The Sideboard Sidebar

SECTION I — Introduction: What Sideboarding Really Is in Flesh and Blood

Sideboarding is one of the most overlooked and underdeveloped skills in competitive Flesh and Blood. Most players know it exists, most players make small adjustments before a match, and most players can identify a handful of cards they want against a specific hero but very few players understand the full strategic depth that sideboarding represents.

In Flesh and Blood, sideboarding isn’t just the act of swapping out a few cards before the game starts. It’s the deliberate reshaping of your deck’s identity to match the opponent sitting across from you. It’s the quiet, invisible battleground where nearly half of competitive games are won or lost before the first action point is spent. FAB is a game where resource curves, equipment loadouts, threat density, and defense values are all tightly woven together. Changing even a small part of that fabric can dramatically shift how the game plays out.

Unlike many other trading card games, FAB adds a unique wrinkle: equipment is part of your sideboard. Legs, arms, chest, headpieces, and sometimes even weapons, aren’t just accessories—they’re some of the most powerful tools you have to fundamentally alter how your deck performs. Against Wizards, you may need Arcane Barrier. Against Guardians, you may need higher block values. Against aggressive heroes, you may need to raise your damage ceiling. Because of this, sideboarding in FAB carries layers of subtlety and importance that most players might not fully understand.