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What Makes FAB Card Identification Unique
Flesh and Blood (FAB) has a card identification system unlike any other major TCG. Three factors make FAB cards particularly important to identify precisely:
The pitch value system: Every FAB card has a pitch value of 1 (red), 2 (yellow), or 3 (blue), indicated by a coloured strip at the top of the card. The same card name can exist in three different pitch versions with very different values.
Cold Foil vs Rainbow Foil: FAB's two foiling systems create dramatically different visual effects and values. Cold Foil (CF) is applied to high-rarity cards and is significantly rarer than Rainbow Foil (RF). A Cold Foil Legendary can be worth 5–20× the Rainbow Foil version.
Three editions: Alpha (2019, very limited), 1st Edition (first major print run), and Unlimited (ongoing printing). Alpha cards have no set symbol and were printed in tiny quantities. The value difference between Alpha and Unlimited of the same card can be enormous.
The FAB Rarity System
FAB's rarity system is unconventional compared to most TCGs:
Common (C)
The most abundant cards. Come in all three pitch values (red, yellow, blue). Critical for gameplay — most FAB decks are 60% Commons. Despite being common, some tournament staples reach $5–15 in foil.
Rare (R)
Higher power level than Commons. Come in specific pitch colours. Non-foil Rares are typically $0.50–$5. Rainbow Foil Rares are $5–30 for key cards.
Super Rare (SR)
Roughly equivalent to "Uncommon" in power level but at higher rarity. Non-foil SRs are $2–20. Rainbow Foil SRs can reach $50–200 for meta-defining cards.
Majestic (M)
The bread-and-butter premium rarity. Roughly equivalent to Rare in other TCGs. Non-foil Majestics are $5–50. Cold Foil Majestics are $30–200+.
Legendary (L)
The highest standard rarity. One or two Legendary cards per set. Non-foil Legendaries are $50–500+. Cold Foil Legendaries are $200–$3,000+ for the most important cards.
Fabled (F)
Essentially the "Mythic Rare" or "Secret Rare" of FAB. Extremely rare — sometimes 1 per case or rarer. Cold Foil Fabled cards are among the most valuable FAB collectibles, potentially reaching $5,000–$10,000+ for key cards.
Cold Foil vs Rainbow Foil: Visual Identification
This is the most critical identification distinction in FAB collecting.
Cold Foil (CF)
Visual appearance: Cold Foil has a subtle, restrained foil treatment with a distinctive blue-silver shimmer. The foil appears "cool" or "icy" in tone — it doesn't have the rainbow burst of traditional foils. The artwork remains clear while the surrounding card elements (borders, text boxes, name plate) have the cold, metallic shimmer.
How to identify:
- •Tilt the card slowly under good lighting
- •Cold Foil shimmers with a blue-silver, almost monochromatic shimmer
- •The shimmer doesn't have the dramatic rainbow colour shifts of Rainbow Foil
- •The card surface has a slightly different texture — subtly more matte than Rainbow Foil
Rarity: Applied only to high-rarity cards (Majestic and above). Every Majestic, Legendary, and Fabled has a Cold Foil version.
Value: Significantly higher than the equivalent non-foil or Rainbow Foil version. A Cold Foil Legendary is typically worth 5–15× the non-foil version.
Rainbow Foil (RF)
Visual appearance: Rainbow Foil is a more traditional, vibrant foiling applied to lower-rarity cards (Common, Rare, Super Rare). It has bright, multi-coloured rainbow shifts when tilted — similar to traditional MTG foils but with a distinct FAB pattern.
How to identify:
- •Vibrant, multi-colour rainbow shimmer when tilted
- •Applied to Commons, Rares, and Super Rares (not Majestics and above in most sets)
- •The rainbow effect is bright and obvious, not subtle
Rarity: Lower rarity than Cold Foil. Every card in FAB has a Rainbow Foil version (for Commons through SRs) or a Cold Foil version (for Majestics and above).
Value: Typically 2–5× the non-foil version for the same card.
Alpha Edition: The Holy Grail of FAB Collecting
Alpha is the original printing of Flesh and Blood's first set, Welcome to Rathe (WTR), released in October 2019 — before the game became commercially successful in North America and Europe.
How to Identify Alpha
No set symbol: Alpha cards have no set symbol on the card. All subsequent FAB printings (1st Edition and Unlimited) have the WTR set symbol in the bottom-right. If a Welcome to Rathe card lacks a set symbol, it's Alpha.
Card stock: Alpha cards have slightly different card stock from later printings — experienced collectors can feel the difference, but this requires handling both versions.
Print run: Alpha was distributed primarily in Australia and New Zealand at launch. North American and European distribution was extremely limited. This makes Alpha genuinely rare — not just collectibly rare but actually rare.
Value comparison:
- •Alpha Cold Foil Legendary: $500–$3,000+
- •1st Edition Cold Foil Legendary: $200–$1,500
- •Unlimited Cold Foil Legendary: $100–$800
1st Edition vs Unlimited
After Alpha, FAB has two ongoing editions:
1st Edition: The first mainstream print run of any set. Identified by the "1st Edition" text below the set symbol on the card. 1st Edition cards are typically printed in smaller quantities than Unlimited.
Unlimited: The ongoing reprint edition. No edition text — identified by the absence of "1st Edition" below the set symbol. Unlimited sets are usually printed to demand, making them more abundant.
The value premium for 1st Edition over Unlimited varies by set and rarity:
- •For early sets (WTR, ARC, CRU), the 1st Edition premium is significant: often 2–5× for Cold Foil Legendaries
- •For recent sets, the 1st Edition premium is more modest as print runs have increased
The Pitch Value System: Red, Yellow, Blue
One feature completely unique to FAB: every card that provides resources has a pitch value, indicated by a coloured banner at the top of the card.
Red (pitch 1): Provides 1 resource when pitched. Usually the most aggressive/offensive version of the card.
Yellow (pitch 2): Provides 2 resources when pitched. A balanced version with moderate power.
Blue (pitch 3): Provides 3 resources when pitched. Usually the most defensive/efficient version for resource generation.
For our scanner: when photographing a FAB card for identification, include the top of the card clearly — the pitch colour is a key identifier and is used to distinguish the three versions of any given FAB card.
Using Our FAB Scanner
Our Flesh and Blood scanner identifies:
- •Card name and hero class restriction
- •Set code and edition (Alpha / 1st Edition / Unlimited)
- •Pitch value: red (1) / yellow (2) / blue (3)
- •Foiling: Cold Foil (CF) / Rainbow Foil (RF) / Non-Foil
- •Rarity: Common through Fabled
- •Equipment type if applicable
- •Current market prices from FAB DB, Card Kingdom, and TCGPlayer
The most important photo tip for FAB: make sure the pitch colour strip at the top of the card is clearly visible in your photo, and use indirect lighting for Cold Foil cards to capture the distinctive blue-silver shimmer accurately.
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