Ira, Scarlet Revenger — Classic Constructed Strategy Guide

Archetype Overview

This build of Ira, Scarlet Revenger is a Ninja hero piloted as a grinder. The deck runs 48 reds and 24 blues with no yellows. A large share of those reds are defense reactions, life gain and filtering. The few aggressive pieces exist to put steady pressure on the opponent, take away their tools and wear them down until the game goes long. Ira has 40 life and a 4-card intellect, and the list is built to use every point of both. It took 2nd Place at Calling: Kyoto 2026 in the hands of shoma yamamura.

The engine: Edge first, Vengeance second

Ira's ability is narrow: your second attack each turn gets +1 power. Edge of Autumn is built to be that first attack. It costs one resource, swings for 1 with go again, and sets up combo for the Vengeance cards:

• Seek Vengeance costs 0 and gets go again if Edge was the last attack. The red swings for 5 off Ira's bonus and keeps the chain open.
• Vengeance Never Rests gets go again behind Edge. When it hits a hero, it banishes itself and you may play it again this turn.
• Enact Vengeance needs either Edge or a Vengeance card as the previous attack. When it hits a hero, it destroys their arsenal.

Okana Scar Wraps ties the package together. Once Edge has swung, you can tap the Wraps and banish the sword to give a Ninja attack action +1 power. If an attack with Vengeance in its name then hits, you may equip Edge from your banished zone. You get extra damage on the chain, and a connected Vengeance attack gets your weapon back.

A standard turn is small and efficient: Edge into one or two combo cards, with the rest of the hand held to block. You aren't trying to empty your hand every turn. You are trying to get value from the two or three cards you do commit.

The wall

The defensive suite is where this list stands apart:

• Defense reactions: twelve 0-cost, 4-defense defense reactions in Fate Foreseen, Flic Flak, Shelter from the Storm and Sink Below.
• Life gain: Fiddler's Green gains 3 life whenever it reaches the graveyard, so a 1-defense block does the work of a 4. Sigil of Solace is a flat 3 life at instant speed. All six copies of Sirens of Safe Harbor give back a point of life however they reach the graveyard.
• Truce: when the opponent attacks you, Truce is destroyed and you draw a card. If they hold back instead, you each gain 3 life at the start of their end phase.

Filtering keeps your hands sharp throughout a long game. Sink Below, Crown of Providence, Enlightened Strike and Fate Foreseen all smooth your draws. Fyendal's Spring Tunic stores an extra resource for the turn you need to double up.

The single Last Ditch Effort shows where the deck expects to end up. It only gains +4 power and go again when your deck is empty, which tells you the list plans to see the bottom of its deck.

The disruption suite

The attacks aren't filler. Each one interferes with what the opponent is doing:

• Command and Conquer turns off defense reactions for its chain link and destroys the arsenal on hit.
• Erase Face strips class and talent types from the opponent's cards until the end of their next turn.
• Cutting Retort lets you spend resources to destroy differently named aura tokens.
• Ripple Away blunts token makers.
• Fearless Confrontation strips dominate.
• Warmonger's Diplomacy forces the opponent to choose war or peace before you do. They lock themselves out of either attacks or non-attack actions on their next turn, and you get to pick your own side knowing their answer.

Most of these blues cost 0 or 2, so they double as pitch when the matchup doesn't need them.

The equipment set adds a matchup decision before every game. The list registers three heads (Crown of Providence, Balance of Justice, Mask of the Swarming Claw) and two arms pieces (Okana Scar Wraps, Stonewall Gauntlet). Mask of the Swarming Claw and Boots of Omnis Ward cover arcane damage. Balance of Justice punishes opponents who draw extra cards.

Why the plan works

The deck rarely has a dead card. A red is either a 0-cost attack, a 4-defense defense reaction, or a source of life. A blue either pays for your turn or answers a specific threat. Because the offense needs only one resource for Edge and often nothing else, you can block with most of your hand and still deal damage every turn.

Against decks that need a big turn, you stack up arsenal destruction, type removal and action lockout until that turn never comes. Against decks that just attack, the life gain and the 4-defense reactions are built to outlast them. The deck wins by surviving longer, not by racing.

Who should pick it up

Pick this deck if you enjoy blocking math and long games and know your opponents' key turns well enough to deny them. You have to judge when to pitch Warmonger's Diplomacy and when to cast it, and which equipment fits each matchup. Those calls reward experience more than raw speed.

If you want an explosive Ninja that wins by stringing long go-again chains, this isn't that deck. Your damage comes a few points at a time across many turns, and you have to be comfortable letting games go long.

Core Strategy & Game Plan

This Ira list isn't an all-in Ninja combo deck. It's a defensive midrange deck with a combo turn built in. Most of the list is blocking, life gain and card filtering. A small Ninja package of Edge of Autumn, the Vengeance attacks and Okana Scar Wraps provides the damage. You win by taking cheap, efficient value turns, defending your life total better than the opponent can attack it, and threatening one punishing chain whenever your hand lines up.

How the Deck Wins

• Steady pressure. Every turn you present something. That might be a two-card turn, a short Edge chain, or a single 6-power red with a rider. Your opponent has to respect it while you keep cards back to block.
• Arsenal and identity denial. Command and Conquer and a combo'd Enact Vengeance destroy the opponent's arsenal on hit. Erase Face makes their cards lose class and talent types until the end of their next turn. Hitting with any of these wrecks the opponent's next turn without you spending extra cards.
• Out-sustaining the race. Ira starts at 40 life. You also have Sigil of Solace, Fiddler's Green, Truce and six copies of Sirens of Safe Harbor, which gain life whenever they hit your graveyard from attacking or blocking. Together they make damage races hard for most attackers to win.
• The long game. Last Ditch Effort gets +4 power and go again when your deck is empty, which gives you a payoff if the game goes all the way to fatigue.

The Engine: Edge, Vengeance, Okana

Edge of Autumn is a 1-resource, 1-power attack with go again. It does almost no damage. Its job is to switch on combo. It also makes Ira's hero ability efficient: Edge is your first attack, so the follow-up becomes your second attack and gets Ira's +1 power. The standard chain:

1. Edge of Autumn (1 resource, go again).
2. Seek Vengeance (0 cost) gets go again from combo, plus Ira's +1 as your second attack. Red swings for 5, blue for 3.
3. Enact Vengeance as the closer. A Vengeance card was the last attack, so it gains the arsenal-destruction-on-hit rider.

That line costs 3 resources total, which one blue pitch covers. A 4-card hand of red Seek Vengeance, red Enact Vengeance and a blue pitch leaves one card for your arsenal or for blocking on the opponent's turn. Flying Kick is the other closer: on chain link 3 it gets +2 power.

Vengeance Never Rests can also follow Edge. With combo it gets go again, and when it hits a hero you banish it and may play it again this turn. The replayed copy no longer follows Edge, so it won't have go again. Treat the replay as your final link.

Okana Scar Wraps adds +1 power to a Ninja attack action. To use it, you tap the Wraps and banish your Edge. If any attack with Vengeance in its name hits later, you re-equip the sword. Here's the risk: if your Vengeance attacks are all blocked, you go into future turns with no weapon and no combo starter. Use the Wraps only when the Vengeance attack is likely to connect, or when the extra point of damage actually ends the game.

Posture: Defend First, Attack on Your Terms

Your default is to block and set up, and you attack when the opponent gives you an opening.

• Defense reactions. You run twelve 4-defense reactions: Fate Foreseen, Flic Flak, Shelter from the Storm and Sink Below. Each also does something extra. Fate Foreseen lets you opt, Sink Below cycles a card, and Shelter from the Storm can be discarded to prevent damage.
• Flic Flak with combo cards. Flic Flak gives +2 defense to your next defending card if it has combo. Your Vengeance cards defend for 3 printed, so they become 5-defense blocks.
• Equipment. Crown of Providence filters a dead card when it blocks. Fyendal's Spring Tunic stores energy counters toward a spare resource for your big chain turn. Stonewall Gauntlet gives opposing attacks -1 power for the rest of the combat chain, but only when it blocks an attack whose power is above its printed power. Balance of Justice punishes opponents who draw heavily. Mask of the Swarming Claw and Boots of Omnis Ward soak arcane and chip damage.
• Warmonger's Diplomacy. This is a 0-cost lock on the opponent's next turn. If they choose war, they can't use non-attack actions. If they choose peace, they can't attack. You choose too, starting with the hero to your left, so play it on a turn when your own next turn fits either restriction.
• Life gain versus Scar for a Scar. Scar for a Scar only gets go again while you're behind on life, which pulls against your life gain. Play it as a go-again filler when you're behind. When you're ahead, it's a block card.

The Ideal Game

Early turns: Block well and start charging Fyendal's Spring Tunic. Present two-card attacks, often a cost-0 red plus a pitch. Make the opponent spend cards answering 6-power reds like Sirens of Safe Harbor and Command and Conquer, which also stops defense reactions on its own chain link. Put an Edge-chain piece in your arsenal whenever you can.

Mid game: This is when you take your big turn. Use the full Edge, Seek, Enact chain, ideally with an Okana bonus. Then lock down their next turn with arsenal destruction, Erase Face or Warmonger's Diplomacy. Truce gains you both 3 life, or draws you a card if they attack you. Either result is fine for you.

Late game: Your life gain should leave you ahead. Every hit from Enlightened Strike, Bittering Thorns or another short chain brings the opponent closer to dead while you keep blocking. If the game goes deep enough, Last Ditch Effort finishes it.

Card Choices & Breakdown

The Engine: Hero, Weapon and Arms

Ira, Scarlet Revenger gives your second attack each turn +1 power. Edge of Autumn is the cheapest way to make that second attack happen: one resource, go again, and it counts as the "last attack" that every combo card in this list checks for. Swinging Edge first nearly always means your first card from hand is attack two and gets Ira's bonus.

Okana Scar Wraps is what makes the weapon worth building around. Its attack reaction taps it and banishes Edge to give a Ninja attack action +1 power. Its second line equips Edge again from your banished zone whenever an attack with Vengeance in its name hits. You get the pump, and a landed hit hands the weapon back.

Combo Attacks: The Vengeance Package

• Seek Vengeance (3 red, 3 blue): zero cost, and it gets go again off an Edge swing. It costs nothing, carries the Vengeance name for Okana, and keeps the chain going. You want six copies, so the list runs the full allowance in both colours: 4 power on red, 3 resources from pitching blue.
• Vengeance Never Rests (3 blue): off Edge it gets go again, and on hit it banishes itself and can be played again that turn. It is a blue that pitches for 3 and also threatens to repeat itself.
• Enact Vengeance (3): 6 power that destroys the opponent's arsenal on hit if Edge or any Vengeance card came right before it. Because of that wider condition, it is the natural finisher for a Vengeance chain.
• Flying Kick (2): +2 power at chain link 3 or higher. Edge into Seek Vengeance into Kick reaches that exactly. It sits at two copies because it is weak without a long chain in front of it.

Generic Red Pressure

The format caps you at three copies of each card per name and colour. The real numbers question is why some slots are at two.

• Command and Conquer (3): defense reactions can't be played on its chain link, and a hit on a hero destroys their arsenal. It punishes opponents who plan to stop you with defense reactions.
• Erase Face (3): on hit, the opponent's cards lose class and talent types until the end of their next turn. You run it to disrupt their following turn, not for the damage.
• Sirens of Safe Harbor (3 red, 3 blue): 6 and 4 power bodies that gain 1 life whenever they reach your graveyard from anywhere. That includes pitching, blocking or being discarded.
• Enlightened Strike (3): zero cost, but you must put a card from hand on the bottom of your deck. You then pick draw a card, +2 power, or go again. It is the list's best answer to an awkward hand.
• Bittering Thorns (2): go again, and +1 to your next attack if it hits. It is the only Ninja red with built-in go again that doesn't depend on Edge.
• Scar for a Scar (2): go again only if you have less life than the opponent. That works against this deck's life gain, which is why it sits at two.
• Cutting Retort (2): zero cost, and you can pay up to 3 resources to destroy differently named auras, gaining +1 power for each. It is a targeted answer and dead weight against decks without auras, so it gets two copies.

Blue Utility and Pitch

There are no yellows in the list. Every card pitches for 1 or 3, and the blues are chosen so that keeping them in hand still does something.

• Fearless Confrontation (3): you can discard it at instant speed to give an attack -1 power and remove dominate. Holding it as a blocker still protects you.
• Ripple Away (3): you can discard it at instant speed to reduce the tokens an opposing action card effect creates by 1 of each.
• Truce (3): an aura that either gives you both 3 life at the opponent's end phase or draws you a card when they attack you. You gain something either way.
• Warmonger's Diplomacy (3): zero cost. Each hero must pick between only attacks and weapons or only non-attack actions on their next turn. Use it to force an opponent into whichever half of their deck they don't want.
• Last Ditch Effort (1): +4 power and go again only when your deck is empty. It is a single copy for long games and a 3-pitch otherwise.

Defense and Sustain

• Flic Flak (3): 4 defense, plus +2 defense on the next combo card you defend with that turn. Your combo blues and Enact Vengeance each have 3 printed defense, so they become 5-defense blocks.
• Sink Below (3), Fate Foreseen (3): 4-defense reactions that filter. Sink Below swaps a dead card for a fresh draw, and Fate Foreseen opts 1.
• Shelter from the Storm (3): a 4-defense block, or a discard that prevents 1 damage from each of the next three instances. Choose the discard against attacks that deal damage in several small pieces.
• Fiddler's Green (3), Sigil of Solace (3): 3 life each. Fiddler's gains it from anywhere, including from pitch. Sigil is an instant you play at zero cost.

Stacked on Ira's 40 life, this is a deliberate attrition shell. You are trying to outlast the opponent while the Vengeance chain deals damage.

Equipment Suite

The card pool is exactly 80 cards: 72 deck cards plus weapon and equipment. Three head pieces and two arms compete for slots, so you choose per game.

• Fyendal's Spring Tunic: builds energy counters and turns three of them into a resource for a big turn.
• Crown of Providence: cycles a card each time it defends until it breaks.
• Balance of Justice: draws you a card once the opponent has drawn two or more in a turn.
• Mask of the Swarming Claw: brings Arcane Barrier 1 and Spellvoid that scales with your chain links. Wear it against arcane damage.
• Boots of Omnis Ward: a 1-damage prevention you can fire at instant speed.
• Stonewall Gauntlet: shrinks the rest of a pumped opposing combat chain. Wear it when you aren't committing to the Okana line.

The Decklist

This is the 80-card pool that took 2nd Place at Calling: Kyoto 2026 in the hands of shoma yamamura. Under the Classic Constructed rules, your card pool is 80 cards including weapons and equipment, and before each game you choose your arena cards and then your deck cards from that pool. The deck must start with at least 60 cards. At Callings the registered pool is locked for the whole event. This list registers 8 arena cards and 72 deck cards: 48 red and 24 blue, with no yellow. The estimated price is about $1526 at TCGplayer market prices.

Hero / Weapon / Equipment

Pitch 1 (red): 48 cards

Pitch 3 (blue): 24 cards

The pool gives you three heads and two arms pieces, so your equipment choice is a real decision every game. The reds are split between attacks and defense reactions, and the blues are almost all attacks or utility you can pitch. That split is what lets you fund 2-cost swings and still keep blockers in hand. The flex slots marked above are the cards you trim first when you cut down toward a leaner game deck. The core Vengeance and Combo package stays in every game.

Hand Planning & Pitching

Four cards, intellect 4, no mulligan. Every hand has to answer two questions before you touch a card: how many resources does my best chain need, and what am I keeping to block the swing back. The list is built only from reds (pitch 1) and blues (pitch 3), so the math is simple. Most turns you pitch one blue and spend all of it, or pitch reds one at a time to cover small gaps.

The Three-Resource Turn

Edge of Autumn costs 1 and has go again, so it starts almost every chain. A single blue then covers one of these lines:

If you replay Vengeance Never Rests, the replay has no go again. Its combo checks for Edge of Autumn as the last attack, and that is no longer true. Plan for the replay to end the chain, or put Enact Vengeance behind the first copy instead, because its combo counts any Vengeance card. Fyendal's Spring Tunic builds energy every turn it is under 3 counters. Save it for the turn you are exactly one resource short of the full chain. Don't spend it to add a weak fourth attack.

Pitch, Play, or Hold

• Pitch first: blue Sirens of Safe Harbor, Flying Kick when you can't put it at chain link 3, and Truce or Warmonger's Diplomacy when you have no plan for their effect this turn.
• Play, don't pitch: blue Seek Vengeance costs 0 and has combo go again after Edge of Autumn. If another blue can pay for the turn, pitch that one and use Seek as a free link.
• Hold over pitching: Fearless Confrontation and Ripple Away have discard instants. When the opponent's next turn is the threat, keeping one in hand can be worth more than its 3 resources.
• Never pitch for value: Fiddler's Green and Sirens of Safe Harbor gain life only when they go to the graveyard, and pitched cards don't go there. Pitch Fiddler's Green only when that 1 resource finishes a lethal or near-lethal chain.
• Enlightened Strike needs a second card as its extra cost, so it uses two cards from your hand. Feed it the card you would otherwise waste, such as a blue you don't need or a reaction that is useless in this matchup. If your chain is already paid for, choose the draw mode.

The Card You Keep

Defense reactions cost 0, so holding one never costs you resources on your own turn. Fate Foreseen, Shelter from the Storm, Sink Below and Flic Flak each block for 4. Flic Flak works best next to a combo card: Seek Vengeance, Enact Vengeance and Vengeance Never Rests all defend for 3 and become 5 behind it. Sink Below and Crown of Providence both let you put a dead card on the bottom while blocking. That makes a clunky hand much less of a problem, because you can block and improve your next draw at once. Sigil of Solace is an instant, so you can hold it at no cost and play it at whatever point in either player's turn suits you.

What Goes in Arsenal

Arsenal a defense reaction when the opponent's next turn looks dangerous. Arsenal a 0-cost Vengeance attack when you want to start next turn with a strong chain. The second choice matters because Enact Vengeance and Command and Conquer both destroy arsenals on hit. A defense reaction in your own arsenal also protects your next turn's plan from an opponent doing the same to you. Don't arsenal a blue you meant to pitch next turn. You can pitch it from your hand just as easily, and it blocks the arsenal for something better.

Going First vs. Going Second

On the play, the opponent's arsenal is empty on your first turn, so arsenal destruction has nothing to hit. Lead with damage that doesn't depend on it: Edge of Autumn into a Seek or Vengeance Never Rests line, with a defense reaction kept back. A turn-one Truce makes the opponent choose between attacking you, which gives you a card, or letting both of you gain 3 life. Either result is fine for a deck with 40 life that wants a long game.

On the draw, assume they have something in arsenal. That raises the value of finishing the chain with Enact Vengeance or Command and Conquer, even if you lose a point of damage elsewhere. It also makes Scar for a Scar easier to use, because once you fall behind on life it gets go again for free. If they get ahead early, re-plan your hands around it.

Sequencing & Key Lines

Lead With the Edge

On almost every offensive turn, your first swing should be Edge of Autumn. It costs 1 resource and has go again. Leading with it does two jobs at once:

• It switches on combo for Seek Vengeance and Vengeance Never Rests.
• It hands Ira, Scarlet Revenger's second-attack bonus to a real attack card instead of a 1-power sword poke.

The one ordering rule that matters most is this: never put a non-Vengeance attack between the Edge and your combo cards. A go-again Enlightened Strike or Bittering Thorns played second breaks the combo check for everything after it. Slot those cards in after the Vengeance chain, or on turns where you aren't comboing at all.

The Standard Turn: Edge, Seek, Enact

The default line is Edge of Autumn → Seek Vengeance (red) → Enact Vengeance.

• Cost: 3 resources (1 + 0 + 2), which means pitching one blue.
• Cards: three cards from hand.
• Power: 1, then 5 (Seek's 4 plus Ira's +1), then 6.

Seek Vengeance has Vengeance in its name, so Enact's combo turns on. If Enact connects, the opponent's arsenal is destroyed. That leaves a fourth card free for your arsenal or held as a defense reaction.

When you don't have Enact Vengeance, close the same chain with Flying Kick instead. It arrives as chain link 3, so it swings for 5.

Branch: Vengeance Never Rests

Edge of Autumn → Vengeance Never Rests costs only 2 resources, both from a single blue pitch. VNR swings for 4 with go again.

If it hits, it is banished and you may play it again this turn. Its combo checks for Edge as the last attack, though, and the last attack is now VNR itself. So the replay does not get go again, and it ends your turn. Pick your finisher based on resources:

• Exactly 1 resource left: replay VNR for 3 more damage without spending another card.
• 2 or more resources and Enact in hand: play Enact Vengeance instead. VNR counts as a Vengeance last attack, so Enact's arsenal clause is live.

Branch: Command and Conquer as Attack Two

Defense reactions are the interaction you will meet most often. Shelter from the Storm appears in 16 of the 32 published lists, and Sink Below appears in 15 (source: fabtcg.com decklist API, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19).

When the opponent has a full hand or a face-down arsenal, play Edge of Autumn → Command and Conquer.

• C&C swings for 7 with Ira's bonus.
• Defense reactions can't be played on that link, so they must answer it with hand blocks only.
• If it hits, their arsenal is gone.

This line costs 3 resources and only two cards, and it ends your turn. Choose it over the Seek chain when you expect them to have defense reactions available, because that is when getting past them is worth more than raw damage.

Okana Scar Wraps: When to Banish the Edge

The Wraps give a Ninja attack action +1 power, but the cost is banishing your Edge of Autumn. You get the Edge back only when an attack with Vengeance in its name hits.

• When to use it: in the reaction step on a Vengeance attack the opponent left unblocked or under-blocked. The hit you're forcing also returns the Edge.
• When not to: don't pump a heavily blocked attack just for damage. If the Edge stays banished, your combo cards lose go again until a later Vengeance hit brings it back.

Turn-Enders: Truce and Warmonger's Diplomacy

Neither card has go again, so play them as the last action of a chain. Edge of Autumn → Seek Vengeance → Truce or Warmonger's Diplomacy still applies pressure before you close the turn.

Truce works against both kinds of opponent:

• Against a deck that attacks you, it draws you a card as soon as they attack.
• Against a deck that doesn't attack you, it gains you 3 life at their end phase. It gains them 3 too.

Warmonger's Diplomacy lets the opponent choose first, and then you choose.

• You should choose war almost every time. Peace locks you out of the Edge and every attack on your next turn.
• If they choose peace, you get a turn where they can't attack you.
• If they choose war, they lose their auras and other non-attack actions for that turn.

Defensive Sequencing

• Stonewall Gauntlet blocks early. Put it on the first pumped attack of their chain. The -1 then applies to every attack that follows on that combat chain.
• Flic Flak sets up the next block. Play it on one link, then block the following link with a combo card. Seek Vengeance, Enact Vengeance and Vengeance Never Rests each defend for 5 that way.
• Pick Shelter from the Storm's mode by the attacks you face. Use the discard mode against several small hits in one turn. Use it as a 4-defense block against one big attack.
• Filter while you defend. When you block with Crown of Providence or Sink Below, put a dead card on the bottom of your deck. Good targets are a second Truce or a combo piece you can't enable next turn.

Small Edges

• Life gain versus Scar for a Scar. Scar for a Scar gets go again only if you have less life than the opponent when you play it. Hold Sigil of Solace until after you've played it. Remember that blocking with Fiddler's Green beforehand can push your life total over theirs and switch Scar off.
• Bank the Tunic. Save Fyendal's Spring Tunic at 3 counters for the turn that is one resource short. The usual case is a red-only pitch for the Edge, Seek and Enact chain.
• Use Enlightened Strike after the Vengeance cards. It is free, so choose the go-again mode and play it after your Vengeance sequence. Choose the draw mode only on turns where you aren't using Ira's second-attack bonus anyway.
• Use Erase Face and Cutting Retort when they count. Play Erase Face the turn before the opponent's class or talent payoffs matter most. Play Cutting Retort only when their aura count makes the extra resources worth paying.

Matchup Matrix

Two heroes that put up Kyoto Top 8 lists, Arakni, Marionette and Fai, Rising Rebellion, were on the Living Legend list on 2026-10-19 (source: fabtcg.com Card Legality Policy, 2026-10-19). Check their legality for your event date before you prepare for them. The rows below cover the rest of the field the brief tracks. At Kyoto, Fang had the most Round 1 entries (32), followed by Levia SA (29), Jarl (27), Cindra (26) and Ira SR (21) (source: fabtcg.com Calling: Kyoto Round 1 pairings, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19).

Jarl Vetreiði: Unfavored

All three published Jarl lists play 3 Command and Conquer (red) (source: fabtcg.com decklists, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). That card stops defense reactions on its chain link, and your defense depends heavily on them: 12 copies across Flic Flak, Fate Foreseen, Shelter from the Storm and Sink Below. On a hit, it also destroys your arsenal.

• Block those links with cards from hand and with equipment. Fiddler's Green is a block card, not a defense reaction, so it still works and gains you 3 life when it reaches the graveyard.
• Command and Conquer has 6 base power. Stonewall Gauntlet only triggers if that attack has been pumped above its base.
• While Command and Conquer is live, don't leave your only defense reaction in arsenal.
• Keep Shelter from the Storm in hand. Its discard ability is an instant, not a defense reaction, so it still prevents damage on those links.

Levia, Shadowborn Abomination: Even

The published Levia lists play big attackers such as Dread Screamer and Shadowrealm Horror.

• Your 4-defense reactions are your answer to their pumped attacks. Stonewall Gauntlet gets better the more they push an attack above its base power.
• Fearless Confrontation removes dominate from any attack that has it, which lets you put more than one defender in front of that attack.
• Erase Face strips class and talent types until the end of their next turn. Aim it so it lands just before the turn they need those types.
• Sigil of Solace, Fiddler's Green and Truce help you outlast them. Don't race.

Fang: Even

Fang had the most Round 1 entries at Kyoto, so expect to face it.

• Your best weapon is Erase Face. When it hits, it shuts off any of their cards that check class or talent. Save your resources for a turn when you can deploy it.
• If they rely on their arsenal, Command and Conquer and a combo-enabled Enact Vengeance punish that.

Cindra, Dracai of Retribution: Even

The plan is the same as against Fang: lead toward Erase Face and pressure their arsenal.

• Cindra had 966 Living Legend points on 2026-10-19 (source: fabtcg.com Living Legend leaderboard, 2026-10-19). Confirm she is still legal before you spend sideboard practice time on her.

Ser Boltyn, Breaker of Dawn: Even

Expect a long game. All three published lists play 3 Saving Grace and 2-3 Soul Shield, so assume they can defend well.

• Win by efficiency. Cycle with Crown of Providence and Sink Below, and gain life when they leave you room.
• Hold Last Ditch Effort for the late game. If your deck is empty, it gets +4 power and go again.
• Command and Conquer makes them take damage or block from hand, because they can't use defense reactions on that link.

Ira mirror: Even

Both decks have the same tools, so the mirror comes down to who uses them better.

• Arsenal destruction goes both ways. When their Edge of Autumn or Vengeance attacks have been the last attack on the chain, assume your arsenal is exposed to their Enact Vengeance.
• Scar for a Scar only gets go again if you have less life than them. Use that to plan your life total in the mid-game.
• Flic Flak gets +2 defense when the next card you defend with is a combo card. In the mirror, most of your attacks have combo, so you will often have those cards in hand to block with.

Go-again aggro: Favored

Turns built from many smaller attacks play into your defense.

• Shelter from the Storm prevents 1 damage three separate times in one turn.
• Your 4-defense reactions often stop a whole attack by themselves.
• Truce draws you a card when they attack you, or gains you both 3 life if they don't.
• Block early in their turn. Prevention tools are worth the most against the last few attacks of a long chain.

Arcane spellcasters: Favored

• Mask of the Swarming Claw has Arcane Barrier 1 and Spellvoid X, where X is the number of chain links you control. Its value grows on your own long turns.
• Boots of Omnis Ward gains +1 defense once you've taken arcane damage that turn. It can also be destroyed to prevent 1 damage.
• Keep life gain in reserve for the turns they burn you down.

Token and aura builders: Favored

• Ripple Away cuts each token an action card effect creates by one, for the rest of the turn. Discard it on the turn they set up, not after.
• Cutting Retort destroys auras with different names and gains +1 power for each. Against a wide board it becomes removal and damage in one card.

Card Pool & Matchup Configuration

The brief's format rules give you real choices every game. Your registered card-pool is 80 cards, including weapons and equipment, and your deck starts at a minimum of 60. Each game you choose arena-cards, then deck-cards, from that pool. At Callings you register online before the event and can't change the registered pool during the tournament. Matches are best of 1, so this per-game choice is your only chance to adjust. Under the IAR-season pre-game trial, heroes are revealed first, then arena cards at the same time, then decks are presented. That means you pick your deck-cards after seeing the opposing hero and their equipment.

The Math of This Pool

The list has 8 arena-cards and 72 deck-cards, so the pool is exactly 80. You can leave up to 12 deck-cards out each game and still present 60. There is also a hard limit: blue cards are 24 of the 72. You need resource every turn to swing Edge of Autumn, and the 2-cost reds also need resource. Keep your blue cards at roughly a third of whatever deck you present. If you trim one blue package, trim reds in proportion.

Arena Choices

Edge of Autumn, Fyendal's Spring Tunic and Boots of Omnis Ward are your only weapon, chest and legs, so they are fixed. The real decisions are your head and arms slots.

The Fixed Core

Never cut these cards:

• The Edge chain: all six Seek Vengeance, Vengeance Never Rests, Enact Vengeance and Bittering Thorns.
• Enlightened Strike.
• The defense reactions: Fate Foreseen, Flic Flak, Shelter from the Storm and Sink Below.

Flic Flak makes your next combo card +2 defense when it defends. That gives your Vengeance cards defensive value, and it is one more reason the combo package stays in.

Flex Packages

Two of these packages pull against each other. Scar for a Scar only gets go again while you have less life than the opposing hero. In a configuration heavy on life gain, it often loses go again. When you load up on Sigil of Solace and Fiddler's Green, cut both copies of Scar for a Scar first.

Configurations by Opponent Type

• Aggro: Keep every defense reaction and the full life package. Truce draws you a card the moment they target you with an attack, so it is close to free. Cut Cutting Retort, Last Ditch Effort and Warmonger's Diplomacy.
• Defense-reaction-heavy midrange: Play all three Command and Conquer. Defense reactions are common across the field: Shelter from the Storm appears in 16 of 32 lists and Sink Below in 15 (source: fabtcg.com published CC decklists, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). Turning those off on a 6-power link, and wiping the arsenal on hit, is your best punish.
• Arcane damage: Wear Mask of the Swarming Claw. Boots of Omnis Ward gains defense once you've been dealt arcane damage, so it pulls extra weight here. Cut Stonewall Gauntlet considerations entirely.
• Control and fatigue: Play Last Ditch Effort, Erase Face and Warmonger's Diplomacy, and trim life gain. Your deck is almost entirely attack actions, so choosing war costs you very little. Peace, by contrast, locks you out of attacks for the turn.
• Ira mirror: There were 21 Ira entries in the Kyoto field (source: Calling: Kyoto Round 1 pairings, 2026-10-17/18). Your opponent arsenals and defends with the same reactions you do. Play the full Command and Conquer and Enact Vengeance set, wear Crown of Providence, and cut the token hate.

Registration Check

Register your 80 around the field that will actually be legal. Arakni, Marionette and Fai, Rising Rebellion are listed as Living Legends as of 2026-10-19, and a Living Legend hero leaves official play from the Friday after it qualifies. Cindra sits at 966 points against the 1000 threshold (source: fabtcg.com Living Legend leaderboard, 2026-10-19). Check the policy page the week of your event before you decide how much token hate and arcane protection to register.

Tech Choices & Variations

The registered pool is full: 1 hero, 1 weapon, 7 equipment and 72 deck cards make 80, the format's card-pool limit (source: fabtcg.com Classic Constructed format page, accessed 2026-10-19). Any card you add means a card you cut. You also can't change the pool at a Calling once it's registered (source: fabtcg.com Event Structure and Decklist Requirements, accessed 2026-10-19). So the tuning happens before the event: choose which reactive packages earn a place in the 80.

What Doesn't Move

The Edge combo shell is the deck: Edge of Autumn, both colors of Seek Vengeance, Vengeance Never Rests, Enact Vengeance and Okana Scar Wraps. Cutting any of these weakens every other card in the shell. The defense-reaction core also stays. That's Sink Below, Shelter from the Storm, Fate Foreseen and Flic Flak. You defend on most turns, and these are what make that possible.

The Flex Slots

Stoke Vengeance and Violent Gusto fill red pitch-1 slots as three-ofs. Treat them as part of the red attack count. If you swap them, replace them with red cards so the red-to-blue ratio stays the same.

The cleanest swaps keep counts inside the pool. Cutting Last Ditch Effort makes room for a third Cutting Retort, Scar for a Scar, Bittering Thorns or Flying Kick. Moving a slot between Scar for a Scar and Fiddler's Green is the clearest choice between racing and grinding. The more life you gain, the less often Scar for a Scar gets go again.

Equipment Tuning

The pool has three heads, and you choose your arena cards each game (source: fabtcg.com Classic Constructed format page, accessed 2026-10-19):

• Crown of Providence: the default. Each time it defends, you can swap a dead card for a fresh draw.
• Balance of Justice: wear it into decks that draw 2 or more cards in a turn. You can cash it in to draw a card, and Guardwell adds defensive value.
• Mask of the Swarming Claw: wear it into arcane damage. Spellvoid grows with the number of chain links you control, so it does more on turns you attack with several links.

The arms choice works the same way. Okana Scar Wraps is your offensive arms piece. Stonewall Gauntlet reduces power across the combat chain once it defends an attack that's above its base power. Choose it against decks that pump single attacks. Boots of Omnis Ward is your only legs piece; it gains defense on turns you've been dealt arcane damage. If you want to free a slot for a different piece, the third head is the most likely cut.

Tuning for Your Field

• Aggro-heavy: keep all 3 Fiddler's Green and Sigil of Solace. Cut Last Ditch Effort and consider fewer Truce. Truce makes you skip an attack turn to gain 3 life, and it also gives the opponent 3.
• Control or fatigue: Last Ditch Effort stays. Command and Conquer and Enact Vengeance destroy arsenals on hit; they gain value as games run longer.
• Class-dependent engines: Erase Face strips class and talent types on hit. Keep all three, even though they cost 2.
• Tokens or auras: keep Ripple Away and look at a third Cutting Retort.

Check the Living Legend list before you lock your pool. Arakni, Marionette and Fai, Rising Rebellion were both listed as Living Legends on 2026-10-19, and Cindra sat at 966 points on the leaderboard (source: fabtcg.com Card Legality Policy and Living Legend leaderboard, 2026-10-19). Living Legends reach the cap at 1000 points (source: fabtcg.com Living Legend page, 2026-10-19). Kyoto's Round 1 field had Fang 32, Levia SA 29, Arakni M 29, Jarl 27 and Cindra 26 of 342 entries (source: Calling: Kyoto Round 1 pairings, 2026-10-17/18). Your local field won't match that exactly. Tune your reactive slots for the heroes still legal on your event date.

Budget Options

At roughly $1526 (TCGplayer market, approximate), this list costs more than most players want to spend before they know they like the deck. The good news is that much of that money sits in pieces you don't need on day one, and the Ninja engine that makes Ira work is not where the money goes.

Where the Money Likely Sits

Check current prices yourself before buying. As a rule, the expensive cards are generic staples that every class wants, not Ninja cards only Ira players buy. The metagame data shows how much shared demand these cards face. 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, Crown of Providence in 10, Command and Conquer in 9, and Sigil of Solace, Balance of Justice and Boots of Omnis Ward in 7-8 each (source: fabtcg.com decklist API, 2026-09-20 to 2026-10-19). Cards that every hero wants are where the budget pain lives. Seek Vengeance, Vengeance Never Rests, Enact Vengeance, Stoke Vengeance, Flic Flak and Flying Kick are useful only to Ninja, so they are unlikely to be the problem.

The Card-Pool Shortcut

The format runs on an 80-card pool with a deck of at least 60, and each game you pick your arena cards and deck cards from that registered pool. This list fills all 80 slots: 8 arena cards plus 72 deck cards. That gives you two easy savings:

• You wear one head per game. The pool has three heads: Crown of Providence, Balance of Justice and Mask of the Swarming Claw. Buy one first. Crown of Providence is the most broadly useful, because it filters a card every time it blocks. Mask of the Swarming Claw only matters against arcane damage, and Balance of Justice only fires when an opponent draws 2 or more cards in a turn.
• You need only one pair of arms. Okana Scar Wraps is the engine piece and isn't optional. Stonewall Gauntlet is the alternative for matchups where blocking matters more, so you can add it later.
• Narrow deck cards can wait. Cutting Retort gains value only against aura tokens. Ripple Away's discard ability only matters against token makers. Last Ditch Effort's bonus needs an empty deck. Start with a 60-card core and add these slots as your collection grows.

Swaps and What They Cost You

Any replacement must be Ninja or generic, and not on the CC banned list. Replace by function: match the color first, then the defense or power.

Don't swap Flic Flak out to save money. Its +2 defense when you next defend with a combo card turns your 3-defense Vengeance attacks into strong blocks. That interaction is part of the deck's identity.

What Never Gets Cut

Your floor is Ira, Scarlet Revenger, Edge of Autumn, Okana Scar Wraps and the full set of Vengeance cards. Without them the deck stops being Ira. The combo text on Seek Vengeance and Vengeance Never Rests keys off Edge of Autumn. Okana Scar Wraps re-equips the sword when a Vengeance attack hits. A budget build that keeps all of this plays the same turns as the full list, just with weaker defensive filler.

Upgrade Path

1. Engine first: buy the hero, weapon, Okana Scar Wraps, every Vengeance card, Flic Flak and Flying Kick.
2. One head and the chest: buy Crown of Providence, then Fyendal's Spring Tunic. Equipment works in every game, while a 3-of only matters when you draw it, so each dollar here does the most.
3. Defense reactions: upgrade Sink Below first, then Fate Foreseen and Shelter from the Storm. You'll block with these in almost every game.
4. Command and Conquer: this is the biggest single upgrade to your offense.
5. Matchup pieces last: buy the second and third heads, Stonewall Gauntlet, Boots of Omnis Ward, and the narrow attacks, as you learn which opposing strategies show up at your local events.

Common Mistakes

1. Breaking the Edge Combo Mid-Chain

Seek Vengeance and Vengeance Never Rests only get go again if Edge of Autumn was the last attack this combat chain. Swing Edge, then slot Bittering Thorns or Scar for a Scar in between, and your combo card lands with no go again. The turn ends there. Edge goes immediately before those two, every time. Enact Vengeance is the flexible one. Its combo also accepts a card with Vengeance in its name as the last attack, so it can close a chain after a Vengeance card instead of needing Edge directly ahead of it.

2. Wasting the Okana Scar Wraps Loop

Okana Scar Wraps trades Edge of Autumn for +1 power on a Ninja attack action card. You only get Edge back when an attack with Vengeance in its name hits. Two errors lose your weapon:

• Banishing Edge before it has attacked this turn. That throws away the combo enabler for the whole turn. Swing Edge first, then banish it on a later link.
• Banishing with no Vengeance hit coming. Suppose you pump Bittering Thorns and nothing with Vengeance in its name connects after it. Edge then stays banished into your next turn. Only fire the Wraps when a Vengeance attack is likely to hit, ideally the one you're pumping, so the extra power is what pushes it through.

The Wraps are also Blade Break. Blocking with them to save two damage costs you the engine for the rest of the game. Don't do it unless the block is what keeps you alive.

3. Leading With a Turn-Ender

Ira, Scarlet Revenger gives your second attack each turn +1 power. Command and Conquer, Erase Face and the red Sirens of Safe Harbor have no go again. Leading with any of them means one attack, no hero bonus, and a turn over.

• Open with go again: Edge of Autumn into a combo card, or Bittering Thorns.
• Finish on the big non-go-again hitter.
• Hold Flying Kick for chain link 3 or higher. Before that, it's a 3-power attack you paid 2 for.

4. Gaining Life Before Scar for a Scar

Scar for a Scar checks your life against the opposing hero's when it's played. The deck is full of life gain:

• Sigil of Solace when you play it.
• Fiddler's Green whenever it goes to the graveyard from anywhere, including when you pitch it.
• Both colors of Sirens of Safe Harbor on any trip to the graveyard.

Pitching Fiddler's for resources on the turn you need Scar to have go again can switch Scar off. Sigil is an instant, so hold it until after Scar is played. Count life totals before you choose what to pitch.

5. Misplaying Warmonger's Diplomacy

Warmonger's Diplomacy binds you too, and the hero to your left chooses first. Choose peace and your own next turn can't include Edge of Autumn or any attack action. That's a lost turn for an aggressive Ninja. You almost always choose war, so treat the card as a tool for restricting your opponent, not yourself.

It also has no go again. If you play it early, your action phase ends there. Play it as the last action of a turn, or pitch it.

6. Blocking With Engine Equipment

Every Blade Break piece here does a job beyond its defense number:

• Fyendal's Spring Tunic: blocking with it throws away the energy counters you've been building toward a free resource.
• Stonewall Gauntlet: its -1 power on opposing attacks only triggers against an attack whose power is above its base. Spending it on an unbuffed attack gets you 1 defense and nothing else. Save it for the pumped attack.
• Crown of Providence: blocks are worth more when you have a dead card in hand or arsenal to put on the bottom and draw past.

7. Sloppy Flic Flak Ordering

Flic Flak gives +2 defense to the next card you defend with this turn, but only if that card has combo. In this list, that means:

• Seek Vengeance
• Enact Vengeance
• Vengeance Never Rests

If your next defending card is a Sink Below or a non-combo attack, the bonus is wasted. Play Flic Flak on an earlier link, then defend with a combo card later that turn. That combo card should be one you can spare: Seek Vengeance still needs Edge of Autumn in front of it on your turn, so don't block with the piece your next turn depends on.

8. Forgetting Balance of Justice Is Live

If Balance of Justice is your head piece, watch how many cards your opponent draws. It's an instant that turns on the moment they've drawn two or more cards in a turn, and drawing up in their end phase still counts as their turn. Players often sit on it all game and never take the free card. The cost is losing your head slot, so crack it when you're comfortable giving up those 2 points of defense. You choose between Balance of Justice, Crown of Providence and Mask of the Swarming Claw every game. Pick for the opponent in front of you, not out of habit.

Tournament Prep & Final Notes

What to Practice

• Edge-led turns until the resource math is automatic. Your best turns start with Edge of Autumn, so you have to pay for the swing before you pay for the cards behind it. Drill the opener of Edge, then Seek Vengeance for combo go again, then Enact Vengeance with its combo on. Count the pitch before you swing, not after.
• The Okana Scar Wraps decision. Banishing Edge for +1 power bets that the Vengeance attack will hit. If it gets blocked out, Edge stays banished and your next turn loses its starter. Practice reading when the opponent is likely to block, and only cash in the Wraps when the hit is likely or the +1 decides whether the attack connects.
• Configuration speed. Your registered pool is 80 cards: 8 arena pieces and 72 deck cards. The format requires a deck of at least 60 cards, so you can leave out up to 12 deck cards each game (source: fabtcg.com Classic Constructed format page, accessed 2026-10-19). The IAR-season pre-game trial reveals heroes first, then arena cards, then decks (source: fabtcg.com Banned and Restricted announcement, 2026-09-17). That means you choose your head slot (Balance of Justice, Crown of Providence or Mask of the Swarming Claw) and your arms (Okana Scar Wraps or Stonewall Gauntlet) after you see the opposing hero. Have a set configuration for each common hero so the choice takes seconds. Callings register decks online beforehand, and you can't change the registered deck during the event, so your pool is fixed once you submit.
• Your reps by hero. At Kyoto, the most-played heroes in Round 1 were Fang (32), Levia SA (29), Arakni M (29), Jarl (27) and Cindra (26) (source: fabtcg.com Calling: Kyoto Round 1 pairings, 2026-10-17/18). Arakni M, Dash I/O, Kassai and Oscilio CI were listed as Living Legends on 2026-10-19 (source: fabtcg.com Card Legality Policy, 2026-10-19). Check current legality before you spend practice time on them.

Interactions to Know Cold

• Ira, Scarlet Revenger gives +1 power to your second attack each turn, and Edge's attack counts. When you open with Edge, the card that follows it gets the bonus.
• The combo conditions are not all the same.
  • Seek Vengeance and Vengeance Never Rests only check whether Edge of Autumn was the last attack.
  • Enact Vengeance accepts Edge or any card with Vengeance in its name. It can therefore combo off a Seek Vengeance even after Edge is banished.
• Okana's +1 only targets Ninja attack action cards. Command and Conquer, Erase Face and the other generic attacks can't receive it. The re-equip trigger works on any of your attacks with Vengeance in its name that hits.
• Vengeance Never Rests costs 1 each time you play it. With combo active, a hit banishes it and lets you play it again this turn, but only if you still have a resource left to pay its cost.
• Command and Conquer only shuts off defense reactions on its own chain link. Put it where their defense reaction would matter most.
• Warmonger's Diplomacy restricts you as well. Every hero chooses, starting with the hero to your left. If you choose war, your next turn allows only weapon and attack actions. If you choose peace, it allows only non-weapon, non-attack actions. Make the choice that fits the hand you plan to keep.
• Truce has two triggers. It draws you a card when an attack they control targets you or a card you control. It gives both of you 3 life at the beginning of their end phase. In practice, it usually becomes a card draw.
• Flic Flak gets +2 defense only if the next card you defend with that turn has combo. Pair it with a Seek Vengeance, Enact Vengeance or Vengeance Never Rests you're blocking with.
• Mask of the Swarming Claw's Spellvoid counts chain links you control. It scales on your own attack turns, not theirs. Arcane Barrier 1 is the part that works on defense.
• Balance of Justice only activates on a turn when an opponent has drawn 2 or more cards. Pick it against heroes that draw extra cards.

Clock Management

Matches are a single game with 55-minute rounds. When time is called, the turn player finishes their turn, one more turn is played, and then the game is a draw (source: fabtcg.com Classic Constructed format page, accessed 2026-10-19). You start at 40 life, and Sigil of Solace, Fiddler's Green, Truce and both colors of Sirens of Safe Harbor keep adding more. That defensive density can push games long.

• Play at tournament pace from turn one. Make pitch decisions before you announce attacks so you don't rethink them mid-chain.
• Watch the round clock. Once you're into the last minutes, decide whether you can close the game in the turns remaining. If you can, switch your hands toward damage.
• In extra turns, life gain no longer helps you. A draw is close to a loss in a Swiss standing, so spend pitch on attacks instead of Sigil of Solace or a Truce that won't trigger in time.

Final Assessment

This list took 2nd place at Calling: Kyoto 2026, piloted by shoma yamamura. It rewards discipline more than raw speed. The Edge-into-Vengeance engine provides real damage and arsenal destruction. The large red defense-reaction suite and the life-gain package let you trade evenly and then outlast opponents who have to break through 40 life plus refills. Its main risks come from the pilot:

• Spending Okana's banish on attacks that don't hit, which strands your engine.
• Losing track of the clock in a format where a draw is close to a loss.

Learn the configurations for each hero, practice the Okana decision until it's instinct, and play at tournament pace from the first turn.

Metagame Context

Built from shoma yamamura's 2nd Place 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.