Today’s article sees us sit down with Brodie Spurlock: winner of the Battle Hardened: Dallas, and at 16 years old, the youngest player to win a high-level competitive Flesh and Blood tournament. Having previously won a ProQuest event, which earned him a direct invitation to the Pro Tour: New Jersey, he has also won a PTI, which can be used for invite-only events in the future. Since joining his first event in December, he has launched himself into the competitive scene, with only three years of prior experience playing TCGs.
“I started playing [TCGs] when I was 13. I have an older brother who used to play, and he got myself and my younger brother into it. I played in person up until the pandemic, then switched to online for a while and eventually stopped playing because I missed in person play and the organized play system was not in a great spot. I went for a couple of months without any card game playing. I had heard about Flesh and Blood on ChannelFireball, and a couple of people in the local stores in my area had also mentioned that it was a good game and I should check it out. So I did a little bit of research, and watched the How to Play videos for Flesh and Blood in November 2021. Then in early December, I bought a couple of pre-con Chane Blitz decks from the store and learned with those, and then I’ve pretty much been playing non-stop since then.”
“I am glad that I started with Chane. While there are plenty of interesting heroes in the game, I really like the play patterns and the way you have to make decisions with managing the banish zone in that deck. I think that kind of immediately showcased for me the level of decision-making and intriguing gameplay that FAB has to offer.
I also really liked the resource system in this game where, though you can draw bad hands, every card can serve every purpose — whether that be playing, blocking, or pitching. The concept that you are much less likely to get a horrible hand that causes you to not be able to do anything, and that as long as you could come up with some way to use the cards you were given, you’d be able to reach a desirable outcome. And that it was more a matter of skill than luck, is one aspect that really drew me to the game and kept me playing.”
While originally Brodie became involved in the community to learn the game and practice for tournaments, he described both his local scene and the larger FAB community as wholesome, welcoming, and warm.
“At first, it was all about learning the game, getting better, and eventually hoping to compete. But quickly, as I met more people in my local area, I became aware that Flesh and Blood has an incredible community. Everyone seemed very friendly and welcoming, and in the months since, as I’ve traveled and met more people, it’s kind of blown me away just how amazing everyone is, even at the higher levels of competition. Everyone is respectful and there to have a good time. It just feels like a very wholesome community, and so as I got a taste of that, I wanted to meet more people and interact more with the community as a whole, because I think it really stands out, even from other card games, as just being a great group of people.”
Meeting new people is one of the things Brodie enjoys the most about competing in tournaments. Interacting with new players, making friends, and meeting with players who travel to the same events creates a sense of community beyond just the local scene. It’s a chance to play with friends that he only gets to see at these larger tournaments; alongside the drive to practice, improve, and continue to test his skills against other players.
“I do really just like the joy of competing. That’s the main thing that drives me to spend so much time on the game practicing and traveling to these events is the competition; the hunger to compete more and see how I stack up against the field.”
Not that Brodie had to travel far to attend the Battle Hardened event, where he had the home-field advantage, as Star City Games hosted the event in Dallas. As a result, the local game stores provided a large part of his preparation for the event.
“I play a ton of Armory’s each week, and Skirmish season was going on in the weeks before it, so all of the local stores had switched whatever format rotation they had their Armory [events] on to Blitz for several weeks, just to give everyone practice for all those events. That was a great way for me to get reps in with my deck. And then playing Skirmishes, I think I played four Skirmish [events] in the two weeks before the Battle Hardened. So I got a lot of practice versus the other decks in the field, and got to see what the meta looked like.”
“I actually felt quite prepared going into Dallas — more so than I thought I would, given that before the Skirmish season started, I had played very little Blitz in general. But over those two weeks, I think I really got a taste of what the meta looked like, how the different decks played against each other, and I felt quite confident on Viserai as both the strongest deck in that field, and as one where I really knew the hero and the play patterns, because he is the same hero that I’d been playing in CC, so I had a ton of experience in that regard.
So going into that weekend, I felt like I knew all of the matchups really well, except for perhaps Kano. That was one thing that kind of scared me. I felt like that matchup was a little bit unpredictable, but other than that, I felt really good about the metagame and where Viserai stood.”
Going into the Top 8, Brodie was one of only two Viserai players in the Top 8, the other being two-time Calling top 8 finisher Brendan Patrick. The rest of the field included a Rhinar, Kassai, Oldhim, Dash, Briar, and Kano; a field comprising six different classes. How did Brodie feel when he realized he’d made the Top 8, and what was going through his mind?
“I was happy, of course, and excited to have made it that far. I was also... it was a sigh of relief, in a way, because I lost in round two of Swiss in this event, and there were eight rounds of Swiss. As it happened, I ended up winning the next six to finish 7-1, but all day since I had lost round two, in the back of my mind, I had been aware that if I lost another round, it probably meant that I was out of Top 8 contention, at least if I lost before round seven or eight. So having made it was a little bit of a relief! And then also, I was trying to maintain just a good, balanced state of mind to get ready for those games, because that was something I tried to work on a lot in this event in general; really focusing on the game itself and the play patterns and such, and focusing less on the pressure of what it might mean to win or lose. So I think I was really just trying to keep my mental state in check, and stay calm getting ready for the Top 8.”
When the moment came where Brodie realized that he’d won the final match, and the title of Battle Hardened: Dallas Champion, he said it was ‘an even bigger sigh of relief.’
“At that point, I was just very happy, and it was time to celebrate. I felt like I had picked the right deck for this event, and put the time in to test, and I was happy to see it pay off. I no longer felt like I needed to kind of keep myself under control in order to stay focused and perform. I do think that win meant a lot for me because that was the first time I had ever gotten an actual PTI, which essentially means that I have a guaranteed entry to the World Championship. And that was something that was a big goal of mine for this year.”
By winning the Battle Hardened with Viserai, Brodie became one of the key figures in seeing the hero reach Living Legend status, the first in Flesh and Blood history. How does he feel about seeing Viserai reach this threshold, and who does he think can follow in Viserai’s footsteps?
“I think this question is interesting. Along with the other bans that were just announced, it is kind of up in the air — I suspect Oldhim will continue to be quite good, along with others such as Rhinar and Briar, that were maybe overpowered by Viserai previously, but were still quite strong in the previous meta. I think Rhinar played Heartened Cross Strap, so that is going to affect him, I don’t know what that deck composition looks like. But Briar, I think, was actually one of the more underestimated decks in the previous meta, so I expect to see a bit of her. Iyslander is one that I think is interesting, maybe a bit of a mystery because that hero has really strange play patterns and matchups. I think she’s been putting up some good results recently, and it’s possible that she will become more of a dominant hero in Blitz.
Kano is also worth mentioning, Kassai as well. I think Kassai had some bad matchups in the previous field, that might still be the case, but she’s very consistent, and I’m sure she’ll continue to see play. Kano, who I know has been hit by bans, but also has a lot of explosive potential, he’s one of the decks I’m most curious to see... what he looks like after the bans go into effect, without Snapback, or Stir [the Aetherwinds].”
With an invite to the Pro Tour, and a PTI to use at a later date, Brodie is most excited for the Pro Tour: New Jersey and the World Championship, but also said he’s looking forward to attending the Uprising World Premiere, which was announced shortly before we spoke.
“I think a big part of what’s so exciting about Jersey is that it’s the first-ever Pro Tour for this game. That alone makes it a really special thing to get to be a part of. And then I’m also just looking forward to just getting to meet and play against some of the best players in the world. There’s going to be a lot of big names of the game at this event, and it’ll just be awesome to get to be in that environment with them and hopefully learn some things as well. Honestly, so far, I’ve not done a lot of preparation for the Pro Tour: New Jersey, just because of the new meta that there’s going to be.
This coming weekend, I am traveling to Pittsburgh to play in the CC Battle Hardened there, which will be the old format.” [NB: the changes from the recent Banned & Suspended announcement won’t come into effect until May 2nd, i.e. after the Battle Hardened: Pittsburgh on May 1st.] “So I’m actually still focusing on the old meta, and then as soon as I get back from Pittsburgh, I’m planning to buckle down on testing for Jersey, and what the meta is going to look like after the bans go into effect.”
As we talk, the discussion turns to the metagame for Pro Tour: New Jersey. While Bravo, Star of the Show’s fate was hanging in the air for a number of weeks, he has yet to reach Living Legend status, meaning that he’s still waiting in the wings for the Pro Tour. While Brodie thinks that ‘Starvo’ is still a strong contender, there are others to keep an eye on at the event.
“There are definitely several heroes I’m considering, and I’m curious to see what they look like. Obviously, Starvo and Prism are still big — Starvo has been hit; Prism has not, but she has a very interesting place in the meta where a rise in aggro decks after the ban could cause her to be more poorly positioned. I’m curious to see how many people are playing her, first of all, and how well she stacks up against the new field. I think that Starvo will still be a very relevant hero in Jersey, and the major change is that Viserai has been, in my opinion, pretty heavily nerfed. I feel that Chane is probably the premier Runeblade now, and so there’s going to be a spike in Chane players. Those are probably the big three I’m looking out for, as well as perhaps Lexi... and maybe Briar. I don’t know what Briar looks like in comparison to Chane.”
Like Brodie with Battle Hardened: Dallas, many players who weren’t able to secure their invitation to the Pro Tour: New Jersey are looking to the two other events of the weekend, the Calling: New Jersey and Battle Hardened: New Jersey. Does he have any advice for players looking to enter these events and fight for a PTI, to be used at future invite-only tournaments?
“I would say that for players who are really looking to be as competitive as possible and take home a win, something that I find very helpful in card games is not only getting sufficient reps with whatever hero you’re going to be playing, but putting yourself in the pilot’s seat of whatever other decks you think are going to be relevant in the metagame. I think that really understanding how all of your opponents play the game and want to win can give you a serious edge. I think some players put a lot of time into their own deck, but even if they’ve played a matchup many times, they never really understand that matchup as well as they could until they’ve sat on the other side of it. So that’s a recommendation, if you have the means to borrow someone’s deck or play proxied, digitally, whatever; try to get your hands on other heroes and play them each at least a couple of times, because I think that can give you a big advantage.”
Returning to the multiple mentions of the World Championship throughout the interview, I asked him what he would be most looking forward to at the very first Flesh and Blood World Championship.
“Similar to the Pro Tour, just the idea of getting to play in the very first World Championship is exciting to me. It’s something that will go down in history, and I’m really excited to get to be there for that. That event is the pinnacle of organized play, so I look forward to just watching the action play out. Obviously, that’s farther away in the future, so I’m not sure what the meta would look like then or anything of that sort, but I’m very excited to be able to be a part of that experience.”
Finally, I asked Brodie what his favourite moment has been so far in his Flesh and Blood journey. He did name a winning moment, but it wasn’t Battle Hardened: Dallas.
“When I won my first ProQuest. The ProQuest season was my first time really stepping into the more competitive side of Flesh and Blood, and taking home that trophy was a special moment for me because it was my first time winning anything important, and it meant that I was going to be able to go to the first Pro Tour. The Battle Hardened, of course, was also a ton of fun, and winning that was very exciting, but I think the ProQuest... just having been the first time that I really got to experience that feeling of playing a long day of Flesh and Blood, putting in the work and time, and seeing it pay off. That memory of like, the first time feeling that satisfaction. Right now, that’s my favorite moment.”
“I would like to primarily thank my mom for supporting me in playing Flesh and Blood, and traveling around the country to do so. She has not only been playing herself, which I was very happy about, but also just been a really great support system for me to be able to compete. I just have a massive amount of appreciation for everything that she lets me do, being 16. Without her support, I don’t think I’d be able to treat this game as seriously and competitively as I do. So number one thank you goes to my mom.
Also, thanks to all of the players in my local scene, just for being so awesome, welcoming me to the game, and making our weekly Armory’s so fun. And everyone that I’ve met around while traveling, I’ve had a great time stepping into this game and meeting all of the people in the community.”