Limited Set Review: Outsiders

Limited, Review -

Limited Set Review: Outsiders

by Anthony Junta

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Introduction 

Welcome to FAB Foundry's Outsiders Limited Set review! Below you'll find my ratings for every non-token card in the new set. Each has a letter grade and a short rating rationale. 


Before we dive in I wanted to briefly discuss a couple of terms. I'll frequently refer to cards as on-rate, above rate, or below rate. This refers to the power of a card relative to the cost and pitch. For example, at red, a 0-cost attack with 4 power is on-rate (Wounding Blow). Same goes for a 1-cost with 5 power (Critical Strike) and so on. 


Here's a quick grading table: 


Grade

Description 

Example

A

Highly flexible cards or cards that can swing momentum in your favor. Cards that can take over or finish a game.

Tiger Stripe Shuko, Thaw, Erase Face

B

Good cards that draw you to a class when you open them in

Sealed or that can be read as signals in Draft.

Rising Resentment, Aether Hail

C

Average cards that will make up the majority of your deck. Getting a critical mass of these is key to a functional deck 

Rebellious Rush, Aether Dart

D

Very narrow cards, cards that have a very marginal effect or are a liability to have in your deck.

Dampen, 

Isenhowl Weathervane

F

Not worth having in your deck. Doesn't do anything or could even be harmful.

Frightmare, Liquefy


Outsiders has three classes: Assassin, Ninja, and Ranger, and is the first FAB Set to feature multiple draftable heroes in the same class. That should make it a very different experience from previous draft formats.


Assassin


Our first class for outsiders is Assassin. Both our heroes, Uzuri and Arakni, Solitary Confinement, use the Stealth keyword for their abilities. It should go without saying, but when I refer to Arakni within this set review, I am referring to Arakni, Solitary Confinement, not the other Young version of Arakni printed in Dynasty. Uzuri can swap an attacking card with stealth with another card from her hand (with cost 2 or less) as an attack reaction and Arakni’s new Young Hero automatically grants the first attack with Stealth ‘Go Again’ each turn. This leads me to think that Arakni will play as the more aggressive Assassin class, wanting to go wide and use potent, high-powered Assassin cards. I expect Uzuri to be more of a value mid-range build. Without access to easy “Go Again’ it will be harder for her to press the attack. Instead I expect her to play two-card hand very well. Attacking with a 0-cost Stealth card (regardless of color) and attack-reacting into a bigger 2-power attack with a hit effect is a great value play.


004 - Spider’s Bite - C

There are non-token Assassin weapons in this set, so I will be grading Spider’s bite as well. Spider’s bite is your default Assassin weapon for both Uzuri and Arakni. At 2-cost for a 1-power attack with ‘Go Again’ this is below-rate of what we would expect from something like a Kodachi. That said, it is really annoying. Piercing 1 makes this a really bad value to block with Armor, and if this strips a card from your opponent, I think you’ll be pretty happy. If it does hit, your opponent’s attacks (typically your 3-block cards) all block for less. Spider’s Bite will feel best when you can pair it with 1-cost attacks (or attack reactions) with hit-effects that incentivize your opponent to block inefficiently. A resource-hungry weapon also means that it will be important to make sure you have enough Blues in any Assassin Deck.


005-006 - Nerve Scalpel - B

The Majestic Assassin weapons are essentially the same as Spider’s Bite, but instead of reducing the defense of Attack Actions on hit, they apply the same effect to other categories of cards. At first glance I thought Nerve Scalpel was essentially a worse Spider’s Bite. After all, aren’t reactions significantly more rare than Attack Actions? They are, but in the context of a Limited Set, I like the flexibility this gives you. Of the Majestic weapons, this is my favorite just because it gives you a ton of game into Riptide and the Ranger traps. More broadly, since both Spider’s Bite and Nerve Scalpel are one-handed weapons, you can equip one of each and use them according to the situation as you gauge your opponent’s deck. If you don’t expect your opponent to be running many reactions you can always just take a second Spider’s Bite anyway, but I think having access to a Nerve Scalpel will generally be a positive for your deck.


007-008 - Orbitoclast - C-

Orbitoclast is the same as Spider’s Bite and Nerve Scalpel, but on hit it reduces the block value of any non-attack actions. I like this less than Nerve Scalpel, because non-attacks typically block for 2, so your opponent’s are already disincentivized from blocking with them. I suspect this is probably best against Azalea, who I would expect to run the most non-attacks. Still, the opportunity cost here is pretty low. Running one of these alongside a Spider’s Bite is probably better than two Spider’s Bites even in the rare event you do attack with both.  


009-010 - Scale Peeler - C-

Similar to the other Majestic Assassin weapons, Scale Peeler reduces the block value of any equipment on hit. Legendaries aside, only the class armor in the set has any defense value and it all has Blade Break, so opponents will already be reluctant to block with it. I think this is the most narrow of the three Majestics; I wouldn’t mind picking one up to run alongside a Spider’s Bite, but I’m not prioritizing it.


011 - Redback Shroud - A-

1-Defense Battleworn and 1-cost reduction on attack reactions is a great asset for any Assassin deck. There isn’t much in the way of generating Silver to recur this from the graveyard, but even as a one time use this is excellent. Assassin is stocked with 1-cost attack reactions that are free in combination with Redback Shroud. 


012 - Infiltrate - B+ 

At 0-cost for 3 power, Infiltrate is a bit below rate but it packs a pretty potent hit effect. I believe this is the first card in FAB that would let you play cards from outside your class in the game. For Limited, I am thinking about this mostly as a weaker Snatch, but it does pair nicely with the Stealth abilities. Adding ‘Go Again’ again to this with Arakni is quite powerful. This is also a good card to swap IN using Uzuri’s ability if your opponent leaves another Stealth card unblocked. This gets slightly worse against Ranger’s where you might hit an arrow that you would be unable to play, but at worst it blocks 3 and will be making it into all my Assassin decks. 

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013 - Shake Down - A

Shake Down is excellent in Uzuri. It’s the perfect card to swap in using Uzuri’s attack reaction. This turns on Shake Down’s added effect and at 6-power it’s likely to go over most of your opponent’s blocks. The effect is akin to a built-in Pummel. Even In Limited, I think you should be pretty safe naming Red or Blue to strip a card from your opponent’s hand if you are lucky enough to pull this. 


014 - Spreading Plague - A-

Spreading Plague is our first Assassin attack reaction and it creates Bloodrot Pox tokens for your opponent based on how many cards they are defending with. If we assume 1-defending card, this is more or less a 1-cost, 2 damage attack react, which is on-rate at Yellow and would generally be playable, especially with some of the hit effects floating around this set that encourage blocking. I’m happy to take this in either Assassin, but I think this will shine in Uruzi, who I expect to play a slightly more expensive deck with more 6-power cards that ask for 2-card blocks. With 2 defending cards or more this represents 4+ possible damage and is a great value. 


015-017 - Back Stab - C+/C+/B

I’m happy to play basically any 0-cost Stealth card in Uzuri to turn on the attack reaction, and in Arakni, 3-power and ‘Go Again’ isn’t bad. Turning off defense reactions also makes this a viable finisher if you can pair it with an attack reaction pump, which are fairly accessible in the Set. I actually like the Blue version best here for the resource flexibility, particularly in Uzuri, but even in Arakni as well. 


018-020 - Sneak Attack - B-/C/B-

As her Specialization, it makes sense that Sneak Attack is another great card for Uzuri to swap in using her attack reaction. She makes this a 7-power attack that can be played off a two-card hand with the attack reaction surprise factor. It doesn’t have stealth, so the other attack Assassin reactions don’t really work, though you can combine the Yellow with Short and Sharp. I still like the Red version the best, but this does randomly block for 2 (unlike all the other Assassin cards), which is a downside considering this is also way below rate if you can’t apply a reaction to it. I’m staying away from this in Arakni. 

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021 - Spike with Bloodrot - A

Spike with Bloodrot is the first in a cycle of “Spike” attack reactions that each generate one of the disease tokens under your opponent’s control. Spike with Bloodrot is definitely my favorite of that cycle. At 1-cost it threatens 5 damage with +3 power and a Bloodrot token on hit. Technically the Bloodrot damage can be paid off, but this costs 2 resources, which will generally mean a card from hand in Limited, so you can be happy with that exchange as well. Regardless, this is above rate for attack reactions and a super efficient card that I’ll be taking quite highly for any Assassin deck. Both Uzuri and Arakni should place a premium on this card. One note with Uzuri, is that it only works with her hero ability if the card you are swapping in also has Stealth, so watch your sequencing there. 


022 - Spike with Frailty - B+

Spike with Frailty follows the formula of the previous reaction, granting +3 power and threatening a frailty token on hit and costing 1. Frailty gives weapon attacks and cards played from Arsenal -1 power next turn. This ability is pretty decent in the set, it turns off the Assassin and Ninja weapons and hits any arrows that Ranger would look to play the following turn. On the downside, there are some turns where your opponent was just planning to play an attack from hand where this does nothing. Overall, I think this doesn’t quite add up to the 2 damage threatened by Bloodrot Pox, but is still slightly above rate for an attack reaction, as it has a decent chance of saving you at least 1 damage the following turn. 


023 - Spike with Inertia - B+

In general, I think Inertia is my least favorite of  the disease tokens, because for most heroes it is fairly easy to plan a turn around not having an arsenal or any cards in hand. Spike with Inertia (and Spike with Frailty for that matter) both throw a wrench in your opponent’s ability to plan their turn around the token by happening at instant speed. Still, I think this is less impactful than the other two Spikes, though this does go up in value a bit against Rangers who are more likely to want to have a card in arsenal at the end of turn. 


024-026 - Infect - B/B/B

There is also a cycle of Assassin attacks that create disease tokens on hit. Infect is the first up and threatens to create a Bloodrot Pox token on hit. That means that, unblocked, this is a cool 0-cost 5 damage attack, well above rate. Of course, it can be blocked with a single card in most cases. This does pair well with attack reactions and I think it works for both heroes. This is a great ‘Go Again’ candidate for Arakni, that is likely to strip a card from hand and if this is blocked up by your opponent, Arakni can swap in something a bit more powerful. The on-hit means that all three versions of this are quite playable and will often merit a block from the opponent. The yellow and blue versions might even be a bit better for their flexibility. It’s worth noting here that 3-power attacks are slightly better for Assassin in this Set than they would normally be. When paired with Spider’s Bite, 3-power


027-029 - Isolate - C+/C+/C+

Like the other Stealth cards, Isolate is a bit below rate at 0-cost/3-power but it does come with Dominate attached. This doesn’t do much by itself as a 3-power attack, but with Assassin having access to so many attack reactions, I expect this will be a decent way to push damage through. Again I think this is roughly equal in both Arakni and Uzuri, though Uzuri has a bit easier time using this as a finisher as she can swap in any 4 or greater power attack after blocks to try to force damage through. 


030-032 - Malign - C-/C-/C-

Malign is another 0-cost for 3-power Stealth attack, with the added benefit that it’s damage can’t be prevented. While there are some damage prevention effects in the set (the common generic equipment and Peace of Mind at common), I don’t see this as a huge benefit. I prefer this in Uzuri as a 0-cost attack that can enable your attack reaction, but this is one of the weaker Assassin attacks.


033-035 - Prowl - C+/C+/C+

Prowl is a great card for Arakni’s ‘Go Wide’ strategy. This is probably the best 0-cost/3-power Stealth card to open your chain with and take advantage of the ‘Go Again’ from his hero ability. Using this to buff another Assassin attack to a 4-power break point is pretty nice and offers a nice hedge if you find yourself short on resources to swing Spider’s Bite. It’s a fine target for Uzuri’s hero ability, but without a reliable way for her to give it ‘Go Again,’ this is primarily an Arakni card. 


036-038 - Sedate - C/C/C

Sedate is the second card in the disease cycle with Infect (which we saw earlier). As you might expect this creates an Inertia token on hit and, like all the other Assassin commons, comes in at 0-cost/3-power. Inertia remains my least favorite of the diseases for Limited, as opponent’s can pretty easily plan to block and manage their turn to avoid having an arsenal. All the Assassin attacks block for 3 as well, which isn’t a bad fail case. 


039-041 - Wither - C/C/C

Rounding out the cycle is Wither. Same 0-cost/3-power profile, but with a Frailty token on hit. As I mentioned with the ‘Spike with X’ series, I think Frailty is slightly worse than Bloodrot Pox, but still a pretty decent on-hit. It’s a little worse on the attack than on Spike with Frailty because your opponent can plan their next turn and blocks with Frailty in mind here. 

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042-044 - Razor’s Edge - B+/B-/C

The common Assassin attack reaction, Razor’s Edge, offers a 3-power buff on the Red for 0-cost on any card with Stealth. So an on-rate attack reaction with a minimal restriction considering there are six(!) Assassin commons with Stealth. Both Uzuri and Arakni will be interested in this, though it might be at a bit more of a premium for Arakni. The Red version here is definitely the best, but with the number of hit effects on the Stealth cards, I think all three versions of this are playable. Ironically, Spider’s Bite might actually make these a bit worse as it can make clean blocks awkward and lead to more over blocks. 


Ninja

Outsiders sees the reprint of two Ninja heroes, Welcome to Rathe original Katsu and one of my personal favorite Crucible of War additions Benji, the Piercing Wind. Katsu is the traditional Combo hero and wants to use his hero ability to build potent lines. The Surging Strike -> Descendent Gustwave -> Bonds of Ancestry -> Dishonor line very powerful, but won’t be of too much interest to Benji. Benji on the other hand will want to use his unblockable ability to gain the hit effects of the two new Head Jab Combo lines (Head Jab -> Recoil and Head Jab -> One-Two Punch). The Twin Twisters lines is more split with Twin Twisters -> Spinning Wheel Kick -> Cyclone Roundhouse favoring Katsu and Twin Twisters -> Back Heel Kick more in line with Benji’s plan. Both heroes will want to get a critical mass of 0-cost resource cards to fuel Kodachis, trigger Katsu’s hero ability and present unblockable damage as Benji. I expect Katsu to be the more aggressive of the two decks, but I think drafting Ninja will be a very dynamic and fun experience. 


048 - Harmonized Kodachi - N/A

Kodachi’s will be your only weapon option as Ninja, but it’s hard to be too mad about that. As long as you pick up enough 0-cost resource cards to give these ‘Go Again’ they will chip in a good amount of damage over the course of the game. At low life totals, the Kodachis are excellent at striping cards from hand. There are also a couple of attack reactions and other cards that synergize nicely with Kodachis. 

MaskofManyFaces_Outsiders_FaBTcg

049 - Mask of Many Faces - B+

Mask of Many Faces lets you add the “name” of another card to your next attack, which I think is a great way to help players fix their combo lines in Limited. With this, if you are missing the critical piece of a combo line and you aren’t able to trigger Katsu’s ability, this gives you an out to still have a powerful turn. I think Katsu will want to take this highly, and without Katsu’s hero ability this is one of just a few ways for Benji to help pull off some powerful combos. It does defend for 1 with Blade Break as well, which means this will always have value. 


050 - Cyclone Roundhouse - C+

Cyclone Roundhouse is the Majestic finisher for the Twin Twisters -> Spinning Wheel Kick line and I think it’s decent though not incredible. It’s a bit expensive at 2-cost/5-power, but your opponent will need to commit at least three cards to defense if they want to fully block it (assuming no defense reactions). You will need a full five card hand to play out the full combo line given the other two cards also cost 1, so you will want to be the aggressor if you’re trying to pull this off. It does block for 3 if you need and is a fine play on the back of a Kodachi if you find yourself on the defensive. 


051 - Dishonor - A

Let’s start with the basics: Dishonor is an on-rate attack at 0-cost/2-power/3-block at Blue even without the combo active. It’s particularly good for our Ninja’s in Limited as fuel for our Kodachis. As a Combo card, it is the finisher for the Surging Strike -> Descendant Gustwave -> Bonds of Ancestry combo line. This is a four card Combo line, including a Rare, so it will be a bit tough to pull off in Limited. It is the most powerful Combo line in the set if you can pull it off, amounting to up to 18 damage off of just 2 resources. The hit effect here is just gravy; it hits both activated and passive abilities and lasts the rest of the game. Almost all the heroes in this set have abilities they lean heavily on (Azalea and maybe Katsu being the exceptions) so it is hard to imagine losing very often if you do get this off. 


052 - Head Leads the Tail - C-

A 1-cost/3-power attack is below rate even with automatic ‘Go Again’ tacked on. When you play it, it buffs all cards of another name that you choose, but in Limited, I think that most of the time this will only be getting you 1 additional power. This can push some other Ninja on-hits to break points, but overall I’m not super excited about this. It also only blocks for 2. 

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053 - Wander with Purpose - A

Wander with Purpose is another good way for Benji to try to work some of the combo lines into his deck. It’s essentially Katsu’s hero ability stapled to a 0-cost/2-power attack. I like this card a lot. It help you get off more combos with Benji, it has 2-power meaning Benji will make it unblockable, it’s Yellow so it can be used to fuel Kodachis, and it blocks for 3. That adds up to a card I’m ecstatic to have in any Benji deck. 


054 - Silverwind Shuriken - B+

Silverwind Shuriken essentially gives you the Breaking Scales ability on an item. Unfortunately, this doesn’t have ‘Go Again,’ so it will end your turn when you play this. However, Ninja has plenty of other cards that do, so I think you should be able to work this in. As a blue 0-cost this is also excellent Kodachi fuel. The ability itself is powerful, not just as a way of pushing a Combo card over the top, but the threat of activation is very real. One-Two Punch and Recoil are both cards with decent hit effects that your opponent has to seriously consider overblocking with this on the field. 


055 - Visit the Floating Dojo - B+

Katsu’s new specialization allows you to put Surging Strike and a combo card of your choice on the top or bottom of your library. I’m not really sure why you would ever choose bottom in Limited, but this is a great way to help set up a big Surging Strike combo line. At the cost of a full card it will require you to take your foot off the gas a bit the turn prior to play this, but I am expecting Katsu will be the aggressor in most matchups. I think Katsu is pretty happy to have this in his deck to set up some explosive turns. At worst this is a Blue 0-cost that turns on your Kodachis and fuels your turn.


056-058 - Bonds of Ancestry - B+/B/B-

On the back of Surging Strike -> Descending Gustwave, Bonds of Ancestry is quite strong, as a 0-cost/4-power attack with ‘Go Again’ that effectively draws you a card to keep the chain going. Without the combo, 2-cost/4-power is pretty terrible at Red, which makes this pretty difficult to rate. It’s either really good or really bad depending on whether or not you are hitting the combo. It’s also the third card in the Combo which is a bit tougher to pull off in Limited. Ideally, I think I would want at least 2-3 copies each of Surging Strike and Descending Gustwave to go along with this. It does block for 3; so, if it doesn’t line up you can just use it to block. Overall, I think it's fine to speculate on this early given the ceiling, and later in the draft you’ll know whether or not you can support it.


059-061 - Recoil - C-/A-/A-

As part of only a two card combo line (Head Jab -> Recoil) this is much, much easier to pull off in Limited. As a 0-cost/3-power attack, it doesn’t have the same ceiling as some of the longer lines but the power level here is still pretty decent. With Combo active, Recoil is guaranteed to strip a card from your opponent, in blocks or its hit effect. It’s a great target for attack reactions, blocks for 3, and the Yellow and Blue versions turn on your Kodachis. While I’d take this highly for either Ninja, the Yellow and Blue versions here are outstanding for Benji. Firing off an unblockable attack that takes away a card on hit is everything he wants. 


062-064 - Spinning Wheel Kick - B+/B/B+

Spinning Wheel Kick is notable as a Combo card with natural ‘Go Again.’ That means, while you’d certainly like to play this after Twin Twisters to get the +1 power, you by no means need to do so. That flexibility makes this a great pick for Limited. 1-cost/4-power is just below rate but the ‘Go Again’ and possible +1/recursion makes up for the slight deficit in power. I think the power makes this more of a Katsu card, but Benji is probably happy to take it, and particularly the Blue. 


065-067 - Back Heel Kick - C+/C/C

Back Heel Kick is part of another two-card Combo line, which I think will be pretty decent for Limited. Unfortunately, Twin Twisters’ +1 is conditional on hit. That makes the Twin Twisters -> Back Heel Kick line much more a Benji option, where it is exceptional. If we imagine an unblockable Twin Twisters hitting, it would give Back Heel Kick and +4(!) off of the Twin Twisters effect and Benji’s hero ability. It’s also a good target for attack reactions (which would also get the additional +1). It blocks for 3 if you need and turns on Kodachis when pitched.

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068-070 - Be Like Water - A-/A-/A-

0-cost/3-power with ‘Go Again’ is a fine start but the ability here is excellent. This card is great for helping you hit your Combo lines for the low cost of a resource. The flexibility for this to fill in as any of the three chain starters in the set is awesome and makes this a fantastic early pick. Rather than having to try to focus in on one Combo line from the front, Be Like Water lets you keep your options open while really increasing the overall consistency of your deck. I’d prioritize this quite highly in Katsu, but Benji is happy to run this as well. It is only a 2-block, but it’s good for Kodachi resources as well.


071-073 - Deadly Duo - D/C-/D+

1-cost/3-power is below rate even with ‘Go Again’ attached. It tries to make up for it by offering +2 power on your next attack with 2 or less base attack on hit, but I don’t really think it gets there. The fact that this needs to hit and only applies to a specific subset of cards makes this just too conditional for me to like. Benji can probably play the Yellow and Blue versions since they will be unblockable and he’ll have plentiful targets, but I really don’t want to have to play this in Katsu.


074-076 - Descendant Gustwave - B+/B/B- 

If the last card is any indication, I’m not a fan of the 1-cost/3-power with ‘Go Again’ stat line. Thankfully, Descendant Gustwave has much better upside. Played after Surging Strike, this is instead a 0-cost/5-power ‘Go Again’ attack, which is fantastic. As the second card in the chain, I also think this is much more consistently playable than its successor, Bonds of Ancestry, even if Gustwave has a lower ceiling. Again I see this as much more of a Katsu card than something for Benji. 


077-079 - Head Jab - C/C/C

Another WTR reprint, Head Jab serves as the starter for two different combos in Outsiders (Head Jab -> Recoil and Head Jab -> One-Two Punch). I like both these lines better for Benji than Katsu, though the latter won’t mind them too much. It’s not the most exciting, but this should play an important role in a good number of Ninja decks. It’s another good card for fueling Kodachis or Katsu’s hero power. 


080-082 - One-Two Punch - C-/B+/B+

Where Recoil threatens to take a card out of your opponent’s hand, One-Two Punch threatens 2 additional damage on hit. I also like this a lot for Benji, where the Yellow and Blue are unblockable and this is essentially 4 damage. I’m down on the Red but really happy to have the other two versions in Benji. 


083-085 - Surging Strike - C+/C/C-

Surging Strike was the starter for Katsu’s signature combo line in WTR and I like it much better for him in Outsiders as well. 2-cost/5-power with ‘Go Again’ is a fine lead in for the new Combo and as Katsu I think you’ll want to get as many of these as you can. I prefer the Red and Yellow versions for coming in at breakpoints that get you a better chance to hit and trigger Katsu’s hero ability. This doesn’t really do anything for Benji. 


086-088 - Twin Twisters - C+/C/C

Our last Combo starter is an Everfest reprint. Twin Twisters gives you an option to increase its own power or that of the next card you play if Twin Twisters hits. Katsu probably doesn’t mind having the Red version of this, choosing the first mode. At 4-power it's likely to hit and give you the option to use Katsu’s hero ability or play a Spinning Wheel Kick. Benji will like the Blue and Yellow versions to combine with the second ability, ideally leading into a Back Heel Kick. Overall, that makes Twin Twister’s pretty interesting and likely the most contested of the starters, which means you might have to take it a bit more highly than you otherwise would. 


Ranger

Outsiders sees the return of Azalea to the Limited format after her debut in Arcane Rising. She returns with her original hero power as well, giving her access to Dominate on arrows that are put into the arsenal from the top of your deck. In Limited this ability is not super reliable, so use it with caution or look to pair it with opportunities to Opt or manipulate the top of your deck. Azalea will want a high density of arrows and will value attack buffs and attack reactions highly. She’s joined by fellow Ranger Riptide, who has a much heavier emphasis on Traps, with his hero ability dealing damage to the opponent each time a Trap Triggers. Riptide will still want and need some Arrows, but I fully expect his draft strategy to prioritize Traps. 


093 - Barbed Castaway - N/A

Barbed Castaway is the only bow in the set. It allows you to load an arrow from hand, or flip one up in Arsenal to get an aim counter. There are seven arrows that care about aim counters but for all but one the aim counter just gives +1 power. Notably, there is only one arrow with ‘Go Again’ so it’s pretty difficult to want to use both modes here in the same turn. I think Riptide benefits from the second ability a bit more as he can load up the Arsenal whenever he plays a trap on the opponent’s turn. That makes Barbed Castaway flexible, if not super efficient. The fact that both abilities are instants can pair nicely with the Seeker’s equipment as it allows you to load something on your opponent’s turn when you are pitching to the equipment’s damage prevention effect. 


094 - Trench of Sunken Treasure - B-

I think this is decent in Limited if for no other reason than it blocks 1 in a format with Benji. Most of your arrow attacks will cost 2 resources (1 to load, 1 to fire) anyway, so this isn’t really saving you from pitching a card. It is a way to clear your Arsenal if you have a Trap there that you didn’t play the turn before, which can burn you as a Ranger. It’s also a million times better than Riptide’s quiver, since this is repeatable and nets you a resource in the process. It’s competing with the Threadbare Tunic in the chest slot, and I think the former may be better for most decks. This is still a fine option though. 

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095 - Quiver of Abyssal Depths - A

Rangers have always been vulnerable to fatigue strategies. Doing damage primarily through arrows with no weapon to fall back on means that is still the case in Outsiders Limited as well. Quiver of Abyssal Depths is a good hedge against that. Being able to shuffle three powerful arrows back into your deck in the late game gives Azalea and Riptide just a bit of extra reach to close out games where they might otherwise run out of damage. It is a bit expensive but it’s great that this is an instant and doesn’t take your action. I particularly like this for Azalea, whose Dominate hero ability is a great way to close out a game with one of the arrows you add back in. The Arcane barrier doesn’t get you anything in Limited, but the 1-block with Blade Break isn’t a bad fail case.


096 - Quiver of Rustling Leaves - B-

Have you ever had one of those Ranger hands without any arrows? Quiver of Rustling Leaves gives you a chance to fix that problem by revealing the top card of your deck. If it's an arrow, it goes into Arsenal. In the unfortunate case that you miss an arrow, at least the Quiver sticks around for you to try again later. You can also use this to load and fire two arrows a turn where otherwise you wouldn’t be able to (provided you have ‘Go Again’). Overall, a nice utility piece that can help iron out some of Rangers inconsistencies, which is never a bad thing. 


097 - Crow’s Nest - C+

This is Azalea’s Token quiver, so you can always take this with you into the arena. The ability lets you add an Aim counter to an arrow that is put faceup into Arsenal from your deck, most likely via Azalea’s hero ability. There are a good number of arrows in the set that gain +1 for an aim counter, so this is a decent way to add an extra damage to a Dominated attack if you have the extra resource. Most Arrow attacks in this set will cost you 2 (1 to load and 1 to fire the arrow) so if you pitch blue, there is a decent chance you might have a resource floating to do this. Azaleas’s ability itself can be a bit hit-or-miss in Limited so this isn’t game breaking by any means, but it is a decent perk. I could see an argument to play it over Quiver of Rustling Leaves in certain arrow-heavy decks, though it would depend on your exact construction. 


098 - Driftwood Quiver - C-

This just seems pretty bad to me. If you don’t draft another Quiver you might as well take one of these as Riptide, but putting your Arsenal on the bottom of your deck for no benefit whatsoever, won't feel very good. I think the point is to give you a way to clear your Arsenal of a Trap if your opponent doesn’t attack or plays an attack that stops you from playing Defense Reactions. It’s a card that you’ll be happy with when you need it, but I can’t rate it highly. 


099 - Wayfinder’s Crest - B+

It blocks one and lets you look at the top card of your deck. That adds up to a great card for Azalea. Being able to ensure there is an arrow on top for you to Dominate is a big deal, and I think Azalea will want to take this pretty highly. For Riptide, I think this is basically Iron Rot (but that’s not bad in a set with Benji). You can use it to scout the top card of your opponent’s deck, which isn’t nothing, but this is a much more important card for Azalea than her Trap-based counterpart. 


100 - Amplifying Arrow - D+

Amplifying Arrow synergizes well with your arrow pump effects, of which there are a good number in this set. In Limited, though I’m not sure that this is better than just a Red 1-cost arrow. For example, if we have Red Lace with Bloodrot (+3) and Yellow Scout the Periphery (+2), any 1-cost/5-power arrow attacks for 10. In the same situation, Amplifying Arrow still only attacks for 9 with no hit effect. It blocks for 3 and Azalea seems to be able to function on a Yellow curve, but I don’t find this to be that exciting. 


101 - Barbed Undertow - B+

Barbed Undertow is the one arrow that needs an Aim counter to turn on its hit effect. That means that, in practice, you’ll generally be wanting to Arsenal this and using Barbed Castaway’s second ability to activate the effect–though Azalea’s hero ability and Crow’s Nest also works I suppose. 1-cost/5-power is on-rate and the hit effect here is a good one that’s worth putting in some work to turn on. I think in 95%  matchups you’ll want to name Blue to prevent them from pitching efficiently, but there may be some edge cases where you opt for a different color. 

BuzzsawTrap_Outsiders_FaBtcg

102 - Buzzsaw Trap - A-

Buzzsaw Trap is the first of three Majestic Traps for Riptide and our first Trap overall for the set! Note that Traps no longer need to be played from Arsenal and keep in mind that everytime a Trap triggers Riptide will also be doing 1 damage to your opponent (effectively making 3 blocks into 4 health swings). That also means Traps are just inherently more valuable for Riptide than Azalea and each hero will want to prioritize them accordingly. One final note: these are Legendary (in the sense you can only have one in your deck), so if you happen to open multiples, it would not be legal to run the second copy. Buzzsaw Trap–and all the other Majestics–are above rate defense reactions for their pitch (Sink Below (Blue) only blocks for 2 for example). Buzzsaw Trap’s effect can also be pretty nasty. Imagine an Azalea turn, where your opponent lines up two pump spells and a Dominated arrow to go for the win. Buzzsaw effectively cancels both the pump spells and blocks for 3. During a Ninja combo turn this can effectively block 5 by turning off their pumps. In a lot of cases, I think you’ll find that this saves more than 3 damage.


103 - Spike Pit Trap - B+

Spike Trip Trap is the second Majestic Riptide specialization. Like the others it defends for 3 and pitches Blue, which is pretty reasonable up front. If your opponent has activated or played a reaction, you mill them for one and they lose life equal to the number of copies of that card in the graveyard. In Limited, this is a bit narrow since the effect requires your opponent to have reacted, but, if you can pull it off, this is probably representing 1-2 damage on top of Riptide’s ability. Assassin has by far the most reactions, so I like it best in that matchup, but it’s a bit more niche than Buzzsaw. Even if you don’t get the ability to trigger, defending for 3 as a Defense Reaction is a fine fail case. 


104 - Collapsing Trap - A+

Collapsing Trap is the last Riptide specialization and my favorite of the lot. If it defends an attack with ‘Go Again’ your opponent discards their hand and redraws minus one card. It's super disruptive to Ninjas and Arakni and is a great value, effectively discarding a card from your opponent. In Limited discarding a full hand is also a pretty decent effect on its own. With Riptide wanting to take games long, discarding 2-3 cards is almost costing your opponent a full turn of threats in their deck. This goes down a bit in the Ranger and Uzuri matchups where ‘Go Again’ is less common, but again, a Blue that defends for 3 at reaction speed is good enough baseline that it’s hard to complain. 


105 - Melting Point - B

A 1-cost pump for +4 is on rate on its own, so I’d be happy to play this in either Riptide or Azalea. The hit effect here is also quite good for this Limited set, having the potential to pick off a Kodachi or any of the Assassin weapons. Killing a Kodachi is a bigger deal than the Assassin daggers, where only one is likely to swing anyway. You want to try to get an aim counter on your arrow in those matchups, but even if you can’t, I think it's worth playing this out for the +4 in most situations.


106 - Boulder Trap - B-

Moving into the Rare Traps, these block for 3 just like Riptide’s Majestic specializations, but they only pitch for Yellow rather than Blue. That makes them a little less flexible, but still on-rate for a Defense Reaction (see Sink Below (Yellow)). Boulder Trap puts a -1 armor counter on your opponent’s equipment when it defends an attack with power greater than its base. In this Limited set, I don’t think that requirement is super demanding. Many of the Ninja attacks do this automatically (not to mention Benji’s ability), Assassin has a ton of reactions, and Ranger has a bunch of pump cards. Outside of Legendaries, there are six common pieces of equipment that have an armor value and all of these have Blade Break anyway. It’s not bad to strip an armor off one of these, but then your opponent is likely to just use the ability.


107 - Pendulum Trap - C+

Same stat line as Boulder Trap but mills your opponent for two if they have played or activated a reaction. As I mentioned with Spike Pit Trap this is a bit more narrow of a requirement and the effect isn’t super impactful. That still leaves us with with an on-rate Defense Reaction in a format with Benji and a bunch of Attack Reactions, so I think this is still pretty decent. 


108 - Tarpit Trap - B-

The last of the Rare traps, Tarpit Trap turns off on-hit effects when it Defends a card with ‘Go Again’. There are a good number of them in the set. A good number of generics, and the disease-laden arrows and Assassin attacks/reactions. It seems like this is in between Boulder Trap and Pendulum Trap in terms of how likely it is to trigger. The actual ability is probably my favorite of the three as well. Stopping a Bloodrot Pox or a Frailty that would affect the arrow in your Arsenal is an impactful ability that will come up with some regularity I expect. 


109-111 - Fletch a Red/Yellow/Blue Tail - B/B-/B-

The ‘Fletch a X Tail’ cycle is a creative way to vary the effects of different colors of pitch. These are on-rate attack buffs (+4 for Red) at 1-cost, which is good enough to be happy running these without the added bonus. When applied to an arrow with an Aim counter, these also give defending cards of the specified pitch color -1 Defense. I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to make sure I am using these on an arrow with an Aim counter but it is a nice bonus if it happens to line up. It also helps even out the power level since the Blue and Yellow hit Riptide’s traps and Blue and Yellow cards are more commonly used for blocks anyway. I love these for Azalea and some big Dominated arrows. 


LacewithBloodrot_Outsiders_FaBtcg

112 - Lace with Bloodrot - A-

Lace with Bloodrot kicks off another cycle of excellent arrow buffs for our Rangers. All of these are on-rate attack buffs (0-cost/+3 power) with the added benefit of giving a Disease token on hit. If you’ll recall from the Assassin portion, Bloodrot Pox is my favorite of the three. If you can hit with this (by giving your arrow Dominate, perhaps), Lace With Bloodrot is effectively a 0-cost/5-damage card. No Aim counters required to make these work, just good old fashioned power. 


113 - Lace with Frailty - B+

The same logic applies here as to my rankings of the Assassin cards that give these tokens on hit. I like Frailty next best, but I think it is a step down from Bloodrot Pox. Frailty and Inertia might be slightly better in Riptide, since they go better with his more defensive game plan, but any Ranger drafters should be taking these highly.


114 - Lace with Inertia - B+

Inertia is my least favorite for the reasons previously mentioned but it’s still a +3 buff with an additional hit effect. If I am in Ranger, I’m not expecting to pass many of these regardless of which specific disease they give.

 

115-117 - Falcon Wing - C/C-/C- 

Falcon Wing is our ‘Go Again’ arrow for the set. It’s 0-cost/3-power, which definitely doesn’t knock your socks off. It does get +1 with an aim counter; so I expect the play pattern here would be to Arsenal this, flip it up with an aim counter using the bow, and then follow up by loading and firing another 1-cost arrow. That threatens up to 9-damage with a hit effect, which isn’t too bad for a three-card hand. Riptide has a bit of an easier time getting Falcon Wing into Arsenal, so he may prefer this card a bit, though it can slot into both Rangers to support some of your bigger/more aggressive turns.

InfectingShotRed_Outsiders_FaBtcg

118-120 - Infecting Shot - B+/B/C+ 

Similar to Assassin, Ranger gets a cycle of Common arrows that give your opponent the disease tokens on hit. These run the standard 1-cost/5-power statline at Red and can get an additional +1 with an Aim counter. Unsurprisingly, Infecting Shot, which gives Bloodrot Pox tokens, is my favorite of the three. It’s threatening 7-8 damage off of a two-card hand and pairs really nicely with Azalea’s Dominate.


121-123 - Murkmire Grapnel - C/D+/C-

0-Cost/4 power with a potential +1 from an Aim counter and its damage can’t be prevented. There are a couple of Generics that do damage prevention, including a cycle of common equipment, but I don’t put too much value on this ability. It’s on-rate and has some upside with the Aim counters, but with no hit effect this is one of the weaker arrows in my view.


124-126 - Sedation Shot - C+/C/C-

This is the Inertia counterpart to Infecting Shot. It’s an on-rate arrow with a potential +1 from an aim counter. Not quite as exciting as Infecting Shot, but the hit effect is something. This is a good filler arrow for Rangers and is maybe slightly more valuable in the mirror matchups where Arsenals are more critical. 


127-129 - Skybound Shot - C/C-/C-

Skybound Shot is a strictly worse version of the three Disease arrows. It has the same stats and aim counter bonus, just no hit effect. That makes it filler for your Ranger decks. Having a couple of these to make sure you have enough damage in your deck, or to use as 3-blocks/pitch cards is fine, but it is one of the weaker arrows in the set and you are probably hoping you end up actually playing some of your other arrows instead.


130-132 - Spire Sniping - C+/C/C-

Spire Sniping is a great card for Azalea in this Limited format. It’s an on-rate attack and it is one of the few ways in Limited to manipulate the top of your deck to try to set up some of your Dominated arrow finishers. If it doesn’t work out and you can’t find an arrow with this, the fail case of just firing this (along with any buffs you might have) is totally fine. I don’t think Riptide gets much benefit out of the ability here, so he can safely pass on these to prioritize the other arrows.

WidowmakerRed_Outsiders_FaBtcg

133-135 - Widowmaker - B/B-/C

This might be Azalea’s best finisher in the set. On its face, Widowmaker is a bit below rate at 1-cost/4-power, but it turns off Defense reactions and if you can Dominate it, it instead is a 1-cost/7-power attack at Red, which is well above rate. Combine this with a +3 attack buff and Azalea can snipe opponents out from anything below 7-ish health. This is a card that I am trying to set up for the late game with a pitch stack and one where I think the setup cost is worth it. 


136-138 - Withering Shot - B-/C+/C

Withering Shot is the final of the Disease arrows. I like it somewhere in between Infecting Shot and Sedation Shot, but closer to the latter. It is another good role player in the Ranger decks, good against the daggers in the format and hurts your fellow Rangers’ arrows. 


Assassin/Ninja

Outsiders sees the first introduction of dual class cards (unless you count the Tails of Aria Pulses I guess). These cards can, as you might imagine, be played by Katsu, Benji, Arakni, and Uzuri. You’re competing with more heroes for these cards, so you might see the premium picks go sooner that roughly equivalent class cards. Early in the draft these do offer a good way to stay a bit more open to multiple classes and heroes. Both Ninja and Assassin rely on daggers in this set, so you’ll notice that as a prominent theme for the dual class Assassin/Ninja cards.

FlickKnives_Outsiders_FaBtcg

139 - Flick Knives - A

Flick Knives lets you cash in a Dagger for one point of damage as an attack reaction. While permanently–some other Outsiders cards notwithstanding–losing one of your weapons seems like a tall order for 1 point of damage, I think Flick Knives is excellent in Limited, especially for Assassin. For both classes this gives you a bit of extra reach. It is really tough for your opponent to go to 2 life when you can 0-cost react for 1 damage at any point over the next couple turns. At the end of the game I think this is a good threat for Ninjas but it will really excel in Assassin where you can also take advantage of your Daggers hit effects. For Assassin this could easily represent 4 damage. Imagine that your opponent has blocked Infect cleanly with an attack action. Activating this gives you 1 point of damage for the Dagger, now the attack only defends for 2 so 1 damage from Infect gets through and now they have a Bloodrot Pox that will deal 2 more at the end of turn. Being able to do that twice per game is great. In Assassin, you won’t swing both Daggers very often anyway, so the first activation is basically free. This is probably the best card in slot for both Ninja and Assassin. If you really need it to, this also blocks for 1 giving it even more utility. 


140 - Mask of Shifting Perspectives - B

Mask of Shifting Perspectives gives you the option of doing a bit of filtering assuming one of your daggers hits. I expect most dagger swings to go unblocked in this Limited format–at least in the early to mid-game–so I don’t see that as too much of a restriction. The filtering here is nice and your draws aren’t as consistent in Limited, so this is a reasonable way to try to dig for resources or a missing combo piece in Ninja. It also defends for 1 with Blade Break so it’s decently flexible as well. I’m relatively happy to have this in either Ninja or Assassin and think both can leverage it pretty effectively. Just note you can do this multiple times a turn if multiple daggers hit. 


141 - Blade Cuff - B

Again this defends for 1 with Blade Break, so there’s some nice flexibility here. For the cost of 2 resources you can give your Daggers +1 power until end of turn. It is an action rather than a reaction so your opponent can certainly decide to block the daggers the turn you break this, though you probably don’t mind that outcome too much. Either you are stripping cards or accelerating your Kodachi clock by a turn; either way I think this is a solid arm piece. I like this far more in Ninja than in Assassin just because the Kodchi’s are so much cheaper than the Assassin daggers.


142 - Stab Wound - B+

Stab Wound is another card that I like a lot better for the Ninjas than for the Assassins. I want to be swinging both Kodachis almost every turn, but only rarely do I see myself attacking with two Assassin daggers, making the hit effect more potent for Katsu and Benji. A Blue 0-cost that blocks for 3 also helps fuel the Kodachis and goes right into Ninja’s gameplan. Stab Wound is best in Benji by a good margin where it can effectively represent 4 unblockable damage. I like this least in Uzuri, where I don’t expect to use the daggers as often. 


143 - Concealed Blade - B-

The baseline here is pretty decent. A 0-cost/+1 power attack reaction at Blue is on-rate and a fine trick to include in your Ninja and Assassin decks. It works with Kodachis in Ninja and blocks for 3 if you need it. The hit effect here is interesting, there are two ways to proactively destroy your daggers for effect in the set, one is the Legendary Flick Knives, but Hurl has a similar effect at Common. Being able to replace one of the blades you destroyed previously is a nice perk and in Limited you don’t have to worry about the extras taking up sideboard slots. If you do pick this up, I would take Hurl a bit more highly than I would otherwise. The hit effects of the Assassin daggers makes me prefer this for Arakni and Uzuri. 


144 - Knives Out - C+

Knives Out has the same effect as Blade Cuff, but can be played at instant speed as an attack reaction, meaning that you are likely to get at least 1 point of damage through off of this. Like with Blade Cuff, you are more likely to get 2 damage off this in Ninja; but since this version is a reaction, I also like it in Assassin as a way to push through your daggers’ hit effects. A 0-cost Blue for +1 is on-rate as an attack reaction and synergizes well with Kodachis. 


145-147 - Bleed Out - B/C/C-

I really like Bleed out in Ninja. 2-cost/4-power with ‘Go Again’ isn’t great on its own, but with the cost reduction, I think this is much closer to a 0-cost/4-power attack in Ninja most of the time. It only blocks for 2, but you want to be using this card to be attack anyway and I think generally the Ninjas will be some of the more aggressive characters in the Limited format. The Assassin daggers are more expensive and more likely to be blocked, so I am avoiding this there like the Red version best. The Blue isn’t a good pitch card for Ninjas but could be unblockable in Benji so I don’t mind it there. 


148-150 - Hurl - C/C/C+

Hurl is the Common way to use your daggers that I mentioned earlier in discussing Concealed Blade. In addition to its standard 0-cost/3-power with ‘Go Again’ you can pay one to break your dagger for damage. The stat line is good enough and there is some benefit in the ability as well. The dagger damage is unblockable–though it can be covered by prevention effects–so this can be a way to close out a game. Generally, I prefer this in Assassin to get the hit effects off your dagger, though Katsu and Benji could just use these as vanilla attacks. 


151-153 - Plunge - D+/D/D

Plunge increases the power of your next dagger attack on hit, but none of these come in above 3 power, so they aren’t hard to block. At 1-cost/3-power this is below rate and it only blocks for 2. The 1-cost means the Blue doesn’t even work with your Kodachis. If you just need more ‘Go Again’ cards maybe you run this, but generally I am trying to stay away for this. 


154-156 - Short and Sharp - B-/C+/C

Short and Sharp is a little below rate as a reaction at 1-cost/+3 power, but it is fairly flexible in that it can target both daggers and attack actions with 2 or less base power. I think you’ll need to pick this up early because it will be a hotly contested card, even though the power level isn’t great. The Assassins like this to put their daggers and Disease cards over the top, and this is the only Common attack reaction available to Ninja. Katsu might like this to trigger his hero ability–though it doesn’t really work in the Surging Strike line–but Benji will have the most targets for this.



Assassin/Ranger

Assassin and Ranger is our other dual class pool for the set. The cards here focus on disease tokens and Arsenal manipulation as well as a number of cards that can only be played from Arsenal. This can get awkward but both Riptide and Uzuri have ways to get these into play through their hero powers without having to set an end of turn Arsenal. 


000 - Plague Hive - B-

Creating a random disease token for your opponent is a pretty good effect for this set’s Fabled. It only pitches for 2 but that should be enough to fund most of your Ranger turns. In Assassin, this pays for a dagger swing that you can follow up with any of the plentiful 0-cost attacks. The token being random means sometimes this will do absolutely nothing, but sometimes you are getting 2 additional damage at no cost. 


157 - Mask of Malicious Manifestations - B-

The Assassin/Ranger mask also offers some hand fixing. You can pay one and break this to draw the next attack action card in your deck. I really like this card for Ranger and Azalea specifically as a hedge against clunky hands where you don’t have a good arrow to shoot. It also can help Riptide replace his Arsenal if he happens to get an Defense reaction stuck there for whatever reason. In Assassin this is more just a chance to improve the quality of you hand, so I wouldn’t prioritize it as highly there. Like most of the other class equipment it also blocks for  1 if you need it. 


158 - Toxic Tips - B

Toxic Tips lets you add a disease of your choice to your next attack action. Letting you choose the disease is relly nice here. If your agressive you can add a Bloodrot Pox, if you need to slow down your opponent you can add a Frailty, etc. Azalea and Uzuri get some extra milage out of this since their hero abilities can help force hits through. For the others I’d try to make sure I can back this up with a Dominated attack or an attack reaction to make sure to get the value out of it. I definitely prefer this one as an offensive card but you might need the block versus benji sometimes. 


159 - Codex of Boodrot - A

Assassin/Ranger get a cycle of “Codexes” that correspond to the diseases. Bloodrot Pox is up first. It gives each player a chance to put a card facedown in Arsenal from hand. Then you get a Ponder Token and your opponent gets a Bloodrot Pox. From the top, putting a card from hand into Arsenal is a decent benefit for Ranger. It lets you use the Aim counter ability on the bow instead of loading the arrow, which generally equates to +1. The Bloodrot Pox token is essentially worth 2 damage, even though it can be paid off, and getting an Arsenal off Ponder is good value too. All that adds up to making this pretty great. It’s +3 on a 0-cost Yellow that sort of draws a card. I definitely prefer this in Ranger, but I thinks its great all around. 


160 - Codex of Frailty - A-

Codex of Frailty lets you (and your opponent) put an attack from their graveyard facedown into Arsenal, then discard. This ability is pretty strong, essentially allowing you to ditch the worst card in your hand for the best attack you have already played. I really want to try to set this one up so that the opponent has a card in Arsenal already so that they don’t get access to this ability. The ability is also stronger later in the game when you’ve played more cards, so don’t be afraid to pitch this early if it isn’t lining up well. Giving a Frailty token isn’t quite as good as a Bloodrot and the Ponder token is the same. Overall, another really strong card for both Assassin and Ranger. 


161 - Codex of Inertia - C-

Codex of Inertia is the worst of the cycle. It puts the top card of your–and your opponent’s–deck in Arsenal, but you still have to discard if you do. Without knowing what you are getting this is really a gamble. There are a few ways to Opt or look at the top of your deck in the set, but I don’t really want to be playing those just to make this good. You can try to use it to bail you out of some bad Ranger hands and get an arrow straight to Arsenal, but there are better ways to do that in this set. The Inertia token is my least favorite of the diseases as well, so really the biggest benefit here might be the Ponder. 

DeathTouchRed_Outsiders_FaBtcg

162-164 - Death Touch - A-/B+/B+

Death Touch is the first of our “cannot be played from hand” cards. You can’t use the bow to load it either so you’ll probably need to set this as an Arsenal to use it in Azalea or Arakni. Riptide can get it into Arsenal using his hero ability if you play another card and Uzuri can swap this in for a card with Stealth using her reaction. That gives these cards a little more flexibility in those heroes, and that is where I prefer to see them. That said, Death Touch is excellent and worth the set up cost regardless in my view. It is above rate at 1-cost/6 power and an on-hit disease of your choice. 


165-167 - Toxicity - B/B-/C+

Toxicity is a bit of a risk/reward card. 0-cost and if the next attack you play hits, your opponent loses 5 life (4 and 3 for the Yellow and Blue, respectively). So assuming you do hit, this is +5 which is way above rate for an attack buff. Azalea might be best positioned to take advantage of this with Dominate, but Assassin has good access to attack reactions that can also get this over the line. With that in mind, I think this is likely to bait out overblocks even if it doesn’t hit, which isn’t that bad of an outcome. I’m lowest on this in Riptide, and it’s worth noting that this does NOT work with Uzuri’s hero ability (the swapped in card won’t have the Toxicity effect applied) but I think this is good for Arakni and Azalea. 


168-170 - Virulent Touch - B/B-/B-

This also cannot be played from hand. It’s an on-rate attack and, when defended from hand, gives the opponent a Bloodrot Pox. Unless your opponent has a defense reaction in Arsenal, this puts your opponent in quite the bind. In order to take no damage your opponent will have to use at least two cards (or three for the Red version) between blocks and paying off the Bloorot. Again, Uzuri and Riptide can use this most easily, but I think this can contend for a spot in any Assassin or Ranger deck. 


171 - Bloodrot Trap - C

The final cycle of Traps for the set are Red pitch, defend for 3, and give the specified disease token under specific criteria. Bloodrot Trap is a bit narrow in that regard. In order to give the token your opponent must have played or activated an attack reaction. This is a bit more viable against Ninja and Assassin, but this is essentially just a 3-block against Ranger (though it can help defend Azalea’s Dominate). Obviously this fits with Riptides plan, but I also think these should be high picks for the Assassins. Ranger has access to a much deeper catalogue of Traps to pull from but Assassin only gets these three in terms of defense reactions. So strictly from a defensive point of view I think I’d like to pick up some of the common traps in Arakni and Uzuri. 


172 - Frailty Trap - C

Frailty Trap has the same stat line but is a bit easier to trigger, merely needing to defend an attack with ‘Go Again.’ Arakni and the Ninjas and all likely to give you opportunities to get this off and the Frailty token is most valuable against the go wide decks as well. It's worth considering just throwing this in front of the first dagger or Kodachi that comes across even if it is a bit of an inefficient block. 


173 - Inertia Trap - C-

Inertia Trap triggers when defending an attack with power greater than its base. This restriction shouldn’t be too hard to meet with Ninja buffs, Ranger pump cards, and Assassin reactions, but creating an Inertia token isn’t that great. I’m fine with a 3-block defense reaction but this isn’t much more than that in my view. 


Generic

174 - Vambrace of Determination - C-

There is a good amount of damage prevention in the set, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you find a window for the attack reaction about once a game. That said, I’m not sure how powerful this ability is in Limited. If you have resources floating, your opponent isn’t likely to use the Seeker’s equipment or block in a way that they would get blown out by this reaction. Also, having to pitch to defend with this for 1 doesn’t feel very good. The biggest benefit here might be the threat of activation, but for Limited I think there are better options. 


175-178 - Seeker’s Hood/Gilet/Mitts/Leggings - C-/C/C-/C+

All the Seeker’s equipment has the same ability: pay 1 and destroy it to prevent the next 1 point of damage, then Opt 1. Opting is a nice perk, particularly for Azalea, who can use these to try to set up Dominated arrows. Beyond that, spending 1 to prevent 1 doesn’t initially feel like a great use of equipment, but there are some silver linings here. For one, there are a lot of attack reactions in the set, and this can save your life if you would otherwise die. Benji is also a player here and preventing his damage that can’t be blocked is quite helpful. There are a few other random sources of unblockable damage that you can use this equipment to prevent: Riptide’s hero ability and the cards that deal damage by breaking one of the daggers. These do get better in multiples so you can pitch/defend a bit more efficiently and it does also pair nicely with Peace of Mind by using a floating resource to prevent another point of damage. I’m ranking them against one another just based on the competition within the slots. There are a lot of good options at the Head and Arms slots, two other generics for Chest, and only one other legs equipment at common that is pretty niche. 


179 - Silken Gi - B-

Silken Gi is an interesting way of getting a “free” resource. It lets you play your next attack for 1 less, but at the expense of 1 power on that attack. It’s a bit limiting in that regard since it can’t be spent on non-attacks or reactions. I like this in Ranger and Ninja, both those classes have a good number of 1-cost attacks and going from 5 power to 4 isn’t as big of a loss. It is an instant so it doesn’t break the chain in Ninja. Assassin has a lot of 0-cost attacks where this doesn’t really do much and it can’t discount their reactions so I am a bit lower on it there. 


180 - Threadbare Tunic - C+

Threadbare Tunic will net you a resource at instant speed as long as you have no cards in hand. I like this best in Ranger, where you usually want to fire your last attack from Arsenal anyway. This can pay for all your 1-arrows. Assassin also has a couple of cards that must be played from Arsenal and thai could pay for a 1-cost attack reaction as well. It is still situational and I wouldn’t wait for the perfect opportunity. If you have a play that involves this and it can net you 3 life from an extra card block or a couple points of damage, take it. Relative to Silken Gi, the former is a way more flexible, but this has a slightly higher ceiling.


181 - Fisticuffs - B+

Fisticuffs is an on-demand +1 attack reaction. At 2 resources, it is pretty expensive for just +1 but there is value here in threat of activation. You can use this to threaten to push disease tokens over blocks, or to make sure that you can get your Katsu trigger. This is most powerful late in the game where forcing an extra damage or hit effect could spell doom for your opponent, so I would try to hold on to these as long as possible. It is a bit of a blow out for you to pop this and then have it covered with a defense reaction, but overall I think this is a great early pick up. 


182 - Fleet Foot Sandals - C+

Generally heroes don’t want to be playing cards that have 1 or less base attack, prefering to pitch and block with such cards if they have them in the deck at all. However, this does get some utility in this set. The most obvious use case is Benji, who wants to be swinging with low power attacks for unblockable damage at various points in the game. I also really like this for Uzuri, play a 1-power Stealth card and if you bait out an overblock you can break these and then play another Stealth card or the big attack you were planning to swap in anyway. Arakni and Katsu might get some fringe use out of this for their go wide strategies, but I mainly like this for Benji and Uzuri. 

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183 - Amnesia - B

There are a lot of 2-cost/6 power attacks in the format with hit effects. They seem great in Uzuri and good early picks to stay open. Amnesia is a good example of one of these. On hit, your opponent’s cards lose all names and can’t gain them. In practice, I think this really just hoses Ninja. The cards keep their abilities and text, like Stealth and any hit effects, so I don’t think Assassin and Ranger really care. This does break all the Ninja combos though. So excellent in ⅓ of matchups and a fine, on-rate attack that blocks 3 otherwise. 


184 - Down and Dirty - C+

Down and Dirty is a pretty unique card. It follows the 2-cost/6 power trend, but rather than a hit effect, you can use Down and Dirty to defend from Arsenal. It only blocks for 2 though, so it’s not a great defender and I think you’d generally rather be swinging with it. It can help against Benji and Azalea, but overall I’d look at this as a vanilla 6 power attack. 


185 - Give and Take - C+

1-cost/3 power with ‘Go Again’ is below rate and I’m not sure the ability here makes up for it. It lets you put a card from your graveyard back on top of your library if you get the ability here to trigger. Basically everything in the set costs less than 3 so you can choose any action you’ve already played. Unfortunately the ability is also conditional. If your opponent blocks with a reaction or an instant or chooses to let the damage through, it's just a pretty mediocre attack. It does have some upside and blocks for 3, but it’s not incredible. 


186 - Gore Belching - C+

How good Gore Belching is really depends on the construction of your deck. If you have a lot of low power attacks (looking at you Benji) or you have ways to manipulate the top of your deck (Seek Horizon) this can be excellent and well above rate. If you have a lot of 5 power arrows or 6 power generics this might be pretty bad. You could also try to set this up by pitch stacking, but it’s a bit risky since this can’t block at all. I think I’m always happy playing this in Benji–and maybe Katsu as a chain ender–but otherwise it can be a bit risky. If this is attacking for 3-4 on average, maybe the upside is worth it.


187 - Burdens of the Past - D

This is very narrow in Limited; it will really only affect Riptide (maybe Azalea and the Assassins have a couple of traps as well) and I think it will be very rare that you are actually drawing the card off this. Even against Riptide I’m not sure this is worth an entire card from hand, since it doesn’t even turn off all his reactions, only the duplicates. I think the best fit for this is in Ninja, where you might want it as a Blue that blocks for 3, but even then it’s not exciting.  


188 - Premeditate - B+

Premeditate is excellent, it’s an on-rate attack buff with a floating hit effect and all it asks is that you play an attack from Arsenal. This works perfectly with Ranger, giving +3 to your next arrow plus creating a Ponder token on hit to reload the Arsenal for next turn, but realistically this slots great into any deck that is likely to want to Arsenal a random card off the top card of the deck. You really do want to get the +3 out of this so it's worth taking some time to set this up, or pitching it the first time around if things don’t line up properly. 


189-191 - Humble - C+/C/C- 

With Humble we are back to the 2-cost/6 power stat line at Red. On hit this causes your opponent to lose all hero abilities next turn. Of the heroes in this format, this is probably most disruptive for Arakni, followed by Riptide, Benji, and Uzuri, and least impactful for Azalea and Katsu. It does only block for 2 and some amount of time this is closer to a 6 power attack with no text, but it should still probably make the cut in most decks. All these are great targets for Uzuri to swap in using her Attack Reaction as well. 


192-194 - Infectious Host - B-/C-/C

0-cost/4-power is on rate and the effect here is definitely interesting in certain matchups. It will mirror any disease tokens that you have (up to one of each) under your opponent’s control and it doesn’t even have to hit to do so. In matchups where your opponent is doing a lot with the different diseases (Arakni, Azalea, and to a lesser extent Uzuri and Riptide) this is probably worth considering. It’s still a bit situational and it only blocks for 2, but at 4 power you can probably run the red in all matchups and bring the others in from the sideboard based on your opponent. 


195-197 - Looking for a Scrap - B-/C+/C-

Looking for a scrap is another one that depends a lot on your deck construction. Without the added effect this is 1-cost/4 power and block 2 at Red, which isn’t really a card you want. So you really need to be triggering this for it to be good. Thankfully both Ninja and Assassin are set up to do so. Both have access to a good number of 1 power attacks. The Assassin cards block a bit better so they might have a bit of an easier time getting them into the graveyard. I’m staying away from this in Ranger. 


198-200 - Wreck Havoc - C+/C/C-

Wreck Havoc takes us back to the 2-cost/6-power trend. This is sort of like Command and Conquer Lite. Defense Reactions can’t be played, and if it hits and there is a Defense Reaction in Arsenal it is destroyed. That makes this pretty good against Riptide in Limited but essentially blank outside of that matchup. It only blocks for 2 but 2 for 6 is still fine as an attacking line. 

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201-203 - Cut Down to Size - B-/C+/C-

Cut Down to Size is one of the best on the 2-cost//6 power stat line. This essentially forces at least one card to block as an opponent with a full hand has to discard on hit. A one card block from hand does turn off the hit effect, but 3 damage and one card from hand isn’t a bad exchange. This is probably my favorite Uzuri swap target; switching this in for an unblocked Stealth card to force the discard is a big swing in your favor. This probably performs best against the Ninjas who I expect to be the most likely to want to hold a full hand. 


204-206 - Destructive Deliberation - B-/C+/D+

Destructive Deliberation is below rate relative to the others at 2-cost/5 power. It does generate a Ponder token for you on hit. So if you are likely to want to play a random card off the top of your deck from Arsenal this is solid. Uzuri again is a good candidate here as I expect her to be able to run a pretty efficient deck with a good percentage of cards that would be good from Arsenal. Overall, I think the Red and Yellow can slot into most decks but the Blue takes a big hit since it only requires a one card block. 


207-209 - Feisty Locals - C/C-/C

Feisty Locals is Surging Militia’s little cousin and creates a similar predicament for your opponent: take the damage or commit multiple cards to fully block. Feisty Locals does give your opponent an out if they block with a reaction. Reactions are more plentiful than usual in this set, but you can still catch people out with this. I would consider siding this out against Riptide if you have other options. It is a bit below rate at 0-cost/3 power on its face and only blocks for 2, but is still decent filler for most decks. The Blue is a bit better for the Ninjas as a pitch card. 


210-212 - Freewheeling Renegades - C-/D+/D

1-cost/6 power is above rate but the drawback here is pretty significant. The built in debuff means this is more like a 1-cost/4 power attack at least 80% of the time, as long as your opponent blocks with an action card. I guess this has some value in almost guaranteeing a block from Ninja but it’s hard to get excited about cards that give your opponent’s extra incentives to block. It’s probably best in Uzuri as a candidate to swap in on an unblocked Stealth card, but even then I’d rather have one of the options with a hit effect. 


213-215 - Ravenous Rabble - B-/C/C-

Ravenous Rabble is a great reprint for this set with Azalea. It's a great way for her to scout the top of her deck for Dominate and get a ‘Go Again’ attack across. Really though this can slot into any Red heavy deck that is looking to go wide and be aggressive. I think it’s also a solid pick up for both of the Assassins. Red is obviously the best, but I think yellow is pretty decent here as well. 


216-218 - Seek Horizon - C+/C/C-

Seek Horizon is on rate at 0-cost/4 power with the added upside of the optional ‘Go Again.’ That gives it a lot of flexibility depending on your hand: you can block with 3 cards and just send this back, or use it to end a chain of attacks, or use it as the first attack in the sequence if you need. Generally, a full card is more than you would like to pay for a 4 power attack, but Azalea loves this as a way to cherry pick an arrow to give Dominate. 


219-221 - Spring Load - C/D+/D-

Best case this is a worse Critical Strike because it only blocks for 2. It’s also highly conditional and if you ever want to Arsenal a card, you’ll be playing this for very low value. That all but rules this out for Ranger. I guess this is supposed to be a Ninja card. It kind of synergizes with Deadly Duo, but it doesn’t even retroactively get the buff if you play Short and Sharp from hand with this on the chain. The Red is probably serviceable as a conditional 1 for 5, but the others are pretty bad. In general, I am trying to find better options. 


222-224 - Come to Fight - C/C-/D+

Come to Fight is a bit below rate at 1-cost/+3 attack, but it does block for 3, which can be nice on a non-attack action. It slots into most decks. The Rangers and Arakni are probably most likely to want this, and I think it is a fine filler card in those decks. 

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225-227 - Scout the Periphery - B-/C+/C-

I love Scout the Periphery for Ranger and Azalea specifically. It can help set up Dominate and Azalea loves her +3 attack buffs. It also pairs well with Ravenous Rabbles and gives you the option of taking a peek at what your opponent might have in their next hand if you don’t get any benefit from looking at your own deck. I think the benefit here puts it a leg above Come to Fight, and is a good early pick to stay open. 


228-230 - Brush Off - B-/C-/D

Finally, we have two damage prevention generic Instants. Brush Off is 0-cost and prevents 3 at Red. I like the Red quite a bit, especially in classes without access to traps, given the amount of attack reactions floating around in this set. The Yellow and Blue fall off quite a bit, but these are also good sideboard candidates for whenever you match up against Benji.  


231-233 - Peace of Mind - C/C-/D+

Peace of Mind costs 2 and prevents 4 damage at Red but also grants a Ponder token. The damage prevention is below rate and it doesn’t feel good that this costs 2 cards from hand, but the Ponder token does help make up for some of that. This also pairs nicely with Seeker’s equipment to let you get a bit more value out of a Blue pitch. I think the Red and Yellow are both serviceable, if unexciting, in Limited. Like Brush Off this goes up in value a bit with the attack reactions, Benji, and Azalea in the set. I think I’d ideally like a few of these prevention effects in the more defensive decks.


Conclusion


And that’s it! Thanks for taking the time to read FAB Foundry's Outsiders Limited Set Review! I’m really excited to have a new Limited format after what feels like forever drafting Uprising. I'm available on Discord (AnthonyJ#4980) if you ever want to chat Limited! Special thanks to Team Foundry for their thoughts and feedback on this article. 


Let me know your thoughts on the cards, their ratings, and which heroes you are most excited to try out in Limited.


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