Sunday – Calling Top 8
Congratulations to Gui Cohen for winning the Classic Constructed Calling at SCG CON Dallas!
After a weekend of domination from Lexi, it was Dromai who would have the final say here in Dallas Fort-Worth. Four copies of Dromai made the Top 8 and converted that into three of the Top 4 and, eventually, both finalists.
Cohen entered the elimination rounds as the No. 3 seed on a Dromai list loaded with three copies of Tome of Imperial Flame, which were pivotal in Dromai mirrors on the weekend. Cohen knocked out Merrick Kemp on Dash in the quarterfinals and Michael Jaszczur on Lexi in the semifinals to secure his place in the finals.
Matthew Vore had to go through Yuki Lee Bender on Lexi in the quarterfinals and Jacob Baugh on Dromai in the semis to reach the finals and square off against Cohen.
The three copies of Tome of Imperial Flame allowed Cohen to get ahead early and ride his dragons to an unassailable offensive. Vore put up a fight, but the life totals and board presence all went in favor of Cohen as he claimed a relatively swift victory in the Dromai mirror.
Cohen enjoyed his victory and noted his motivation came from James White pointing out his misplays from a Battle Hardened finals defeat earlier in the year. Looks like the constructive criticism worked, as Cohen’s improved play earned him a Calling trophy, $5,000, a gold foil Crown of Providence, and a PTI.
Here is your Dallas Classic Constructed Calling Top 8: Nicholas Tran, Michael Jaszczur, Gui Cohen, Matthew Vore, Yuki Lee Bender, Merrick Kemp, Michael Feng, and Jacob Baugh.
Sunday – Battle Hardened Top 8
Tucker Campbell is your Dallas Battle Hardened champion!
Campbell snuck into the Top 8 as the No. 8 seed with the second highest tie-breakers of five-win players after the Swiss.
Campbell drafted one of the three Teklovossen decks in the Top 8, which also featured four players on Maxx Nitro and a solo Dash, Database.
Campbell’s path to the finals involved defeating Claire Stanfield on Maxx in the quarterfinals and Kirk Huber on Teklovossen in the semis. Florin-Cristian Loghin, the other finalist, beat Eric Dauernheim on Dash in the quarters and Cody Fuller on Teklovossen in the semis.
With both players having locked up a PTI, the remaining two had to battle it out to see who walked away with the random gold cold foil legendary card. Campbell figured out early in the final match that he would not be able to fatigue Loghin’s build of Maxx, so he got aggressive, and forced Loghin to answer his offensive threats.
The finals went down to the wire, with both players holding their last cards on the final turn, but Loghin’s two cards couldn’t match Campbell’s four. Campbell found the last points of damage and it earned him the title of Battle Hardened champion.
The eight players to reach the Top 8 draft after seven rounds of Bright Lights Sealed were: Claire Stanfield, Eric Dauernheim, Austin Somers, Kirk Huber, Dave Lin, Cody Fuller, Florin-Cristian Loghin, and Tucker Campbell.
Sunday – Welcome to Rathe Alpha Draft
Select side events on Friday and Saturday offered winners and lucky participants a slot into Sunday’s Welcome to Rathe Alpha booster draft.
Robert Salzar, Marc Pearce, Daniel Rutkowski, Jonathan Strong, Rob Denton, Skylar Surguy, Heyley Neighbors, and Ryan Nelson all had the pleasure of unwrapping boosters of the first ever Flesh and Blood set.
A crowd gathered around the draft pod to potentially witness players open cold foil versions of some of the most iconic cards in the game. The first pack delivered with Rob Denton finding a cold foil Helm of Isen’s Peak. Pack 3 delivered as well, with Denton opening a rainbow foil Tome of Fyendal and Marc Pearce hit a non-foil Enlightened Strike.
The four heroes that launched the game battled it out with notable players like Rutkowski and Strong shuffling up sleeved draft decks.
In the end, Ryan Nelson won the pod with the original Guardian of Rathe, Bravo. Nelson said getting to draft the alpha set was a lot of fun and that it was exciting to see players hit some chase cards. He even pulled a pink (red) copy of Snatch.
Sunday – Battle Hardened Hero Breakdown
The Bright Lights Sealed Battle Hardened kicked things off this morning with 93 players opening packs and registered pools.
Players got to sweat opening their expansion slot cards while getting a preview of what cards they wanted to build around. After a quick build session, 41 players chose Teklovossen and his Evo equipment, 39 competitors opted to crank it up with Maxx Nitro, and 13 players picked Dash Database and her item emporium.
Maxx appears to be picking up steam and closing the gap in popularity after Teklovossen shined brightest early in the format. Teklovossen and Maxx both came in at just under half of the field, leaving Dash as the remainder of the meta.
Players geared up for seven rounds of Swiss and a Top 8 Bright Lights booster draft to determine who gets to walk away with $2,000, a gold foil prize card, and the coveted PTI.
Sunday – Calling DFW Day 2 Hero Conversion
The 280 players from Day 1 of the Calling have been culled to just the Top 64. Five more rounds of Swiss await these heavy hitters to determine the Top 8 and determine which player and hero will lift the trophy at the end of the day.
Lexi, Dromai, and Bravo all converted to Day 2 at higher percentages than their Day 1 meta share. Lexi went from 20 percent of the Day 1 field to 35 percent on Day 2, tallying an impressive 40 percent conversion rate. Dromai went from 45 copies to 18, sharing the same 40 percent conversion rate as Lexi. Bravo rounded out the three top heroes, going from 30 pilots to eight with a 27 percent conversion rate to Day 2. Lexi, Dromai, and Bravo improved their meta share of 46 percent on Day 1 to a whopping 76 percent on Day 2.
The rest of Day 2 consists of three copies of Fai and Azalea, followed by two copies of Dash and Katsu, leaving single copies of Rhinar, Kano, Dorinthea, Uzuri, and Iyslander. Ser Boltyn was the only hero with 10 or more pilots to not reach Day 2. Rhinar, with six players on Day 1, will see Day 2 play with a lone competitor.
How will Lexi, Dromai, and Bravo convert to the Top 8? Will the smattering of lesser represented heroes take a larger share of the field in the elimination rounds? Watch the action unfold on the Savage Feats stream on the Flesh and Blood YouTube channel.
Saturday – The Great Lexi Debate
With Lexi nearing the end of her reign in the Classic Constructed format, let’s hear from some players on whether they’ll be happy to see her go, if she is a good deck to be the best deck in a format, and what they expect the meta to look like once she hits Living Legend status.
Michael Hamilton
“Lexi is a good deck to be the best deck in the format because her games are very skillful on both sides and there are a lot of decisions. I think she has been the best a bit too long for my taste, but it is a good deck to be the best. I’ve been playing Lexi for like eight months, so I am ready for her to go away.”
Michael Feng
“What defines a good best deck is subjective, but real talk, I think her power level is higher than what the latest Banned and Suspended announcement suggested. I think there are decks that can beat Lexi, but if she prepares for the meta, her card pool is big enough that she can target any of her ‘bad’ matchups.”
Charles Dunn
“I think Lexi is the best deck, but not as strong as some of the other best decks in the history of the game like Starvo or Chane. Lexi is a bit more healthy than those decks, but I am looking forward to her leaving as she is a touch too strong.”
Nick Butcher
“I think Dromai, Dash, and Iyslander, will be the top heroes once Lexi reaches Living Legend, so if you like those heroes you are in for a good time. Rhinar could be a hero that rises up after Lexi leaves.”
Saturday – Side Events Roundup
As Day 1 of the Calling Dallas garnered the majority of the attention on Saturday, side events fired all day and offered Flesh and Blood fans of all interests something to play.
Limited players chose from Crack, Shuffle, Play, on-demand Bright Lights drafts, and Bright Lights Sealed events. Constructed players picked from Classic Constructed, Blitz, Commoner, and even Ultimate Pit Fight throughout the day.
Blitz fans got to bust out Briar, Kassai, Maxx Nitro, Fai, and other fan-favorites while Commoner players brought Bravo, Katsu, Azalea, Kassai, and Fai to play. The UPF gold foil Silver Palms final match included Taylor, Valda Brightaxe, and Kayo, Berserker Runt.
Five events included bonus qualifications to tomorrow’s Welcome to Rathe Alpha booster draft. By the end of the day, all eight players will be decided and they will get to dream of cracking a cold foil legendary from the set that started it all.
Saturday - Calling Dallas Meta Breakdown
280 players showed up to SCG CON Dallas for the Classic Constructed Calling in DFW ready to battle it out for their share of the $20,000 prize pool. Top players and fresh faces alike joined in on the excitement in Round 1 as all players collected a cold foil Teklovossen.
Lexi continues to be the most-played hero, clocking in at 20 percent of the field on Day 1. Dromai isn’t too far behind at 16 percent and the top three is rounded out by Bravo with 10 percent. While those three heroes account for close to half of the players in the event, the middle of the field is still pretty deep.
Katsu, Azalea, Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire, Fai, Uzuri, Iyslander, and Ser Boltyn all have double-digit representation. All heroes other than Riptide were registered in some number, with even the three heroes from Bright Lights boosting into the format. Maxx had five pilots, Dash I/O had four, and Teklovossen had two esteemed believers.
Now we all wait to see which heroes convert and make the cut for Day 2.
Saturday - Ultimate Pit Fight Gold Foil Silver Palms Event
This weekend isn’t all about cutthroat competition. The Ultimate Pit Fight event offered players a chance to breakout some different heroes and duke it out in multiplayer fun for the chance at a gold foil Silver Palms.
The title match featured Jack Stoney on Kayo, Berserker Runt, Andrew Klein on Valda Brightaxe, and Rachel Stoddard on Taylor! The trio wasted no time before coming to blows as Klein sent attacks at both opposing players on the first turn, with Stoney serving up some revenge on the next turn.
Stoddard played it safe early, using her hefty equipment load to prevent as much damage as possible. Klein and Stoney kept chipping away at each other while Stoddard played the social game perfectly, reminding both players frequently how Taylor doesn’t even have a weapon!
Klein made a big attack at Stoney, but Stoney weathered the storm and attacked him back, putting Klein dangerously low with a single card in hand. Stoddard jumped on the opportunity to send attacks at the Guardian, knocking Klein out, and leaving the match at two players. Stoney had his work cut out for him, sporting a precariously low life total while Taylor’s health was almost untouched. The playful banter continued as Stoddard suggested Stoney send his offense at Valda’s corpse.
Stoddard and Stoney traded attacks over a handful of turns, but eventually Stoddard broke through with a blue Raging Onslaught to deal the final damage. In the end, Stoddard, the cosplay extraordinaire, added a gold foil Silver Palms to Taylor’s inventory!
Friday - Side Event Highlights
The first day of SCG CON Dallas was full of Flesh and Blood side events, capping with a triple feature of Super Armory events.
Multiple on-demand Bright Lights booster drafts filled in the gaps between the Sealed Bright Lights Bounty event and the Super Armory events.
More than 70 players kicked the day off with the Bright Lights Sealed Bounty event, with some lucky players taking home additional bounty prizes. Almost 100 people got in on the Super Armory action (50 for Classic Constructed, 31 for Blitz, and 14 for Crack, Shuffle, Play). Cold foil Armory Promos and People’s Champion Playmats awaited the winners.
Gamers were getting their fix of limited play, representing their favorite hero in Blitz, and finding some last-minute practice for tomorrow’s Classic Constructed Calling throughout the day. Three players even grabbed an invite to Sunday’s Welcome to Rathe Alpha booster draft. Saturday’s slate includes the Calling, an Ultimate Pit Fight gold foil Silver Palms tournament along with Blitz and Commoner side events.
Friday - Venue Tour
Welcome to SCG CON Dallas at the Fort Worth Convention Center in downtown DFW – the hub of this weekend’s Flesh and Blood action, including the Classic Constructed Calling.
The venue is located next to the scenic Fort Worth Water Gardens. Players entering the site from the 11th Street entrance only have to walk a few steps to set their sights on all the TCG glory.
After going through the doors, players are greeted with the artist area, which is flanked by a play space filled with gamers and the beginning of the vendor area. By proceeding into the epicenter of the vendor area, players can check out the Prize Wall and determine which oversized hero card or favorite playmat to spend their hard-earned prize wall tickets on.
Beyond the Prize Wall is the Star City Games main stage. Past the vendor area are the many rows of tables for the many Flesh and Blood events. The back of the hall is home to a bevy of food and drink options. Follow the tables near the right wall back toward the entrance to find the coverage area, where Savage Feats will be centered all weekend. The feature match area for the Calling is located past that, just out of earshot of the rambunctious commentator crew of Tannon Grace, Brendan Patrick, and Stephen Cookus, all directed by Ethan “Man Sant.”
The lights here in DFW might not be as bright as those in Metrix, but the excitement of playing great games in the flesh and blood is second to none.
Friday - Crack, Shuffle, Play Super Armory Event
Crack, Shuffle, Play is the new way to play Flesh and Blood introduced with the release of Bright Lights. The first of three Super Armory Events at SCG CON Dallas featured the new, fast, and fun way to play with 14 players tearing open packs, removing the token, shuffling, and you guessed it, playing.
The five-round event offered many players their first chance to try out Crack, Shuffle, Play. Each round win granted competitors more prize wall tickets, with top prizes going to those that 5-0 or 4-1. Four wins granted players an Armory Promo while five wins upgraded that promo to a cold foil and came along with a People’s Champion Playmat.
While most players had already drafted the set or played a Bright Lights Sealed prerelease, this event was a debut of the new format for many of them. Flesh and Blood enthusiasts found it fun and interesting, having to make the strategic decision of which hero to play based off the contents of the three packs right off the bat. The new way to play also tested players’ skills as they had to make the most of what that they opened, including figuring out how to maximize the value of the weakest cards in their pool.
Fans of Bright Lights enjoyed getting to play all their Mechanologist cards, however, they said they are just as excited to see how Crack, Shuffle, Play evolves with future sets.
Friday - Bright Lights Sealed Bounty Event
Flesh and Blood players flocked to Dallas-Forth Worth, Texas this weekend for three days of heroic battles. The first one on the schedule was the Bright Lights Sealed Bounty event. More than 70 players ripped open four packs of Bright Lights, crafted their Sealed decks, and started collecting stacks of prize wall tickets.
In addition to the joy of cracking four packs of the latest booster release, each player who registered for the event received a cold foil Maxx Nitro and 80 prize wall tickets.
The three bounty players were Pro Tour Baltimore runner-up Mara Faris, two-time US Nationals Top 8er Jacob Baugh, and captain of Team Magnolia, Tee Thebeau.
The fun is just starting for players here in DFW.
