Pro Tour: Los Angeles Live Blog

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Champion Feeling

That's it - the greatest game of Flesh and Blood in history.

The Pro Tour Los Angeles is won and done.

We have a sole survivor, a sole victor who crushed and annihilated all competition.

This is your new Pro Tour Champion: Arthur Trehet - joining Pablo Pintor, Matthew Foulkes, and Michael Feng in the history books of the Flesh and Blood Pro Tour.

Congratulations, Arthur - hopefully they will name the Deathmatch Arena after you -- the last one to exit! Arthur takes home a giant cheque for $50,000 USD, all part of Flesh and Blood's epic $1,500,00 prize offering for 2024. But that's not all folks - there's also a one-of-a-kind pro tour champion's card, very surely the only one that will be won for Dromai, Ash Artist given her impending status as a living legend. Then there's a Gold Foil Legendary Envelope, and a Professional Tournament Invite.

What an achievement, for having only played the game for a year. There's no bad time to start playing Flesh and Blood - Arthur has proved that with practice and dedication, anyone could be the next Pro Tour Champion.

All that anyone needs to start is a play-set of Sigil of Solace.

Today we saw a new professional crowned.

Today we saw a player, who has only played for a year, play Sigil of Solace and end up $50,000 USD richer. That will be a nice flight back to France... what a trip!

The Calling Los Angeles - Champion Feeling

This is such an amazing weekend of top-level Flesh and Blood, and it's been a huge effort for all of our Top 8 players to pilot their decks, against a field of 500+ other competitors, across thirteen intensive rounds of play to the top of the standings and through the brackets of the Top 8.

In a meta that looked very similar to the Pro Tour, but without the distraction of Booster Draft, we saw a vastly different Top 8 materialise to the main event. Perhaps the only similarity is that a sole Kano was able to make it through the fray. Alas, the other similarity could be that a modern lady of Flesh and Blood, Kassai of the Golden Sands was the winning hero.

Our congratulations go to Matthew Dilks, who sat in first seed, and dropped just one game across the entire event - going on an amazing streak of 15 - 1 (including the finals games) - with the only loss being against his finals opponent, Majin Bae, whom he was able to get revenge on in the match that counted. We know Kassai doesn't like to lose, and to be sure, she brought a gallon bucket of water to the feature match table to put Kano's fire out! Aether Flare.... more like Aether Who Cares?!

For his trials, Matthew walks away with an impressive bounty, a sack full of gold - $7,500 USD to be exact, plus a Golden Cold Foil Balance of Justice exclusive tournament prize, a Professional Tournament Invite, and the prestigious trophy with those saucy words "The Calling Los Angeles Champion" engraved forever.

Well done also to Grand Finalist, Majin Bae, who - while defeated - still walks away with a wonderful feeling of being $3,500 USD richer, the owner of a new Gold Foil Legendary Black Envelope, and receiving a Professional Tournament Invite to compete in Pro Tour Amsterdam or the 2024 World Championships in Osaka, Japan.

Battle Hardened Los Angeles - Champion Feeling

In a day that saw many winners crowned, we saw the tension come off a little bit in the Battle Hardened finals, with team mates and good friends meeting. Brodie Spurlock faced off against Michael Feng in the finals of the Living Legend format event.

In the end while they are friends and team mates, it was still a hyper competitive match with both players showing their fierce desire to compete at the highest level. With Michael playing banish-man aka Chane, Bound by Shadow against Brodie's noble Lexi, Livewire, there wasn't enough sun in all of California to keep the Shadow from spreading, and Michael was able to secure the juicy prize of $500 USD, a Gold Foil Legendary Black Envelope, and a Professional Tournament Invite (PTI). Brodie also walked away with $500 USD, and a PTI - what a great team day out!

Our Top 8 finalists in ranked order at the end of Round 7:

1. Kevin Brayer
2. Brodie Spurlock
3. Jake Warburton
4. CYK Lionel
5. Gordon Koh Koh
6. Peter Buddensiek
7. Daniel Dreisziger
8. Michael Feng
   
   Congratulations to all of our Top 8 finalists, who played their hardest through seven intensive rounds of Living Legend to get to hold these marvellous Anothos mats. They will be able to hammer their opponents in any format, or take their best friends out for dinner thanks to their cheques for $125/$250/$500 USD -- all part of Flesh and Blood's $1,500,000 prize pool for 2024 Organised Play.

Pro Tour Los Angeles - The Best Weekend Yet

We are in Hollywood... Tinseltown... Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world, and on top of the premium competitive events - The Calling and the Pro Tour - that anchor Flesh and Blood's $1,500,000 Organised Play program for 2024, there are many great events which make up these weekends where fans can express their love and talents beyond playing Classic Constructed. These events include the Cosplay Competition, UPF Draft, and Commoner. There are so many great reasons to come to the next event coming up, dear reader!

Cosplay Competition

We kicked off the Cosplay with nine fantastic performances in this weekend's competition, and the atmosphere was electric. Contestants showed great creativity and passion, drawing from every corner of Rathe to influence their submission. It is inspiring to see the talent, technique, and smart use of materials to bring the characters and scenes of the game to life.

Congratulations go to Zeni, who won first place with her amazing interpretation of Kano, a personal favourite of Flesh and Blood creator - James White, seen below getting a personal Lesson in Lava from today's champion cosplayer. For her excellent performance, Zeno takes home the amazing Cold Foil Taylor promo card.

Zeni, as Kano, Dracai of Aether

Crafting my Kano cosplay was an epic saga of geeky proportions. Over 1000 hours of 3D modeling and printing... the pièce de résistance: a wizard staff that puffs smoke, and a pocket-sized flamethrower - when it ignites, it’s like a mini Aether Wildfire in my hand!

Kano? More like Ka-YES!

The three other finalist were also marvellous entries equally worthy of the royal court of Volcor; they were, in no particular order:

Carolina, as Victor Goldmane, High and Might

My inspiration for this cosplay is how alike Victor and I are... I’ve come to the realisation that my favourite class to cosplay is Guardian. They’re all very different but have similar features in their designs that tie them all together.

My favourite part of this cosplay was the ability to free hand sculpt the lion head on my breast plate and shield using foam clay, and my shoes that I sculpted to look like horse hoofs.

Max Ferocity, as Combustible Courier

The Machbreaker armor build required foam-smithing, laser cutting, and programming, as well as blood, sweat, and skinned knees. I was inspired to dust off my figure skates and bring the bright lights and neon spirit of this art to the streets of LA by rebuilding them to inlines complete with lighted wheels.

My favourite details in this costume include the ‘neon’ lighting, afterburner style ‘engine’, and colour palette which I created by custom mixing my own paints from automotive pigments to capture the colour shift finish of the suit. The wig was also custom dyed and highlighted using 6 different colours that show off layers of neon rainbow when catching the breeze on my way to Maximum Velocity.

Marcus, as Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity

Nearly the entire armour and prop build is EVA and craft foam, with certain pieces containing and supported by PVC piping. I had fielded most of this cosplay back in US Nationals last year in Vegas, but didn't have everything ready in time! I've come back with upgrades like matching boots to Oldhim's armour, a scale mail skirt, chest plate, and proper support via PVC pipe apparatus to support his giant shoulder pads!

Guardian has remained my favourite class, and Oldhim really embodies the Stalwart look of an impenetrable Guardian, as such I really wanted to do justice to him with my cosplay. Size, detail, painted look, all of it.

The Biggest Flesh and Blood Draft Ever

We also hosted the single biggest Flesh and Blood Booster Draft ever, with nearly 400 people sitting down to play the Sunday afternoon UPF Draft event. This is proving to be one of the most popular formats at Flesh and Blood weekends, and is also a testament to the success and popularity of Heavy Hitters Booster Draft.

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Finals Preview

This is it. This is the grand finale that everyone has been waiting for. Do not do anything else. Put down the spoon - breakfast can wait. Put down the socks - the feet can go bare. Put down the keys - someone else can drive. Put down everything and just watch. This is Pro Tour Los Angeles, and it is the grand final. Today, one of these warriors will walk away with a $50,000 USD cheque, a championship card unique to their hero, a Gold Foil Legendary envelope, a Professional Tournament Invite (Pro Tour Amsterdam is in August) and the admiration of thousands of players worldwide.

The only thing left to do is to decide who to cheer for?

• Like dragons? French people? French people named Arthur? Cheer for Arthur.
• Like warriors? German people? German people named Maximilian? Cheer for Max.

This match is going to be a great contest - these are two very skilled players with a game plan, and a clear view of what's needed to get to the championship. Each player has some distinct advantages going into this match.

• For Max, he has experience on his side. He has been playing since the beginning, and made it to the finals of the German Nationals in 2021.
• For Arthur, he is a newer player (since 2023), but he has a strong play style and a flawless record in Classic Constructed this weekend.
  
  LET'S GO!!

The Calling Los Angeles - Top 8

At long last, as the events draw to a close and just a few champions are left standing, we reach the pointy end of the day where our valiant heroes will compete for their share of $30,000 USD, the prestigious trophy, and the beautiful Gold Cold Foil Balance of Justice that awaits the winner - not to mention the bragging rights!

Meet the Top 8

1. Matthew Dilks from Canada, playing Kassai of the Golden Sand
2. Pierre-Nicolas Perrin from The USA, playing Kassai of the Golden Sand
3. Majin Bae from The USA, playing Kano, Dracai of Aether
4. Nova Chan from Hong Kong, playing Victor Goldmane, High and Mighty
5. Eric Lerer from Canada, playing Kayo, Armed and Dangerous
6. Kyle Yoder from The USA, playing Katsu, the Wanderer
7. Dennis Zhang from New Zealand, playing Victor Goldmane, High and Mighty
8. Yifei Wang from Australia, playing Kayo, Armed and Dangerous

While we predicted Kano, Kayo, Dromai, and Victor would be favoured in the Top 8, which mostly came true, with those heroes taking five of the eight available slots, we were also surprised by the one Katsu and the two Kassai that were able to kick, punch, and slice their way through to a podium finish. Congratulations to all of our Top 8 players, who beat the odds and have guaranteed themselves a Gold Cold Foil Legendary Envelope, and a Professional Tournament Invite, plus a thick wad of cash no matter what happens next!

Stay tuned as we continue an action packed weekend of Flesh and Blood!

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Semi-Finals Update

The semi-finals are quickly coming to a conclusion, with the first finals slot locked in after seeing Arthur skilfully piloted his Dromai deck to take down yet another Kayo. This is absolute carnage - this is beautiful Flesh and Blood at the highest level.

Keep watching - keep reading - there is plenty more Flesh and Blood this weekend.

Watch every game of the finals on the YouTube Flesh and Blood Top 8 Live Stream.

Artist Interview - Asur Misoa

While the giants are battling in the feature match area, and at every corner of the arena, we were able to find solace under a vendor tent where we sat down for an interview with the very talented Asur Misoa.

About Asur

• What is your story?
  • I am from France - I started painting around 2015. Before that I was a Software Engineer for research laboratories. I started by writing my own comic books - I did three, but after the first one I knew I wanted to do illustrations.
  • I finished the books and then perfected my skills in illustrations, because I am a card player and my dream was to illustrate for card games. They [LSS] contacted me to see if I would like to illustrate for Flesh and Blood.
• What is your process for creating art works?
  • I learnt all digitally. I am learning now to paint the 'traditional' way but I learnt digital and I create all my work from scratch digitally.
  • I start with a sketch but it is really really rough - I like painting... using lights and colours, so as soon as the sketch is accepted I switch to colour straight away.

About Flesh and Blood

• Of all the pieces you have created for Flesh and Blood do you have a favourite?
  • I like pretty much all of them... the guys [LSS] have asked me to paint the universe I really like painting.
  • Diadem of Dreamstate is a favourite because it was a fun card to paint. The Angels too - I was so happy when they asked me to paint both the angels.
  • I also really like painting landscapes - it is so much fun.
• What is it like working with Legend Story Studios as an artist?
  • I have been living the dream. They are awesome. Every card I work on each time... it is so inspiring - we can talk, they are human. It is a dream!
• What has been memorable about Pro Tour Los Angeles?
  • It is the people! All the players that came and love the cards, they are playing it and saying the art is good. Meeting new people, the community, and the other artists. All of the social parts!
• Are there any other Flesh and Blood artists you enjoy or are inspired by?
  • A lot of them - I love Isuardi's [Therianto] style, I love his paintings!
  • Joseph [Qiu] - his colours, his characters, I really admire how he does it [creating artworks]. When you see his sketches, he is so good and so fast.

Portfolio

At the time of writing, Asur has produced 19 fabulous artworks for Flesh and Blood:

• Ancestral Harmony
• Blessing of Focus
• Cromai
• Diadem of Dreamstate
• Dust from the Golden Plains
• Enigma
• Enigma, Ledger of Ancestry
• Figment of Judgement
• Luminaris, Angel's Glow
• Meganetic Lockwave
• Miraging Metamorph
• Prayer of Bellona
• Pulsewave Protocol
• Semblance
• Sigil of Solace (Barcelona)
• Sigil of Solace (Merlion)
• Suraya, Archangel of Erudition
• Tectonic Rift
• Themis, Archangel of Judgement
• Wayfinder's Crest

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Quarter-Finals Update

The Quarter-Finals are wrapped, giving us one Dorinthea and one Kayo from each of the mirror matches, the lone Kano fizzling out to see a second Kayo creep through to the semi-finals, and the sole dragon queen Dromai artistically leashes the British Brute to go home crying to Mother.

• Can Arthur successfully smite another Kayo in the semi-finals?
• Is Europe the strongest continent for Flesh and blood?
• What is stronger? Brutes? Dragons? Swords?

Congratulations go to our 5th-8th placed quarter-finalists, who have displayed tremendous skill and courage to make it this far. For their efforts they take home an amazing stack of prizes each:

• $6,000 USD cash
• Gold Foil Legendary Black Envelope
• Professional Tournament Invite

Make sure to tune in and catch each and every match on the YouTube Top 8 Live Stream.

The Calling Los Angeles - Day 2 Update

Yesterday, we saw a huge attendance for The Calling, with 550 savages lining up for a shot at the title. Unfortunately, Rathe can be a harsh and unforgiving place and even the heaviest hitters can get sent home. Indeed, after the Day 2 cut, we are left with just 74 players coming through the dust to fight out the last five rounds before we find out our Top 8. Let's have a look at the updated Metagame, and see which heroes have stood up to the test.

This meta game is still wide open. Bryan Gottlieb, you can put your feet up and sit back - Classic Constructed is balanced. Unless of course, one happens to be a fan of some of the depth-dwellers: Riptide, Teklovossen, Vynnset, and Olympia - their fans will very shortly be writing letters asking for justice.

Maybe the second half of the year, with two new sets - including the amazing Part the Mistveil previewed this weekend might bring some juice to the tired challengers. There are heuristics that would support some heroes getting a buff. For discussion on popular podcast: Arsenal Pass.

Favour for the Top 8 goes here to the likes of Kano, Kayo, Dromai, and Victor. It's very likely that the pace management and utility that these decks offer will be sufficient to run out and over the strength of the other decks near the top. It is difficult to see the likes of Katsu, Levia, or Dash being able to tiptoe around the raw power of the formerly mentioned group. Best of luck to all competitors - five more rounds is a tough slog!

While the Top 8 of the Pro Tour continues, we will spend some time with one of the many artists in attendance to get to know about them, their experience at events, and their art journey.

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Meet the Top 8

We have an international Top 8, with eight different countries represented, and four different heroes. These players are champions, they have fought through the toughest competition in the world over fourteen rounds to establish their dominance, and chisel their names into the walls of the Deathmatch Arena. They each are looking at just three more games... until they lift the crown, or are tossed in the pits with the rest of the battered challengers.

• Top row: Joel Repta, Filipe Lima Cardoso, Sebastian Grøndal, Joshua Lau
• Bottom row: Arthur Trehet, Daniel Correas, Maximilian Klein, Peter Ward

As a little bit of trivia, 3 of the players: Daniel; Maximilian; and, Arthur were together in the same pod for Draft 1. Also, Felipe and Sebastian were both in a pod for Draft 1, and they both drafted Olympia decks!

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Welcome to Day 3

Welcome everybody, we are here on the third day of the Pro Tour, and we are about to kick off the Top 8 matches. Simultaneously, the second day of The Calling Los Angeles is underway, with a further five rounds of Classic Constructed to run ahead of a cut to the Top 8, and if that wasn't enough action - we also have the Battle Hardened Los Angeles - testing the Living Legend format with Heavy Hitters included for the first time.

All of the Pro Tour matches will be streamed live, on YouTube for the Pro Tour Top 8

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Top 8

Whoooooo-eeeee it's been fourteen rounds of Flesh and Blood, and we have a Top 8. Featuring eight amazing individuals from eight unique countries, this is an international Top 8 that will see a new Pro Tour Champion crowned for 2024.

This is just the latest chapter in Flesh and Blood's $1,500,000 USD story for Organised Play in 2024 - and tomorrow we're going to find out who will get the big cheque(s)!

Alongside the fantastic performance of our Top 8 players, we want to recognise the performance that everyone put in over the course of the 14 rounds, and so we have updated the country table to recognise the performance of the best finishing player for each country.

Following this, we will shortly have player profiles and deck lists for the Pro Tour Los Angeles Top 8. Who will be victorious tomorrow? Tag @fabtcg on X with a prediction and why they will win!

Follow all the action -- EVERY MATCH on the Flesh and Blood YouTube Top 8 Live Stream.

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Make or Break

This is the do or die round now. We started with 388 warriors on Day 1. Then we started Day 2 with just 187 souls remaining. Now we have further shed those who lack Might, Agility, and Vigor - to just 154 in the final Swiss round, Round 14 of the Pro Tour. After this - the dream is over for most. Back to the Savage Lands - their time in the Deathmatch Arena is over. But for a select few - those who fight to their last breath - they will make it to the Top 8 and just one will wrestle their way to the trophy, the big prize, and the title of Pro Tour Los Angeles Champion.

This is going to be a tight race. The Top 32 includes incredible heroes from APAC who have travelled across the globe to be here, like Cody Gebert (Australia - started 0-3, and has won 10 games straight); Nick Butcher (Australia - what a stellar 2024); Ben Dodd (New Zealand), and Allen Lau (Hong Kong) as well as a strong European presence, with players from six different nations contending for a spot in the Top 8. The Top 32 of course features a strong American contingent with 6 players hailing from the United States, 1 from Brazil, and 1 from Canada all circling.

This is going to be a beautiful international Top 8 - as diverse as the heroes that made up this weekend's Pro Tour. What a great celebration of all that James White has spoken about - bringing people together through the common language of great games.

Standby for a meta game update ahead of the Top 8 player profiles.

Calling Los Angeles - Day 1 Metagame Breakdown

550 legends - what is the split of heroes between them? It's a wide open field, with a very similar blend of heroes to the Pro Tour, but still favouring Kayo and Dromai above all else. Is this a fateful weekend for Dromai - will she collect the last of the Living Legend points to send her into the storied history of Flesh and Blood.

This is an endurance event - there are eight rounds of Classic Constructed today, and only those with a 6 wins or better record will progress to the next day. That's an extremely tight window, and players will be focussed on redemption and reward after suffering a brutal exit from the Pro Tour.

We will check back in at the end of Day 1 to see how this diverse batch of heroes have progressed. For now, we go back to the main event where the penultimate round has just concluded and we have many players still chasing the fabled Top 8 spot of a Pro Tour.

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Day 2 Draft Update

We are done - after six rounds of Heavy Hitters Booster Draft, round 10 is in the books and logged. We followed one draft pod closely in our draft coverage, and we bring you an update on their performance along with the updated meta game after Round 10.

On Day 1 we tracked Matt Rogers, who drafted an excellent Kayo deck and was able to perform at two wins and one loss to secure 4th place going into Day 2 of the Pro Tour, but today was not as kind to him and while he stuck with his one armed friend he was only able to draw one win and two losses out of the deck, finishing Round 10 in 34th (and a 7-3 record) place. He will need to push hard in the Classic Constructed to represent the New Zealand pros, along with fellow Calling winner Ben Dodd (in 19th place on an 8-2 record). When we spoke to Matt on Thursday he said was here for fun and it looks like he's filled that mission and made his team mates proud.

Alongside Matt, the brightest stars are having mixed results - with Pro Tour New Jersey winner Pablo Pintor keeping in touch in 13th place (8-2 record); Pro Tour Baltimore winner Michael Feng out of contention in 76th place (6-4 record); and 2022 World Champion Michael Hamilton keeping touch in 28th place (7-3 record) - will any of them make it through to claim a second title?

Up next we will publish the meta game breakdown for The Calling Los Angeles.

The Calling Los Angeles - Day 1

The arena is absolutely heaving today, with over 550 players registered for The Calling Los Angeles, this is sure to be an endurance effort with 8 rounds of Classic Constructed cutting into whichever is the greater of Top 72, or, all 6+ wins or better players.

This is going to be Bigger than Big, and players will need to put on a Commanding Performance to have a chance of rising to the top here. There will be many clashes, but only a few can proceed forward. There are lots of top level players in this event - National Champions, Calling Champions, and high-level finishers across many other prestigious events.

We also have many players who are dressed for success, in their costumes already to prepare for the Cosplay Contest this evening. It's set to be one of the best yet!

Coming up next - we review the Pro Tour Day 2 Draft, and the position of the meta game heading into the final rounds of Classic Constructed before we cut to the Pro Tour Los Angeles Top 8 players. This is the crunch point now.

Saturday Gold Cold Foil Commoner Event

Today we have nearly 50 players seated and baying for blood with the most common items in Rathe. We're talking Kano playing Magemaster Boots, Robe of Rapture, and a combo-chain featuring Rousing Aether; we're talking Bravo playing Crush Confidence and Cartilage Crush. This is epic combat - all for less than $20 worth of cards.

But there is no skimping on the prizes - today players are competing for a stack of prize wall tickets along with the cherished Gold Cold Foil.

Metagame Breakdown

• 8 - Ira, Crimson Haze
• 5 - Islander
• 5 - Olympia
• 4 - Dash
• 4 - Dorinthea
• 4 - Oldhim
• 3 - Bravo
• 3 - Kayo
• 1 - Chane
• 1 - Kassai, Centari Sellsword
• 1 - Victor Goldmane
• (8 - Unaccounted)

The attendance today is a testament to people's passion for the Commoner format and follows yesterday's panel by Andrew Heintz, AKA Dice Commando, where he spoke about the importance of persistence and being there for the community.

Commoner is a hugely fun format, and Heavy Hitters has been a great set that added utility across so many heroes to maximise the performance of decks that needed a boost. It will be exciting to see what Part the Mistveil adds to the mix.

The hall is packed today - with over 1,000 people playing the different offerings of Flesh and Blood this weekend. Up next we feature The Calling Los Angeles.

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Country Breakdown

We thought we would do something a but fun while the first round of draft is being completed, and have broken down the ProTour performance by country. Now we can see which nations are still left with a hero carrying their flag, and which have retired from the ProTour and must instead fight for glory in The Calling.

*The Top Player is defined as the highest ranking player after Round 7 in GEM.

On the other side of the hall, The Calling Los Angeles has kicked off alongside the Gold Cold Foil Commoner side event. Watch out for a feature on both of these events alongside continuing coverage of the Pro Tour, both here and on the YouTube Live Stream for Day 2.

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Welcome to Day 2

After an amazing Day 1, the arena is back open, the lights are on, the gladiators are seated, and we are prepared for brutal combat -- also known as Heavy Hitters Booster Draft. Heavy Hitters is widely regarded as one of the best sets for Flesh and Blood, and many pro players regard the sets draft potential very highly. Later on today we'll sit down with a pro and get their views.

Starting off today we have kicked off the second draft of Pro Tour Los Angeles, with 187 players, which will tell the story of our aspiring champions for Rounds 8, 9, and 10. Very shortly we will bring readers coverage of the Draft 2 Feature Pod. In the meantime, follow all the action live on the YouTube Live Stream for Day 2 of Pro Tour Los Angeles.

In the meantime, we have another meet and greet plus card signing with the creator of Flesh and Blood, James White, which will shortly be followed by the start of The Calling Los Angeles. This is going to be an action packed day, so stay tuned as we go Beast Mode in another thrilling day of Flesh and Blood.

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Day 1 Wrap

Day 1 of Pro Tour Los Angeles is all done - we have completed four rounds of Classic Constructed, three rounds of Heavy Hitters Booster Draft, and we have just three players sitting undefeated at the end of the day - in ranked order:

1. Tee Thebeau (USA)
   1. CC: Kayo, Armed and Dangerous (4-0)
   2. Draft: Kassai (3-0)
2. Maximilian Klein (Germany)
   1. CC: Dorinthea Ironsong (4-0)
   2. Draft 1: Kassai (3-0)
3. Ilias Karamanis (Germany)
   1. CC: Levia, Shadowborn Abomination (4-0)
   2. Draft 1: Kayo (3-0)

We have updated the metagame breakdown following the end of Round 7, which reveals an interesting blend of heroes that will be converting into Day 2 of the Pro Tour.

As we close the day, the 364 contestants that began drafting were trimmed to just 296 after Day 1 concluded. Day 2 will begin with a cut, leaving a maximum of 187 players, piloting 18 unique heroes, with a 4 wins or better record following Round 7.

We will see that number shrink further tomorrow after players consider their fortunes tonight and decide to test their fate in The Calling Los Angeles instead of returning to the draft tables for Day 2 of Pro Tour Los Angeles.

Either way we will back tomorrow to bring our readers all the action live!

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Draft 1: Matt Rogers

We sat down with Matt Rogers, of Team PCG Pass, who entered Draft 1 sitting in 2nd place after going 4-0 in Classic Constructed with his beautifully stock Kayo.

I’m all in on Brute gaming and intend on playing with 1 arm every round! - Matt Rogers

Matt took this philosophy all the way to its conclusion in the draft, picking up a solid Kayo deck that threatened to Bare Fangs and take his opponents straight to Pound Town. When following Matt's picks throughout the draft, we saw he carefully considered all the picks and spent time to commit the contents of the pack to memory. It was inspiring to watch as the packs rotated and Matt visibly celebrated as a key component rotated.

Matt was able to win his first two matches comfortably, running to a beautiful 6-0 record, but unfortunately was not able to close out his third game on the YouTube Live Stream. It was a close game, but with a crucial turn fizzling out for Matt, Tee was able to stay close enough in life and close out the end game with the warrior reaction window proving to be Matt's Fatal Engagement to blemish an otherwise perfect record.

Thanks to Matt for allowing us to feature his draft, and best wishes for Day 2 which he will enter in 4th place for the second round of Heavy Hitters Booster Draft.

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Legend Story Studios Q+A

Be seated, be seated - this is not the time to be a Knuckle Head. We have Bryan Gottlieb and James White on stage who are ready to give our audience a Smack of Reality and answer their questions in a unique feature of Flesh and Blood events - a chance to speak directly with the Lead Developer (Bryan) and Creator of FAB (James) himself.

Once the audience were sat quietly, the questions started rolling in - we have captured here some of the highlights so that readers can get a first-person insight into what the developers at Legend Story Studios are planning, and how they are thinking about feedback from the community.

• Defense Reactions
  1. Reactions are very powerful and in looking back might feel overpowered. We want games of Flesh and Blood to end, and end with a winner. We have been happy to explore new design space with mechanics like Overpower and Block which allow us to print powerful effects without the inherent utility of defense reactions like Sink Below and Fate Foreseen.

• Design Restrictive Cards
  1. There are some cards like Command and Conquer which are restrictive influence over design - the majority are in the generic category - we would restructure some if given the chance to go back in time. Today, we are focussed on printing cards that give players similar choices, for example cards like Wreak Havoc. Eventually we would like to reach the point where players might play 3 copies of a different card and 2, 1, or no copies of Command and Conquer.

• Generic Equipment
  1. Generics like Crown of Providence, Snapdragon Scalers, Fyendal's Sprint Tunic - have become tests which other cards should live up to — Part the Mistveil includes some class cards which may even exceed the power level in their narrow spaces. Balance of Justice was the first card to pass this test. Our intent is not to get to a point where a player outright cuts a card like Crown of Providence in favour of Balance of Justice, but finds there is a case to play both.

• Dromai and Dragons
  1. We recognise that Dromai is very very close to Living Legend. Dromai is an important character in the story of Flesh and Blood, and will definitely come back in some form. We see that Dromai and her dragons are very loved and that even when she was not winning - players were still turning up with her. Dragons will be back on the table soon.

• New Player Experience
  1. The new Blitz decks are a great offering, but the difficulty is varied -- we don't recommend Illusionist for new players. We gave each deck a published difficulty rating: Enigma is 5 stars; Zen is 3 stars; and, Nuu is 2 stars.
  2. We learnt a lot from Spectra; not so keen on that mechanic, whereas dragons are a step down - but still require strategy.
  3. Note - there is also a fresh New Player Experience targeted product releasing in August, and 4 Classic Constructed armoury decks releasing throughout 2024.
     

• Living Legend and Weapons
  1. We don't see the system applying as pertinently for weapons as it does to heroes. We might one day have Katsu reach Living Legend and decide that we need to bring Harmonized Kodachi back into the game - that option is always available to us.

• Armory Promos as Prizing
  1. It's fair to say that some armory kits have fallen flat. We mainly design weapons for limited play, and while they are valued by some players that may have changed as more weapons are introduced. We are looking at a structural change for armory prizing in 2025; we are looking for consistently exciting kits!

• Underpowered Heroes
  1. We believe these heroes are part of offering a richer game experience - some players enjoy the challenge of solving and progressing with 'weaker' heroes. We also have to recognise when the class is 'occupied' and keep the choices balanced. The expansion slot gives us more room than ever to build out those heroes over time.

Fresh from Thursday evening at the Pro Tour, we also bring our readers the full Keynote Speech from James White, where he covered the future Product Releases, was joined by Trevor to talk Organised Play, and finally - he shared the exciting Part the Mistveil trailers (Japanese language) + (English language), and news of the 2024 World Championship in Osaka.

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Day 1 Meta After Round 4

After four gruelling rounds of Classic Constructed, our champions are weary and are ready for a moment of rest. But this is the Deathmatch Arena, and no one may rest! It is time now to Draw Swords, and thrust forward with Heavy Hitters Booster Draft. We sat with one of the top professionals here and covered their draft in detail, but out of respect for that player we are going to hold off publishing until they are finished playing their draft rounds. In the meantime, our readers can catch the feature draft table on the YouTube Day 1 Live Stream.

While players are building their decks to crush and conquer their weak-boned opponents, we have a Metagame Update following the end of Classic Constructed for Day 1 - updated with results after the first four rounds.

From the nearly 400 players that sat down this morning playing 21 unique heroes there are 364 gladiators left playing 20 unique heroes; we have whittled away a few weaklings, who lie clutching their Bloodied Oval. Maybe they can do better in The Calling. Or, we're told there are people from Brooklyn looking for pictures of feet.

Our favourite feet from Heavy Hitters? Flat Trackers. There were 24 players undefeated on their Classic Constructed heroes. While the draft rounds are underway, we have some highlights from the Legend Story Studios Developer Q+A session up next.

Pro Tour Los Angeles - The Payoff

Players have come to this event from all over the world, made their choices, and staked their wagers in favour of their chance to take it all out, but what are they fighting for? What will the winner of this deathmatch walk away with?

Sure, they will be the sole survivor and walk away with their life. But there's so much else. There's a beautiful trophy, that cements their place in history as one of the pro players of Flesh and Blood.

On top of that:

• $50,000 USD
• A Gold Foil Legendary Black Envelope
• A Professional Tournament Invite
• A Champion's Prize Card

These prizes are incredible and winning an event like the Pro Tour can be a life changing experience. This is just reward for the time, effort, and strength that a Pro Tour champion must display in order to be the last one standing.

Only a few people know the feeling of being a Flesh and Blood Pro Tour winner - Pablo Pintor, Matthew Foulkes, and Michael Feng, but this weekend - right here in Los Angeles, we will be crowning our new champion. Who will it be?

Stay tuned as we bring our readers all the action, live from California. Next up we have coverage from the Day 1 Draft.

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Day 1 Metagame

Here are the numbers everyone has been waiting for - the meta game for Day 1 of the Pro Tour

This is very definitely the Heavy Hitters Pro Tour with nearly one-third of the meta represented by the heroes from that set. Or exactly one-third if one includes Rhinar (technically he's a Welcome to Rathe hero, isn't he?) in the count. But it's the cousin Kayo, Armed and Dangerous who has single-handedly jostled his way to the highest representation (20%) in the meta game.

This is a very diverse meta game, with only Kayo and Dromai feeling significant representation; the rest of the heroes picking up only a handful of supporters. The spread of choices here signifies the excellent work the Legend Story Studios team has done in balancing Flesh and Blood.

We have many of the big name players, such as Michael Hamilton, Michael Feng, Ben Dodd, Matt Rogers, and Yuki-Lee Bender all trying to strong-arm their way into a dominant position for Day 1. Who will be able to show their Might and prove dominant?

Keep checking in on the Pro Tour Standings and the YouTube Live Stream - Day 1 to see who is carrying the flag forwards.

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Venue Overview

While we wait to Seduce Secrets from the decklists table and bring the meta game breakdown to our lovely readers, let's have a look at some of the sights and delights that occupy the masses in the arena. First of all, we have the vendors who bring their wares across the lands of Rathe to satisfy the desires of players and collectors.

Just a few steps up the hall, we have the magnificent artists of Flesh and Blood, who are diligently signing players beloved cards, and sharing in discussions with players about the characters, themes, and elements that they enjoy most in the artwork. There are lots of extra goodies available too - playmats; prints; artist proofs; and some unique items that artists have prepared especially for the adoring fans.

Players have a beautiful feature match area to play in this weekend, and what better place to show off their Agility, Might, and Vigor than in front of adoring fans, and the Slap-Happy legions watching via the YouTube Live Stream. This humble area will see many champions crowned this weekend, including the newest Pro Tour Champion.

Between rounds, players and visitors also have the opportunity to pick up stylish offerings from the Flesh and Blood merch and prize wall, including oversized cards, the latest and greatest Cold Foils, the new California themed merchandise offerings, and playmats featuring stunning artwork from Heavy Hitters and other great products!

Back now to our Stadium Centrepiece, the Pro Tour where Round 2 is well underway and players are showing their most cunning tricks to win each and every clash. This Pro Tour is the biggest and grandest competitive event to showcase the runaway success of Heavy Hitters, and we will shortly see how the new heroes have impacted the meta-game.

Pro Tour Los Angeles - Day 1

Welcome one, welcome all - this is the big show, and we are seeing the excitement in the room as players assemble for their shot at fame, glory, and fortune - the gold is on the table, and the wagers (also known as decklists) have been placed. The speeches are done, the pairings are up, and it's time to draw blood. We will be sharing the action throughout the event across the Live Blog, the Twitter (X) feed, and the YouTube Live Stream - Day 1.

This is what it's all about, this is the battle that the crowd came to witness. It is time to kick back, prepare a Savage Feast, and watch the very best of Flesh and Blood play out right here in Los Angeles, California.

Very shortly we will bring readers the Pro Tour Day 1 Metagame Breakdown so one can see what heroes the pros have decided are the preference to take them through to fame and fortune.

Keynote Speech - Voice of the People

We spoke to some of the groups spread across the arena, to capture the voice of the people and allow them to judge James - will the Keynote Speech Command Respect or will he going to have to turn Runner, Runner, and escape before the crowd turns into a Ravenous Rabble?

New York Table - Brooklyn + a man from Wisconsin

• Everyone wants to know: what is Chi?
• They want to see rippling pecs
• One person wanted to see Zen's feet
• They started talking about feet and muscles more so we moved on

Sunflower Samurai Table - Spain

• They loved the new heroes
• Osaka worlds is very exciting
• New Ninja [Zen, Tamer of Purpose] is interesting
• No mention of feet
  

SoCal (Southern California) Table - "Closest an event will ever be to my house"

• The music [in the trailer] was amazing
• Loved the Mac and Cheese for the player dinner
• Were glad to see all the new heroes at once - less time wondering
• Excited for the new Assassin [Nuu, Alluring Desire]
• So happy to be rewarded with a North American [Tampa Bay] World Premiere
• Also no mention of feet

Australian Table - Melbourne mostly

• Were very complimentary about the Live Blog
• Also wanted to know what is Chi
• Did not mention feet

James spoke passionately about how Flesh and Blood is about bringing people together through the common language of great games. He Lead with Heart into the trailer of what he's described as his favourite set. It looks like there is a lot of excitement in the room, and this may be even more popular than the acclaimed Heavy Hitters.

Keynote Speech

We have a huge crowd assembled to hear from Flesh and Blood creator James White, and we have some fantastic news that will define the future of the game we all love to collect and play together. James shared a special message to thank the event team, and recognised the importance of the Japanese to the trading card industry.

We then heard about the upcoming roadmap for the game releases:

• Set 12, Heavy Hitters, released in February 2024
• Set 13, Part the Mistveil, releasing in June 2024
• Set 14, TBC, releasing in September 2024
• 4 new Armory Decks, starting with Kayo in May, and 3 more throughout 2024
• New Learn-to-Play experience, releasing in August 2024

Especially exciting was the news that Flesh and Blood will have a huge presence at GenCon 2024, where the new learn-to-play experience will debut. We then heard from Trevor Baker for an overview of the Organised Play circuit in 2024 including these highlights:

• Pro Quest: Amsterdam starts in April 2024
• Calling Tokyo in May 2024; World Premiere for Part the Mistveil
• Calling Tampa Bay in September 2024; World Premiere for Set 14

We then watched the stunning trailer for Part the Mistveil - this was absolutely breathtaking, and calmed the crowd down from the frenzy of hearing about the upcoming events.

Read more about Part the Mistveil on the product page:

• Part the Mistveil - English Language
• Part the Mistveil - Japanese Language

James baited the murmuring crowd... we are done... but there was one more thing -- The Flesh and Blood 2024 World Championship will be held in Osaka, Japan. Read the full summary of the Keynote Speech to learn more.

We are back tomorrow for Day 1 of the Pro Tour. Join us on any of Twitter (X), YouTube, and right here on the Live Blog to follow all the action live from the Deathmatch Arena, Los Angeles.

Lights Camera Action

We are here in the world capital of entertainment, and tonight is going to be an exciting moment in the history of the game, with the crowd gathering and cheering for a beautiful weekend of Flesh and Blood ahead.

This is a beautiful venue, with a huge exhibition hall transforming for the weekend into an arena where players will battle till the limits of their endurance - for the titles of Battle Hardened: Los Angeles champion, Calling: Los Angeles champion, and the grand prize -- Pro Tour: Los Angeles champion.

Alongside the competitive events offering a share of the amazing $1,500,000 USD prize pool for organised play in Flesh and Blood, this weekend players have a chance to play fantastic side events and get their hands on the exclusive Extended Art Cold Foil Energy Potion.

The weekend will be full of Heavy Hitters, friends reunited, top level Flesh and Blood competitive play, and memories that will last a lifetime.

Very shortly James White will be taking the stage to deliver the keynote speech and introduce the news about the future of Organised Play and the thirteenth set of Flesh and Blood: Part the Mistveil.

Deathmatch Arena Rules

1 - No refunds!

2 - No weapons (unless you are a contestant).

3 - No food or drink (unless purchased at the concession stand).

4 - By purchasing this ticket you agree that the fight-masters will not be held liable for any physical contact with bodily parts and/or fluids, spontaneous injury, suspected match-fixing, pickpocketing, inebriation, emotional trauma, unexpected sudden wealth (or lack thereof), unpleasant smells, or moral bankruptcy.

5 - Parental guidance is advised (but not enforced).

Enjoy the show!