The first player in Germany to reach a thousand XP, Christian Weißling has been playing TCG’s for over a decade. Trying his hand at a wide variety of different games, he’s tested his skills in competitive tournaments before, even participating in poker tournaments.
“I’m really affinitied [sic] to card games, I like them a lot, I like the competitiveness a lot. I try to play them as much as I can, I like to travel around the world to compete with other guys, and play for some prizes. I really like to have cards in my hand… I’m not that ‘pro’ at poker, but I like to play Texas Hold ‘Em, too...
“I was looking around for new games, and my friend said to me, ‘have you heard about Flesh and Blood?’ ...it doesn’t take long for me to jump on a new card game, and it seemed quite interesting- I liked that every card has a use… I liked the whole concept, I was hooked from the first minute I played.”
Christian was one of the first players to form the German Flesh and Blood community in October, when Welcome to Rathe Unlimited was released to European stores.
“I was there from the first minute that Welcome to Rathe Unlimited could arrive in Germany… I was involved with Flesh and Blood from the start- I believe in Germany, around October, November, and a couple of [other] guys as well, they created the Facebook group a couple of weeks later, and everything grows [sic] after that.”
We did discuss the release of the new Monarch heroes, particularly Christian’s preference for the warrior class, quoting his enjoyment of Dorinthea’s playstyle.
“I really enjoy Dorinthea, the attack reaction style is so fun, [with] the mind games behind Dorinthea. What each [player] is thinking about what’s going to happen, if you’re passing out a reprise hand, if they have a triple pump in his hand, does he need to block and have the reprise trigger? The mind setup is quite fun for Dorinthea, and I really like to sit there, and like- I mean, it’s not like you want to see pain from your opponent, but- I mean, it is a little bit of something like this.
...I can see myself playing Kassai maybe now, in Blitz format… unfortunately, she does not have any specialisation, but I mean even just the +1 permanent effect that you have on your weapon for free is such a huge thing for one-hand weapons... But I think, even if a new deck comes, like Prism or Chane, Dorinthea can still do her thing like crazy. We got a couple of new cards… I really, really like the new Nourishing Emptiness, I am in love with this. Dorinthea and this card is like, married to each other.”
Dorinthea
Nourishing Emptiness
Of course, Christian came onto the Flesh and Blood scene with a wide variety of experience in TCG competitions, so when the Skirmish series was announced, he says he was very excited for the chance to get involved with some more competitive events for Flesh and Blood.
“I went really, really crazy when I learned about Skirmish events, and that I could reach 6x multipliers… I could reach 1k XP. I thought, man, I really want to be #1 in Germany in my TCG career. *laughs* I thought, why not! I mean, I’m really hooked in this game, and I have the time and the patience, and I really- I can do it! I checked the other guy [in Germany] and he was already at about two hundred points. I thought ‘man, it’s already over, I can’t reach-’ but the Skirmish season started, and I was thinking ‘if I play every day, something Skirmish, like two or three in a day, and different time zones… It’s worth it. Time to make it happen.”
Before the Skirmish season started, Christian only had 15 XP on his account, accruing over 1200 XP between then and the writing of this article - a feat of sheer determination.
“I really love this game, and I am so hooked- it’s not like working, I have fun; play each other, and meet some international guys who are really nice, and very good, and the competition is quite fun… Now that we’re coming into Monarch, I’m excited to see some changes, I believe, that some cool decks can come out and change the meta.”
Earlier in the interview, Christian and I had discussed his experiences with other players in their discord group, and how for the release of Monarch, they’d bought each other meals via roulette and talked while they opened packs. Throughout our discussion, the conversation often returned to community. He mentioned losing to Dante Delfico, and the competitiveness of beating other German players to the 1k XP mark - but always in the spirit of the game, and enjoying not only the inherent challenge of facing other players, but the importance of having fun.
Ultimately, it’s when the discussion inevitably turns to the future of Flesh and Blood events, and a future World Championship, that Christian’s passion for the game shines the most.
“I love the feeling! I love the feeling to be a part of the event, even if get wrecked all around, it’s fine. I meet great players, I like to be a part of the event and enjoy it; you meet the whole community for Flesh and Blood, and- I mean of course, you want to win, and to be the number one… I have to learn a lot to beat some people, but for me, it’s just to be a part of it, and to have fun. I’m excited to see such events!”