it. Hold the blue Shunt if you expect a weapon attack.
3. Hit and Run, Sharpen Steel (blu), Ironsong Response, Sift. These cost 0 and generate value, so pitch them last. The exception is when they're your only way to reach 3 or 6.

Yellows are awkward against a 3-cost weapon. A single yellow plus a red reaches exactly 3, which covers one swing. Reds should only be pitched to top off a total. A red Felling Swing pitched for 1 is giving away 6 power.

Don't pre-pitch for a Dorinthea second swing. On a Hit and Run line, pitch the second blue only after the first swing connects. If it's blocked out, that blue stays in hand as a 3-defense block or an arsenal card.

What to Hold for Defense

• Steelblade Shunt costs 1. You need a pitch card on the opponent's turn to use it. One blue pays for two Shunts with a resource left over, so if you hold two Shunts, hold a blue with them. Against weapon attacks, each Shunt also pings for 1.
• On the Horizon is a free 4-defense block, and it only defends from hand. It is the best card to keep when you can't afford anything else.
• Unity pieces (Helm of Unity, Gauntlets of Unity, Plating of Unity) gain +1 defense only when they defend together with a card from hand. A single held card plus an equipment piece blocks noticeably more than either alone. Factor that in before you commit every card to offense.
• Arcane Polarity costs 0. It jumps to 4 life if you've taken arcane damage that turn, so hold it against arcane-heavy opponents instead of pitching it for 1. Your Nullrune pieces absorb some arcane first.
• Lay Low is a 0-cost 3-defense reaction with no pitch requirement. That makes it a clean hold when your blues are already spent.

The Arsenal

Arsenal is for cards you will play, never for On the Horizon. Pick based on the role you want next turn:

• Offense: Arsenal Overpower (red). Its 3 cost is hard to fit into a fresh hand alongside a swing, but stored, it turns next turn's four cards into the 9-resource line above. Reprise checks whether they defended from hand, and the first non-equipment card that defends the axe has its defense halved. Together, these make blocking with hand cards a losing trade for them. Display of Craftsmanship and Felling Swing (red) are the next-best offensive arsenal cards.
• Defense: Arsenal a Steelblade Shunt when your hand is offense-heavy and you're facing weapon pressure. You can still play it on their turn without spending a hand slot.

Going First vs. Going Second

Going first: nothing has hit you yet, so build the hardest-hitting turn you can. Favor the Felling Swing line, and send the spare card to arsenal rather than holding it. The exception is a hand with Hit and Run and Sharpen Steel: lead with the two-swing line, and let Refraction Bolters and Dorinthea's hit trigger decide whether you spend the second blue.

Going second: your opening hand defends before it attacks. Before blocking, decide which two cards you are willing to lose. Usually those are the cards that don't feed your first turn, such as a Sirens of Safe Harbor or a yellow. Keep the red pump and the blues it needs. Being behind on life early also turns on Fyendal's Fighting Spirit, so a red Fyendal block or attack recovers a point that it wouldn't when you're ahead.

Quick Checklist

1. Find the axe line and count the blues it needs.
2. Pitch the least useful blues first. Never pitch a red pump if you can avoid it.
3. Pitch for the second swing only after the first one hits.
4. Pair any held Steelblade Shunt with a pitch card.
5. Arsenal an attack reaction unless you need defense on their turn.

Sequencing & Key Lines

The Turn Template

Most offensive turns follow the same order: information, free pumps, swing, react. Fire Sift first, before you commit any pitch, because it can turn a clunky hand into a double swing. Next play your zero-cost go-again cards (Sharpen Steel, Hit and Run). Then pitch and activate Decimator Great Axe, and hold every attack reaction until blocks are declared.

Every swing costs 3 resources. With intellect 4, a turn with two axe attacks needs 6 resources, which usually means pitching two blues and spending nothing else. That makes the zero-cost pumps the backbone of your turns. Pumps that cost resources, like Felling Swing and Overpower, usually mean you swing once.

Line 1: The Double Swing

A hand of Sharpen Steel (red), Hit and Run and two blues to pitch plays like this:

1. Play Sharpen Steel. It has go again, and your next weapon attack gets +3.
2. Play Hit and Run. It has go again, and your next weapon attack gets go again.
3. Pitch both blues and swing the axe for 7 with go again.
4. If it hits, Dorinthea lets you swing again. Pay the other 3 for a 4-power second attack.

Pumps that say "next weapon attack" all land on swing one if you play them first. You can also split them. Once swing one has go again, you keep your action point, so a go-again pump played between the swings buffs swing two instead.

The Hit and Run edge: its +1 clause only turns on if you have already attacked with a weapon this turn. Played before swing one, that clause does nothing. If Refraction Bolters gives swing one go again, hold Hit and Run until after it. You then get both clauses: swing two gains +1 and its own go again. That leaves an action point for an arsenal attack afterward.

Line 2: The Big Single Swing

Felling Swing (red) plus the axe costs 6 resources for one 10-power attack. It's your best line when the opponent is low on cards and can't absorb a hit cleanly. It's a poor line when you need a hit to unlock Dorinthea. Felling Swing's go again keeps your action point but doesn't give the axe go again, so the trigger only matters if Refraction Bolters is still around. Choose this line when one large hit is worth more to you than a chance at two.

Branch Point: Hit or Blocked

Before you swing, decide what happens if swing one is blocked.

• Swing one has go again and connects: swing again. Spend leftover resources on reactions for the second attack, not the first.
• Swing one has go again and is blocked: your turn isn't over. Use the action point on an attack from arsenal or hand. Sirens of Safe Harbor at 2 cost is the cheapest follow-up.
• Swing one has no go again: it is your last action. Play any non-weapon attacks (Look Tuff, Fyendal's Fighting Spirit, Raging Onslaught) before the axe or on a different turn. None of them have go again, so whichever you play first ends your action phase.

Reactions Come After Blocks

The axe halves the base defense of the first non-equipment card that blocks it each turn, rounded up. A hand card that blocks loses half its value, and it also turns on reprise. After the opponent declares blocks:

• They blocked with a hand card: Ironsong Response is +1 for free. Overpower gives +6 (red) or +4 (blue). Each block is weaker and each reaction is stronger.
• They blocked with equipment only: nothing was halved and reprise is off. Use Display of Craftsmanship at +2 for 2, or the base mode of Overpower. Don't waste Ironsong Response, which does nothing here.
• They didn't block: spend only enough to cross a meaningful threshold. The hit already gives you swing two, so keep resources for it.

The halving only applies the first time each turn. If they hand-block swing one, swing two faces full-value hand blocks. Plan your bigger reaction for swing one in that case.

Defensive Turns

Block with a hand card alongside a Unity piece so it gets +1 defense. The Unity pieces only grow when a hand card defends with them. Save Steelblade Shunt for weapon attacks, since that is the only time its 1-damage clause fires. Against an attack action, it's just a block. Blade Beckoner Boots also gain defense only against weapon attacks.

Lay Low is a free 3-defense block whose second clause needs the attacker to be marked. Nothing in this list marks them, so the clause only matters if something else has. When the yellow pitch is worth more, pitch it.

On the Horizon lets you look at your top card. Use that to decide whether to fire Sift next turn or what to pitch.

Playing Around Arcane

The brief points to arcane damage as the format's most widespread interaction: Arcane Polarity appears in 17 of 27 published lists (source: fabtcg.com decklist API, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). Your own copies are instants, so don't fire them for 1 life. Hold them until arcane damage has been dealt to you that turn, then cast for 4. If no arcane threat is coming, the red copy is a 1-resource pitch that can complete an axe activation. That is usually its best use against non-arcane decks.

Matchup Matrix

Ira, Crimson Haze won two of the three published Silver Age Showdowns before this event (source: fabtcg.com Showdown decklists, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). Levia was the most-played hero at Atlanta (source: fabtcg.com Sunday Showdown Atlanta Round 1 pairings, 2026-10-04). Each game you choose your equipment and deck cards from the pool, and so does your opponent. Every plan below comes down to three levers:

• Reprise and Decimator Great Axe punish blocks from hand.
• Dorinthea and Refraction Bolters reward the first weapon hit each turn.
• Your Nullrune pieces and Arcane Polarity only matter against arcane damage.

Ira, Crimson Haze

Every published Ira list plays two Arcane Polarity (source: fabtcg.com decklists, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). Nothing in your list deals arcane damage, so their copies only ever gain 1 life against you. Expect them to cut those copies when they configure.

Your lever is the Dorinthea trigger. Build each attack turn around one heavily pumped Decimator Great Axe swing instead of spreading pumps across turns:

• Lead with Sharpen Steel or Hit and Run, since both are free and have go again.
• Hold Overpower to answer a hand block.
• Keep Refraction Bolters on to turn the hit into go again.

When you fall behind on life, Fyendal's Fighting Spirit gains life whether it attacks or defends. For that side of the matchup, see our Ira, Crimson Haze Silver Age guide.

Levia

All five published Levia lists carry both Nullrune Hood and Buzzard Helm (source: fabtcg.com decklists, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). Assume they wear their non-arcane head against you.

Your plan is to make not blocking expensive. A Felling Swing into the axe costs 6 resources, so pitch two blues for it, and present the swing only when you can back it. Once they defend from hand, red Overpower jumps to +6. The axe also halves the base defense of the first non-equipment card that blocks it each turn. If they attack you with a weapon, Steelblade Shunt pings them and Blade Beckoner Boots gains a point of defense.

Bravo, Flattering Showman

Every published Bravo list includes Nullrune Boots, Nullrune Gloves and two Arcane Polarity (source: fabtcg.com decklists, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). If they wear the gloves anyway, that is an arm slot with 0 defense against your axe.

Win this matchup on defense:

• Pair Helm of Unity, Gauntlets of Unity and Plating of Unity with a card from hand so each piece blocks for 2.
• Save On the Horizon and the red Steelblade Shunt for their biggest attacks.
• Swing when the turn after can still defend.

Fai

Fai was the second most-played hero at both Atlanta and Bilbao but has no published Top 8 slot or list (source: fabtcg.com Round 1 pairings and decklists, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). You have no confirmed tech to plan around. Default to your physical-defense configuration unless you know your opponent's build deals arcane damage. Use Sift to dig toward your axe pumps rather than holding a clunky hand.

Iyslander

Iyslander finished 2nd at Bilbao (source: fabtcg.com Showdown Bilbao decklists, 2026-09-27). The brief gives no details of its list. The deciding call is your equipment. If you expect arcane damage, the Nullrune pieces and Arcane Polarity become real cards. If you don't, they are dead slots, so read what your opponent plays early and lean on the Unity set when the arcane never shows up.

Hala

Hala made Top 8 at Atlanta and Kyoto (source: fabtcg.com Showdown decklists, 2026-10-04 and 2026-10-18). With no tech data, play your standard plan: free pumps first, then the axe, with an attack reaction held for the block. For that side of the matchup, see our Hala Silver Age guide.

Arcane-damage strategies

Your Nullrune Hood, Gloves and Robe each carry Arcane Barrier 1. Once you have taken arcane damage that turn, Arcane Polarity gains 4 life instead of 1. Arcane Polarity is an instant that costs 0, so hold it until after their arcane damage resolves.

Decks that defend from hand

This is the matchup your list is built to punish. Blocks from hand trigger Reprise on Overpower and Ironsong Response, and the axe halves the first non-equipment blocker each turn. Make them choose between taking the hit, which fires Dorinthea, and blocking into a bigger pump.

Card Pool & Matchup Configuration

Silver Age lets you rebuild for each game. Your registered card pool is 55 cards, counting weapons and equipment, and the deck has to start at exactly 40 cards. Each game, you choose your arena cards first, then your deck cards, from that pool (source: fabtcg.com Silver Age format page, accessed 2026-10-19). Showdown decks are registered online before the event and can't change during the tournament (source: fabtcg.com Event Structure and Decklist Requirements, accessed 2026-10-19). The 55 you register are the 55 you work with all day.

This pool has 9 arena cards and 46 deck cards, so exactly six deck cards stay out every game. The trial procedure announced 2026-09-17 for the IAR season has heroes revealed together, then arena cards, then decks (source: fabtcg.com Banned and Restricted Announcement, 2026-09-17). Under that procedure, you pick equipment knowing the opposing hero, and you finalize the 40 after seeing their arena cards. Confirm with your head judge which procedure your event uses.

The Arena Decision: Four Slots, Two Options Each

Decimator Great Axe is the only weapon, so the real choices are equipment:

• Head: Helm of Unity or Nullrune Hood
• Chest: Plating of Unity or Nullrune Robe
• Arms: Gauntlets of Unity or Nullrune Gloves
• Legs: Refraction Bolters or Blade Beckoner Boots

The Unity pieces block for 2 when paired with a card from hand. That is real physical defense, and Temper lets them keep contributing. The Nullrune pieces have 0 defense and Arcane Barrier 1. They only earn their slot against opponents who deal arcane damage.

You don't have to go all-in on one set. If arcane damage is a side threat rather than the main plan, pick Nullrune for one or two slots and keep Unity elsewhere.

The legs choice is offense versus defense:

• Refraction Bolters turns a weapon hit into go again. Stacked with Dorinthea's extra attack, that makes it your aggressive pick.
• Blade Beckoner Boots defends for 2 against weapon attacks and has Guardwell. Choose it when the opponent swings weapons and you expect to spend turns blocking.

The Core You Never Cut

Twenty-six deck cards stay in every configuration:

• All six Felling Swing and all four Sharpen Steel, which power up the axe.
• All four Overpower, Ironsong Response and Display of Craftsmanship, which pump weapon attacks.
• Hit and Run, which gives the weapon go again.
• All six Steelblade Shunt. Defense reactions blocking for 4 to 6 are worth keeping against anyone, and the 1 damage is a bonus against weapon attackers.

Your six cuts come from the remaining 20: Arcane Polarity, Lay Low, Look Tuff, Sift, On the Horizon, Raging Onslaught, Fyendal's Fighting Spirit and Sirens of Safe Harbor.

Configuration Table

Why These Cuts

Arcane Polarity gains 1 life unless you've taken arcane damage that turn. Against arcane decks it gains 4, so it comes in for them and goes out for everyone else.

Lay Low is the most conditional card in the pool:

• You can't play it while marked.
• Nothing in this pool marks the opponent, so its rider rarely matters.
• Its baseline is a free 3-defense defense reaction. That's fine, but it's the easiest card to spare, and it's dead against anything that marks you.

Look Tuff costs 3 and wants a fourth resource to keep its full 8 power. Your premium turns already spend 3 on the axe and 3 more on Felling Swing or Overpower, so Look Tuff fights your engine for pitch.

Prefer cutting reds and yellows over blues. You are constantly paying 3 at a time, so pitch-3 cards are your fuel. That is why Raging Onslaught and the blue life-gain attacks stay in most builds even though they are individually unexciting.

Sift is pure smoothing. Best of 1 with no mulligan rewards keeping it in when you're unsure, but it's the first filler to go when you need every card to block or swing.

Fyendal's Fighting Spirit and Sirens of Safe Harbor earn their place in races. Fyendal's gains life only when you're behind on life. Sirens gains life whenever it hits the graveyard, including when it's pitched or blocks. Against slower opponents you can trim the reds of either for Sift or On the Horizon.

Reading the Field

Across the 27 published Silver Age lists, Arcane Polarity appeared in 17, Nullrune Hood in 11, and Nullrune Gloves and Nullrune Robe in 10 each (source: fabtcg.com decklist API, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). That much arcane tech tells you two things:

• Arcane damage is common enough that you should prepare a Nullrune build before the event.
• Opponents bringing that tech get little from it against you, since nothing in this pool deals arcane damage.

Levia, Fai, Bravo and Ira were the four most-played heroes in the Atlanta and Bilbao Round 1 pairings (source: fabtcg.com coverage, Round 1 pairings, Atlanta 2026-10-04 and Bilbao 2026-09-27). Decide your configuration for each of them before the event. Rounds are 35 minutes and best of 1 (source: fabtcg.com Silver Age format page, accessed 2026-10-19), so you can't afford to work out six cuts at the table. Write your builds on a card, sort your sleeves by configuration, and pull the six cuts in seconds.

Tech Choices & Variations

This list is built as a 55-card pool, and that is where its flexibility lives. You have nine arena cards covering four equipment slots, and 46 deck cards for a 40-card deck. Every game, you choose which leg, chest, arms and head pieces start in play and which six deck cards sit out. Tech decisions happen at two levels: what belongs in the registered 55, and what you lean on inside it.

Arena Pairs: Physical Versus Arcane

The Unity pieces reward you for defending with a card from hand. Against physical damage, a full Unity set turns every one-card block into a meaningfully bigger wall. The Nullrune pieces do nothing against physical attacks, so only run them when the opponent's plan includes arcane damage.

You don't have to go all-in on either set. A split such as Nullrune head and arms with Plating of Unity keeps some physical blocking while still giving you barrier.

The legs choice is the real tempo knob:

• Refraction Bolters: gives a hit Decimator Great Axe swing go again. That can be the difference between ending your turn and following up with a card from hand.
• Blade Beckoner Boots: defends 2 against weapon attacks. Pick it against decks that swing weapons at you every turn.

The Six-Card Cut

Some deck cards are close to locked. Sharpen Steel, Hit and Run, Felling Swing, Overpower and Steelblade Shunt are what make the axe turns lethal. The natural cuts sit elsewhere:

• Arcane Polarity (red): gains 4 life only if you've been dealt arcane damage this turn. Otherwise it is a 0-cost instant that gains 1 life. It comes out first against non-arcane decks.
• Lay Low: nothing in this pool marks the opponent, so its rider only matters if the opponent gets marked by their own effects. Without that, it is a free 3-defense reaction that pitches for 2. You can't play it while you're marked, so bench it against anything that marks you.
• Display of Craftsmanship: no card in this pool's text refers to sharpening a weapon. Evaluate it as +2 power for 2 resources plus a blue pitch, not as a counter engine. It is the weakest pump here and an easy trim.
• Sift: costs 0, has go again and fixes clunky hands. It also spends a card that could have been a pitch or a block. Keep it when your hand quality matters more than raw defense.

Color and Attack-Count Swaps

The non-weapon attacks are the second-biggest dial. There are twelve of them across Look Tuff, Fyendal's Fighting Spirit, Sirens of Safe Harbor and Raging Onslaught. None of them trigger Dorinthea's extra swing, since that only works off a weapon hit.

Trimming them for more pumps or reactions makes your axe turns bigger but leaves you with fewer ways to deal damage when the axe is blocked out. Keeping them gives you pressure that doesn't depend on a weapon connecting. Each one brings something different:

• Look Tuff: the biggest raw number, 8 power if you pay the extra resource.
• Fyendal's Fighting Spirit: gains life on attack and on defense, but only while you're behind on life.
• Sirens of Safe Harbor: gains life however it reaches the graveyard, including when it is pitched or used to block.
• Raging Onslaught: a plain 5-power blue that also defends 3.

On pumps, the red and blue versions of Felling Swing and Overpower cost the same 3 resources. The reds hit harder; the blues pay for themselves. If your hands keep running short on resources, sit a red pump and play the blue. If you're converting resources but falling just short of lethal, do the reverse.

Filling Slots From Outside the Pool

When you rework the registered 55, replace by role rather than by card. Each swap has a clear cost:

• More defense reactions: push the deck toward a grindier, block-and-punish posture.
• More 0-cost go-again Warrior actions: lengthen your attack turns but thin out your blocking.
• An extra leg piece: covering arcane damage there lets the Unity set stay in on the other three slots.

Any replacement must be common, rare or basic rarity, and Warrior or generic. Check it against the current banned list before you register.

Tuning for Your Expected Field

Mexico City has no published field data to draw on. The most-played heroes at the Atlanta and Bilbao Showdowns were Levia, Fai, Bravo, Flattering Showman and Ira, Crimson Haze (source: fabtcg.com Round 1 pairings, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). Use that as a starting point, then adjust for your own scene:

• Field heavy on arcane damage: keep all three Nullrune pieces and both Arcane Polarity in the pool, and cut a non-weapon attack to make room.
• Field heavy on physical aggro: lean on the Unity set and all six Steelblade Shunt. Consider dropping Arcane Polarity from the registered pool entirely.
• Field heavy on slow, defensive decks: favor Refraction Bolters, the red pumps and Overpower's reprise. Blocks from hand are what make it pay off.

Rounds are best-of-one at 35 minutes, so any build drift toward pure defense costs you games to the clock. Keep enough damage in the 40 to close.

Budget Options

At about $35 for the whole pool, this list is already a budget deck. Silver Age only allows common, rare and basic rarity cards (source: fabtcg.com Silver Age format page, accessed 2026-10-19). Budget here is less about replacing cards and more about buying order: which pieces you need to play competitive games now, and which can wait.

Where the Money Is

The deck cards are spread across many cheap pairs, so no single one carries the price. If any items cost more, expect them among the one-of pieces: the hero, the weapon and the equipment. Check current listings for Dorinthea, Decimator Great Axe, Refraction Bolters, Blade Beckoner Boots, and the Unity and Nullrune pieces before you buy. That is where a bad listing can quietly double your outlay.

The Non-Negotiables

• Decimator Great Axe. Do not substitute it. Felling Swing only pumps axe attacks, and every attack reaction and Sharpen Steel is built around weapon attacks. Without the axe, the deck's damage plan falls apart.
• The weapon-pump package. This means all three colours of Felling Swing and Overpower, plus Sharpen Steel, Hit and Run, Display of Craftsmanship and Ironsong Response.
• The defensive core. All three Steelblade Shunt colours and On the Horizon. These keep your life total healthy while the axe does the work.

Arena Pieces: Buy One Per Slot First

The pool has two options for every equipment slot. You only wear one piece per slot each game:

For a minimum playable setup, start with the three Unity pieces and one pair of legs.

• Unity first. The Unity pieces block for 2 when you defend with a card from hand, and they have Temper. That covers most physical attacks.
• Refraction Bolters as your first legs. Destroying them for go again when the axe hits supports the proactive plan.
• Blade Beckoner Boots later. They are the defensive legs: +1 defense against weapon attacks, plus Guardwell. You can add them once the core is done.

What you give up: without the Nullrune set, you have no Arcane Barrier. Against decks that deal arcane damage, the Unity pieces do nothing to stop it.

Deck Cards You Can Defer

The pool holds 46 deck cards, and each game you build a 40-card deck from it (source: fabtcg.com Silver Age format page, accessed 2026-10-19). Some pairs only matter in certain matchups. For locals and practice games, these can wait:

• Arcane Polarity. It gains only 1 life unless you have taken arcane damage this turn. It is a matchup card, not a core card.
• Lay Low. Its rider only works if the attacking hero is marked, and nothing in this list marks anyone. On its own it is a 0-cost, 3-defense defense reaction that pitches for 2. That is useful, but you can replace it until you buy it.
• One pair of off-axe attacks, such as Raging Onslaught. The deck's damage runs through the weapon. Non-weapon attacks fill gaps and pitch well, but they are the easiest cards to swap for pairs you already own.

What you give up: life gain and defensive flexibility in arcane-heavy and marking matchups. Also, the brief states the pool as 55 cards, so get the full registered pool before any premier event. Do not assume a partial pool is accepted.

Upgrade Path

1. Playable core. Buy Dorinthea, Decimator Great Axe, the three Unity pieces and Refraction Bolters. Add the pump package, the defensive core, Sift, Fyendal's Fighting Spirit, Sirens of Safe Harbor and Look Tuff. That is enough to play real games and learn the axe sequencing.
2. Defensive legs. Add Blade Beckoner Boots for matchups against other weapon-attack decks, where the extra point of defense and Guardwell matter most.
3. Arcane hedge. Add Nullrune Hood, Nullrune Robe, Nullrune Gloves and both Arcane Polarity together. They work as a package. Arcane Polarity appeared in 17 of 27 published lists and Nullrune Hood in 11 (source: fabtcg.com decklist API, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). Those numbers suggest this hedge is standard in the format, so buy it before your first Showdown.
4. Finish the pool. Add Lay Low and any remaining pairs so your registered pool matches the list exactly.

If you buy in that order, stage one already plays the deck's real game plan. Every later purchase adds matchup coverage rather than raw power.

Common Mistakes

1. Swinging twice without the resources for it

The Dorinthea trigger gives you an additional attack. It does not pay for one. Every Decimator Great Axe activation costs 3 resources, so a double swing costs 6 before you add a single pump. With intellect 4, the clean double-swing hand pitches two blues and plays your 0-cost cards: Hit and Run, Sharpen Steel, Ironsong Response. If you pitch a red to make the first swing and have nothing left to pitch, the hit trigger does nothing. Count the full turn's resources before you activate the axe, not after the first swing connects.

2. Forgetting the second swing needs go again

The second attack still needs an action point. If the first swing has no go again, a hit gives you a trigger you can't use. Your go-again sources are Hit and Run, which you play before the first swing, and Refraction Bolters, which you destroy when the swing hits. The reverse mistake is just as costly. Don't break Refraction Bolters on a hit when you can't afford a second 3-resource activation. It is a one-shot piece, and spending it for nothing leaves you a block short later.

3. Mixing a big-swing turn with a double-swing turn

Felling Swing costs 3, so red Felling Swing plus the axe is 6 resources for a 10-power swing. That is the whole turn. If you play it and then hope for a double swing, you'll get neither. Decide at the start of the turn which plan you're running:

• Big swing: Felling Swing or Overpower on a single attack. Use it when the opponent can block a 4-power swing cheaply and you need one hit to land hard.
• Double swing: cheap pumps and go again. Use it when the opponent is low on cards and can't block both attacks.

"Next weapon attack" effects only apply to the first swing. Don't stack Sharpen Steel copies expecting them to carry over to the second.

4. Firing Reprise into equipment blocks

The full value of Overpower and Ironsong Response depends on the defender blocking with a card from hand on that chain link. Ironsong Response does nothing without that block. Overpower still works, but it pays 3 resources for +4 (red) or +2 (blue) instead of +6 or +4. Attack reactions come after blocks, so you always have this information when you decide. If the opponent blocks only with equipment, keep the reaction for a later turn or pitch it. Opponents who learn your list will block your axe with equipment specifically to turn these cards off. Keep a 0-cost pump or an attack action in the hand so those turns still deal damage.

5. Misreading Decimator's halving

Three details get missed:

• It triggers only the first time a non-equipment card blocks it each turn. If your first swing already got that block, the second swing doesn't get the halving.
• It halves one target defending card, so target the card with the highest defense.
• It halves base defense and rounds up. A 3-defense card becomes 2, not 1.

Calculate the block from those numbers. Don't overpay for pumps based on a halving that won't happen.

6. Blocking with Unity pieces alone

Helm of Unity, Plating of Unity and Gauntlets of Unity only gain +1 defense when they defend together with a card from hand. On their own they block for 1, and Temper wears them down each time they defend. Spending a Temper piece for 1 point of defense trades long-term armor for almost nothing. Pair them with a hand card, or block with Blade Beckoner Boots, which gets +1 defense on its own against weapon attacks.

7. Misjudging the defensive and life-gain conditions

Every defense or life-gain card here has a condition. Check it before you play or pitch the card:

• Steelblade Shunt: it only pings the opponent when it blocks a weapon attack. Against an attack-action-heavy deck it's a plain block, and a blue copy may be worth more as pitch.
• Lay Low: you can't play it at all if you're marked, and its -1 power only applies if the attacker is marked.
• Arcane Polarity: it gains 4 life instead of 1 only if you've taken arcane damage that turn. Against arcane opponents, hold it until after the damage lands.
• Nullrune pieces: they only reduce arcane damage. Don't plan on them against physical attacks.
• Fyendal's Fighting Spirit: it gains life only when you have less life than the opponent. While you're ahead, treat it as a plain attack.

Tournament Prep & Final Notes

What to Practice

• Your pre-game loadout, hero by hero. Per the Silver Age format page, each game you choose arena cards, then deck cards, from your 55-card pool. You have two options in every equipment slot: Unity or Nullrune for head, arms and chest, and Blade Beckoner Boots or Refraction Bolters for legs. Decide these before the event, not at the table. Under the pre-game trial announced 2026-09-17, heroes are revealed first, then arena cards, then decks, so you will know the opposing hero when you lock in equipment.
• The heroes you will actually face. Prioritize your reps by the brief's data:
  • Ira, Crimson Haze held 5 of 24 published Top 8 slots (source: fabtcg.com Showdown decklists, 2026-09-27 to 2026-10-18).
  • Levia was the most-played hero at Atlanta, with 27 of 184 entries (source: Sunday Showdown Atlanta Round 1 pairings, 2026-10-04).
  • Fai was the second most-played hero at both Atlanta and Bilbao.
  • Bravo, Flattering Showman took 3 Top 8 slots.
  If you only have time for four matchups, play those four.
• Full-turn resource math. A turn that wins games is a pump, a swing with Decimator Great Axe, a hit, and a second swing from Dorinthea. Practice laying out the whole turn before you pitch the first card. That means knowing how many blues you need, which red you are holding as an attack reaction, and what is left for the second swing. Deciding pitch mid-turn is how you end up one resource short on the attack that matters.
• Temper budgeting. Helm of Unity, Gauntlets of Unity and Plating of Unity all have Temper. Track how much defense each piece has left and when you are spending the last of it, so you know which turns you can afford to block with them.

Rules Interactions to Know Cold

• Dorinthea triggers once. It fires the first time your weapon attack hits each turn. If the first swing is fully blocked, there is no extra attack. If the extra attack hits, nothing further happens.
• Decimator Great Axe halving is also once per turn. It only triggers on a non-equipment defender, it halves base defense rounded up, and it targets one defending card. Equipment blocks never trigger it. If your opponent burns the halving on your first swing by blocking with a hand card, your second swing does not get it.
• Reprise checks the current chain link. Overpower and Ironsong Response care whether the defender blocked with a card from hand on that link. Wait until defenders are declared before you commit them. Against an equipment-only block, red Overpower is +4, not +6, and Ironsong Response does nothing.
• Axe vs. weapon wording. Felling Swing pumps your next axe attack. Sharpen Steel and Hit and Run say weapon. Both apply to Decimator Great Axe, but read every card's "next attack" clause before you sequence it ahead of a non-weapon attack.
• Your go again sources on a hit. Refraction Bolters trades itself for go again when a weapon attack hits. Hit and Run grants go again before the swing. Know which one you are relying on before you attack.
• Conditional defense.
  • Steelblade Shunt only deals its 1 damage when it defends a weapon attack.
  • Blade Beckoner Boots only gets its +1 defense against weapon attacks.
  • The Unity pieces only gain their +1 when they block alongside a card from your hand.
• Arcane damage. The Nullrune pieces each have Arcane Barrier 1. Arcane Polarity becomes a 4-life gain only if you have been dealt arcane damage that turn. Against opponents who don't deal arcane damage, it is a 1-life instant you will mostly pitch.
• Small taxes and conditions.
  • Look Tuff loses 1 power unless you pay a resource when it attacks.
  • Fyendal's Fighting Spirit only gains life while you are behind on life.
  • Lay Low can't be played if you are marked.

Clock Management

Silver Age is best of 1 with 35-minute rounds. When time runs out, the turn player finishes their turn, one more turn is played, and then the game is a draw. A draw after an hour of grinding is a result you didn't need. This deck invites long turns: you block with a hand card plus Unity armor, then decide on a defense reaction. On offense, you decide which reaction to fire after blocks.

Set yourself a pace. Plan your turn while your opponent plans theirs, and announce your full pitch up front. Don't re-count resources mid-chain. Showdown Top 8 matches are untimed, so the pressure is entirely in Swiss. That is where you should be most disciplined about not sandbagging a lethal setup for an extra turn.

Final Assessment

This is a focused, low-cost list, around $35, with one job: make Decimator Great Axe connect and turn that hit into a second, heavily pumped swing. The rest of the pool exists to make that hit happen or to survive until it does:

• Felling Swing, Sharpen Steel and Overpower make the axe too big to block cheaply.
• The halving on Decimator Great Axe punishes the hand blocks that Reprise wants.
• Six copies of Steelblade Shunt plus two equipment configurations let you match your defense to the opposing hero before the game starts.

The list's weakness is that every big turn runs through a single weapon hit. An opponent with enough defense to stop the first swing turns off both Dorinthea and the halving at once. That is why your preparation should center on loadouts and turn planning rather than on memorizing lines.

This exact list won Sunday Showdown: Mexico City 2026 in Hayley Neighbors' hands. Bring a pre-decided loadout for every hero you expect and play at a steady pace, and it is a list you can register with confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this Dorinthea Silver Age deck win games?

It attacks with Decimator Great Axe every turn and makes each swing a problem with no good answer. Dorinthea lets the axe attack an additional time the first time a weapon attack hits each turn. The rest of the list buffs that swing, gives it go again for the second attack, or keeps you alive long enough to keep swinging.

Which cards are core and never get cut from the deck?

Twenty-six deck cards stay in every configuration: all six Felling Swing, all four Sharpen Steel, the Overpower, Ironsong Response and Display of Craftsmanship copies, Hit and Run, and all six Steelblade Shunt. Your six cuts each game come from the remaining flex cards.

What is the standard double-swing turn with this deck?

Play red Sharpen Steel, then Hit and Run, then pitch a blue and swing a 7-power axe with go again. If it hits, pitch your last blue and swing the axe a second time, for 11 damage across two attacks from one hand.

When should I play attack reactions like Overpower?

Hold them until blocks are declared. If the opponent blocked with a card from hand, Reprise makes red Overpower +6 and turns on Ironsong Response. Against an equipment-only block, red Overpower is only +4 and Ironsong Response does nothing, so use Display of Craftsmanship or save the reaction.

Which matchups are favored, and where is the deck weakest?

The matrix rates Ira, Levia, Bravo, Fai, Iyslander and Hala as even, and the deck is favored against arcane-damage strategies and decks that defend from hand. Its weakness is that every big turn runs through a single weapon hit. An opponent with enough defense to stop the first swing turns off both Dorinthea and the axe's halving at once.

Which equipment should I wear in each matchup?

Wear the Unity pieces by default, and switch to Nullrune Hood, Nullrune Robe and Nullrune Gloves when arcane damage is the opponent's real plan. For legs, Refraction Bolters is the aggressive pick. Blade Beckoner Boots is for opponents who attack with weapons.

How much does the deck cost and what can I buy later on a budget?

The whole pool runs about $35, so it is already a budget deck. Do not substitute Decimator Great Axe. Start with the Unity pieces and Refraction Bolters, and defer Arcane Polarity, Lay Low and a pair of off-axe attacks such as Raging Onslaught until before a premier event.

What should I practice before taking this deck to a Showdown?

Practice your pre-game loadout for each hero, and get reps against Ira, Levia, Fai and Bravo first. Lay out full-turn resource math before pitching the first card. Also track Temper on Helm of Unity, Gauntlets of Unity and Plating of Unity.

Metagame Context

Built from Hayley Neighbors's 1st Place list at Sunday Showdown: Mexico City 2026 (2026-10-26), 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.