Back 4 Blood may be the most obvious Left 4 Dead successor we’ve gotten since Left 4 Dead 2 was released in 2009, but the game’s card system may leave you scratching your head and wondering what the best possible deck builds are.
I ultimately feel like Back 4 Blood‘s card system offers it a creative edge over Left 4 Dead and every other Left 4 Dead-inspired game out there, but trying to build a complete deck can feel a little overwhelming. There are just so many possibilities to consider and the game doesn’t offer a ton of guidance in terms of where you should start and where you’re ultimately trying to end up.
That being the case, we thought it would be a good idea to at least point you in the right direction and share a few incredible Back 4 Blood deck builds that we’ve found so far that will really showcase the potential of this system.
*Note: The cards in this deck are not listed in a specific order unless noted otherwise in the deck’s description.
Back 4 Blood: The “Left 4 Dead” Basic Deck Build
Vitamins
Cross Trainers
Reckless Strategy
Motorcycle Jacket
Ammo Scavenger
Tactical Vest
Line ‘Em Up
Adrenaline-Fueled
Chemical Courage
Second Chance
Knowledge is Power
Ridden Slayer
Sadistic
Trigger Control
Run and Gun
I’m calling this a “basic” build, but it might be more accurate to say that this build emphasizes assault rifles. It just so happens that the versatility of Back 4 Blood‘s assault rifle makes them a great choice for new players.
This build boosts the base damage you get from an assault rifle while offering basic bonuses to your mobility and defensive capabilities. It also grants you access to the incredibly valuable Second Chance card, which is basically Back 4 Blood’s best self-revive option.
If you’re a converted Left 4 Dead player looking to stick to a simple build that compliments that playstyle, this is a great way to go.
Back 4 Blood: The Best Melee Deck Build
Triumph
Slugger
Brazen
Batter Up
Breakout
Copper Scavenger
Spiky Bits
Heavy Hitter
Ignore the Pain
Meth Head
Sunder
Berserker
Cross Trainers
Weapon Scavenger
True Grit
While I’m not entirely convinced that melee is the way to go in Back 4 Blood, I will say that it’s a perfectly viable option if you’re playing with a well-coordinated team. It’s also a lot of fun.
Melee-focused cards like “Triumph,” “Slugger,” and “Batter Up” are certainly the heart of this particular build, so be sure to squeeze those clearly beneficial cards into the top of your deck. From there, you’ll want to find room for mobility and defensive perks, though there is plenty of additional room there for experimentation regarding which specific cards you ultimately go with.
This build also utilizes Weapon Scavenger and Copper Scavenger as team perks since melee players can sometimes accidentally be a bit selfish. However, you can certainly remove/change those cards based on your companions’ abilities and your personal preferences though.
Back 4 Blood: The Speedy Shotgun Deck Build
Cross Trainers
Rolling Thunder
Reload Drills
Scattergun Skills
Buckshot Bruiser
Shell Carrier
Killer’s Instinct
Shredder
Hyper Focused
Silver Bullets
Motorcycle Helmet
Superior Cardio
Run and Gun
True Grit
Vitamins
I love Back 4 Blood‘s shotguns, though you’re certainly going to have to unlock the right cards before you can really start to compensate for the inherent weaknesses of the weapon class.
This deck comes reasonably close to doing just that by emphasizing mobility and attempting to maximize the damage output of every shot you take. Don’t sacrifice any cards that buff your reload speed/ammo capacity but feel free to play with the rest.
Also, please note that this build runs Silver Bullets, which is an incredibly beneficial ability for overall damage output but may require a little cooperation/coordination with your team.
Back 4 Blood: The Pure Tank Deck Build
Canned Goods
Numb The Pain
Motorcycle Jacket
Scar Tissue
Wounded Animal
Amped Up
Ammo For All
Overwatch
Ignore the Pain
Fire in the Hole!
Numb
Hunker Down
Marked for Death
Miraculous Recovery
Face Your Fears
You don’t necessarily need a tank in Back 4 Blood, but it’s surprisingly fun to be the durable “leader” of your group.
This build almost entirely emphasizes defensive and team buff abilities for that real “pure tank” feeling. The basic idea is that you’re always going to be at the front of your group, and you’re always going to be the one to trigger swarms so that you can buy the rest of your team the time and space they need to do their thing.
This particular build also doesn’t emphasize one particular weapon over others, though there is something to be said for going with a shotgun or melee build if you’re interested in focusing on either.
Back 4 Blood: The Scout Deck Build
Adrenaline-Fueled
Ammo For All
Mandatory PT
Cross Trainers
Run and Gun
Evasive Action
Screwdriver
Shredder
Stimulants
Superior Cardio
Energy Bar
Team Stamina
Team Quick Slot
Marathon Runner
Pep in Your Step
This deck is admittedly a little gimmicky, but it could easily form the basis of a “scout” build that emphasizes stamina, mobility, and versatility.
You absolutely want to roll out with Mandatory PT, Cross Trainers, and Run and Gun with just about any version of this build (and Adrenaline-Fueled is an incredible starting card), but how much you ultimately choose to emphasize your stamina and movement speed really depends on your preferences. I also like Shredder for this speed-focused deck, but that is certainly optional.
This build also doesn’t emphasize any particular weapon, but you can certainly play around with your various options based on your preferences. Actually, it might be advisable to play with an SMG-focused build and really hit that “run and gun” feel.
Back 4 Blood: The Copper Gatherer Deck Build
Copper Scavenger
Compound Interest
Money Grubbers
Lucky Pennies
Bounty Hunter
Life Insurance
Mandatory PT
Reload Drills
Marked For Death
Confident Killer
Ammo for All
Surplus Pouches
Down in Front
Avenge the Fallen
Combat Training
This is a fascinating build that basically emphasizes collecting as much currency as possible and buffing your team up whenever possible.
You’re obviously going to want to focus on most of the “copper” cards available to you when you’re running this build, but it’s worth experimenting with the rest of the cards in this deck in terms of how you want to best be able to “buff” your team and ultimately provide a money-focused support role.
Having said that, it really does feel like you have to go all-in with some of these copper cards in order to get the most out of this archetype.
Back 4 Blood: The Buffed Medic Deck Build
Support Scavenger
Inspiring Sacrifice
Reckless Strategy
Field Surgeon
Shoulder Bag
Broadside
Combat Medic
Group Therapy
Medical Professional
Amped Up
Wooden Armor
Charitable Soul
Poultice
Cross Trainers
Pep Talk
There are a surprising number of cards in Back 4 Blood that benefit both tank and healer roles, so it just makes sense to try to build a deck that combines the best of those worlds.
I’d say that this particular build makes you more of a tanky healer than a pure tank with increased healing capabilities, though you can certainly fill the tank role on any team that doesn’t have a better option.
That being said, if you want to play more of a pure tank that offers some level of group healing, you can certainly swap out a couple of cards here and there and focus more on your personal defensive capabilities.
Back 4 Blood: The Angel of Death Healer Deck Build
Durable
Inspiring Sacrifice
Avenge the Fallen
Smelling Salts
Rousing Speech
Combat Medic
Wounded
True Grit
Run like Hell
Chemical Courage
Amped Up
Fresh Bandage
Group Therapy
Medical Professional
Offensive Scavenger
If you’re looking for an…unusual way to play a medic in Back 4 Blood, then I highly recommend this support build that is basically built around one of your teammates falling at some point.
Now, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that one of your teammates should intentionally become incapacitated to make this build work, but you’d be surprised how often that tends to happen and how useful some of the cards that only “proc” when a teammate is incapacitated can be.
Having said that, be sure to stock up on some more traditional medic cards just so you can be a general asset to your team even when everyone is alive.
Back 4 Blood: Mutation Hunter Deck Build
Marked for Death
Reckless Strategy
Confident Killer
Ridden Slayer
Shredder
Bounty Hunter
Run and Gun
Silver Bullets
Motorcycle Jacket
Tactical Vest
True Grit
Trigger Control
Broadside
In the Zone
Inspiring Sacrifice
Back 4 Blood’s mutations are a constant threat, so it just makes sense to have someone on the team that specializes in taking down the game’s most intimidating foes.
The basic idea here is that you need to be the one who stays alive longest during mutation encounters and that you need to be the one who either kills or does the most damage to mutations. In fact, this build is designed to emphasize mutation damage over pretty much everything else.
That being said, you can certainly play with some of the “supplementary” cards on this list that don’t focus on mutation damage, especially if you can sneak in a few team support cards.
Back 4 Blood: The “Near and Far” Shotgun/Sniper Deck Build
Two is One and One is None
Weapon Scavenger
Avenge the Fallen
Ridden Slayer
Admin Reload
Padded Suit
Reload Drills
Stock Pouch
Rolling Thunder
Patient Hunter
Glass Cannon
Cocky
Confident Killer
Widemouth Magwell
Reckless Strategy
I was tempted to end this list on a more “traditional” build, but since that isn’t a lot of fun, here’s a sniper/shotgun deck that is very risky and certainly a lot of fun.
This deck is built around Two is One and One is None (which lets you put a primary weapon in your secondary slot) and the fact that snipers and shotguns both benefit from faster swap and reload speeds. As such, most of the cards in this deck are chosen to make you feel like a faster, more effective hunter who can operate from two distinct distances.
Still, you may want to remove a couple of the greedier cards in this deck for something that increases your base stats or just helps out your teammates a little more.