Roll of Honor: Azalea, Ace in the Hole

Debuting in Arcane Rising on March 27, 2020, Azalea introduced a classic fantasy archetype to Flesh and Blood in such a flavourful way only made possible by the game's unique mechanics. Players could 'load' an arrow into their arsenal using a bow, then 'fire' it at the opponent. While this made for a deeply immersive Ranger experience, Azalea initially struggled to keep up with the other heroes, which earned her the underdog label.

Throughout the years, Azalea gained a cult following, regardless of her strength in the meta. While other heroes would take up most of the limelight on the competitive stage, many players attested that Azalea was their true favourite at home, and the truly loyal fans flocked to her at all levels of play, regardless of their chances of victory - simply because of how much they enjoyed the playstyle.

With the release of Outsiders in 2023, the Ranger class went through a renaissance. The introduction of pumps that could lace an arrow with several nasty on-hit effects allowed Azalea to finally line up those shots she had been missing - and when they landed, they were devastating. Excitement spread through the Azalea fanbase like Bloodrot Pox, and although her Elemental counterpart was the primary Ranger in the format for the remainder of the year, the sentiment was clear - Azalea was finally a good deck.

As other heroes passed on into the realm of Living Legend, the road to victory opened up for Azalea, and she took to it without a second thought. Leaving her friends from Arcane Rising playing catchup, Azalea went on to win several Callings, Battle Hardened, Road to Nationals, Pro Quests, and more. She was an underdog no longer - now she was a top dog.

Eventually Azalea reached the end of her run, landing Battle Hardened: Bucharest as her final target. Flesh and Blood's first Ranger, once the butt of every joke, turned serious meta threat, enjoyed her hard-earned and well-deserved days in the sun. Fans both new and old, whether they had joined the game with her Armory Deck, or whether they had been a die-hard from day 1, were sad to see her go.

Azalea, Ace in the Hole officially reached Living Legend status in Classic Constructed on July 18, 2025—more than 5 years from her debut. Congratulations to everyone who took aim and hit their targets. Your names have been put in the ledger on the Roll of Honor!