More than 70 players crossed the bridges into Pittsburgh this weekend to throw down with some good old fashioned Flesh and Blood!
The weekend kicked off with The Realm Games Pittsburgh Brawl, a classic constructed showdown with $5,000 USD on offer.
Players then tore open packs of Outsiders for the Sealed Deck Battle Hardened, ducking and darting around daggers and arrows to make it to the Top 8 Draft.
Battle Hardened
It seems your average wayward adventurer is enjoying the Pits so much they don't ever want to return to the surface! Players have really sunk their teeth into this limited format, exploring the ins and outs of every crevice.
After getting down and dirty, the pathways cleared for the big dogs to take their rightful place at the top of the heap - notably including Pro Tour: Baltimore champion Michael Feng, who would have no doubt had a few plucky Assassins plotting to claim his head.
The Top 8 draft appeared to have some crowd favourites, with four Uzuri, three Benji, and a single Azalea. Poor Katsu, Arakni, and Riptide had to sit this one out!
Only one Uzuri scraped through into the semi-finals, then proceeding to cut down the lone Ranger, while daggers danced at the other table in a Benji mirror match.
The finals came down to Dave Lin on Uzuri vs Cody Williams on Benji, with the Boss completing her contract in style, putting the young Mysterian Ninja six feet under, and claiming the Gold Foil and share of the $2,000 bounty!
Congratulations to Dave, and the rest of our Top 8 competitors!
Top 8
1st: Dave Lin - Uzuri
2nd: Cody Williams - Benji, the Piercing Wind
3rd-4th: James Adams - Azalea
3rd-4th: Jesse Hudak - Benji, the Piercing Wind
5th-8th: Michael Feng - Uzuri
5th-8th: Naib Mobassir - Uzuri
5th-8th: Yongji Yang - Benji, the Piercing Wind
5th-8th: Josh Millar - Uzuri
Pittsburgh Brawl
Do you ever get that feeling that the heroes of Flesh and Blood have been gathering together a lot recently? Maybe something big is on the horizon...
That's certainly how it felt during the $5,000 Realm Games Pittsburgh Brawl, as more than 19 different heroes were represented on the battlefield.
Lexi lead the pack as expected, followed by Dromai, Oldhim, Uzuri, and Viserai. But unbeknownst to them, a mystery guest from Volcor paid them a surprise visit. Kano, fulfilling his role as the boogeyman of every format, roasted and toasted his way into the Top 8! But arcane trickery only goes so far. When it came down to brass tacks, arrows and hammers won out.
After grinding out an extremely tough mirror match, Isaak Krut took home the title, and the cash!
Congratulations to Isaak and the rest of our Top 8 competitors.
Top 8
1st: Isaak Krut - Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity
2nd: Michael Jasczur - Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity
3rd-4th: Cody Willams - Lexi, Livewire
3rd-4th: Yuanji Li - Lexi, Livewire
5th-8th: William Bodo - Kano, Dracai of Aether
5th-8th: Jordan Blankenship - Azalea, Ace in the Hole
5th-8th: Hayden Jeanson - Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity
5th-8th: Brodie Spurlock - Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity